I
ndeed, the government is trying to reverse our
country’s development model, from one which
is based on demand to one that is driven by
production. It is imperative that our economy
becomes more supply-oriented. We have decided
to apply ourselves in ensuring that Greece may
once again become a place where wealth is cre-
ated, as opposed to a country that borrows in
order to consume.
The structural reforms that are taking place in the
economy are unprecedented, considering the
shortness of time in which they are implemented.
In the course of the last seven months special
attention was paid to market-related issues. I
wish to stress the fundamental institutional
changes we undertook in order to offer enterpris-
es a breathing space and make the country more
attractive for investment, thus improving the
chances of getting Greece out of the current situ-
ation. We removed nearly all obstacles that
impeded the country’s economic growth. Let me
emphasize on:
● The elimination of administrative barriers to
market entry.
● The liberalization of regulated sectors.
● The simplification of the permitting and
approval process.
● Market legislation reform.
● The introduction of a transparent system for
public procurements, which is going to be
implemented via an electronic platform.
The message is clear. In a nutshell, the govern-
ment has been working towards building an
attractive, business-friendly environment, while
showing no tolerance to anti-competitive prac-
tices.
We strive so that Greek products may find a proper
place in the world market. We have chosen to
employ a total quality approach with regard to our
Trade with Greece
18
The economic crisis in which we
find ourselves in Greece presents
us with an opportunity to rectify
the course we have taken, in order
to both recover, and rejoin the
other highly developed economies,
as quickly as possible.
Market reforms as an
answer to the Greek
crisis
By Athanassios Skordas,
Deputy Minister for Development,
Competitiveness, Infrastructure, Transport and Networks
