Stavros Kafounis, president of the Hellenic Confederation of Commerce and Entrepreneurship (ESEE), during his remarks today at the OT FORUM.
As he noted, “Last year, at the Thessaloniki International Fair, significant commitments were made, with an emphasis primarily on supporting consumers. Today, however, the time has come to provide more substantial support to businesses.” He stressed that the first step is to adopt measures with no fiscal cost, such as speeding up the administration of justice and drastically reducing bureaucracy.
At the same time, the president of the Hellenic Confederation of Commerce and Entrepreneurship (ESEE) highlighted the need for stronger investment incentives and greater access to financing for small and medium-sized enterprises, noting that “business profits must be reinvested in the real economy, and the announced tax cuts must be implemented.” He also described the further reduction of social security contributions as equally important, with the aim of strengthening the competitiveness of Greek businesses.
Referring to the state of the economy, Mr. Kafounis noted that, despite positive macroeconomic indicators, this picture is not reflected in the real market. As he noted, inflation continues to absorb significant resources from consumption and business activity, a fact that is also reflected in the balance sheets of many companies.
Concluding his remarks, he underscored the need for long-term market planning, emphasizing that stable and systematic financing is required. At the same time, he noted that part of the Recovery Fund resources directed toward the Development Bank should be channeled more aggressively to small and medium-sized enterprises, which he described as “the backbone of the Greek economy.”