Akis Skertsos, Greece's Minister of State, said Greece's vision for 2030 is a national goal rather than a slogan, in an article published on the website liberal.gr and marking 200 years since the official establishment of the modern Greek state, according to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA).
Skertsos used the anniversary to focus attention on the country's trajectory and on what kind of future Greece should build for the next generations, according to the article.
Mitsotakis's Thessaloniki speech
Skertsos said Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis had, in his speech at the Thessaloniki International Fair, set out the outline of New Democracy's vision for the Greece the party aims to build. He said it was not enough for Greece to become only slightly better than it was in the past, adding that the goal was much higher: a productive, institutionally strong, socially just, environmentally resilient and safe Greece at the core of Europe's strongest states. He said Greece should no longer aim merely to converge with the rest of Europe, but should work toward what he called historic breakthroughs.
The Thessaloniki International Fair, widely known in Greece by its acronym ΔΕΘ, is an annual trade exhibition in the northern city of Thessaloniki where the sitting prime minister traditionally delivers a major speech on economic and social policy. New Democracy is Greece's governing center-right party, led by Mitsotakis.
Targets for jobs and wages
Looking ahead to 2030, Skertsos said Greece needed a bigger leap in quality, and that reforms had to produce measurable social results reflected in citizens' daily lives. He said this meant more and better jobs, higher incomes and a stronger productive base.
Specifically, he said the goals included unemployment below 6%, annual growth above 2%, an average wage exceeding 1,800 euros, and a minimum wage of 1,000 euros. He said these targets and the prime minister's commitments at the Thessaloniki fair were not simple economic indicators, but carried meaning because they translated into economic security, greater capacity to save, more options for young people and a more dignified life for every family.
Skertsos also said growth needed to change in character, with Greece requiring more manufacturing, industry, research, technology and exports. He said investment should exceed 20% of gross domestic product and be directed toward activities that raise productivity and create stable jobs.
Debt reduction and fiscal stability
Skertsos described fiscal responsibility as the foundation supporting all of these aims. He said reducing public debt below 110% of GDP by 2030 and securing an upper investment grade rating would strengthen the country's autonomy and credibility. He said stability was the precondition for better wages, a stronger welfare state and more public investment.
He referred to what he called the "Agreement for Progress and Prosperity," describing it as ultimately an agreement on how Greece should function, with more production, better institutions, social protection, environmental responsibility and national security.
What comes next
Skertsos said 2030 should not simply find Greece looking back at an anniversary, but should find the country with greater confidence, a stronger economy and a better state. He said Greece had already proven it can overcome crises, and that the next step was to prove it can generate lasting progress.
He concluded that Greece's 2030 vision is not a slogan but a national goal, and that the invitation to citizens to build it together remains open. He said this was the meaning behind the prime minister's declarations at the Thessaloniki fair and the commitment of New Democracy, which he described as the country's historic party of responsibility.
