Page 6 - COMPASS - COMPETITIVENESS REPORT 2021 | COUNCIL OF COMPETITIVENESS IN GREECE

“COMPASS” REPORT 2021 – COUNCIL ON COMPETITIVENESS OF GREECE 5

Unquestionably, the crisis has greatly damaged the economy and businesses. However,
amid the crisis, Greece has managed to establish an “efficiency acquis”, as:

• It has climbed to the top two positions in the EU in terms of the implementation of
the NSRF, while we are now in the top five, with an uptake of 65%, despite being
handed Greece in the 22nd position in July 2019, with an uptake of 25%.
• It has climbed up six places on the Direct Foreign Investment index, to the country’s
best position of the past 11 years, and by nine positions in the international
competitiveness ranking.

• It has attracted investments by global behemoths such as Microsoft, Pfizer, Cisco,
Digital Realty, Deloitte and Volkswagen, whom one could not have imagined
ADONIS GEORGIADIS
choosing Greece in the past. In fact, investments are also directed at sectors of the
Minister of Development and
Investment “new economy”, including IT, which have added value for the economy at large.

• Two emblematic investments have proceeded, those of Lambda Development at
Ellinikon, and Eldorado Gold in Chalkidiki, which had been bottlenecked for years,
and which are sending out a clear message to the entrepreneurship community that
Greece is changing.

• Digitisation of the public and private sectors has advanced in record time. The
progress observed in a few short months would have once taken years.
• Reforms towards further improvement of the entrepreneurial environment have
progressed.

• What is historically the largest programme for the support of businesses and
employees has been prepared and implemented at a total cost of 38bn euro (24bn
in 2020 and 14bn in 2021 so far).

The second competitiveness report, titled “COMPASS”, is a worthwhile attempt to identify
the challenges faced by the country and to develop proposals that will contribute to the
redevelopment of its competitive position on a global scale.