Greece's 2024 central government surplus exceeds target, says minister

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece's central government primary surplus reached 3.5% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) last year, well above the government's target, the outgoing finance minister said on Saturday.

The latest government estimate was for a primary surplus, which excludes debt-servicing costs, of 2.5% of GDP.

Greece, which almost went bankrupt in the last decade, needs to achieve primary surpluses in coming years to keep its huge debt viable.

"In a month from now, when the final figures come out, you will see a primary surplus of about 3.5% of GDP, but also a fiscal surplus of 0.2%," said Kostis Haztzidakis, welcoming the new finance minister, Kyriakos Pierrakakis.

On Friday, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis named new finance and transport ministers in a reshuffle designed to shore up support for his government after mass protests over a 2023 train crash.

(Reporting by Lefteris Papadimas; Editing by Kevin Liffey)