By N. Bellos
[email protected]
The European Commission has revised, downwards, its forecasts for growth in Greece, both for 2018 and in 2019. Only the unemployment rate, which is being reduced faster than previous forecasts, is positive, as other primary indices for the Greek economy are also falling short of projections.
According to the Commission, Greek GDP will rise by 1.9 in 2018, compared to 2017; and by 2.3 percent in 2019. The previous forecasts for the ongoing year, in November 2017 and February 2018, placed GDP growth at around 2.5 percent.
The Commission also forecasts that the country's external debt in 2018 will hover at the same levels as 2017, namely, at 177.8 of GDP and 170.3 percent of GDP in 2019.