Government of Greece

Credit ratings agency Moody's changed Eurobank's and National Bank's outlook for their Baa2 senior unsecured debt and long-term deposit ratings to positive from stable, "following the outlook change to positive from stable in the Government of Greece's Ba1 issuer rating."

Moody's is the only one among major credit ratings agencies that has not given Greece's debt an investment grade.

Greece has rebounded since the 2009-2018 financial crisis that saw real GDP decline by 25 percent. Modest growth began to return in 2019 and unemployment dropped from its crisis peak of 35 percent in 2013 to 12 percent in 2022, the State Department said in the 2023 Investment Climate Statements.

The US State Department has approved Greece's potential purchase of several amphibious assault ships, noting that "the proposed sale will support US foreign policy and national security objectives by helping to improve the security of a NATO ally that is an important partner for political stability and economic progress in Europe".

Describing Greece as a "pillar of stability in a difficult region," US Ambassador to Athens Geoffrey Pyatt has confirmed that bilateral relations between the two NATO allies are "proceeding at top speed" following the election of the conservative government in national elections earlier this month.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is having a meeting at his office with Finance Minister Christos Staikouras and his three deputies - Apostolos Vessyropoulos, Thodoros Skylakakis and George Zavvos - about the government policy statement to be made in Parliament next week and the new tax bill, which is expected to cut some income and indirect taxes, although probably not as much as the new gov

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency has issued a press release about a possible sale of five ex-US Army CH-47D Chinooks transport helicopters to Greece.

These follow 10 more that Greece bought a year ago, which are under delivery.

 Restructuring of consumption taxation will not affect labor balance and lead to a reduction of imports

By Dimitris Kontogiannis