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Veranstaltungsberichte

The Content of Growth

A conference on the content of growth took place in January 2013 in Athens, involving academics, policy makers and business people from Greece and Germany, who deal with these sectors of the Greek economy that are of significant importance for the development and growth prospects of Greece. The conference was co-organised by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) and the Foundation for Economic and Industrial Research (IOBE).

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The conference started with the welcome remarks by Odysseas Kyriakopoulos, President of IOBE, and Susanna Vogt, Head of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung in Greece. They set out the aims of the conference, to highlight the institutional issues that are relevant for a roadmap for reform in Greece, to set priorities and specify the exact steps that must be taken in order to achieve implementation.

The first panel-discussion focused on the latent sources of growth dynamics in Greece. Which areas of he Greek economy and society possess specific advantages that can be considered as springboards for growth? The speakers focused on the potential of the well-educated and specialised human resources, on the geostrategic position of Greece in regards to its advanced trade options and energy, and on the domestic unexploited natural resources. Alternative tourism options and export of fine agricultural products were also highlighted as potentials for the Greek Economy.

The aim of the second panel was to identify the Greek exporting industries with a comparative advantage and assess the mechanisms that allow or constraint them to access international markets. What are the main bureaucratic obstacles that hinder export activities and what changes have to be initiated in order to create a business friendly environment in Greece?

The focus of the final session was to illustrate opportunities for global invests in Greece and to elaborate on the developments that aim to ease foreign direct investment. Takis Athanasopoulos demonstrated the privatisation programme of the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund Dr. Werner Karl Becker gave tips on privatisation from the German experience in the 1990s. The other speakers elaborated on success stories and opportunities for investments in Greece.

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Bildmarke Content of Growth KAS Athen

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