Piraeus Chamber: No to pre-election bidding by the parties

A first “outline” of the most salient issues that concern the business, on which the Piraeus Chamber of Commerce and Industry will submit its proposals to the political parties ahead of the elections, was made yesterday during a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Chamber, to which Giorgos Kotsiras, Deputy Minister of Justice and Member of Parliament for Western Attica, and Ioannis Melas, Member of Parliament for First District of Piraeus were invited for issues concerning the establishment and operation of business parks in Western Attica and the wider region of Piraeus.

The seven bets

The president of the Piraeus Chamber, Vassilis Korkidis, emphasized that Greek entrepreneurship needs a simple and predictable environment, so that it can manage inflation triggered by the global energy crisis, also noting that small and medium-sized entrepreneurship also has the greater need for government support that will arise. And this year, the election year for the country, the business world is called to act in a volatile environment, where in the economic field the bets of growth, surplus, employment and inflation must definitely be won.

He reminded that the chamber has already recorded the seven challenges and wagers that must be faced and won respectively this year. The business world demands restraint from political parties to avoid pre-election bidding, wishes to maintain fiscal stability, expects a return to investment grade and calls for continued support of the real economy.

Skaramangas shipyards are up and running

With regard to the revitalization of the shipbuilding industry, the president of the Chamber described the fact that, very soon, the shipyards of Skaramagas will also become active as particularly positive, reminding the role that they are called to play in the near future, both for the renewal and modernization of the country’s coastal shipping fleet, the support of Greek shipping, but also for the defense of the country at sea. In this context, during the meeting, issues related to lifeboat tugs were also discussed in relation to the plan, which is under discussion.

Business parks

As concerns Business Parks and for the establishment and operation of the Innovation and Shipping Business Park in Piraeus, the necessity of their development was emphasized, while the positive factors deriving from their operation for business, employment and the economy in general were described.

Among other things, it was emphasized that business parks can provide an enabling environment and add economic value to the economy as a whole, while providing solutions to pending issues, mostly for manufacturing businesses, which have been chronically challenged by the suffocating embrace of the urban environment. It was also pointed out that the Chamber maintains a policy high on its agenda, which favors, on the one hand, the development of economies of scale, but also the possible synergies, through which innovative products can appear and, on the other hand, environmental protection, either from the reduction of noise for the urban fabric, or from the modernization of the logistical infrastructure, and therefore also for emitted pollutants.

The discussion focused on the wider Piraeus area and the development plans of the parks with an emphasis on the shipbuilding sector, but also on other manufacturing and commercial activities, as elements of promoting the blue and circular economy. Business parks must be an integral part of the government’s vision for the development of manufacturing, attracting investment, but also the development of new innovative products, which will contribute to the competitiveness and extroversion of businesses.

Chamber legislation

Commenting on the Chamber Legislation, the president of the Piraeus Chamber stressed that the councils of the local and regional Chambers should think and decide whether the Central Union of Chambers of Greece, as a central body, will continue to be bound by a neutral role, or whether it will choose to have at least an advisory role in the national social dialogue, as in Europe, on the one hand supporting the social partners and, on the other hand, ensuring that the outcome will be in line with all domestic businesses of all sizes. On this occasion, he also referred to the holding of a dialogue on the formulation of the new minimum wage.

Also, the Board of Directors of the Piraeus Chamber was informed about the assumption of the vice-presidency of the Piraeus Nursing Home by the president of the Chamber, about the conclusions reached at the meeting of the “Blue Economy” Advisory Group, but also about the participation of the Piraeus Chamber in the Agri-food partnership of the Attica Region. Finally, the Board of Directors. of the Chamber expressed his support for the Turkish and Syrian people who are being tested by the strong earthquake and informed about the cooperation of the member companies with the Municipality of Piraeus for the collection of humanitarian aid for the earthquake victims.