“The government supports small and medium-sized businesses with substantive policies,” emphasized Deputy Prime Minister Kostis Hatzidakis, speaking at the anniversary event organized by the Hellenic Confederation of Commerce and Entrepreneurship on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Greek Commerce Day.
“At the same time,” he added, “we are strengthening social cohesion and incomes with interventions to limit the cost of everyday life, such as those announced at the TIF and last April, with policies to support housing and with significant investments in health and education. So that the consumer has real purchasing power, and can support domestic trade on a stable basis.”
The Deputy Prime Minister also stressed that the reshuffle of international trade due to geopolitical tensions and the shock to global supply chains finds Greece in an advantageous position. “At the crossroads of three continents, Europe, Asia and Africa, with very important infrastructure, our country is becoming a strategic hub of regional and international scope. The strategy in this direction includes upgrading infrastructure (ports, airports, roads, freight centers), facilitating freight by upgrading customs and shielding supply chains from all kinds of risks.”
Creation of an additional 35,500 small and medium-sized enterprises from 2019 to 2024
Presenting the initiatives to support SMEs, he noted that they led to the creation of an additional 35,500 small and medium-sized enterprises from 2019 to 2024 and an increase in employment by 253,000.
These initiatives include:
- The 83 tax and contribution reductions made from 2019 to date.
- The reduction of administrative burden and bureaucracy for the establishment of businesses and investments “which will be escalated with a bill of the Ministry of Development in the near future”.
- The strengthening of exports, within the framework of the integrated National Strategy for Extroversion that was recently approved.
- The liquidity and financing tools with resources exceeding 1.5 billion, specifically aimed at small and medium-sized enterprises.
