2024-04-20 17:35:07
Greeting at the 1st conference of PA.SI.VI.PE
PASOK’s support for the positions of the Panhellenic Association of Industrial Areas (PA.SI.VI.PE) for the development and strengthening of entrepreneurship was expressed by Giorgos Nikitiadis Member of Parliament for Dodecanese and in his capacity as the head of the KTE Development of PASOK Movement for Change, representing the President of the Movement Nikos Androulakis at the 1st Congress of PA.SI.VI.PE. The conference takes place in Athens on April 19 and 20.
During his presentation, Mr. Nikitiadis congratulated the approximately 2,000 companies of the Industrial Areas for their contribution of 6% to the country’s GDP despite the fact “that they are treated as second-rate companies” as he characteristically said, also noting that “The law 4982/22 unfortunately created more problems than it solved. We find it unacceptable to hear about fees that have increased up to 800%, we find it unacceptable that you have essentially no power in making decisions about the management of the parks and finally we find it absolutely unthinkable that a fund without your participation regulates a large part of it your operating costs. And of course one issue is the VIPEs, the operating regime, the monopolies or oligopolies for which the Government even backs up the management of the VIPEs but the big issue is the “opportunity cost” to speak in your own terms, the cost opportunity that the Greek industry and our country “pays for” in terms of its development”.
Mr. Nikitiadis gave the stamp that prevails today in the real economy by emphasizing “we are obliged to compare the course of other countries in relation to ours. Portugal in 2004 had a GDP of 189 billion dollars, in 2023 276 billion, marking an increase of 46%. Ireland in 2004 had 188 billion GDP and in 2024 609 billion, marking an increase of 223%. Greece in 2004 had a GDP of 241 billion dollars. In 2023, the country’s GDP had risen by only 1 billion, reaching 242 billion dollars. What was to blame for this lost twenty years? In the last 20 years, PASOK ruled a little over 2 years for the statistics lovers from 1981 to 2004 when PASOK ruled 19 out of 23 years the GDP of the country rose from 52 billion dollars to 241 billion dollars, nearly 4 times that is, up”.
Criticizing the ND Government, Mr. Nikitiadis pointed out that the Recovery Fund was a “golden opportunity” to strengthen all businesses. Instead, however, the Government distributes the resources to a few large enterprises, putting a brake on the essential development. At the same time, the Member of Parliament for Dodecanese said: “The purchasing power of the consumer is the 2nd lowest in the EU after Bulgaria. Inflation, especially food inflation, is consistently higher than in the EU. The Competition Commission fines banks for unfair practices. Oligopolies are the new reality in most industries, even in the food trade. The productive model leads to monoculture in tourism and acquisitions in real estate with money from the banks saved by the Greek taxpayer from its deficit and unfortunately there is no vision for a real productive reconstruction of the country”.