Sunday, February 3, 2013


The country is transforming to attract new investments

Doing Business in Greece

The investment opportunities in Greece in the context of the economic crisis were the focus of an event organised by the Greek Delegation of the EPP Group in the premises of the European Parliament. Talking to politicians, diplomats and businessmen, Notis Mitarachi MP, Greek Deputy Minister of Development, presented the great progress that the country has made towards fiscal consolidation and the creation of an investment-friendly atmosphere. Mr Mitarachi said that Greece is transforming rapidly in order to become an attractive destination for investment. “We are transforming Greece from a ‘red tape’ country that created bureaucratic obstacles in investments, to a ‚red carpet‘ country -  a sure harbour of investments”, he said, stressing that the government is giving priority to the reduction of taxes.
The Head of the Greek Delegation of the EPP Group, Marietta Giannakou MEP, underlined the changes that have taken place in Greece over the last months and which have made the country attractive for new investments. She also stressed that European partners have given Greece a chance and the country has understood that it should go ahead with extended structural reforms and institutional changes that will allow the development of its big strategic advantages, privatising public real estate fortune, public enterprises, developing more tourism, and the agricultural sector.
Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou MEP referred to the important reforms that the country is implementing in order to create favourable conditions for investments. She also added that the efforts of the countries of South Europe and particularly of Greece must have a European added value. A European coordination policy is needed to maximise the advantages of the EU and to create balanced growth between all countries.
Philippe Dechamps, Assistant General Counsel Senior and Vice-President of Legal and Government Affairs of the Delhaize Group, underlined the more than twenty years of the Delhaize Group in Greece, the increase in turnover, despite the crisis, stressing that the profits of the Delhaize Group in Greece go into new investments. “It’s a win-win situation and we will continue investing in Greece”, he said.
Tony Prophet, Senior Vice-President, Operations Printing and Personal Systems, Hewlett-Packard, said that the most important thing is that HP is in Greece: “We believe in the changes, we believe in the wisdom of the investments that have been made in Greece‘s infrastructure.” The use of the Piraeus port for transport gives an advantage of seven days compared to the traditional ways of transportation. He said that Greece is the logical choice if you want to transport products to Southern and Eastern Europe, the Mediterranean area, the Middle East and Africa. “We believe in the renaissance of the Greek economy and we are very respectful of the investments that have been made in the last years and of the magnitude of those investments. We believe that this will make an important difference for us competitively as well as for the economy and society in Greece”, he concluded.

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