I. Smyrlis: We intensify efforts for even stronger foundations of economic diplomacy

“Strengthening the extroversion of Greek export companies and making the country a credible and attractive investment destination are, among other things, government priorities and a personal vision of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis,” said the Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Relations. President of Enterprise Greece, Ioannis Smyrlis, in an article in the newspaper “Eleftheros Typos tis Kyriakis”.

According to Mr. Smyrlis, in the context of the many and important reforms that have already been implemented since 2019, the substantial reform that took place in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is included.

He reminds that since February 2021, when the new organization came into force, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has as its mission the reform of economic diplomacy according to the model of dynamic economies, for the effective promotion of the economic interests of the country, Greek companies and Greek citizens.

“Economic diplomacy has now entered a new era,” he said. “At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we have formed a single, coherent structure that integrates all the organizational units involved in economic extroversion.”

At the same time, he adds, the “Single Gateway to Extroversion” was created at the General Secretariat for International Economic Relations and Extroversion.

“Having now under the same roof two purely extroverted organizations, Enterprise Greece and the Export Credit Insurance Organization, but also the network of embassies and offices of financial and commercial affairs, we are equipped with a combination of flexible and modern tools and instruments, which “On the one hand, it allows us to strengthen the Greek business community, on the other hand, to promote the investment opportunities that are presented in our country”, he states.

“The National Strategic Extroversion Plan for 2021, which was presented in the presence of the Prime Minister, a few months ago is a tangible result of our coordinated and targeted actions,” he stressed.

He adds that “it is a dynamic map, which shows the extroversion actions by geographical area and sector of activity and is in line with the overall strategic planning of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs”.

The ESS 2021 incorporated 458 actions from the embassies, the ISD offices, Enterprise Greece, OAEP, as well as the other co-responsible extroversion bodies (ministries, chambers, regions), it states.

“ESS 2021 was the first big step of our planning. We have already started the preparation of ESS 2022, having an open channel of communication and cooperation with all relevant partners. So far, for 2022, 551 actions have been recorded, involving 47 countries targets, recording an increase of 20% compared to 2021. Indicatively, it is noted that 40% of the actions are oriented towards the promotion of exports and the attraction of investments, while 8% concern the energy sector. or at the level of development cooperation “.

Regarding the geographical division of actions, Mr. Smyrlis states that 250 actions will be implemented in Europe, of which 57 in the Western Balkans, while the Middle East and North Africa emerge as a high priority geographical area (109 actions). As the ERC is constantly being enriched, the final number of actions is expected to increase significantly.

“We are optimistic that despite the difficulties and special challenges we face due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Greek economy will continue to have significant resilience, and at the same time at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs we are intensifying our efforts to lay an even stronger foundation for economic diplomacy.” of our homeland “, he concludes.