The representatives of SARIO participated in a presentation roadshow in the region of Northern Greece. The main goal was to establish contacts with institutions and entrepreneurs in the region and to identify opportunities for cooperation. This series of meetings and seminars was organized on May 22–25, 2018 by the Slovak Embassy in Athens.On Tuesday, May 22nd, representatives of the Foreign Trade Department of SARIO met the representatives of Enterprise Greece. Enterprise Greece is a state agency, similar in structure and activities to SARIO, which supports the attraction of foreign investors and export promotion. Its activities are specialized in sectors in which Greece has a comparative advantage over other countries, i.e. tourism, information and telecommunication technologies, food, logistics and jewelry.On Wednesday, May 23rd, was held the first seminar in Kavala, one of the major tourism, agricultural (tobacco) and fishing locations in the Northern Greece region. Businessmen present at the seminar in the Chamber of Kavala expressed an interest in some products from Slovakia (gas boilers). The seminar and the glass of Slovak wine were mentioned also in local television channel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZzZc7TYxsQ).Drama is one of the world's leading marble producers. It also has great tourist and agricultural potential. On Thursday, May 24th, a seminar and presentation of Slovakia in the local Chamber of Commerce was held. Local entrepreneurs have expressed interest in establishing connection with Slovak businessmen in the sector of spa, wood industry, as well as with producers of 3D printers and Slovak wine makers.The visit of the second largest producer of Greek yogurt and ice cream in Greece was very interesting. Kri Kri in Serres employs over 300 employees in a complicated region. It annually processes over 60,000 tons of milk and exports one third of its production abroad, including Slovakia. The competitive advantage of the company is that it obtains the milk from close neighbourhood, which ensures the high quality of the final products. The process of producing yoghurt from milk is finished in 24 hours. The company behaves responsibly towards its suppliers by supporting and educating local farmers.In the cities of Drama and Serres were identified opportunities for linking Slovak and Greek companies in the field of automation of production, electronic warehouse systems or in supply of machinery and fertilizers.The last city of the Northern Greece roadshow was Thessaloniki, where representatives of the Slovak Embassy in Athens and SARIO visited Gerovassiliou winery. The visit was followed by a meeting with the local German-Greek Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber actively uses the presence in the territory and knowledge of the environment to engage German companies in small investments in the country, as well as assisting German companies in large infrastructural investments under ongoing privatization in the country (ports, public services, airports, etc.). Despite the high tax burden on investors in Greece, from the perspective of chamber, the country offers very good opportunities and low costs with a relatively skilled workforce. The skilled workforce is also acquired through continuous building of a dual education system by the German-Greek Chamber.The visit and seminar at the Chamber of Small and Medium Sized Industry of Thessaloniki on May 25th confirmed the mutual interest of both parties. After the presentation of Slovakia, local entrepreneurs expressed interested in construction wood, food industry and co-operation in the field of metal construction.The region of Northern Greece represents an opportunity for both trade and investment activities for Slovak companies. In case of interest in linking of Slovak companies with local companies and chambers, we recommend contacting the Embassy of Slovak Republic in Athens – economic diplomat Mrs. Simona Kozmová (simona.kozmova@mzv.sk, (+30) 6932 332 400) or territorial consultant of SARIO Mr. Adam Kalina (adam.kalina@sario.sk, (+421) 0907 616 853).
