Industrialists warn on mine intransigence
Industrial associations across Greece have expressed grave concern regarding the investment climate in the country following developments at the Skouries gold mines in Halkidiki, central Macedonia.
In a joint letter to Production Reconstruction and Energy Minister Panayiotis Lafazanis, the industrialists, led by the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises (SEV), called on both him and the representatives of mine operator Eldorado Gold “to begin an open dialogue” in order to avert the “expulsion” of “one of the precious few large-scale foreign investments currently being implemented in the country.”
The industrialists went on to stress the need for business sentiment to improve in Greece: “The much-desired growth will not arrive unless we manage to convince serious foreign investors that Greece is a country that respects private investments, honors the contracts it signs and adheres to European regulations. A possible annulment of the Eldorado Gold investment would send a very negative message about the country’s capacity to receive foreign investments,” they said in the letter.
