Greece’s post-bailout growth plan was the focus of today’s cabinet meeting, called by PM Alexis Tsipras straight on the heels of the government’s technical agreement with creditors on the fourth and last bailout evaluation.
Tsipras presented the government’s “Growth Strategy for the Future”, which has already been submitted for review to Brussels and Greece’s creditors.
The strategy is an outline of plans for all sectors of the economy and for social policy, and includes initiatives and actions to reach objectives in each area.
Tsipras stressed the social impact of policies in each area.
The text includes commitments to society as a whole – education, healthcare, and social welfare – and in particular to the forces of labour and production, which will play a leading role in implementing the strategy.
He noted the role of the European Investment Bank in supporting growth, and plans for a Greek investment bank.
The cabinet meeting comes after a new proposal from Skopje on the FYROM naming issue, and Tsipras is expected to reiterate Athens’ requirements for a solution, including a revision of FYROM’s constitution, and use of the new name domestically as well as internationally.
The PM has lashed out at opposition parties’ criticism of the government’s growth plan – mainly New Democracy’s and Pasok’s (Movement for Change) – noting that, “It is exceptionally difficult for the parties that led the country to bankruptcy and international disrepute to understand [the plan]. That is why they dealt with the text in an embarrassed and coarse manner. They described it as either a new bailout memorandum or a as a school essay.”
