Greece's Ministry of National Economy and Finance details Eurogroup endorsement of Boris Vujcic for ECB vice-president and flags EUR 800 million fiscal space

Greece's Ministry of National Economy and Finance published an interview with Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis, in which he recapped recent Eurogroup and Ecofin discussions held against a backdrop of geopolitical uncertainty and argued that EU decision-making, including institutional appointments, needs to move faster. He highlighted that the Eurogroup agreed on the candidacy of Croatia's Boris Vujcic for the position of Vice-President of the European Central Bank. On defence-related fiscal pressures, Pierrakakis pointed to EU tools including the EUR 150 billion SAFE instrument and the defence escape clause, and called for coordinated investment in the defence industry and joint procurement. He also promoted work on the Savings and Investment Union and faster progress on the digital euro, describing it as public monetary infrastructure, and cited International Monetary Fund estimates that services-sector barriers within the EU are equivalent to 110% "invisible tariffs". On domestic fiscal policy, he referenced direct tax reductions already being implemented under the Thessaloniki International Fair programme and stated that official documents submitted to parliament show fiscal space for next year of EUR 800 million, while declining to pre-announce further relief measures. He linked the geopolitical agenda to a European leaders' meeting scheduled for 22 January 2026 and said he would focus on rapid implementation of agreed EU priorities during his tenure chairing the Eurogroup.