H.E. Ms Diana Zagorianou-Prifti:

It thank members for their very interesting questions which I will try my best to answer. I hope I will cover all the topics raised. Senator Healy Eames is correct that the crisis in Greece is much tougher than in any other country.

This was due to different reasons. Some of the causes were down to us, as we made many grave mistakes previously and during the implementation of our programmes, but there were also some problems with the programmes themselves that meant they could not be easily implemented in the fairest and most correct way. As such, we went through a difficult phase, the outcome of which was that our people did not find everyday life easy. I do not want to speak about numbers and GDP alone, but families' incomes and capacity to live have worsened. My personal perception is that, among middle-income households, the capacity to live is less than it was in 2005.

Multiple mistakes were made by all sides, we went the wrong way and the correct way, there was some good and some bad, etc. Despite all of this, we have passed across to the other side of the river. We have left behind us those difficult and ambiguous situations, although we still face difficulties. We have not solved our problems, but we know how to proceed. The way will not be easy. We still have many reforms to complete and many paths to walk, but we know what is in front of us and that, at the end, we will exit the crisis.

The EU was another great partner in the solidarity it showed us. We were a eurozone country and an EU member. Had we been alone, I do not know whether it would have been possible to exit the crisis. The eurozone and EU countries helped us, for which we are grateful. They did their part and we did ours. The OECD has predicted that if we complete all of our reforms, which we believe we will, the growth rate will be more than 2% per year and as much as 3% or 4%. Perhaps we could exit the crisis much sooner than foreseen.

The youth unemployment rate is high. Indeed, unemployment rates in Greece are high in general. There has been a kind of brain drain. Not all, but many of our best brains are going abroad. Everyone who emigrates to search for a better life does so with one eye looking back to their country for an opportunity to return and offer their skills. We view this as just a difficult phase and are ready to go through it. We are confident that we are finally succeeding.

It is in these circumstances that the European Presidency comes to us. As members know well, the press that we received was mixed. However, it was mainly positive. We perceive this as acknowledging that we are capable of managing the Presidency. It is a good opportunity for us to show what we can and will do, but not only within the Presidency. We will touch on sensitive issues. We are the most appropriate people to indicate what are the most sensitive sectors in the crisis. It is important for the EU, us and the subjects themselves that we have a good Presidency.

Refugees are coming to us from Syria and other countries. There is a large flow of immigration. We are one of the main doors to the EU. The amount of money that we spend to contain this flow is considerable, especially in this period. We are not well supported in this task. We would like more support and co-operation. We have a good understanding with Italy, Malta and others that face the same problem. None of the illegal immigrants are entering Greece to reach us. We are just a transit country. The final destinations are northern European countries. We are obliged to contain them, send them back, feed and help them, provide them with health care, etc. This is not an easy task and is quite costly. We try our best and, for the main part, succeed, but we are bearing a great burden alone for most of Europe.

That is all, but if I have forgotten to answer any question, please remind me.