10 Minute Interview with Giorgos Papakonstantinou

Giorgos Papakonstantinou was appointed as Finance Minister in Greece with the advent of the government of George Papandreou in October 2009. Immediately faced with triple deficits — fiscal, external and credibility — and with Greece shut out of international markets, he had to undertake a radical reform programme while ensuring a bailout package with the European Union's blessing.

Prior to taking up his role as Finance Minister, he was an economist at the OECD and today teaches in Italy.

Here he talks to Dr Greg Mills about the challenges Greece faced at the time, and the difficult path reformers have to tread in balancing political impulses with economic realities.