The president of the Hellenic Industries Association (SVE), Athanasios Savvakis (president of the Hellenic Energy Exchange), submitted four packages of proposals for dealing with the energy crisis to the Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

In his letter to the Prime Minister, Mr. Savvakis points out that the initiative of the Greek government to take measures at European level regarding the response to the energy crisis is correct and imperative. He also stressed the need for immediate measures to support businesses, “which, however, should in no way jeopardize the country’s fiscal situation and therefore their relevant fiscal implications should be carefully considered.”

More specifically, the four proposals, broken down into 20 actions, focus on 1) the level of decision-making in the EU, 2) boosting business liquidity, 3) immediate and 4) long-term institutional measures. With regard to actions at EU level, SBE fully supports – inter alia – the creation of a “European Solidarity Mechanism for the Energy Crisis”, the establishment of a ceiling on the prices of the Securities Transfer Fund, with reference to the highest gas price before the crisis , but also daily price limit as a protective measure for households and businesses with a range of variability, plus-minus 10.

Regarding the immediate measures to enhance the liquidity of companies, the management of SBE proposes, among other things, to take measures similar to those of the pandemic to deal with the energy crisis and the liquidity crisis: repayable advances for payment of energy tariffs, guarantees of working capital loans strengthening of business liquidity, payment in 12 installments of energy tariffs, direct reinforcement of energy-intensive industries, with a subsidy adjusted by professional sector and reimbursement of the excise tax on electricity and natural gas for exporting companies, at a percentage corresponding to the value of their exports in turnover.