- Security Council – Greece was elected to a two-year term on the UN Security Council for the period 2025-26 with the support of 182 states, representing a major diplomatic achievement for the country. In remarks, President Katerina Sakellaropoulou said that the vote “represented international recognition of Greece’s stabilizing role” in the region. Greece previously served as a non-permanent member of the Security Council in 1952-1953 and again in 2005-2006.
- Euro Elections – The ruling New Democracy party emerged victorious from this month’s European Parliament elections receiving 28.31% of the vote. The opposition Syriza party was second with 14.9% of the vote, followed by the Pasok party with 12.79% of the vote. Greece will hold 21 seats in the European Parliament distributed among eight parties in total.
- GDP Growth – Greece’s economy grew by a better-than-expected 2.1% year-on-year rate in the first quarter, according to provisional data from the Hellenic Statistical Authority, well above market forecasts of between 1.5% and 1.7%. On a quarter-on-quarter basis, GDP rose 0.7% in the January-March quarter.
- Debt Repayment − Greece plans to repay €8 billion worth of loans owed to its European partners ahead of schedule, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in an interview with Bloomberg TV. The repayment will go to settling debts coming due in 2026, 2027 and 2028. The move represents the third time Greece has paid off debts stemming from the financial crisis ahead of schedule.
- Greek Exports − Greek exports resumed their year-on-year growth trend shrugging off a worldwide downturn and underscoring the competitiveness of Greek products on world markets. According to the latest data by the Hellenic Statistical Authority, Greek exports rose 11.1% in April 2024 with impressive gains in most sectors. The data show that exports rose to €4.46 billion, from €4.02 billion a year earlier.
- EIB Investment Survey – Greek businesses have been investing in their operations at a higher rate than their European counterparts, according to the latest survey by the European Investment Bank. Last year a net balance of 23% of Greek firms expected to increase rather than decrease investment, significantly above the EU average of 14%, the survey said.
- Greek Banks − The European Central Bank has approved a request by Greece’s banks to reinstate dividend payments following robust 2023 profits, and signaling a return to normality after 16 years. Since the financial crisis, Greece’s four major systemic banks have been under special oversight and government control as they sought to work off a large portfolio of non-performing loans.