The Hellenic Federation of Enterprises (SEV), Greece’s largest employers’ and industrialists’ group, on Thursday evening responded to the Greek coalition government’s recently unveiled “holistic strategic growth plan” with four proposals.
The post-bailout “growth plan” by the leftist-rightist coalition government was first presented to European creditors over the past month, with media reports, at least, referring to a lukewarm reception.
The aim of the proposals, according to SEV, is to ensure conditions for “dynamic growth via a dramatic boost in investments and extroversion”.
SEV first called for a liberalization of work relations in the country and the regime governing collective bargaining between employers’ and employees’ groups (unions etc), as well as linking production with wages.
In echoing previous and standing recommendations by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the IMF and European institutions, SEV also called for a greater liberalization of retail markets, completion of a current round of memorandum-mandated privatizations as well as a significant reduction in ‘red tape’ plaguing business licensing procedures in the country.
SEV also repeated calls for a reduction in tax rates burdening income and capital in now tax-swamped Greece, along with an expansion of electronic transactions.
Along those lines, the federation underlined the need for a full digitalization of Greece’s cavernous public administration and even the outsourcing of activities to the private sector – a bona fide liberal reform that would essentially clash with ruling SYRIZA party’s core ideology.
“Now that the government is increasingly embracing entrepreneurship, it would be useful for it to include proposals, in its plans, that come from those (entities) that create jobs, pay taxes and contribute to the progress of Greek society,” a SEV statement read.
