N
o matter what the fiscal difficulties may
be, Greece is the only country in the
region with a proven, long experience of
work within the integrated European Common
Market and the European Institutions. To this we
should add an exceptionally skilled and qualified,
young European labour force.
Investing in the country provides access to
investors and all stakeholders, not only as far as
the EU’s Structural Funds are concerned, but also
in regard to new sources of funding that the EU is
establishing. One of these new sources is the
project bond, a proposal submitted and pursued
by our party (LAOS) towards the European
Commission. This proposal was recently support-
ed by Mr. Barroso, President of the European
Commission, who declared that he would go
along with the EU project bonds.
The project bonds are issued by private compa-
nies, in collaboration with the European
Investment Bank, in order to finance major infra-
structure projects, specifically in sectors such as
energy, e-governance, tourism, and shipping. All
these sectors are privileged sectors in Greece.
These project bonds should aim at modernizing
Europe, creating new job opportunities, and
boosting European economic growth.
Let us all hope that this year of big changes
around the world, will also be the year to ignite the
development of a competitive Greek economy.
Trade with Greece
22
Greece’s strategic location enables it to be a
strong venue for carrying out mega projects in
tourism and energy, which would furthermore
contribute to investments of European added
value. The country, through its people, has
proved that it is not an island in solitude,
fighting off international markets, but contin-
ues to be a member of a powerful, cohesive
group of 27 nations.
Hoping
for a
new
competitive
Greek
economy
By Niki Tzavela,
Member of the European Parliament, Head of the LAOS Delegation in the European
Parliament; Committee for Industry, Research, and Energy, Coordinator;
Delegations for Relations with the United States of America, Vice Chairwoman
