New Democracy chief Kyriakos Mitsotakis is to meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble in Berlin on Monday.
Greece’s opposition leader will have extensive meetings with the German officials in order to present the party’s proposals on the issues of Greek economy, the migrant influx and the overall state of things in Europe.
The meeting with the German chancellor will be held on Monday morning at the CDU party headquarters. Later in the day, Mitsotakis will meet with CDU lawmakers in German Parliament.
On Tuesday, the conservative party leader will meet with Schaeuble at the German finance ministry. In the afternoon he will meet with German industrialists and businessmen.
Mitsotakis will be accompanied by New Democracy representative Vassilis Kikilias, the party’s head of the finance sector Christos Staikouras and his advisors Yiannis Smirlis, Thanasis Bakolas and Stelios Petsas.
According to New Democracy staff, Mitsotakis will ask from the German government to allow Greece some “fiscal air”. The ND chief will say that the party’s positions on crucial Greek issues remain the same as the ones he expressed to the German state leader in March 2016, that all his party wants is for the benefit of Greece.
The ND president will ask for leniency from lenders in order for Greece to be able to lower taxes in order to help the economy recover. “This can only be achieved with a reliable, reformist government,” the ND official said.
“We want to make clear that the current image of the country does not describe the future prospects of our country and that Greece, with the right actions, can soon stand on it feet again and gain strong growth momentum.”
In the meetings with the two German officials, Mitsotakis will also stress that, “The sacrifices of Greek people should not go to waste. After seven difficult years, Greece should finally emerge from the crisis and not get into a new vortex. In this effort, we will need the support of our partners. A support, which will not only benefit Greece, but will also contribute to strengthening European cohesion at a difficult time for the European Union.”
The New Democracy plan includes reforms in all sectors (Education, Public Administration, Justice, Health, etc.), which will give impetus to the development in the Greek economy.
The refugee and migration issue will be discussed with Mitsotakis requiring greater support from the European Union. The leadership of New Democracy believes that the refugee/migration management by the SYRIZA government has hurt the country’s credibility. “Guarding the Greek border is primarily our responsibility. Greece needs the assistance of Frontex and NATO, but cannot depend solely on them,” will be the conservative party’s position in the talks.
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