The Secretary General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Angel Gurria, praised Greece's efforts during the ongoing crisis, as he presented the organization's report on Greece to Prime Minister Antonis Samaras on November 27. Gurria also referred to the reduction of the budget deficit by as many as 9 percentage points from 2010 to 2012, saying that this constitutes the biggest adjustment made by an OECD member state. He added that the financial crisis has had a long-term negative effect in four areas: low growth, high unemployment, social inequality and confidence. Radical changes in the legislative and regulatory framework in the fields of tourism, food processing, building materials and retail commerce were recommended in the report.

Gurria also met with government Vice President and Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos earlier in the day. After their talks, in joint statements to the press, Venizelos said that "today’s message is that Greece’s debt is sustainable," while Gurria emphasized that “there is life after debt,” referring to Greece's impressive adjustment program and the “spectacular reversal in the balance of payments.”

 More in: OECD Economic Surveys Greece Overview (November 2013)