A Growth Strategy for the Future, July 2018.

The Growth Strategy for the Future aims at reversing Greece’s de-industrialization and, building on recent reforms, restore productivity growth and competitiveness. In part this will be achieved by focusing on key innovative and high value-added tradable sectors and developing a strong culture of socially and environmentally responsible entrepreneurship and dynamic SME networks (pag. 3).
The Greek government foresees that the agri-food sector will play a major role in the new growth model. The vision is to develop the agri-food sector so that it contributes to growth and competitiveness under the following conditions: a) sustainable production of healthy and safe food, b) increasing employment opportunities and c) reduction of economic, social and spatial inequalities. In order for such an expectation to be fulfilled, challenges related to both structural changes and demand transformation on agri-food products need to be faced. The government has already articulated its national strategic plan for the agri-food sector based on these two axes. This plan includes the adequate strategic mapping of operational targets that will contribute to the continuation of the successful absorption of funds that took place the previous years. Our vision is to develop the agri-food sector so that it contributes to growth and competitiveness, under conditions of: a) sustainable production of healthy and safe food; b) increasing employment opportunities; and c) reduction of economic, social and spatial inequalities (pag 21).
These strategic goals are structured around the following five operational priorities: Enhancing the competitiveness and productivity of the agri-food sector with policy measures which support producer groups and cooperatives, contribute to the modernisation of farm holdings and to the reduction of the cost of production, the construction of public infrastructure and the provision of supportive structures of advisory services, farmer education and training, knowledge transfer and innovation for the improvement of productivity and competitiveness; Increasing the value chain of domestically produced goods with policy measures that enhance value added production and the certification of the quality and safety of production and exports policy on the basis of a strategic marketing plan. It is worth mentioning that enhancing competitiveness and entrepreneurial extroversion requires the transition to innovative and high- value added entrepreneurship; Developing of human resources and improvement of entrepreneurship with policy measures supporting the settlement and start-up of young farmers, education and training. Worth mentioning is the need to facilitate the start-up of young farmers through a possible reallocation of entitlements; Protecting the environment and natural resources, improving water resources management, and adjusting to climate change with targeted agri-environmental measures which at the same time contribute to the quality and added value of the product; Enhancing the social fiber of rural areas with local development policy measures through public and private investments that target the diversification of household incomes and the access to services of digital support (CLLD/LEADER and rural broadband) (pag. 22).
Policy measures will aim to lower the tax burden on firms and employees as well as to implement social welfare policies focusing among others on active labour market policies and measures to alleviate child poverty and to support the formation of human capital (pag. 7). The government’s objective is to increase substantially the social protection budget, in order to tackle poverty and social exclusion, but also to undertake reforms to increase welfare system transparency, fairness, user-friendliness, effectiveness and efficiency (pag. 69).
In the past, the natural environment was often regarded as a barrier and constraint to growth and development. In turn, this has led to the proliferation of practices that have endangered the country’s natural assets and gradually contributed to the decline of locally important economic activities (e.g. in agriculture, forestry and fisheries). The new strategy recognises that Greece’s natural capital and environment as a factor essential to the country’s economic growth, which should be protected sustainably managed, to provide new opportunities for employment, prosperity and quality of life for all citizens (pag. 56). A prime objective of the growth strategy is to reinforce Greece’s national cohesion and reduce regional inequalities to ensure the strategy’s regional dimension. A comprehensive set of island policies is being implemented, and its main actions include: improving access to islands through enhanced transport networks, ensuring efficiency with smart water and waste management, upgrading infrastructure and ensuring sustainable access to energy, increasing access to digital services, developing farming and fisheries as well as enhancing access to public health care (pag. 59).