Greece Signs Memorandum To Boost Trade Facilitation, Business Extroversion

(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 28. In Greece, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (General Secretariat for International Economic Affairs and Openness – GGCIEO) and the Independent Authority for Public Revenue (IAPR), Trend reports citing the Greek Foreign Ministry.

The Memorandum aiming to strengthen cooperation in the areas of trade facilitation, customs policy, and extroversion.

It systematizes and upgrades the existing cooperation between the GGCIEO and the IAPR, focusing on initiatives that improve international trade procedures and enhance the ability of both parties to design appropriate actions for strengthening the extroversion of businesses in a rapidly changing international environment. Among other things, the Memorandum provides for:

• Digital interconnection and information sharing through IAPR's Single Window and integration into the Agora portal with links that refer to IAPR information on customs quotas, duties, export restrictions via the TARIC system, etc.

• Provision of foreign trade statistics by IAPR regarding the number of traders, the value and volume of transactions per country, product, and customs entry/exit point.

• Updates on customs and tax issues, such as customs simplifications, prevention of customs fraud, and co-organization of informational events to strengthen the extroversion and competitiveness of Greek businesses.

• Training and exchange of expertise with the participation of Economic and Commercial Affairs (ECA) officers in programs of IAPR's Tax and Customs Academy (FOTA), and organization of seminars by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for IAPR staff on topics of business extroversion and economic security.

• Enhanced international cooperation and support, with coordination between Customs authorities and ECA offices of neighboring countries for smooth movement of goods and support of IAPR's international representation and cooperation with counterpart authorities abroad.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Haris Theocharis, stated:
"The Memorandum of Cooperation we signed today is part of our broader reform effort to facilitate trade and enhance business extroversion. The systematization of our collaboration with IAPR will significantly strengthen and direct our efforts toward building a more efficient, competitive, and ultimately stronger trading Greece."

The Governor of IAPR, Giorgos Pitsilis, said:
"Today we are laying the foundation for a substantial upgrade and further evolution of our cooperation, which will bring multiplier benefits to the economic and commercial dynamics of the country. This is a true model of institutional partnership and synergy achievement in the public sector, opening the way for even more effective and innovative initiatives in the future."

The signing of the Memorandum is foreseen in the Trade Facilitation Roadmap 2022-2026, which serves as a guide for the work of the Governmental Committee for Trade Facilitation, coordinated by the General Secretary for International Economic Affairs and Openness of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dimitris Skalkos.
Mr. Skalkos praised the cooperation between GGCIEO and IAPR, stating that it "confirms the willingness of both parties to actively contribute to supporting extroverted entrepreneurship and improving the country's trade environment."

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