Pierrakakis in Berlin: Reform, Not Rhetoric, Is Europe's Best Answer to Populism

Greek Finance Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis said Tuesday that Germany's success is essential to Europe's own, delivering the message during high-level talks in Berlin as Germany grapples with the rise of far-right politics.

Mr. Pierrakakis,

Asked to comment on the far right's growing support in Germany, Mr. Pierrakakis said reforms and tangible results — not rhetoric — remain the strongest antidote to populism, pointing to Greece's own experience as evidence that voters respond when democracy visibly works for households and businesses.

Speaking after his meeting with Mr. Klingbeil, Mr. Pierrakakis said discussions centered on deepening the EU's Savings and Investments Union, advancing the Capital Markets Union and Banking Union, and coordinating on energy, technology and the digital euro.

He described the current geopolitical environment as demanding, citing the ongoing war in Ukraine, instability in the Middle East, persistently high energy costs and inflationary pressure on households across the bloc.

Mr. Pierrakakis credited the eurozone with showing greater resilience than initially feared amid the Middle East conflict, but said fiscal discipline alone won't deliver the growth and economic strength Europe needs. He called for deepening the single market and addressing structural challenges including fragmented energy markets, alongside a more strategic Eurogroup discussion on artificial intelligence and technological sovereignty.

Citing Greece's own painful pension and digital-transformation reforms, Mr. Pierrakakis said the country is now reducing debt faster than any other in the world, with positive growth and fiscal surpluses, calling it proof that difficult reforms ultimately pay off politically, economically and socially.

The talks come ahead of this week's Eurogroup meeting in Dublin, where fiscal space, defense spending pressures and an aging population are expected to feature prominently on the agenda.

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Greek Finance Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis said Tuesday that Germany's success is essential to Europe's own, delivering the message during high-level talks in Berlin as Germany grapples with the rise of far-right politics.

Mr. Pierrakakis, who also chairs the Eurogroup, met separately with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil.

Asked to comment on the far right's growing support in Germany, Mr. Pierrakakis said reforms and tangible results — not rhetoric — remain the strongest antidote to populism, pointing to Greece's own experience as evidence that voters respond when democracy visibly works for households and businesses.

Speaking after his meeting with Mr. Klingbeil, Mr. Pierrakakis said discussions centered on deepening the EU's Savings and Investments Union, advancing the Capital Markets Union and Banking Union, and coordinating on energy, technology and the digital euro.

He described the current geopolitical environment as demanding, citing the ongoing war in Ukraine, instability in the Middle East, persistently high energy costs and inflationary pressure on households across the bloc.

Mr. Pierrakakis credited the eurozone with showing greater resilience than initially feared amid the Middle East conflict, but said fiscal discipline alone won't deliver the growth and economic strength Europe needs. He called for deepening the single market and addressing structural challenges including fragmented energy markets, alongside a more strategic Eurogroup discussion on artificial intelligence and technological sovereignty.

Citing Greece's own painful pension and digital-transformation reforms, Mr. Pierrakakis said the country is now reducing debt faster than any other in the world, with positive growth and fiscal surpluses, calling it proof that difficult reforms ultimately pay off politically, economically and socially.

The talks come ahead of this week's Eurogroup meeting in Dublin, where fiscal space, defense spending pressures and an aging population are expected to feature prominently on the agenda.

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