The rot at the heart of Greece

“I’m committed,” Kyriakos Mitsotakis told an audience of industrialists and entrepreneurs in April 2018, to “a government of the truly best people”. Under his leadership, the vices of the past — nepotism, corruption — would no longer be tolerated. Greece, he announced on the day he became prime minister in July 2019, could “proudly raise its head again”.

Three years later, many outsiders have been convinced of the reformation. Microsoft, Pfizer and JP Morgan Chase have set up offices in the country, a streamlined visa programme has incentivised thousands of digital nomads to relocate to Athens, and a relentless tourism push — “You will want to stay forever!” runs the tagline — has lured a record number of Americans to the Aegean this summer. Even the European Union’s supervision of the economy is coming to a close. After a decade of difficulties, the country has seemingly undergone a stunning transformation.

But within Greece, a darker reality festers. The corruption and conflicts of interests Mitsotakis pledged to root out not only still exist but also, in many respects, appear to have concentrated and deepened. Far from having been overhauled, the Greek state has received only a cosmetic makeover, a managerial window dressing. In recent weeks, a wiretapping scandal has sensationally unveiled the underlying rot. Dubbed Greece’s Watergate, it has exposed the rank surveillance beneath the glittering surface. The “Greece 2.0” Mitsotakis promised, it turns out, is just more of the same.