AADE

I was looking for a more “young” phrase to describe how MEPs feel since yesterday, but I’ll probably “testify” my age…

Because the candidate Commissioner of Greece, Apostolos Tzitzikostas… “they were punching them”, when they asked him to clarify the origin of his real estate!

Notably, he was seen as having partial or full ownership of 16 apartments, approximately 655,463 square meters of land, six shops and also many garages and storage areas throughout Greece…

Legacies…

However, Mr. Tzitzikostas gave an explanation. In writing (it matters).

He said he comes from an old Greek family (?) and everything came from his parents’ inheritance, except for a house he bought with a loan he took with his wife in the municipality of Vari, Voula, Vouliagmeni.

He did not specify the amount of the loan or its origin, despite MEPs’ request for details about mortgages, loans or other obligations linked to his properties.

Don’t forget…

In their remarks the MEPs noted that with the exception of his participation in a dairy industry and a coffee company, he did not declare financial assets of more than 10,000 euros.

However, he did not forget that he also participates in a solar energy company.

But he explained that the income he generates from his properties is used “for taxes, maintenance, repairs and renovations” and the rest of the income is held in bank accounts for which he did not give further details.

On November 4 the hearing

However, I remind you that officially the hearing for Tzitzikosta is on November 4.

But fears have already been raised that all this could affect his role as future tourism commissioner.

He must find a way that his potential decisions do not conflict with his property values.

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Awaiting the CoE

As far as we are concerned now, what is happening in this country, that is, laws being passed and their constitutionality being examined afterwards, I have never understood.

The last case of course is the New Building Regulation, which will be decided today by the Plenary of the Council of State.

I remind you that the provisions have already been ruled unconstitutional, but the case was referred for a final – and irreversible – judgment to the Plenary.

“Frozen” buildings

I will not go into the process of judging the Regulation. After all, we will find out today, if there is no postponement.

But let’s make a case… If some provisions are deemed unconstitutional, what will happen to the licenses issued under the new regulation.

Won’t they be in the “air”?

Because I am putting myself in the position of a prospective buyer, who has also given my advance payments.

But the manufacturer comes and tells me that what we agreed cannot be done. It will change.

And of course there will be changes in prices.

And the question is: Who will pay these differences?

The problem is structural

I point this out so there are no misunderstandings. Everyone is right… and the municipalities, and the organizations, and the manufacturers and the buyers.

But I will go into the process of the ramifications of these delays.

And the ramifications boil down to a single common denominator: Housing crisis.

Building permits have been frozen so much, that is, due to the Municipalities’ appeals, that construction activity is now at a standstill…

In other words, some are waiting in vain for the housing supply to increase, perhaps to ease the market a little.

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Man to man at Maximos

And on this front I wrote to you that the prime minister has taken upon himself the issue of internal fronts. In fact, he has already made a round of personal contacts with the ministers and has moved on to the second round.

So it started with the “11” who recently asked the question about the “red loans” and the servicers in the Parliament.

And the first one he saw was the parliamentarian of Larissa, Maximos Harakopoulos.

The meetings are actually “one to one”, man to man, that is.

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Wanted for 3 million

With the finger on the trigger is the market of late.

They are waiting for the 3 million advertising plan that AADE has in the works. That is, when and how it will be available.

It is not little and for some, as I learn, it will be a “breath” of liquidity.

Team that wins…

At the same time, I hear that the golden ratio has been found to renew for another term the admittedly successful head of AADE, G. Pitsilis.

The truth that it’s hard to find someone who “has it…” A winning team… you don’t change it.

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IOBE changes level

I had announced to you a long time ago that the the new president of IOBE will be Yiannis Retsos.

The former president of SETE has the guarantees to strengthen IOBE, to bring it much closer to businesses and to have greater intervention.

I think the crew has come to evolve IOBE into standards of the big think tanks abroad.

After all, he has probably the best micro and macro analyst in Greece, Nikos Vetta.

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Business culture

On another level, business relations have also passed, which are also fierce competitors in the market.

I learned that the present at the opening of their new factory Saranti brothers of the “Hellenic Dairies” group (Tyras, Olympos, Rodopi) in Cyprus was given by the management of Vivartia.

Thanasis Papanikolaou and Panagiotis Throuvalas, CEO and president of the Vivartia group, respectively, congratulated the investment and wished the Sarantis family a new productive cycle in the field of halloumi. It should be noted that Vivartia has a halloumi production plant in Megalonis through “Dodoni”.

The former CEO of the United Milk Company, Costas Valiadis, was also present at the opening ceremony, a company based in Bulgaria that was acquired by “Hellenic Dairies” from DELTA a few years ago.

Even if “Hellenic Dairies” and “Vivartia” are competitors in the dairy industry, if nothing else in such circumstances their entrepreneurial culture distinguishes them…

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They preferred Yiannis Chatzitheodosiou

And there are not a few who will wonder about Costas Karamanlis and Antonis Samaras “but they didn’t go to the event in Rigillis, where Mitsotakis was speaking, and they went to the event of Hatzitheodosiou” – for the annual awards ceremony of the Athens Professional Chamber.

The question is reasonable. Why I will try to trace some answers…

They did not go to Rigillis because: “standing would eat them up and they have problems with their waists, while at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center they will be seated and in fact in the first place so that the Prime Minister Mr. Kyriakos Mitsotakis can see them”

They didn’t go to Rigillis because: “they were afraid of the covid which, according to Mrs. Matina Pagoni, is showing an outbreak and both are now in their third age and would not be able to stand the kisses of the party’s voters”

They did not go to Rigillis because: “they preferred Mr. Yiannis Hadjitheodosiou because he has relations with… the former president of France, François Hollande, and he can say nothing to him if he attends”.

They did not go to Rigillis because: “because he has not hurt them and as a pure and unaffiliated socialist he has… a big hug”.

All this is indicative.

You can think of some answers too, don’t expect them all ready….

Siamese

But you will have noticed that the two former prime ministers appear as… “Siamese brothers”.

Otherwise, they “go as a package”.

Two in one.

I am looking for the man who has united them so closely.

And I end up – through this pointless abduction – to Mr. Mitsotakis.

In the eye…

The former “recalled” the latter from the “desert of his exile”, after the dissolution of the Political Spring and when the time came he supported him to become the president of the New Republic.

And so the two are looking for every way to catch the eye of Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

And that’s how Mr. Hadjitheodosiou came about….