Athens, 7 April 2021

Teleconference of Chairpersons of European Affairs Committees with EU Commission Vice-President Dombrovskis on Recovery Fund and trade policy

A teleconference on the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) and rethinking EU Trade Policy took place today between the Chairpersons of the European Affairs Committees of EU national parliaments and the executive Vice-President of the European Commission, Valdis Dombrovskis. The Hellenic Parliament was represented by the 1st Vice-President of the Hellenic Parliament and Chairman of the European Affairs Committee, Nikitas Kaklamanis. The teleconference was organised in the framework of the Portuguese Presidency of the EU Council. 

In his intervention Mr. Kaklamanis referred to the need to finalise procedures on the RRF, in order to avoid further delays and to disburse pre-funding as soon as possible, thus frontloading support to member states and their economies. He pointed out that the Hellenic Parliament has already ratified the decision on the EU’s own resources and added that Greece was one of the first countries to submit a detailed national recovery and resilience draft plan, the main pillars of which include the green transition, digital transformation, strengthening employment, skills and cohesion, as well as the “key” objective of promoting private investments, in order to multiply the benefits to the economy. The 1st Vice-President emphasised that the Greek recovery plan, that has been finalised, is expected to add seven points to the GDP and create 200.000 jobs by 2026.

In the field of fiscal policy, Mr. Kaklamanis underlined that Greece agrees fully with the proposals for continued fiscal flexibility in 2022, emphasising that any changes to the Stability and Growth Pact must aim to ensure the sustainability of public finances, while providing flexibility in addressing crises and encourage public investments. Lastly, regarding rethinking trade policy, Mr. Kaklamanis welcomed the relevant proposal by the European Commission. Summing up, he asked Mr. Dombrovskis whether the Commission is considering reviewing the 672 billion euros it had initially approved for the Recovery Fund, as the adverse impact of the pandemic on the economy is expected to continue into the next year. 

In his response, the Executive Vice-President reiterated that a condition for disbursing the amounts for 2021 is the approval by all national parliaments of the decision on own resources, which the Hellenic Parliament has already ratified. 

He continued by emphasising that the priority at present is the successful implementation of what was agreed, which is decisive for the planning of future financial support. He also recalled that last year an emergency support package of over 500 billion euros was provided – in cooperation with the ECB – for funds not provided for in the previous MFF, pointing out that the sum of the EU’s actions reduced the recession by 4,5% for the year 2020.

 

 

 

 

 High resolution images







Back