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Victoria Mindova

Greece’s priority before the talk of standard recovery is production. One of the most important tasks of this government is to create an environment in which entrepreneurship can develop - to eliminate unnecessary regulations on businesses, to facilitate administrative procedures and to find means to finance the new economic model for the country.
 
This is the opinion of the Deputy Minister of Development, Notis Mitarachi, who visited the American College of Greece in Athens, Deree, to present the difficulties and obstacles that Greece is facing today to the young students and discuss with them the possibilities for change.

Young Deree College students were particularly interested in the Minister’s position on the changes in labour legislation. Under the new rules, the starting salary of a young man up to the age of 25 in the private sector has been reduced to 510 euro. A girl in the audience asked, "How do you think that a young person can achieve something and be creative with such a low salary that does not cover even basic expenses?" The Minister replied, "If you ask me if it's good, I will tell you that it is not. The truth, however, is that we must first teach the people to produce and then, talk about base salaries. It is because in an economy that produces nothing, the base salary is zero," Mitarachi said.

He advised the young people not to rush to seek better paying jobs at the start of their careers. "One of the best ways to gain experience and become more attractive to your future employers is volunteering in different areas. It provides expertise, which you can hardly gain early in your careers in an ordinary job. It will enrich your knowledge, you will gain experience and access to different people who can inspire you and teach you something useful," the Minister said. He stressed that his volunteering in his student years had opened many doors and had given him valuable experience.

Mitarachi did not describe in detail the reasons that have led the country to its present state. He only said that the Greeks had largely lost the perspective of how to act and work in the years before the crisis. Most initiatives in this period drifted along. "Moreover, in the good years, we did not save for the bad times."

"We have enormous resources that have been left abandoned." He gave the example of the old airport near Ellinikos – an excellent location offering great opportunities for the development of successful projects that remains unused. "If you had an empty flat, wouldn't you offer it for rent to bring you a profit, or would you allow it to go to ruin without using it? The same applies to the state now. We must activate its resources."

One of Greece’s greatest problems in the long term remains the lack of young and ambitious people who want to enter politics, Mitarachi said. If the society does not like the people who make the decisions about it, it is impossible for the country to move in the right direction. "It is sad that the society has lost faith in politics in general, not in politicians - people in politics come and go, but in politics as a function of finding solutions."

The Minister said that the main task of his government remains to reform the competitiveness of the Greek economy, to improve the operability of the Greek public administration and to teach the public sector to spend as much as it produces. "Different political doctrines have a different view about what the policy applied should be. Some say 'earn more, tax more, spend more', others say 'earns less, tax less, spend even less.' We in Greece did neither of them. We spent much and earned less." And now the time has come to pay the bill for the waste of the previous generation. The good news is that Greece is not alone.

"The amount of aid that Greece received is unprecedented," Mitarachi said. It is almost two times higher than the country's GDP. He explained that now, the task is to achieve fiscal stability and change the attitudes. "Reforms must be implemented to enable the country to get back on its feet," Mitarachi was adamant.

The meeting with the young students was attended by Ambassador Demetrios Marantis, Deputy United States Trade Representative. He reminded the Greek students that they were not the only young people who have to decide which road to take in their lives in times of severe financial crisis.

"Do not forget that Greece is not alone. Many countries around the world rely on the success of Greece and the United States is one of them. The government is here to help in this transition period," Marantis said. He recalled Greece’s privilege to be part of the European Union. "The United States and the European Union maintain business relations amounting to a trillion dollars. This is a huge sum. The trade exchange allows both sides to create new jobs and opportunities for development."
 
The diplomat reminded the Greek audience that the country is not the only one going through a deep and painful recession. "The example of other countries shows that no matter how severe the crisis is, it will be over." He gave the example of Brazil, Argentina, Chile and even Rwanda, which he called the most successful economy in Africa. The fastest way to recovery is to make bold reforms. "There is a wealth of opportunities for development but in the end, it depends on you," Marantis said, addressing the students. "No matter what the government is doing, you are the future of Greece. Currently, your government should create an environment that will allow you to grow, but you alone have to go along the path of hard work and effort in order to create a better life for yourselves and for others."