FILE PHOTO: Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis arrives for the first face-to-face EU summit since the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Brussels, Belgium July 19, 2020. John Thys/Pool via REUTERS
ATHENS (Reuters) – Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called a European Union deal on a post-pandemic recovery fund a “national success” that would allocate Greece around 72 billion euros ($82.38 billion) to help deal with the fallout of COVID-19.
European Union leaders agreed after four days of talks to a 750 billion euro recovery fund to help members’ economies blighted by the coronavirus pandemic.
Mitsotakis said the fund gave all EU members an important financial tool.
“Today we have managed a very ambitious response, a response which responds to the symmetrical shock which the pandemic has triggered in all economies,” Mitsotakis said.
He said the funds would be disbursed carefully in Greece and with meticulous planning.
“We have no intention of spreading the money around with the carefree attitude of the nouveau-riche,” Mitsotakis said.
“We have no intention of wasting this significant European capital now at our disposal. We will invest it to the benefit of all Greeks.”
Reporting By Michele Kambas; Editing by Andrew Heavens