by Natasa Stasinou

 

 

An economic and business conference entitled "Greek Economy and Entrepreneurship - Challenges and Opportunities in an Unforeseen Future" was organized on the 29th of November by "Naftemporiki". The three largest political parties, N.D., SYRIZA-PS., PASOK/KINAL, which have marked the course of the country with their governance participated, as well as prominent domestic and international institutional actors, and domestic business executives. They all exchanged opinions, ideas and propositions that outline the image of Greece for 2023.

 

The discussion of the first section, moderated by the director of naftemporiki.gr Michalis Psylos, focused on the critical crossroad where Europe is at the present time. As Deputy Finance Minister Theodoros Skylakakis pointed out, "the energy crisis came and found Europe's largest economies, and obviously Germany, completely unprepared for this new geopolitical development and the need to violently end their dependence on hydrocarbons". Mr. Skylakakis, however, expressed his optimism that despite the difficulties, Europe will manage to meet the challenges.

 

The president of the European Union Commission on the future of the welfare state, Anna Diamantopoulou, focused on the need for Europe to move forward with a defensive energy policy, noting that "what we are all waiting for is a common energy policy, which will be linked to a fund supporting businesses and countries, so that - corresponding to the pandemic - Europe, through its social policy, can once again prove that it can face these problems".

 

From the point of view of the institutional bodies of the EU and the OECD, the very good course of the economy was highlighted and the need for reforms was emphasized in order to deal with the uncertainties and challenges in relation to the international environment, so that the country does not lose its momentum and its competitiveness. The representatives of the domestic business ecosystem expressed the intention to keep the investment level high in the country, however they pointed out the difficulties created by the high cost of money and strong inflation.

 

China’s ambassador in Greece, Xiao Junzheng, also participated in the conference. His excellency, ambassador Xiao argued that the energy crisis has deep-rooted causes that go back to the "rise of the Cold War mentality, unilateralism and protectionism". He underlined: "Building walls and setting up barriers, as well as breaking ties, are a violation of modern norms and undermine international trade rules and the world order." He emphasized China's expertise in renewable energy and stressed that the country's goal is to achieve climate neutrality before 2060. “We are taking realistic steps towards these goals” he said.

 

Ambassador Xiao also made special reference to the visit of European Council President Charles Michel to Beijing - the first by a European leader in three years - which opens a "window of opportunity for China to talk about the energy crisis with European partners".