Investing over 2 billion euros in Greece, the role of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has been instrumental to the recovery of investments in this country over the last three years. The lender’s alternate board director, Anthony Bartzokas, who has played a key role in bringing EBRD activity to Greece and extending it here, spoke to Kathimerini about the prospects of this cooperation.
The EBRD’s mandate in Greece was recently extended until December 2025. How did this happen and what does it mean?
Our shareholders approved the proposal for the extension of the EBRD’s engagement in Greece by December 2025. This unanimous decision emerged only after an assessment of the Greek economy’s investment gap and the medium-term financing needs of the private sector. In addition, it was taken into account that the support of the EBRD’s work in Greece since 2014 has had the committed backing of the government, the opposition and the private sector.
The message to investors in Greece and abroad is that the EBRD is available for medium-term investment ventures. A first step in this direction is our decision to strengthen the bank’s presence in northern Greece, with the opening of a satellite office in Thessaloniki in 2019.
