“Just as Germany needs a strong Europe, so too does Europe need a strong Germany,” stressed the Minister of National Economy and Finance and President of the Eurogroup, Kyriakos Pierrakakis, during his visit to Germany today. “The best answer to populism in general — and I think we learned this very clearly in Greece — the strongest response to populists is reforms, is results, is showing that democracy works for every citizen and every household. That is the achievement and the challenge before us, and I am confident we will see Germany accomplish these things as well,” said Pierrakakis, commenting on the rise of the far right.
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Kyriakos Pierrakakis: “Europe must convert its economic size into economic power”
Speaking about his meetings in Germany — including with Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil — Kyriakos Pierrakakis noted that discussions covered issues related to the Eurogroup and the European economy, particularly “those touching on reforms and the major changes that need to happen at the pan-European level: the Savings and Investments Union, which encompasses the Capital Markets Union and the Banking Union, along with the resulting reforms and the major changes required in the areas of energy, technology, and the digital euro.”
Discussions also addressed fiscal balance “during a period when international challenges are significant and multiple, and are reflected in bond markets,” as well as the management of factors related to energy and the Middle East — “the ways in which we will support our societies and the European economy as a whole, and how we can stand by every citizen, every country, and Europe at large.”
Kyriakos Pierrakakis spoke about Greece as “a characteristic example of how, when fiscal credibility is combined with reforms, very meaningful results can be achieved — for the broader economy, for every citizen, for every business, and for every household.”
The same spirit, he added, “can serve as inspiration more broadly for everything Europe needs to achieve in the years ahead.” The goal for Europe, he emphasized, is “to convert its economic size into economic power — and we all know very well that now is the time for both decisions and results.”
