Samaras focuses on growth, meets with business leaders
As Greece prepared to receive the dispursement of a 34.4 billion euro tranche of rescue funding, the three-party coalition government’s focus was expected to turn to growth on Monday as Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras was set to meet with the heads of leading multinational companies operating in the local market to discuss new business opportunities and the creation of jobs.
The new tranche of funding was expected to be released on the same day, following an agreement by eurozone finance ministers in Brussels last week.
At the Maximos Mansion on Monday, Samaras was expected to meet with the managing directors of Unilever, Pepsico, Specifar, Nestle, Bic Biolex, Lafarge, Athenian Brewery, Cosco, Vodafone, Philip Morris, Procter & Gamble, Novartis, AB Vassilopoulos and Friesland.
In Brussels last week, Samaras held impromptu talks with European Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia, on the sidelines of the European Council summit. During the meeting, also attended by Development Minister Costis Hatzidakis, the focus turned to Greece’s privatization program as well as plans to increase the use of EU structural funding.
Following the Brussels meeting, had Samaras stressed the need to “remove the stigma of doing business.”
