SEV: ‘We need the reforms for us, not for the troika’

By Chryssa Liaggou and Giorgos Mantelas

The model of the state as an employer and entrepreneur has seen its cycle come to an end and Greece will now have to rebuild its economy based on reforms, Theodoros Fessas, the head of the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises (SEV), told Kathimerini.

“We need the reforms regardless of what has been agreed with the troika,” said Fessas, referring to the representatives of Greece’s creditors, the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund. “We need them for ourselves, not for the sake of the troika or anyone else. We need stability, reforms and the application of the law at all levels. Only then will investments come from Greeks and foreigners,” he added in his first interview since being elected to the post.

He went on to warn against easing up on the reforms front and described the efficient application of the existing tax policy as crucial.

Regarding the management of corporate debts, Fessas stressed that “the banks can and should contribute toward the merging and restructuring of enterprises and economic sectors.”