"Sustainable development cannot be conceived without small and medium-sized enterprises" said  the president of the Athens Chamber of Tradesmen, Giannis  Chatzitheodosiou, while welcoming the Second European Business Summit, held in collaboration with The Economist in Athens, with the central theme: ‘How can Greek SMEs fuel innovation, competitiveness, and prosperity in an unstable global economy?’”
As the president stated, the fact that the Greek economy grew faster than the eurozone average last year is clearly positive. However, it only shows half the picture. "Because," he added, "the country remains largely dependent on imports - both for the production of goods and services, as well as for consumption. European funds for the - necessary - productive transformation of the Greek economy have failed to reach the largest and most critical part of the business sector, and, above all, growth has not - so far - translated into the everyday life of society."
The only way to strengthen the domestic productive base, Chatzitheodosiou emphasized, is to have a multitude of strong medium and small enterprises, and to achieve this, it is necessary to promote policies that facilitate many small and medium-sized businesses to develop and grow - "not policies that make the few large ones even bigger."
"For us," Chatzitheodosiou continued, "sustainable growth cannot be conceived without small and medium-sized enterprises. Development that does not include and create benefits for the many, without economic justice, is inconceivable. Supporting small and medium-sized enterprises is primarily a matter of economic justice."
"As long as we do not provide satisfactory answers to the real concerns of citizens, their trust in the political system and in the fundamental values of the European Union will be shaken. And the extreme forces of populism will continue to find fertile ground. All those who exploit citizens’ disappointment to expand their political base. To promote xenophobia, conservatism, nationalism, and anti-European rhetoric.”
If Europe wants to maintain its economic and geopolitical power in an unstable world, it first needs to remain united, the president emphasized, adding that to safeguard the European economy, it is necessary to protect the values on which the European project was built, centered on humanity, solidarity, and economic and social justice.

Athens-Macedonian News Agency is  COMMUNICATION SUPPORTER of the "Second European Business Summit - How can Greek SMEs fuel innovation, competitiveness and prosperity in a volatile global economy?"

On camera statements:

https://www.amna.gr/video-services/544358/Corporate%20Videos (YouTube)
https://www.youtube.com/user/AMNAwebTV (YouTube)