lishment of retail trade behemoths all over the
country, etc.
The implementation of the Bolkestein Directive
alone will lead to the abolition of all population,
geographic and legal restrictions for the creation
of large-scale stores and malls.
Moreover, super-markets will automatically be
allowed to operate gas stations.
Non-residents will be able to receive street market
and itinerant street vendor licenses, while a series
of requirements, such as the geographical restric-
tions currently applicable to the holders of street
market vendor licenses, will be under review.
The municipalities that will result from
“Kallikratis”, on the other hand, will be given
extensive responsibilities in sectors such as the
licensing of businesses, store working hours, the
establishment of hyper-stores, the use of land,
street markets and bazaars, etc.
The Regional Council will be able to decide on the
extension of daily working hours beyond the cur-
rent limit of 21:00, and it will also be responsible
for deciding which businesses can be excluded
from the Sunday holiday, e.g. by the designation
of certain districts as tourist areas.
So, we can say, in a nutshell, that whereas 2010
was the year that commercial activity and sales
shrunk, 2011 is presaged to be rather “hot” in
regard to the institutional framework that governs
the operation of retail trade enterprises, and in
2012 we may see a completely different regime in
regard to the operation of Greek trade. However,
it seems very likely that there will be no change in
regard to the further shrinkage of sales, the num-
ber of shutdowns and the rise of unemployment
— which in 2011 is expected to become the num-
ber 1 “national” problem.
In 2010, commerce paid dearly for two succes-
Trade with Greece
43
