Against the backdrop of the recent trade agreement EU -US for duties and planning for the strengthening of the Greek Defense Industry, the Minister of Finance Kyriakos Pierrakakis He highlighted the three main pillars of government policy in the House: economic stability, defense self -sufficiency and strategic exploitation of international partnerships.
Initially, referring to New EU -US Commercial Agreement to regulate the dictatorialKyriakos Pierrakakis emphasized that this is an important development that puts an end to a prolonged commercial uncertainty, reinforcing transatlantic unity and preventing a potential trade war. Although tariffs on European exports to the US will be 15% – lower than the initially planned – the Greek government, he said, would prefer a zero rate, especially for products of particular importance to our country.
Commenting on the internal distortions in the EU itself, the minister stood on the “invisible” commercial friction between the Member States, which-as he said-act as intra-European duties. “It is not possible, decades after the institutionalization of the single market, we still have regulatory or administrative obstacles. In manufacturing, they correspond to equivalent duties 45% and the services reach 110%, “he said, citing IMF studies and analyzes by Mario Draghi.
Strategic Participation in Safe: Aim to Enhance deterrence and industry
The central point of the speech was the official announcement that Greece filed a funding request of at least € 1.2 billion through the new European SAFE mechanism, which is funding common defense supplies of Member States on favorable terms.
Participation in Safe is linked to the increase in the country’s equipment budget to € 30 billion for the period 2025–2036 – from € 28.8 billion previously – with annual receiving equipment that will reach EUR 2.6 billion from 2028 onwards. The minister spoke of “deterrent power” that translates into new jobs, know -how and revival of domestic defense production.
Mr Pierrakakis also recalled Greece’s success in securing a European “escape clause” for defense spending, with the exception of € 500 million from the rule of fiscal restrictions. “Security is a common European good. This exception is not a concession but a national acquis, “he said.
EAS -MSM: 83 million investment and strategic role for Lavrio
At the heart of strategic planning for domestic defense industry is the collaboration of Greek defense systems (EAS) With the MSM Export of the Czech Group CSG for the establishment of a joint company in Lavrio.
The agreement, as presented by the Minister, combines public control (51% of EAS participation), investment funds of € 83 million (of which 50 million from CSG and EU million from the EU) and strategic advantages:
- Creating more than 400 new jobs
- Upgrading of infrastructure and production capacity
- Access to export markets in which EAS did not have been present
- Convert Lavrion to a European High Caliber
The implementation of the project requires – and is accompanied by – a set of legislation relating to the settlement of property issues, the bypassing time -consuming environmental and urban licensing and the possibility of establishing linked companies with flexibility.
The minister argued that the agreement reinforces national power without affecting the strategic control of the State. “Decisions of strategic importance require the approval of the EAS, the CEO is appointed with the consent of the EAS, and production serves the armed forces as a matter of priority,” he said. “Those who say the opposite, have either not read the agreement or deliberately mislead.”