The economy and finance ministry, in cooperation with the foreign ministry and the Hellenic Exports Promotion Organisation (HEPO) will establish four Centres abroad for the promotion and projection of Greek products and investments, it was made known on Thursday, through the public and private sector collaboration process (SDIT), while the official announcement of the decision to set up the Centres in New York, Moscow, London and Hong Kong is anticipated very soon.
The four Centres will operate under private economy criteria, and their establishment falls under the initiatives planned by the government for the second-half of 2007, national economy and finance minister George Alogoskoufis said, opening a conference of the National Exports Council.
Also planned under the framework of initiatives for second-half-2007 are two large business missions to Russia and Brazil, and implementation of the Greek products and services exports programme on the Chinese market, in the context of implementation of the Greece in China cultural year that has been designated by Beijing for 2008 on the occasion of its hosting of the next Olympic Games next year.
Also, an advertising campaign for Greek products will take place abroad, bugeted at 10 million euro, while a corresponding campaign will be organised domestically, aimed at mobilising the Greek enterprises in participating in HEPOs extroversion activities.
Further, the promotion of Greek products in the Arab countries, with particular focus on the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Omman and Jordan will also continue at an intensive pace in the second-half of 2007.
Alogoskoufis said that the measures that have been taken to date have contributed to an increase in Greek exports, which rose by 8 percent in 2005 over 2004, by 8.8 percent in 2006 over 2005, and by 10 percent in the first trimester of 2007 alone against the first four-month period of 2006.
The minister also noted the problems that have been resolved, which also contributed to the increase in exports, such as VAT rebates on exports, expenditures that now are tax-deductible, advancement of the computerisation of the general registry of exporters, the creation of a data base for access to the products, services and investments market, and amendment of HEPOs founding law, which substantially improved the services provided and under which HEPO assumed the management of the regime of guarantees issued by the Greek state for loans, letters of guarantee and credits to the shipbuilding industry, in the framework of the state reinforcements.
Deputy foreign minister Evripides Stylianidis, in turn, stressed that economic diplomacy comprised one of the most powerful means for promoting a countrys economic interests abroad.
To date, he said, more than 30 business missions and visits have taken place to over 53 countries, while 17 meetings of the various mixed inter-ministerial committees have also taken place. He said the increase in GDP revenues from exports rose from 7.1 percent in 2004 to 8.8 percent in 2006, and was anticipated to climb to 9.8 percent in 2007.
Stylianidis further referred to the activities of Greek enterprises in the Balkans, and also in the Arab world, exports to which he said jumped by 31.3 percent in 2006 against 2005. Representatives of the Panhellenic Association of Exporters stressed that the top priority of export policy must be to contribute, with specific actions, to boosting, accelerating and extending the structural reforms to the exports sector. They also called for encouragement of new products that meet the increasing consumer demands, particularly with respect to quality.