Ad. Georgiadis: Greek exports will set a historical record this year

Greek exports are heading for a record high this year, which showed exceptional resilience during the unprecedented crisis of the pandemic. This point was made, among others, by the Minister of Development and Investment, Adonis Georgiadis, representing the Prime Minister at the annual Conference of the Panhellenic Exporters Association.

Mr. Georgiadis referred to the measures to support entrepreneurship and extroversion, emphasizing that the government will proceed with any legislative initiative required and the use of all tools to enhance extroversion. As he said, before the end of 2021, it seems that we are going to a historical record of exports in recent years, noting that the very good work of Mr. Mitsotakis will continue, who has changed the image of the country abroad. He referred to the National Extroversion Plan and added that the vision of the Prime Minister is being realized, which is the Greece of extroversion, the Greece of competitiveness, the Greece of exports, the Greece of companies that do not rely on the state, but manage to go out and win. the confidence of foreign consumers.

Referring to the course of the economy, he underlined that “we are proud to see every month the PMI index go better in such a competitive global market”.

Finally, he stressed that the unprecedented measures to support businesses during the pandemic crisis, could not be so effective if there was no perfect cooperation between the relevant government ministers.

For his part, the Minister of Finance, Christos Staikouras pointed out that the unprecedented test, that of the pandemic, highlighted the need to shield economies worldwide, emphasizing the catalytic role that extroversion can play.

As he said, foreign trade can become a vehicle not only for overcoming the health crisis but also a force for sustainable development. In Greece, after almost two years of hard battle with the pandemic and the multilevel effects on society and the economy, our country is at a critical stage of transition to a virtuous cycle of development, he added, noting the uncertainties and dangers due to the pandemic. “As a government, we have shown that we are tackling all the challenges in a coordinated manner,” he said, referring to measures to address the pandemic of more than 40 billion. euro.

“We have been able to support businesses and households, including export companies,” he said, referring to the resilience of exports in 2020 and their launch this year to historically high levels. ”

Finally, he referred to the policies implemented by the government and support the Greek economy and strengthen extroversion, such as the reduction of taxes and insurance contributions, the strengthening of the stability of the banking system, the enrichment of the legal framework to provide incentives to support healthy entrepreneurship. and many international business groups have already given a clear vote of confidence in the government’s economic policy.

The pandemic shook the planet, overturning decades of data. Durability and sustainability have emerged as dominant concepts, Staikouras added, adding that we continue to support the productive fabric of the economy and make the best use of the Recovery Fund, where together with targeted policies will lead to a new productive model as a driving force. economy.

The Deputy Minister of Finance, Theodoros Skylakakis, referred to the great challenges that the government was called upon to manage, noting that it was not only the unprecedented crisis of the pandemic, which cost more than 40 billion euros for measures to support and strengthen households and businesses, but also the issue of Turkey. , immigration and the crisis with huge budgetary implications.

In this environment, Greek exports have functioned and function as a beacon for the Greek economy, noted Mr. Skylakakis, referring in particular to its resilience last year and the historical record for 2021.

The government’s economic policy from the very beginning supports extroversion with projects and not only words, he added and referred to both the broader measures to support entrepreneurship and the specific measures for exporters. He said that for export companies, the reduction of taxes and insurance contributions is much more important and stressed that the biggest help they can have is to reduce the informal economy.

Finally, note the targeted measures taken by the Ministry of Finance, such as:

-the great improvement that has been achieved in VAT refunds

-the special treatment in the loans of the Recovery Fund. Loans can be up to 15 years old and with a very low interest rate – it will start at 0.35% – while it can be combined with any other state aid, such as the development law

the possibility of an amount being able to cover working capital and marketing expenses

-motivations in SME companies

The president of the Panhellenic Exporters Association, Christina Sakellaridis, in her greeting noted that despite the extremely difficult situation, the unprecedented challenges and adversities, exports were on the rise.

Exports, whose role in the economy is important – increased. In the data of the nine months we have an increase of 28%. 28 billion euros against 22 billion euros in the corresponding period last year.

The State also contributed to this process, taking steps to alleviate business, especially the media. Ms. Sakellaridi referred to the National Strategic Plan announced by the Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, which will significantly contribute to the promotion of export activity and the further strengthening of the sector.

He spoke of a reorganization of exports, noting that the roadmap for exports has changed dramatically in recent times. With France moving into the top four, Turkey upgrading to the country’s No. 5 client while the US, Romania and a spectacular increase in Lebanon, which entered the top ten, rose.

SOURCE: AMPE