Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic visits the ECB

Today, Antonis Samaras, Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic, visited the European Central Bank (ECB). He was accompanied by Giannis Stournaras, Minister for Finance, Christos Staikouras, Alternate Minister for Finance, and other members of his staff.

During his visit, the Prime Minister and his delegation met with Mario Draghi, President of the ECB, Jörg Asmussen, Member of the ECB’s Executive Board, Benoît Cœuré, Member of the ECB’s Executive Board, and ECB staff to discuss matters of mutual interest.

The main topic of discussion was the state of affairs regarding Greece’s economic adjustment programme, the ongoing review conducted by staff of the European Commission, in liaison with the ECB and the IMF, and developments in the Greek banking sector.

Both parties agreed that Greece has already taken significant steps towards budgetary consolidation and economic modernisation but that major challenges remain. The Prime Minister assured the ECB delegation of his and his Government’s commitment to getting the adjustment programme back on track and continuing the necessary reforms for Greece to regain competitiveness and put its economy and public finances on a solid footing.