The absorption of NSRF funds has exceeded 80%, said the Deputy Minister of Development and Investment, Yannis Tsakiris, while he predicted that all available funds will be absorbed by the end of the programme.

Speaking on ERT's First Programme, Mr. Tsakiris explained that these funds are related to the NSRF of the 2014/20 period which has been extended until the end of 2023.

He also said that the consultation on the first action of the new NSRF covering the period 2021/27 starts today, Monday. The first action concerns the digitisation of small and medium-sized enterprises.

The initial budget is 300 million euros, but can be increased depending on needs and interest.

Mr Tsakiris also expressed the expectation that Greece will be able to use the Recovery Fund funds in time. Any possible delay in the participation of private funds will be overcome. That's because the projects on the list, both public and private, are projects that are mature and businesses want to do them.

The Deputy Minister of State for Development and Investment also referred to the issue of innovation and start-ups.

As he pointed out, the brain drain has ended as there is a great mobility in our country.

"We have new programs from Hellenic Development Investment Bank, the old TANEO on a much larger scale with many programmes having been approved and passed to the second phase and we have even put out programmes which are not only for start-ups and innovative businesses but they also concern energy, they concern other sectors of the economy," he said. Tsakiris said.

The startup ecosystem has fully blossomed, he said. Tsakiris and there is still a lot of room left to bloom more.

Mr Tsakiris said, "we see startups receiving investments from foreign capital. We're seeing big foreign companies coming in to take over completely and setting up in Greece and increasing their presence here. So it has given the economy a very, very important boost. And my will is this piece of start-up entrepreneurship really becoming an important part of GDP of the country, so that we have several variations in GDP and not to rely only on traditional Greek industries, such as tourism, which is obviously growing too, but with variations. In this way we are also making theeconomy more resilient. It's not just about growing the economy, it's about resilience. Because when the cycle goes down, if you don't have resilience, you will lose a lot of the growth you have achieved in the previous years."