leaving a cumulative positive imprint on public rev-
enues, social security contributions, and the
preservation and creation of new jobs.
“In other words, the ‘shutting-down’ of banking bor-
ders due to the imposition of capital controls had a
greater impact than the ‘black hole’ of the pensions
system, leading to the imposition of new painful
measures on Greece’s economy and society.
“At the same time, the problems arising along
Greece’s physical borders, either because of
farmer demonstrations, or because of refugee
inflows and the Schengen Agreement, add to our
concern that the positive effect of increased
exports on GDP growth may be eliminated.
“The proper functioning of the country and its busi-
economy, PSE President Christina Sakellaridi,
stressed that “the performance and growth of
goods exports —excluding petroleum products—
under extremely adverse circumstances, show the
way forward with regard to actions and reforms
aimed at the recovery and transformation of
Greece’s productive model. These data become
particularly relevant, as they demonstrate the cru-
cial nature of a minimum of stability and normality
in the business environment, in conjunction with
the utilisation of the existing export potential.
“For example, had the export growth rate (exclud-
ing oil products) recorded until June 2015 been
sustained, an additional 2.3 billion euros, as com-
pared to 2014, would have flown into the country,
Trade with Greece
60
