Manufacturing is a crucial pillar of the Greek economy. Almost one third of jobs is directly or indirectly linked to it. SEV works towards a comprehensive industrial strategy, in line with European priorities, towards a digital, climate neutral, export-oriented economy with high value skills. Such a strategy can help raise Greek industry’s GDP share to 15% within a decade and create 550.000 new jobs in the process.

Human resources’ development and adaptation to rapid technological change, within an efficiently functioning labour market is crucial for growth and competitiveness. SEV develops policy proposals and initiatives for education, training and skills in addition to social policy and social security issues. As official social partner, SEV also participates in bipartite and tripartite national social dialogue.

An effective tax policy, in line with the EU framework, is vital to the sustainable and long-term growth. Through its Tax Committee initiatives, SEV contributes actively to EU and national tax consultations, promotes tax policy proposals, and addresses horizontal and sector-specific tax issues.

Promoting policies that create a business-friendly environment in Greece is pivotal for leveraging foreign and domestic, investments, and reinforcing the competitiveness of the Greek economy. SEV promotes policy proposals and ideas to reduce administrative burden, speed up B2G procedures, and enhance transparency in order to create a level playing field for all companies that operate in Greece.

Enhancing competition facilitates growth, fosters innovation, promotes productivity, creates jobs and provides multiple benefits for consumers, entrepreneurs, and the state. SEV highlights the importance of efficient competition by promoting compliance and self-regulation, by supporting the independence of competition authorities and sectoral regulators, and by demanding less state intervention in product-market regulation.

Improving the quality of regulatory governance and public administration through selective reforms should be at the forefront of any attempt to promote growth and raise productivity. Better regulation agenda is among the top priorities of SEV, effected through initiatives and actions destined to remove unnecessary regulatory burden for enterprises, strengthen the role of stakeholders during policy making and enhance the quality of legal interventions in order to unleash the potential and attractiveness of Greek economy.

SEV supports the digital transformation of the Greek economy. We work towards developing and implementing a holistic digital transformation strategy including an actionable e-governance roadmap, digital skills, modern infrastructure, and a comprehensive Economy 4.0 investment program.

Sustainability is imperative for long-term business success. By incorporating social and environmental criteria into their strategies, businesses can improve their ability to address regulatory, reputational, financial and liability risks, while enhancing their supply chain continuity, predictability, and resilience.

SEV works consistently to promote, attract, and facilitate FDI and local investment, through reducing regulatory burdens, simplifying licensing, encouragement of entrepreneurial synergies, employment of smart financing tools and investment incentives to make Greece an attractive investment destination.

Improving the resilience and competitiveness of the Greek economy is directly related with helping SMEs and startups address their many challenges and scale-up. SEV is actively engaged in policy consultations to facilitate participation of SMEs in international trade networks and value chains, improve their governance, enhance their export performance, and increase their access to finance and innovation.

SEV promotes enhanced transparency and corporate governance rules, as well as the simplification, modernization and restructuring of company law, in order to provide a competitive and business-friendly environment for entrepreneurship. As the business environment improves, businesses must raise the standard of corporate governance. The legal framework offers opportunities but also challenges with respect to its implementation, which need to be resolved through a close cooperation between the authorities and the business community.

Greece sits at the cross-roads of trade, energy and transport routes. SEV initiatives center on infrastructure networks and investments to further improve access and take full advantage of its geo-economic location. Public Private Partnerships can play a crucial part in improving interconnections between regional, national networks (esp. TEN-T and TEN-E) and supply chain hubs, esp. ports, accelerating investment in digital infrastructure, and facilitating the country’s decarbonization and energy transition through sustainable reforms in the energy market.

Combining horizontal growth strategies with sector-specific policies for key industries like pharmaceuticals, ICT, food & beverage, and logistics, strengthens productive ecosystem and enhances comparative advantages. SEV advocates for sector-specific policies that trigger investment multipliers and enhance the country’s economic competitiveness and social growth.

SEV is committed to increasing Greece’s share in global trade and international value chains. SEV’s work enables its members to identify business opportunities and promising partnerships abroad. We also cooperate with relevant government authorities, private sector bodies and SEV Members to identify problems, suggest solutions, and propose policies for further strengthening Greece’s image as a reliable trade partner and an attractive investment destination. Through our ExportReady services, the only comprehensive export promotion program in Greece, we provide exporters with strategic intelligence, skills’ building opportunities, and customized networking opportunities with potential partners.