The President of EVEA, Mr. Giannis Bratakos, spoke to the journalist about the issues and complex challenges facing the Greek economy and entrepreneurship in the rapidly changing global economic environment today, as well as the initiatives of EVEA to support its member companies. Mr. Georgios Eugenidis, in the context of the work of the 7th Delphi Economic Forum.
“For businesses, the environment is once again extremely adverse. The decline in people’s disposable income due to inflation has a direct impact on turnover. The spike in energy prices is affecting all sectors of the economy. And every aspect of it. business costs: from production and transportation costs to operating costs, and after two years of pandemic losses, the scope for absorbing all these costs has been exhausted, so it is inevitable that part of the cost will be passed on to final product prices and of services “said the president of EVEA regarding the impact of the inflation crisis for Greek companies.
However, according to GEMI data – for EVEA, but also for the rest of the country – the companies that opened in 2021 were overwhelmingly larger than those that closed. “Problems in the market clearly exist. And they remain pressing, despite the support measures implemented by the government. But, in the vast majority, Greek companies continue to fight. To adapt and implement new plans,” he said. Βρατάκος.
Regarding the time of reduction of energy costs, the president of EVEA said that at the moment there can be no reliable forecasts, since the data change daily. But immediate moves are needed to ensure the country’s adequate supply and lower energy prices for households and businesses, such as joining new safer energy grids in the Eastern Mediterranean and Africa, mobilizing large investments to expand production of energy from RES and the creation of sufficient storage spaces, both for green energy and for liquefied natural gas.
Answering a question about a possible reduction of taxes, in the context of government measures to support businesses, Mr. Bratakos said that “The need for measures to strengthen households and businesses, in the face of the wave of precision, is self-evident and imperative. “We have already seen a number of positive steps in recent years and we expect to see more in the near future. However, at this stage all relevant decisions should be guided by the need to restore fiscal balance.” .
In the same context, commenting on the forthcoming announcement of the new minimum wage and the proposal for a new intervention in the insurance contributions in order to sustain the costs for businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, the president of EVEA, among other things, stressed: In the current context, a prudent increase in the minimum wage is needed to support the disposable income of workers, especially the low-wage workers, in the face of inflationary pressures. It is important to keep labor costs at levels that do not degrade the competitiveness of the Greek economy, but also to avoid a vicious cycle of wage increases and inflation. of insurance contributions “.
Also, referring to the fiscal policy of the state, Mr. Bratakos noted that “Greece must seek to reduce the deficit for this year and return to primary surpluses in 2023. It must insist on the goal of obtaining an investment grade during next year. “It must continue to send the right message to the markets. Because only then will we be able to ensure the sustainability of public debt in the long run. And cheaper borrowing costs, both for the state and for businesses.”
Finally, regarding the role of EVEA and the initiatives it undertakes to support businesses, Mr. Bratakos said that the goal of EVEA is to help Greek companies manage the current challenges, but also to play a leading role in the restart of the next day. “We want to promote a more favorable ecosystem, which allows companies to be at the cutting edge of change in the Greek and global economy, through useful remunerative services, especially for small and medium enterprises, through effective representation and partnerships with a wide range of organizations. , through our role, as an institutional advisor to the State on development issues.
During this period we have prioritized a number of areas, such as:
-The digital transformation of the Chamber. Our goal is to soon provide all our services digitally.
The issues of extroversion, in order to more effectively support the networking efforts of our members and strengthen their presence in foreign markets.
– The strengthening of innovative entrepreneurship, with the transformation of the Entrepreneurship Center “Konstantinos Michalos” – which currently operates as an incubator – into a complete node. That will bring together all those involved in the ecosystem.
-The empowerment and support of small and medium enterprises, so that they can take advantage of the opportunities provided through the actions of the Recovery Fund.
Source: Capital
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