A report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) calculates a benefit of 414 million euros for the Greek economy on an annual basis if no less than 356 rules and regulations are eliminated from the wholesale, construction, light industry, mass media, e-commerce and pharmaceuticals sectors, among others.
The OECD says the specific provisions are obstacles to market competition in the crisis-battered country.
The report, entitled “Greece: Competition Assessment Project”, often reiterates recommendations by the OECD dating back decades, while citing relief measures it says will benefit both Greek consumers and businesses.
Lower costs for consumers and greater profits for businesses would be the result of the abolition of the regulations, the OECD states.
Among the highlights of the report are a recommendation for a liberalization of the framework governing the operation of fuel wholesalers, given that the current framework features extremely strict and burdensome licensing; allowing bids by construction contractors who are not listed on a relevant register – usually Greece-based firms with a long history of assuming state contracts — but still fulfil all the criteria cited in a relevant tender; harmonizing Greek national law with an EU Directive for the audiovisual sector, as well as ensuring that the market for generic drugs is liberalized, in order to achieve lower prices for consumers.
According to government sources, quoted by the state-run news agency, roughly 10 percent of the OECD’s recommendations to the Greek government deal with obsolete provisions that are no longer enforced, and are being eliminated from the legal framework.
