A multitude of Greek industries persist, invest and remain in the critical regions of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace.
And their entrepreneurial spirit remains strong. They are optimistic and hope that the regional units will be upgraded.
And the City Hub Events of the Alter Ego Media group was in Alexandroupoli and by organizing the East Macedonia & Thrace Forum II opened the dialogue on the development of the regions into an energy and transport hub of Southeast Europe.
“The goal is achievable and the vision can become flesh and bones,” said Alter Ego Media CEO Mr. Ioannis Vrentzos.
And from the stage of the conference, the businessmen who participated and continue today on the second day of the Forum tell their business story but also point out the problems they face in terms of further development and even their survival.
No lights and clark
The lack of infrastructure is the main problem faced by businesses in Thrace.
The president of the Association of Greek Industries Mrs. Loukia Saranti criticized the fact of the outdated infrastructure in the port of Alexandroupolis. “It doesn’t have lighting, nor Clark”, he emphasized to continue: “We have been without a port for many decades, and industry without a port does not exist”, he said and added: “You tell the Bulgarians and they are surprised. As for a train, the railway network in Bulgaria moves at unimaginable speeds”, he added, stressing that the railway network in the region is non-existent. In fact, the situation is much worse than several decades ago.
Without electricity and internet…
There are also problems in the energy sector, as, according to her, “in Soufli, when it rains, the electricity goes out”. Voltage fluctuations are caused which lead to a forced stoppage of production. There is also a problem with the internet, as she described.
… and VIPE without water and sewage
However, what Mr. Paris Gravouniotis, managing director of “Elina” Paper Mill in Komotini, said at the East Macedonia & Thrace Forum II also caused a sensation.
As he made it known – to the rest of us who live in Attica – in the first years of the operation of the VIPE, there was no water, water supply and sewerage.
The ports of Kavala and Alexandroupolis
And Mr. Gravouniotis spoke about the deficiencies in infrastructure. And he brought to the fore the adventures of his own company. As Elina said, it could bring raw material from the ports of Kavala and Alexandroupoli, which would greatly reduce costs. But because the two ports of Eastern Macedonia – Thrace cannot handle containers, the company is forced to use the port of Thessaloniki at multiple costs.
Road axis with a prohibitory…
Another shortcoming, according to him, is the fact that there was no provision for truck traffic on the vertical axis Kartzali (Bulgaria) – Komotini, with the result that in order for a load to reach Romania it has to travel 250 kilometers more. There is also a problem with the electricity networks. All of the above results in Thrace’s businesses not being able to compete with those established in areas near Athens, such as in Schimatari.
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Leaf and feather
And since we are talking about businesses, investments and projects, I will also take you to the necessary financing.
And more specifically in the Recovery Fund.
As I learned over the course of two days (Tuesday and Wednesday), Brussels echelons made a wing and wing of the services of the Ministry of Environment and Energy (YPEN), checking whether the milestones of the Recovery Fund have been met. According to reports, the launch of “Save – Enterprise” last Tuesday …saved the lot, as it was one of the key milestones and had been significantly delayed.
Worries
Also, concerns were expressed by the auditors about whether the energy storage projects which will be boosted with operating and investment support from the Recovery Fund will have time to be completed by 2026, given that of the three tenders that were due, the second has been completed just a month ago, while the third has yet to be announced.
Otherwise, things went smoothly, as an agent of the Ministry of the Interior claims.
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Thessaly
I stick to the European instruments and go to the undercurrents… of Daniel. At the same time that the master plan for the reconstruction of Thessaly by the Dutch company HVA International was completed and the consultation with the bodies of Thessaly begins, the Commission comes to remind us of the perennial pathologies of the Greek state.
The referral
Yesterday the European Commission referred Greece to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) because it has not finalized the revisions of its river basin management plans, as required by the Water Framework Directive (Directive 2000/60/EC). Member States are obliged to update and submit every six years the plans which include decisive measures to ensure the good condition of all water bodies.
After the parade…
However, according to the Ministry of the Interior, at least 5 of the 14 plans will be adopted by Act of the Council of Ministers at the next Council of Ministers scheduled for March 27.
The rest will be adopted at the Council of Ministers next April, so it is estimated that the issue will be closed without the country being condemned at the European Court.
In any case, it is noteworthy that Greece was also referred a year ago for its flood risk management plans.
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