With Deputy Development Minister Nikos Papathanasis talking about a “reform cut with a new system, flexible, functional and investor-friendly”, and the opposition questioning its effectiveness, especially in strengthening small and medium-sized enterprises, it was completed. , by the Production and Trade Committee of the Parliament, the elaboration of the development bill, “Greece Strong Development”.
The bill, after four long meetings of the Committee, was voted by a majority on the principle and on its articles, only by ND. KKE and MERA25 opposed the bill, both on the principle and on the articles, while SYRIZA, KINAL and Hellenic Solution stated that they reserve the right to take a position during its discussion and voting by the Plenary Session, which was determined for next Tuesday 25 and Wednesday. January 26.
The need for individual improvements was also pointed out by ND MPs, including Theofilos Liontaridis, Stratos Simopoulos, George Karasmanis, Stefanos Gikas, Christos Kellas and Manousos Voloudakis.
Closing the discussion in the Committee and responding to the criticism of the opposition, the Deputy Minister in charge of private investment, Nikos Papathanasis, reiterated that “in the exhaustive consultation that lasted a year and a half, with all partners and observers, and views submitted “.
At the same time, he rejected SYRIZA’s accusations of discrediting the 2016 development law. “after a difficult decade that has passed”, he noted and added:
“Our main goal is to accelerate investment. For example. With the development law of SYRIZA until July 2019, 9 investment projects were included, and from July 2019 until 31/12/2021, 131 investment projects were included. That is an increase of 780% of the affiliates, which gave a large number of new jobs “.
Mr. Papathanasis also spoke about two different seasons and needs between 2016 and 2021, saying characteristically: “We came to make a new law because 2016 has nothing to do with 2022. They are two different seasons with different needs. We are at the beginning of structural change. In essence, we are transforming the whole European strategy for the fourth industrial revolution, which needs to be included in our strategy. “The previous development law was a step indeed, but in another era, because today the needs are completely different.”
“The aim of the new law is to be able to raise resources, to have a valve to expand resources because the absorption was very low. It is necessary for both the NSRF and the Recovery Fund to create the axes of green growth. “All this effort is expanding and the goal is to start and complete the investments very quickly without the formation of the bureaucracy that creates a deadly embrace for them”, he stressed.
The Deputy Minister for Private Investment, who is in charge of Development, insisted that “all fair development projects will be licensed quickly, with the new information program”, rejecting the opposition’s criticism that it “strengthens rather than simplifies the bureaucracy”.
“The new development law significantly accelerates the processes, supports innovation and small and medium-sized enterprises, which are the backbone of the Greek economy, and meets the European goals for the green digital transition. We have an excellent workforce that we must utilize. “We also want our tourism product to increase by enhancing processing and agri-food,” he stressed.
He also emphasized the strengthening of the region, noting: “We strengthen all the special regimes, especially the region that has a strong export potential, giving it the tools and facilitating it to solve problems.”
As Mr. Papathanasis mentioned, there are four interventions that differentiate the new development law from the previous one:
1. introduces thematic schemes,
2. simplifies bureaucracy and facilitates lower investment,
3. non-regional aid is also subject to development law, and
4. A very flexible, fast information system is introduced.
“It is very important that there are 13 special schemes that create their own industry and no one can take the money that corresponds to them. We added business risk financing to the new business. This concerns young people who have not reinvested or re-invested, while in parallel with the new law, instead of the 38.5% of their investment that they would receive, now 70% of their investment plan will be covered. At the same time, a new special regime of support is being created in the apolitical areas, without restrictions “, he underlined.
“The new development law is emblematic and will accompany the country for many years, signaling the development we want. The window will be opened, in order to receive resources from other structural funds, giving a climate of pro-investment environment “, concluded Mr. Papathanasis.
Opposition
For his part, the general rapporteur of SYRIZA-PS Charalambos Mamoulakis questioned what the Deputy Minister of Development supported about the reform cut, reduction of bureaucracy and acceleration of the processes of investment plans. “Goals are goods of the bill. However, none of the third goals of the bill will be achieved “, he said, at the same time opposing that” more bureaucracy is created with unreasonable demands, which lies mainly in the role of auditors “.
“The evaluation model you are establishing leaves the door open to opacity, and it needs to change. “Within the new special regimes, you are adopting the unfair competition between small and medium-sized enterprises and large enterprises”, said Mr. Mamoulakis.
“The only innovation you could say you made would be if you incorporated in the law the criteria of the sustainable goals of the United Nations in the state aid system”, concluded the SYRIZA-PS rapporteur.
Reservations about the effectiveness of the new provisions were expressed by the special spokesman of KINAL, Apostolos Panas. “We do not disagree with the rationale for boosting growth, but your proposal increases the volume of documents that companies need to be included in the development law and there will be significant delays as banks will not be able to meet this volume.” , write down.
At the same time, he emphasized the inclusion in the investment plans of both small businesses with rented rooms and accommodation as well as first and second class hotels, emphasizing that “the new law leaves out of the strong growth 48.3% of these tourist units that it is also the heavy industry of the country “.
“We say yes to a comprehensive law, which will support extroversion and innovative companies with significant incentives, because only in this way will growth be reflected,” said Mr. Panas.
The special speaker of the KKE, Diamanto Manolakou, opposed the bill, claiming that “it brings the development and profitability only of the capital and the big business groups, but not of the people”.
“Like the previous development law on SYRIZA, the current one, with the terms and conditions it sets, puts a barrier to small and medium enterprises for their development. In the previous law, only 744 investment plans of very small enterprises were included in a total of 80,000. “But even now, their integration concerns only a few small businesses,” he said.
From Hellenic Solution, the special spokesman of Vassilis Viliardos spoke about a large investment gap that exceeds 150 billion euros but also about enough bureaucracy in the evaluation and control of investments.
He also noted that the audit of investments over 700,000 euros by a chartered accountant “is not a guarantee of transparency” and asked for further clarifications on the possibility of modifying their aid.
The special speaker of MERA25, Kriton Arsenis, accused the government that its goal is to close small businesses, while he pointed out that it excludes from the aid, the self-employed, serving only the business groups.
The need for more small and medium enterprises to join the development sectors was pointed out by the ND MPs, including Theofilos Liontaridis, Stratos Simopoulos, George Karasmanis, Stefanos Gikas, Christos Kellas and Manousos Voloudakis.
The deputies of ND, mainly focused their proposals, on the further strengthening of island mountainous and remote areas but also areas that have been affected by natural disasters or have high unemployment.
At the same time, they asked the banks to reconsider the assessment of the viability of the investment plan, arguing that it would be an additional bureaucratic obstacle that would put a big brake on investments, especially of small and medium-sized enterprises.
“There must be intervention so that the banks can open the financing canal in these companies as well,” said Mr. Kellas.
They also emphasized the inclusion in the investment plans of the first and second class hotels as well as the individual companies of rented rooms and accommodation, in order to give them the opportunity to modernize them, as they mentioned.
For his part, the general rapporteur of ND, Maximos Synetakis, described the new development law as “an institutional tool to implement in practice the new production model and the strategic plan of the government for development”.
“Our development interventions constitute a social contract for which Greece we want. “We are establishing a strategic plan with which the state has its control and supervisory role for the creation of a friendly investment climate”, he stated and concluded:
“It is a step towards the future for which we all claim and fight and it concerns not the few but the many.”
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