Bid to modernise Greek economy ‘paying off’

Greece’s efforts to modernise the economy with support from Germany are beginning to pay off at a local level two years after joint projects were first begun, according to Angela Merkel’s special envoy to the country.

Hans-Joachim Fuchtel, an MP with the German chancellor’s Christian Democratic Union party, was handed the post in 2011.

He said Greek initiatives are benefiting from a “treasure trove” of German industrial and administrative expertise that’s spawned projects from tourism to exporting textiles and managing waste.