“Greece is no longer a one -way fleeing, but a return option,” the Deputy Prime Minister said Kostis Hatzidakis, In his speech at his annual conference Brain ReGain held at the Athens Concert Hall.
According to her data Eurostat cited by Mr. Hatzidakis, by the end of 2023, 400,000 of the 600,000 Greeks who had migrated abroad, returned. As he explained, the number includes students who left for undergraduate and postgraduate studies abroad and returned after completing them.
“Today we are no longer talking about a massive exit, such as the decade of the crisis. In 2023, for the first time since 2008, the immigration balance became positive: 47,200 Greeks returned, 32,800 left. And these elements can not be challenged by our fiercest critics, “he said.
The government, he said, from day one has set the target of reversing the brain drain. “We perceive it as a national obligation. Against parents who see their children away. Against the thousands of talented young people who left not of choice, but out of necessity. But also against the country, because without the appropriate human capital we are in danger of being trapped in a low expectation economy, “he added.
Initiatives implemented
In order to reversal the climate, initiatives were implemented such as:
1. The strong tax incentives (50% reduced income tax for 7 years) for the return of the Brain Drain generation. “I was pleased, reading in your research that 49% of those who came back said that these initiatives played a decisive role. This is the biggest reward: the measures to get a place, “said Hatzidakis.
2. The ReBrain Greece and the DBA career days. “We held events in London, Amsterdam, Düsseldorf, connecting Greek businesses with Greeks abroad. Participation was impressive. And it proves something important: that our children want to go back if we give them the conditions, “he said.
3. Important institutional interventions, such as the recent initiative of Kyriakou Mitsotakis to automatically identify the specialty from the US. “We are thus sending a practical message to Greek scientists abroad that Greece is waiting for them,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.
The deputy prime minister asked whether one would come back to scientists whether the country remained at the point where it was in 2015, if there was no more than twice as high as the European average and if unemployment was not reduced, no salaries were increasing. “The answer is clear: No! Greece today is more investment, more competitive for businesses, more fair for employees, “he continued.
According to Mr. Hatzidakis there is a lot of work to do, setting specific goals. In particular, he referred to the need:
– For the actual convergence to the most advanced countries of the European Union.
– For the development of disciplines of specialized scientists, with competitive remuneration and a modern work environment, with initiatives such as Startup Visa and non -state universities.
– For more effective social services, better schools, modern hospitals.
– To tackle the bureaucracy of the suffering of citizens by the State. In many cases it touches the limits of madness.
“It is even in my new duties to come up with bills at regular intervals that will provide solutions to such issues,” Mr Hatzidakis stressed.
Political stability
The deputy prime minister, finally, emphasized that political stability is crucial to the success of the project.
“No country – it has been – is prosperous in conditions of political instability. No reform succeeds if you change it every two years. No serious business is investing in a country unless he knows who rules – and if he finally rules.
It would be unfair to the sacrifices of an entire people – whether he stayed here or had to leave – to live the myth of Sisyphus. But this time not as a myth, but as a reality. We have a duty to keep Greece on a way of Europe and common sense. And I think the great majority of Greek citizens are fully realizing this message, “he concluded.