Bureaucracy is identified as one of the biggest obstacles to the European economy. Companies spend time and money to deal with complex administrative processes. In Germany, for example, many business owners complain about having to hire employees who only do paperwork. But there is one country that shows that it is possible to do things differently: Greece.
Jule Schmid and Axel Steinmüller are German and have lived in Crete since 2021. When they arrived in Greece they encountered the same difficulties with bureaucracy that they had experienced in Germany. To buy a house they needed a taxpayer number and the process took months. After many visits to tax offices and other public departments, they managed to overcome the difficulties. Today, they guarantee that the scenario has changed radically.
“Today we can ask for the taxpayer number sitting in our chair in Germany. It only takes a few minutes.”
The revolution happened after the euro crisis. The difficulties made Greece decide to reinvent itself. Dimitris Papastergiou, Minister of Digital Administration and Artificial Intelligence, explains that measures have been implemented to make life easier for citizens and companies and speed up time-consuming processes.
Now there are digital ID cards and this is just one example. Everyone recognizes that digitalization has drastically reduced waiting times in public services and made it easier for companies to respond to legal obligations.
The changes not only simplified citizens’ lives, but also boosted the economy. In 2024, the country recorded robust growth of 2.3%. For the government, the signal is clear: the commitment to digitalization is bearing fruit.
Recognition also came from abroad. Germany, where bureaucracy remains a significant obstacle, is now asking the Greeks to teach how it’s done.
