“We were elected by the Greek people to make Greece a business friendly country. And we are succeeding ”. The Greek Minister for Investments Adonis Georgiadis says so in this exclusive interview with Formiche.net , as he unravels the project of the Hellenic conservatives to restore a country torn apart by debts and inefficiencies.
The minister arrived in politics after a long experience, made up of work and relationships. First employed in a bookstore, then he became a publisher and directed a radio station. In 2011 he became deputy minister for development in the national unity government led by technocrat Lukas Papademos but resigned a few months later. Today he is one of the main protagonists of the conservative government of Nea Dimokratia led byKyriakos Mitsotakis and leads international investments in Greece (where Italian players such as Enel, Snam, Trenitalia are already successfully operating), interacting with giants such as Google, Pfizer, Cisco, Tesla . And, it is gradually convincing funds and investors, from the US to Germany, from the Gulf to New Zealand, that those who bet in the Aegean will not lose a single euro. The European Investment Bank (EIB) in partnership with the Hellenic Development Bank (HDB) announced € 400 million in support of business financing across Greece, in order to stimulate innovation and create jobs . Which means after the difficult years of the crisis
The European Investment Bank, which was present during Greece’s bankruptcy and financial crisis – more in the sense of aid – has now clearly told us that it comes to Greece because it finds business opportunities, finds important prospects for its economy. And he wants to participate in the success that Greece will have in the coming years. Our cooperation with them is excellent and the financial programs we design and implement with our own financing through the Hellenic Development Bank have already offered significant assistance to the liquidity of the Greek economy and will do so in the future. It will be a successful partner of Greece. Elliniko will be the Dubai of the Aegean, with also a completely green tower. It is a project that could change the face of the country. Because
Elliniko is in fact a project whose size and geographical position will change the image of Greece. Elliniko will be the first thing you will see when landing in Athens and the last thing you will see when leaving the capital. He will be a new city in Athens with the highest international standards, in full respect of the environment, with an urban landscape that everyone would like to enjoy and experience. I think with this project we should show what kind of Greece we dream of. And, of course, with all the other works on the Athens coastal front from Faliro to Sounio, the coastal area of Attica will change the image of Greece. Italy is also present in the country with Trenitalia in TreinOse. Who invests in Greece and why
All international rating agencies show that foreign direct investment in Greece is growing rapidly. And the next few years should be even better. We have investments from all countries. From the USA, high technology, renewable energy and tourism. From Germany the whole range of our trade. From European countries such as Italy infrastructures with TrainOSE , infrastructural organizations such as Desfa (owned by the Italian Snamed) and, of course, many investments in our tourism sector from France, the United Kingdom, China and even far away New Zealand. When we were elected, we promised to turn Greece into a business friendly country. And and what we intend to do, we are on this path. The United States is very active, not only in the ports of Alexandroupolis and Kavala, but also in the shipyards and the university with the opening of a Columbia branch in Athens. What prospects are opening with Washington
One of my first actions as Development Minister was to get Greece out of the “black list” of countries with a lack of respect for intellectual property. After this success we were able to attract investments in Greece such as Cisco and Pfizer, and of course to sign the agreement with the then US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, to encourage investment in high technology. Investments from Microsoft and Digital Realty followed soon after. In addition, the US with investment plans participates in Elliniko, port privatizations and various other large projects. It seems that the strategic relationship between Greece and the United States is turning into an important economic relationship, something we have been missing in recent years. The prospects for the future are really bright.These days, the richest and most powerful men in the world are present in Greece, such as Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, or Hollywood producer Barry Dealer. What a sign it is for vip tourism
Greece has enjoyed and is enjoying a very high profile this summer thanks to the presence of many celebrities and influencers in the Greek islands and Greece in general, happily advertising to their millions of followers through social media how well they are doing in Greece. I think this will contribute a lot, and already contributes, to the change in the tourist profile of the country and to the achievement of a goal that we have always set ourselves: the enhancement of our tourism product and the lengthening of the duration of the tourist season. I believe that the successful response to the pandemic from Greece, as generally recognized abroad, has also contributed to this, which has given the image of a country that is safe for health. We all work together, the Government, the tour operators,The EU Recovery Plan also includes ecological investments. Greece has announced the closure of coal-fired power plants and 20 completely green islands. Trikala is also one of the 20 European smart cities. How have you done starting from such difficult years
Greece, by decision of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, in September 2019, announced that it was the first country to proceed with the delegnification of the energy market. With this decision we have given a signal that Greece wants to play a leading role in the environment. At the time, this decision shocked many. Today everyone understands that Greece was the first to rush to do it, it was a very clever and correct idea. The plan for de-lignification is moving fast, we are on schedule. The new state aid map approved by the European Commission, extremely interesting for investments in the region, will begin to be implemented on 22 January. And of course, under both the Recovery Fund and the new QSN, Many investments are planned for the digitization of the country but also for green energy. I think examples like the city of Trikala will multiply in the next few years.
@FDepalo
