The office of the Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation in Athens organized on 03 March an online discussion under the title: "Beyond Covid19: The way forward for Greek and German industries", in order to talk about the current relations of Greek and German companies and their future potentials. Invited guests were Adonis Georgiadis (Greek Minister of Development and Investment), Prof. Dr.-Ing. Siegfried Russwurm (President of the Federation of German Industries), and his Greek counterpart Dimitri Papalexopoulos (Chairman of the Board of the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises).
Especially in times of COVID-19, when many economies worldwide are in difficulties, an intercultural exchange of this sort is an important and positive signal. Other topics such as the digital economy, European competitiveness and the European Green Deal were part of the lively discussion. Discussing the best distribution of EU funds Dimitris Papalexopoulos underlined that there has been a paradigm change. Greek industry is no longer perceived as "part of the problem" but rather as a potential solution. BDI President Prof. Dr.-Ing. Siegfried Russwurm demanded, in addition to national strategies, pan-European solutions and expressed his appreciation for the Greek investment plans. Greek Minister Adonis Georgiadis concluded by emphasizing his belief that the green economy could be an important future sector for Greece, holding much potential for new jobs and attracting foreign direct investment.
The discussion was moderated by Nikos Vettas (Director General of the Foundation for Economic and Industrial Research (IOBE) and Professor of Economics and Business at the University of Athens).
