- Survey finds investment levels in the country are at 40% above pre-COVID levels in real terms
- Greek businesses are more engaged in international trade but continue to face challenges from EU single market frictions
Businesses in Greece are significantly more optimistic about their investment outlook than their EU counterparts, with investment levels standing 40% above pre-COVID levels, according to the European Investment Bank (EIB) Group Investment Survey country results released today. Greek businesses report strong confidence in the economic climate, business prospects, availability of finance, and the political and regulatory environment, new country results from the EIB Group Investment Survey (EIBIS) show.
The EIB Group Investment Survey (EIBIS) is an annual report based on polling approximately 13,000 firms across all EU member states, with additional insights from the United States. Its main results were released in October, highlighting that EU businesses are leading the way in investments in climate mitigation and adaptation.
The detailed country reports for individual member states are released today. For Greece, key takeaways include:
- In real terms, investment in Greece is about 40% above pre-COVID and Greek firms are more optimistic about the investment outlook than EU peers. They are optimistic about the economic climate, their business prospects, the availability of external and internal finance and about the political and regulatory climate.
- Greek firms are more engaged in international trade than their EU peers (74% vs. 63%), being twice as likely to import from abroad. However, they remain significantly affected by trade disruptions, even as these concerns ease in the rest of the EU.
- 88% of Greek firms report experiencing EU single market frictions when exporting within the bloc, compared to just 60% of EU firms overall.
- Bureaucracy remains a challenge: 63% of Greek firms employ staff dedicated to handling administrative requirements, compared to 86% in the EU. In the construction and infrastructure sectors, as well as among SMEs, one in four firms employs over 10% of their workforce solely for bureaucratic compliance.
“Greek businesses are demonstrating remarkable resilience and optimism, even amid global economic uncertainties,” said EIB Vice-President Yannis Tsakiris. “The EIB Group remains committed to supporting the country’s investment ambitions, ensuring that local businesses on the ground in Greece have access to the financing they need to thrive in a competitive global landscape.”
The fully country report about Greece is available here.
Survey results feed into the annual Investment Report, the flagship publication of the EIB Group’s Economics Department, gauging the investment outlook for Europe’s economy. The Investment Report will be released at the annual EIB Group Forum, held in Luxembourg, between March and March 7 this year.
The Forum brings together key stakeholders from policy, business, and finance to exchange views on investment priorities that support Europe's policies, including industry decarbonisation, artificial intelligence, the Capital Markets Union, security, housing and EU enlargement. The theme of this year’s edition is Investing in a more sustainable and secure Europe.
Background information
The European Investment Bank (ElB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. Built around eight core priorities, we finance investments that contribute to EU policy objectives by bolstering climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, cohesion, agriculture and bioeconomy, social infrastructure, the capital markets union, and a stronger Europe in a more peaceful and prosperous world.
The EIB Group, which also includes the European Investment Fund (EIF), signed nearly €89 billion in new financing for over 900 high-impact projects in 2024, boosting Europe’s competitiveness and security.
In 2024, the EIB Group provided €2.2 billion in new financing for Greece, with a focus on energy supply, business growth and disaster management.