N. Papathanasis: We are creating the conditions to multiply investments in Greece

The assurance that the government is creating the conditions to multiply investments with a strong development impact in Greece, such as that of Pfizer, was given today by the Deputy Minister of Development and Investment, Nikos Papathanasis, speaking online at the 32nd Greek Economic Summit, while emphasizing that ” with every article, with every law, the government cuts a root of the bureaucracy “.

Speaking in the section entitled “US Investment drive growth & innovation-The case of Pfizer investment in Greece”, in which a relevant IOBE study on the development impact of Pfizer’s investments was presented, Mr. Papathanasis stressed: “An investment is not enough , but many are slowly accumulating (…) These large strategic investments, Pfizer, Team Viewer, Deloitte, Cisco, but also Amazon and Microsoft with other features, are not just that they somehow activate movement within the economy and movement “In addition, they create a positive investment climate, which spreads abroad and guarantees that the country is changing. From the first moment, from the first law until today, we create the conditions to multiply these investments” .

In this context, the Deputy Minister of Development and Investment reminded that last week the law on strategic investments was passed, that the bill on Fair Development Transition will be passed tomorrow and that next week “the development law will come”.

He added that such investments send a strong message that the global business community finds in Greece the talent and ground it needs to settle in a country. He pointed out that the work in all fields must continue, “in order to leave the” heavy “state and to alleviate as much as we can, in the sense of transparency and legal certainty”.

Z. Ragousis, Pfizer: Ambassadors of Greece abroad, the executives of foreign companies

Zacharias Ragousis, president and CEO of Pfizer Greece, Cyprus and Malta, described the executives of foreign companies in the country as “Greek ambassadors abroad”. “We need to be able to take advantage of the untapped potential of foreign companies, the fact that they are in constant dialogue with abroad. Every executive of a foreign company is sure to spend two or three hours a day talking to someone abroad, even if that they carry is positive, it will acquire large positive dimensions – and vice versa “he noted.

He added that Pfizer’s example should not be left alone, it should be repeated, because “a company, from basic research to bringing a product to the patient, has many parts (in its operation) of direct interest to a country. .f., the digital development part of Pfizer “ties” with the ecosystem of innovation here in Greece, the part of our services with the economic ecosystem, both with the academic and the productive one. prosperous, because in the 90s and 2000s, he took executives and models from the big pharmaceutical companies, who came to the country and stayed. , but the country needs foreign investment and in particular good foreign investment, from which will come the positive models of governance and leadership, the training of executives and the contribution to society and the goals of the country.

Asked by the moderator of the discussion, journalist Christos Kolonas, about the developments of the last two years and the pandemic, Mr. Ragousis answered: “We feel more confidence and certainty (…) but also a greater burden of responsibility, because we are now visible “In more people, people expect more from us to solve existing health problems, but they also expect us to act as a role model for workers and society. And we will follow this path,” he said.

N. Vettas, IOBE: The chain of investments, exports and loss-making “boxes” in entrepreneurship

Nikos Vettas, director general of the Foundation for Economic and Industrial Research, described the large investments that have come to Greece in recent years as “particularly important but not enough”, while pointing out the need for further significant export boosts.

“Greece needs more exports of all kinds. It is interesting and very hopeful that during the pandemic the exports of Greek products gradually increased. Today our exports are at half of what they should be, maybe even lower,” he said. He added that the country needs to strengthen its part of its economy, which has to do with technology, larger business units and exports of products and services.

As he said, a course needs to be launched, in which one investment will bring the other and there will be a general positive climate, which will facilitate the subsequent investments.

“Our country,” he stressed, “can turn into an opportunity that has always been a problem, that is, we were not – and would not want to be – a very cheap country in terms of labor and attract foreign investment like that, but we were not a country either. “With a clear institutional function and a clear technological superiority, in order to attract cutting-edge investment. That is where we need to go.”

He added that in 2021-2022 entrepreneurship is the same word, but it is not the same meaning as it was 15 or 25 years ago, as now companies internationally can develop other activity beyond their core or next to it , when the “antennas” catch new opportunities. In Greece, however, most entrepreneurship operates in “boxes” and without good communication with abroad, something that needs to change. In addition, he stressed, despite progress, the regulatory framework in Greece is still “heavy” and must be eased.

“What should make us objectively optimistic is that if we connect Greek production and entrepreneurship with the international climate and trends, we can go from very low, very high” he concluded, while he also made special mention of the dynamics of Thessaloniki and the important perspective created for the city by large foreign investments there.

The hubs of Thessaloniki

“We are very happy to be part of the Greek economy these days and we look forward to continuing to invest in it (…) We find great talent in Greece,” said KyRic Tucker, of the GBS Center. (Global Business Services) of Pfizer in Thessaloniki, reminding that the company has chosen to include the city in the “club” of the six strategic locations worldwide, where such centers operate, employing over 3000 employees. He reminded that 75% of the employees in the center are Greeks, with about 14% coming from brain gain (return of employees who had emigrated).

The head of the Pfizer Digital Innovation Center in Thessaloniki, Nico Gariboldi, pointed out that the company chose the city for four reasons: the existence of human talent, both junior and senior, the support of the government and the strong focus of the authorities on innovation and digital technology, the time zone, which maximizes the benefits of developing cooperation globally, but also the fact that it is the second largest city in Greece.

The conference is organized by the Hellenic-American Chamber of Commerce, in collaboration with the Athens Stock Exchange, with the strategic support of the US Chamber of Commerce and the Atlantic Council.