2024-08-28 17:00:29
Creating a mechanism to curb energy costs for businesses, especially energy-intensive ones, improving the development law regarding delays and strengthening extroversion were the main demands put forward by the productive bodies of industrial and export businesses in yesterday’s regular meeting with the prime minister in Thessaloniki in view of the TIF.
Abolition of presumptive taxation of professionals and crackdown on profiteering were respectively the main demands of the representatives of small and medium-sized businesses and of professionals and traders, while among the main demands also raised by the productive bodies at the meeting was the improvement of the infrastructure in the area, especially regarding the rail network and its connection to the ports.
The energy cost, according to information from “N”, was raised by several of the productive bodies that participated in the meeting, including SBE and the SBE Exporters Association. The president of SEVE, Simos Diamantidis, also requested – as expected and as already published by “N” – the strengthening of the extroversion of businesses and its diffusion in the small and medium enterprises of the country. Therefore, it is worth noting that in the context of the meeting, the Deputy Minister of National Economy and Finance, Nikos Papathanasis, announced that within September, a new business subsidy program will be launched for their participation in Exhibitions abroad.
It should also be noted, regarding the requests for energy costs, that the Minister of Environment and Energy, Theodoros Skylakakis, announced in the context of the meeting that the final Ministerial Decision on the new net-billing self-production model, which will replace net-metering and virtual net-metering, will be published next week.
“Broadside”
The abolition of presumptive income in the taxation of professionals and traders was also raised as a “complaint” by all related bodies such as the Thessaloniki Chamber of Commerce, the Federation of Professionals and Traders of the Prefecture of Thessaloniki, while the need for a friendly business environment with a stable tax regime and special incentives for manufacturing and especially for energy-intensive businesses were – among others – put on the carpet by the president of the Chamber of Commerce of Thessaloniki, Anastasios Kapnopolis.
With regard to tourism operators, the president of the Thessaloniki Hoteliers’ Union, Andreas Mandrinos, requested that the situation at the entrance gates to Northern Greece be improved and that the Mikras Metro station be connected to the “Macedonia” airport as soon as possible, while the president of Chamber of Halkidiki, Yiannis Koufidis, apologized for what has been happening lately in Halkidiki (death of a 19-year-old in an amusement park, drowning of an 8-year-old in a camping pool, etc.). He pointed out that possibly one of the reasons this is happening is the lack of services in Halkidiki, because due to its proximity to Thessaloniki, employees use mobility to serve in a large urban center and stressed the need for services to function as they should. At the same time, he raised the problem of water in Halkidiki, which, as he pointed out, due to the climate crisis, has become more intense for tourism and other businesses, such as those whose object is the processing of olives.
The acceleration of the procedures for the granting of High Cost Medicines (HIC) from private pharmacies for the benefit of the citizens was requested by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis by the president of the Pharmaceutical Association of Thessaloniki (ΣΤΥ), Dionysios Eugenidis, along with a further strengthening of the role of pharmacists in Primary Health Care with the undertaking of new health services with the aim of serving the citizens.
Angeloudis Proposal for Mediterranean Games in Thessaloniki
Among the proposals that stood out in yesterday’s meetings of the Prime Minister and the multi-member cabinet that accompanied him, is the proposal of the Mayor of Thessaloniki, Stelios Angeloudis, for the candidacy of Thessaloniki to host the Mediterranean Games in 2030 or 2034, which, as announced he was enthusiastically accepted by the Government and by the Prime Minister personally.
Metro and Fly Over
Before the meetings with the bodies of Northern Greece, the prime minister presented at a special event at the Thessaloniki Concert Hall the new public digital platform erga.gov.gr, through which every citizen has direct access to the critical projects -over one million euros- in every Region, Regional Unit and Municipality of the country.
Referring during his speech to the major projects of Thessaloniki, Mr. Mitsotakis made it clear that the Thessaloniki Metro will be handed over to the people of Thessaloniki on November 30, 2024, emphasizing that “after many openings, which were not really openings, after tarpaulins, presentations , doubts, I am pleased to announce that the Metro of Thessaloniki will be handed over – it will not be inaugurated, it will be handed over – to the citizens on November 30, 2024”.
Also, regarding the Flyover road axis, he emphasized that the goal is to be delivered in the Spring of 2027, before the parliamentary elections, adding that “no government has implemented more projects for Thessaloniki than this government. And this is something that, I believe, the citizens of Thessaloniki are beginning to realize.”
For the two projects in question, the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Christos Staikouras, emphasized for the metro that 94.6% of the project has been completed, while he committed with regard to the extension to Kalamaria that it will be completed in the second half of 2025. and for the Flyover, how it will be completed in May 2027, questioning the credibility of the political system regarding its implementation.
The reconstructions
The new perspective that the exhibition and business tourism in Thessaloniki will acquire with the TEF reconstruction project was emphasized by the managing director of TAIPED, Dimitris Politis, while regarding the port of Thessaloniki, he estimated that by the end of this year the master plan – “so as to unlock the rest of the mandatory investments, concerning 130 million euros for the extension of the 6th pier, 7 million euros for the completion of mechanical equipment and 23 million euros for the restoration of the old customs station” .
Regarding the utilization of the former Gonou camp in Western Thessaloniki, Mr. Politis said that “within the next week, maybe even the current one, we will have the competition that will take place in the form of a competitive dialogue, and our commitment is to announce it as soon as possible sooner, with completely transparent procedures”.
For the Kalamaria marina, he stated that after the commitment of the Ministry of Tourism that the Joint Ministerial Zoning Decision will be issued within November, immediately after “the tender process will begin”, while for the Government (“Palataki”) also in Kalamaria he stated that the collaboration between ETAD, the Supertreasury and the Hellenic Parliament began. At the same time, he pointed out that the tender process for the utilization and redevelopment of the area of the former campsite in Agia Triada, an area which, as he noted, had been abandoned for decades, was completed.