Galery

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I am not of the opinion that we must begin to dismiss public workers at all costs, nor do I think that we must retain all employees in the public sector regardless of their usefulness. Both statements are extreme and they are not in favour of the improvement of public services. If there is a large number of employees in a department of the public administration, they can be transferred to another department which is short of staff if they meet the necessary requirements. Layoffs should be the option only if the staff cannot be used. At the same time, if other departments (such as a large number tax services) are short of staff, then it is better to appoint new young professionals that are appropriate for the specific position in order for the work to be carried out effectively.

Unfortunately, we do not have an effective public sector, regardless of its size. Service quality should be improved and this should be the focus of the efforts of the government.

I am asking you about the dismissals in the public sector because it should be cut by 150 thousand people by the end of 2015 under the bailout agreement with the supervisory Troika.

This number has already been reached with the early retirement programmes. The supervisors from Europe and the International Monetary Fund have given the green light to even make appointments in the public administration if there is a need for new staff.

The purpose of the public administration reform is not to satisfy the supervisory Troika but to improve the quality and efficiency of the services provided by the public sector.

The ultimate goal of the recovery programme is for the country to return to the financial markets and to secure the funding of its economy by itself. When will this happen?

The position of Greece in the external free markets will change when we achieve a stable budget surplus and our macroeconomics recovers. Slowly and gradually, I expect that we will try again to appear in the free market with a small amount at the end of 2014. We could offer three, five or ten-year government bonds, but it would be to test the waters and see the interest rates that the investors will grant.

At the end of the support programme in 2015, there is a hole in the financing and it is not yet clear how it will be filled. Therefore, it is believed that it would be better if we deal with the fiscal consolidation and structural reforms as soon as possible and try to appear in the foreign markets for lending. The initial form of the programme provides for a very high percentage of the primary budget surplus in 2015, which reaches 4.5%. This is a difficult goal and probably, we will not be able to achieve it. We will need additional funding. It would be better if we could obtain it alone. This year, I estimate that the primary surpluses will be around 1% of GDP and the recession will be a little higher than the initially expected 4.6%.