Market structure

The shares of 12 companies held by the Treasury have been transferred to the Türkiye Wealth Fund (TVF), according to a presidential decree published in the Official Gazette on Aug. 20.

Among those companies whose shares were transferred are stock exchange-listed Koza Altın, Koza Anadolu Metal and İpek Doğal Enerji.

The business world has asked the government to continue incentives for the companies in Türkiye on employment and production.

A delegation of the Turkish Confederation of Employer Associations (TİSK), led by Özgür Burak Akkol, chairman of the board of the federation, presented the demands of the business community to Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz at a meeting on Aug. 14.

There is no such thing as a self-regulating market. Even liberals agree that there needs to be some degree of oversight - not enough to kill competition but enough to keep things on track.

Development Minister Takis Theodorikakos on Friday expressed the intention for the further strengthening of the Hellenic Competition Commission so that it can carry out its work for the orderly functioning of the market even more effectively at his meeting with the president of the commission, Irene Sharpe.

International energy rates have contracted, as have domestic ones. Nevertheless, the price of electricity in Greece remains among the highest in Europe, which clearly means that efforts to make the market more transparent need to continue with added vigor.

The factors that are preventing competition from functioning properly in this field - as in others - must be tackled.

As Greece prepares to welcome the highest number of foreign visitors in its history this year, around 35 million according to expert estimates, basic public infrastructure remains woefully inadequate.

We are at a point where we need to evaluate the gains of 50 years of democracy, to assess our strengths and weaknesses in the face of the time's challenges, to think of where we want to go. These thoughts were prompted by the passing of the law ensuring equality in civil marriages, an important step - a milestone, as the prime minister said - towards a more just society.

Greece still has a long way to go to before it strengthens its competitiveness and climbs the world rankings, leaving the low positions it has been in for years.

The Bank of Greece is preparing to sound the alarm on the issue of prices, presenting a study that will highlight the reasons why Greece is more expensive than its peers in a range of products, including supermarket items.

The government does not mull adding new assets to the privatization portfolio, Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek has said.