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We had about 60 regions in Greece and now there are only 13. It'd be like cutting down 50 states to 13 and making it more efficient.

George Papandreou

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George Papandreou
Age: 72
Born: 1952
Born: June 16
Diplomat
Former Prime Minister Of Greece
Politician
Sociologist
St Paul
Minnesota
George Andreas Papandreou
Making
States
Like
Greece
Regions
Efficient
Cutting

More quotes by George Papandreou

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I have always said I will be in politics to serve as best as I can and it will take me wherever it will take me.
George Papandreou
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Politics also means educating people. It's important to speak openly with our fellow Greeks, to tell them what our problems are and that we have to change something.
George Papandreou
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There are certain moments in the history of a nation when the choices made define the decades to come.
George Papandreou
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The Marshall Plan was after destruction, and the U.S. came to our help and obviously this was very, very important for the future of Europe. I think now we have all the capabilities of doing it on our own and, in a sense, we have to.
George Papandreou
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An elected government making huge changes with the consent of its people, is being undermined by concentrated powers in unregulated markets-powers which go beyond those of any individual government.
George Papandreou
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We in Europe have great capacities.
George Papandreou
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Countries are not like financial markets. Social change cannot be executed as swiftly as credit-default swaps. You cannot sell short on social commitments and practical responsibilities.
George Papandreou
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I have been supporting the European Union, but we are still a work in progress. We have to become more of a United States of Europe. We should talk about electing a president of the E.U., rather than having one selected from the heads of government.
George Papandreou
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But sovereign debt is a wider question not only in Europe but across the globe. While every country is a unique case, I think it's not an issue of countries acting on their own. We need a more coordinated strategy not only in Europe but around the world.
George Papandreou
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If Greece had gone through a very normal political life, I may have not been in politics. But just the fact that I lived through huge upheavals and very difficult struggles and polarization and the barbarism of dictatorships - that made me feel that we had to change this country.
George Papandreou
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Europe is a strong market for the U.S. If it has problems, if there's a lack of consumer confidence, if there's a deeper recession, this will deeply affect jobs in the U.S.
George Papandreou
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Everyone needs to carry out his own personal revolution.
George Papandreou
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I never thought of politics as a profession.
George Papandreou
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The real problem in Greece is not cutting taxes, it's making sure that we don't have tax evasion.
George Papandreou
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My hope is that we will turn Greece into maybe the most transparent country in the world with everything on the web.
George Papandreou
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Greece has great strengths, but much of this potential has been wasted. That's because of a wider political system, but also because of a lack of an institutional framework.
George Papandreou
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When I was growing up in the United States and Sweden, I never thought about becoming a politician.
George Papandreou
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We have made major reforms in Greece. When I took over after a landslide victory we had a mandate for change and I knew my major focus would be re-organizing the state.
George Papandreou
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This is global governance in the making. But we must agree, and agree to a binding commitment.
George Papandreou
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In ancient Greece, politics and the market were not decoupled.
George Papandreou