The Future of the Greek Economy and Key Issues for Greece and Europe

On June 24, Brookings organized a private roundtable discussion on “The Future of the Greek Economy and Key Issues for Greece and Europe” in Athens, Greece. Kemal Derviş, Vice President of the Global Economy and Development Program chaired this discussion. The participants included eminent policymakers and opinion leaders, academics, researchers, and journalists – in Greece and abroad. They shared their keen insight into the Greek reform process and its position within the broader economic recovery initiatives within the European context.

The key issues discussed were Greece’s macroeconomic policies, microeconomic and structural policies and their impact on social programs, the existing political economy and political dynamics, and the international environment – including coordination with European political and economic institutions. It also included some policy recommendations to reinvigorate economic growth and to sustain the momentum of an economic turnaround.

Following the roundtable, The Stavros Niarchos Foundation hosted a public event to launch the book by Theodore Pelagidis and Michael Mitsopoulos, titled Greece: From Exit to Recovery? The book focuses on the implications of Greece’s economic crisis, and on policy recommendations for future growth. Pelagadis, a Brookings Nonresident Senior Fellow, presented key findings and conclusions of the research, and it was followed by a panel discussion that included Kemal Derviş.

These events are the concluding section of the Brookings European Growth Project, which has been supported by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation. Previous rounds of roundtable discussions were held in Madrid (March, 2013) and Berlin (May, 2013). The research and discussions from this project have been synthesized in an edited book, titled Europe’s Crisis, Europe’s Future. It includes a number of specific case studies on Greece, Spain, France, and Italy, essays on European social policy and banking union, as well as on the future of European institutions in the aftermath of the crisis.

Download the participant list from the private roundtable »
Download the participant list from the public event »