Hi Alexander, thank you for accepting our interview. Looking at KEFIM’s website, we have a glimpse on the many activities going on. You engage with many Liberal actors, such as the Atlas Network and 4Liberty. Could you tell us more about Kefim and its activities?

The mission of KEFiM is to increase individual and economic freedoms of Greece through the promotion of liberal ideas and policy proposals. To achieve our mission we have developed our 5 year strategy around four strategic pillars of action. First, we try to influence long-term policy making through our policy studies and proposals. Through our judicial activism, we strive to defend civil liberties and have already recorded a legal victory in defense of free speech. Our third pillar of action aims to improve economic literacy through educational campaigns. We place a strong emphasis on this aspect of our work because the Greek crisis taught us that economic illiteracy can act as a “gateway drug” towards illiberal political movements. Finally, our last pillar involves the creation of a vibrant liberal movement that can operate across party lines.

Within the ELF network, you are among the members who work on the promotion of rule of law. Last year, KEFIM successfully carried out two ELF projects: one on the delivery of justice and the second one on the school, which both resulted in two publications. Since it is project selection time, what can we expect from you this year?

I am thrilled to announce that we have already started working on a new index that will measure the quality of every single law that passes through parliament. In Greece, as in many Eastern and Central European countries, parliaments can hastily adopt laws without paying any special attention to their quality. Cases where legislative proposals lack impact assessments, fiscal considerations, or other better regulation qualities are quite usual. With the Better Regulation Index, we plan to add a layer of discussion in the legislative process that will inform legislators, citizens, and all interested parties on how to improve the quality of our laws.

KEFiM is based in Athens. From the capital, you have a privileged view on the political debate. How would you assess the state of liberalism in Greece?

I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, Greeks seem more willing than ever to adopt and support economic liberalism. This fact makes me very optimistic about the long-term prospects of the Greek economy since many politicians will attempt to satisfy this new and growing segment of voters. On the other hand, social conservatism is also rising and this will be a major challenge for us in the coming years. Overall, I’m optimistic because the sudden turn of the majority of Greeks towards free markets will give us the chance to communicate the need for individual rights and tolerance more effectively. In other words, the number of people willing to be exposed to the liberal agenda is on the rise and we are in a position to ride the tide.