Sir, – Having perused the contents of Richard Pine’s “Greece Letter – Old-fashioned Greece has no chance of becoming truly developed”, published by your esteemed newspaper on August 1st, I would like to reflect on a few of his remarks.
Mr Pine’s views on Greece, even though sometimes notably sharp, are always intriguing and thought-provoking. After all, Mr Pine who has been living in Corfu since 2001, has witnessed the financial crisis in Greece, which lasted over a decade, as well as the country’s major efforts to overcome obstacles and restore growth.
Mr Pine argues that Greece is both overdeveloped and underdeveloped, not being able to fit with the developed countries of the EU.
Truth is, the country’s inherent characteristics (position, geography, population, history) determine to quite some extent also its financial, social, etc, dynamics.
It is beyond dispute that the prolonged financial crisis (and the recent health crisis) has led to severe social and economic consequences, such as the rise of unemployment, the shrinking of the welfare state, the reduction of salaries and pensions and negatively impacted social services, health and education.
However, despite the repercussions, the Greek economy has recovered well since the Covid-19 pandemic, better than many other European states. The recent European Commission forecast for the Greek economy envisage a GDP growth of 3.5 per cent in 2022 and 3.1 per cent in 2023.
Tax collecting is a challenging task for every state’s economy and Greece is certainly no exception.
Aiming toward the rationalisation of the fiscal system, tax returns in Greece are now submitted through the online system of the Independent Authority of Public Revenue.
This ongoing digitalisation of policy tools and public functions aim to minimise the problems of outdated means of governance and is proving helpful in eliminating injustices of the past.
As mentioned above, health, education and social services suffered severe downsizing during the 12-year crisis.
However, the country’s health system managed to cope with the enormous needs created by the recent health emergency and the extraordinary efforts of those working in the healthcare system that have been widely recognised. Some incidents that run counter to the dedication and commitment of the majority of the health workers, such as cases of bribery, tax evasion and mismanagement, are being dealt with promptly by the authorities. In the field of education, Greek universities offer free tuition, as do Greek public schools. In addition, the high quality of education offered is evidenced by the fact that several Greek universities rank among the best educational institutions worldwide.
It is therefore not surprising that the phenomenon of “brain drain” severely hit Greece during the years of the crisis.
Today, one of the main aims of the Greek government is to achieve the “brain gain”, by paving the way back to Greece for young scientists and academics.
Greek culture and tourism are two inseparable concepts. The tourism sector, in particular, has expanded significantly in the recent years and makes up for an important part of Greek GDP.
According to official sources, 2022 is likely to be a record year for the country, outmatching that of (pre-pandemic) 2019 in terms of tourist arrivals and revenue.
A viable tourism model, with respect towards the environment and the local population, is what all countries should be aiming at, and Greece is already working in that direction. The National Plan of Action for Greek Tourism 2030 is a fine example of the state’s intention to regulate the tourism field in a fair manner.
Digital connectivity in Greece is a new reality. While trying to serve the needs that emerged due to the pandemic, the country found itself in the middle of a digital transformation.
Through the implementation of innovative policies developed by the Ministry of Digital Governance, almost all transactions between the state and citizens are currently provided online (ie issuance of official documents, digital medical prescriptions, certification of taxes, online payments, digital identity cards and driving licences, etc).
Moreover, to address the complexity of certain issues, such as connectivity throughout the entire territory, a road map on an extended format of digitalisation has already been formulated.
Despite certain “old-fashioned” attributes and challenging western aspirations, Greeks also have some greater qualities, “filotimia” as Richard Pine states, the sense of dignity, self-esteem and, above all, honour.
The word filotimia or colloquially filotimo, cannot be translated. It simply doesn’t exist in other languages. It can only be described and shared by someone who has experienced its essence, someone like Richard Pine.
As for the old-fashioned values that are deeply rooted in the Greek mindset, they serve as a beacon, filling sometimes the void and keeping the society intact.
Greece remains a modern country, proud of its past and embracing the future with confidence and optimism, claiming its place among developed countries in a continuously changing global environment.
Any objective observer would have no difficulty in noticing and reporting all the positive developments and trends mentioned above. – Yours, etc,
EKATERINI
SIMOPOULOU,
Ambassador of Greece
to Ireland,
Embassy of Greece,
Dublin 2.