Greek investments in Romania are at a good level, with over 2,000 Greek companies present, and exports have reached a high level of development, Konstantinos Gkioulekas, Deputy Minister of Interior for the regions of Macedonia and Thrace, told AGERPRES on Monday.

'Investments are at a good level. There are currently over 2,000 Greek companies present in Romania. Exports from Greece to Romania are at a fairly developed level. Likewise those from Romania to Greece. Of course, there is room for improvement. The war in Ukraine helped create a goods corridor between the two countries, passing from Greece, through Bulgaria to Romania. Let's not forget the energy corridor that starts in Greece, passes through Bulgaria to Romania and then expands in the region,' said Gkioulekas.

Heading a delegation of over a hundred people, who are participating in Bucharest for two days, at an event dedicated to economic and regional cooperation between Greece and Romania, Konstantinos Gkioulekas believes that several economic, commercial and academic contracts will be concluded between the two countries.

'We want to sign as many collaboration contracts as possible in all aspects, starting with universities, port authorities, but also with administrative-territorial authorities,' added the Greek dignitary, who considers Romania not only a strategic partner, but also a friendly country.

Asked about the interest of Romanians in buying properties in northern Greece lately, for their own use or rental, Konstantinos Gkioulekas mentioned that this is 'an absolutely normal thing.'

'We are in the same European family, in Schengen, in the Common Market. Thus, the Greek Government sees it as absolutely normal for European citizens to buy properties in a country that belongs to the same Union. It is equally normal for Greek citizens to buy properties in Romania. We see Romanians as true friends, which facilitates the acquisition of properties in Greece', explained the Deputy Minister of Interior for the regions of Macedonia and Thrace.

Regarding the financial crisis that the Hellenic Republic went through in 2007-2008, Gkioulekas explained what measures were taken by the government to overcome the difficulties of that period.

'The Kyriakos Mitsotakis government pursued economic stability without populism. It fought tax evasion and reduced taxes to help develop businesses and reduce unemployment. In this way, we reduced unemployment from 18% to below 8%, where it is today. It created 600,000 new jobs, and this by deducting 83 taxes, without increasing any other tax. We initiated the cross-checking of [tax] data by connecting cash registers with POS devices, which resulted in reducing tax evasion and increasing revenues to the state budget. We thus managed to create surpluses through which to finance policies to help our fellow citizens in a precarious economic situation,' the deputy minister stated.

According to him, the basic salary in Greece has increased by over 35%, and the average salary by over 30%.

'We have greatly helped and supported families with children, pensioners, those working in the military, the police and all security institutions in our country. We have provided incentives for young entrepreneurs, abolishing the tax for those under 25 and reducing the tax for entrepreneurs between 25 and 30 years old, from 24% to 9%. Currently, the Greek economy is one of the two or three fastest growing European economies, which helps us to further reduce public debt', Konstantinos Gkioulekas also pointed out.

In 2024, the value of bilateral trade between Greece and Romania was 3.22 billion euros, up 10.64% compared to 2023, of which exports amounted to 1.24 billion euros (+13.68%) and imports to 1.98 billion euros (+8.82%), with a negative balance of 737.77 million euros, according to statistics from the Bucharest Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIB) transmitted to AGERPRES.

In the first ten months of 2025, the value of bilateral trade was 3.052 billion euros, up 15.51% compared to the same period in 2024, of which exports 1.147 billion euros (+10.46%) and imports 1.904 billion euros (+18.78%), with a negative balance of 757.05 million euros.

The structure of bilateral trade highlights a balanced exchange of products with relevant added value. Romania's exports to Greece are dominated by machinery, electrical appliances and equipment, along with agri-food products and live animals, while imports from Greece mainly target base metals, mineral fuels and chemical industry products. This sectoral complementarity offers solid premises for expanding economic cooperation and for identifying new partnership opportunities between companies from the two countries.

CCIB, together with the Embassy of the Hellenic Republic in Bucharest and institutional partners from both countries, is organizing an event dedicated to economic and regional cooperation between Greece and Romania on Monday and Tuesday, under the title: 'Strategic regional cooperation in South-Eastern Europe'.

The event is attended by representatives of regional authorities and administration, chambers of commerce, business organizations, universities and research institutions, Greek and Romanian companies.

According to the organizers, the fields represented by Greek companies are real estate and construction, wood processing, metal structures, furniture, technology and IT, medical products, services, and the food industry.AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Cristian Anghelache; EN - writing by: Bogdan Gabaroi)