'Greece is Changing' media campaign aims to shield country from stereotypes

Greece has committed to the toughest austerity program in modern history. Hefty tax hikes, pension and wage cuts have reduced the primary budget deficit from € 24,7 billion to € 5,2 billion in just two years… but with a dramatic impact on the life of every Greek.

A new set of measures was recently voted in by the Greek Parliament. With a focus on structural reform, we have a chance to create a new Greece. A modern, productive and creative Greece with a sustainable future in Europe.

Further hardship is inevitable. Unemployment has already reached 21%. This is a high price to pay and it should not go in vain.

We are entering the fifth year of recession.
Our European partners have stood by us.
But we need continued support and the breathing space to get out of this vicious cycle.
And we deserve to know that there is a fair chance of success.

We are hardworking, tax paying citizens unfairly labelled with stereotypes so easily handed out to Greeks today.

We are Europeans who aspire to a constructive role within Europe. We will deliver on our commitment. We have already made sacrifices. We are ready to do more. We are betting our future on this.

About the Campaign:

What is “Greece is Changing”?

It is a one-off public service initiative funded by a group of leading Greek business people. Our aim is to ensure that the sacrifices made by every Greek under the toughest austerity package in modern history do not go in vain.

Who are the people behind “Greece is Changing”?

• We are a network of like-minded businesspeople, colleagues and friends who cannot be silent observers as the dialogue around Greece’s road to recovery deteriorates and the substance is often overshadowed by stereotypes.
• As we enter a fifth year of recession we want to rebalance the agenda. Inject some more facts into a debate sometimes overrun by fiction.
• We have absolutely no political aspirations and we do not serve nor promote any special interest, personal or professional.
• We are a group of people who hope to voice the concerns of those other Greeks that aspire to a constructive role within Europe, that are Europeans, that will deliver on their country’s commitment, that have already made sacrifices and are ready to do more and that just need a chance to change Greece.

 

Why did “Greece is Changing” act now?

• Greece is facing one of the most crucial moments in its history. We are going through the fifth year of recession and even if we have secured an enormous bail out and we are determined to deliver on our commitments, we ask you to focus more on what is has been accomplished and give support for what can be achieved.
• There are many important milestones ahead that will have drastic influence on the future of the country for decades to come.
• Parliaments across Europe are asked to vote in favor of yet another Greek package and deserve to know all the facts.
• Populism inside and outside of Greece is misleading the general public and often downgrading the debate within the European community, disregarding the catastrophic effects of careless rhetoric on the future of both Greece and Europe.

 

What is “Greece is Changing” aiming at?

• Invite Europeans to see another dimension, to see through the stereotypes and realize that there is another Greece which believes in modernity, in the stability that being part of Europe brings, that is fighting a battle for change that can be won.
• Attract attention to the progress Greece and its people have accomplished and the societal sacrifices made in employment, wages, labor relations and even growth.
• We want the right to earn our recovery.

Source: Greeceischanging.com


*We thank our reader Kathy K. for the information!