“The major problem that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Greece are facing today is the lack of financing,” according to the president of the Athens Chamber of Tradesmen, Ιοannis Chatzitheodosiou.”The conditions for bank lending are very strict, which has led to the exclusion of small and medium-sized enterprises from the financing tools of systemic banks, while the situation is similar for access to EU financing programs,” he added.
Chatzideothosiou had an online meeting with Luc Tholoniat, director of the Directorate General for Economic and Financial Affairs of the European Commission (DG ECFIN).
As stated in a post on the chamber’s website, Chatzideothosiou informed the director of DG ECFIN about the challenges faced by small and medium sized enterprises in Greece. He underlined that there is an uneven distribution of the Recovery Fund in favor of larger enterprises, as well as limited accessibility for SMEs in other European bank lending and venture capital tools.
Ηe also said that the chamber has made many official requests to the government, asking for a change in the terms of participation in the Recovery Fund programs, so that more small and medium-sized businesses can gain access to EU resources.
On his part, Tholoniat showed interest in the financing problems faced by Greek SMEs and pledged that he would study the data presented to him by the president and inform the Committee.
