Trade with Greece
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Speaking at the “4th European Parliament of
Enterprises”, as part of a special event, held in the
European Parliament in October 2016, the Deputy
President of Eurochambres and President of the
UHC and the ACCI, Constantine Michalos, asked
the representatives of the EU’s chamber and busi-
ness communities to forge a strong business
alliance on the European level.
In his speech, Mr. Michalos stressed the need for a
change to the austerity policies implemented in
Europe for the past few years, pointing out that
these policies exacerbate the recession and pose a
threat for small and medium-sized enterprises all
over the EU.
The Deputy President of Eurochambres urged the
representatives of Europe's chamber and business
communities to forge a strong alliance, in order to
make the national governments of EU member
states understand that, instead of paying lip service
to the importance of supporting SMEs, they should
shift towards growth policies and measures that will
actually help realise this goal.
ACCI PRESIDENT IN THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT:
A STRONG BUSINESS ALLIANCE TO END AUSTERITY
demands regarding a write-down of the country's
debt that will enable it to exit the crisis. The
President of the UHC and ACCI also had talks with
members of the US delegation, who exhibited their
willingness to consider closer business cooperation
and the realisation of investment projects.
ACCI PRESIDENT INVITES
OUTGOING US PRESIDENT
BARACK OBAMA
The President of the Union of Hellenic Chambers of
Commerce and the ACCI, Constantine Michalos,
met with the German Minister of Economy and
Energy Brigitte Zypries, on March 8, at the sidelines
of this year's joint meeting of Greek and German
chambers, municipalities and regions at the IHM
International Trade Fair in Munich. During the meet-
ing, Mr. Michalos asked the German government to
offer Greece the necessary fiscal leeway.
He also pointed out to the German Minister that, in
the past few years, the Greek business community
has been fighting for the recovery of the Greek
economy, mainly focusing on exports. Mr. Michalos
urged Ms. Zypries to help restore normality in
Greece, a country that has for many years now been
under severe pressure for more austerity, which
sinks the economy deeper into recession. At this
crucial point in the negotiation with the institutions
representing Greece's official creditors, said Mr.
Michalos, Europe must help Greece complete the
evaluation, an effort that is hindered by the exag-
gerated demands of the International Monetary
Fund.
ACCI PRESIDENT MEETS THE GERMAN MINISTER
OF ECONOMY AND ENERGY
The President of the UHC and the ACCI,
Constantine Michalos, invited outgoing US
President Barack Obama to visit Greece again, as
a keynote speaker at a business forum organised
by the ACCI in September 2017. The invitation was
made during their meeting at the official dinner held
in honour of the US President by the President of
the Hellenic Republic, Prokopis Pavlopoulos at the
Presidential Palace, on November 17, 2017.
Mr. Michalos had the opportunity to speak with Mr.
Obama for a few minutes, stressing that the US
President's continued support to Greece while still
in office, as well as after the end of his term, is indis-
pensable for the promotion of Greece's just
