Real Estate: A key factor for Greek banks’ liquidity efforts Business File, January-February-March 2017, No. 109 Banking With NPLs equal to 45% of the whole value of their loan portfolios, Greek banks intensify their efforts to minimise their losses. Greek banks’ non-performing loans (NPLs) have become like a “noose in the neck” for the health of their balance sheets, threatening to throw away three consecutive recapitalisation efforts over the course of the past years. It’s a critical effort, as according [...]

The economic crisis and the retardants of growth in Greece Business File, April-May 2017, No. 110 Politics Unemployment is rising, social inequality is widening, and prudent governance is being prevented. Even when some temporary economic growth is achieved, it is accompanied by high jobless rate. Any attempt to change, reform and adjust society fails because of the strong resistance of the Retardants of Growth until the inevitable occurs for both the economy and society. ese special interest groups are detrimental [...]

Shipping in the sights of Brussels Business File, April-May 2017, No. 110 Interview Panos Laskaridis, President elect of ECSA, guides us through the maze of the European debate. The Commission has opened a preliminary enquiry on Greece about the taxation regime of shipping. At present, the expecta- tion is that a satisfactory consensus solution may be reached. A recurrent issue in the Greek public debate is the taxation regime of shipping, which has recently taken a European turn by the Commission opening a preliminary enquiry [...]

"Building bridges with other nations and societies" Business File, April-May 2017, No. 110 Interview James Stavridis’ role both in the military and diplomacy required for international a airs means he is a proponent of “smart power”, defined as the “balance of hard and soft power taken together.” Stavridis has encouraged the creation of security through the “need to connect international, inter-agency and public-private actors to build security, lining all of them with efective strategic communications.” This underlying philosophy gives him [...]

The new age of e-Government: Public administration without borders Business File, June-July-August 2017, No. 111 Public Sector Public Administration stubbornly refuses the transformation to a modern e-Government despite the pressure from the citizens and the constant demand by the Europeans and the IMF. Stavros-Ioannis Benos, a true pioneer of e-Government in Greece, explains in his article this urgent need for radical reform. The biggest challenge our coun- try faces in this di cult time is the creation of a robust [...]

Raphael Moissis reflects on the electricity sector in Greece - and the PPC Business File, June-July-August 2017, No. 111 Energy The recent government’s agreement to sell about 40% of the dominant power utility Public Power Corp’s capacity makes Dr Moissis, former governor of PPC, very skeptical. For that reason he outlines his impressive, heretical proposal for “A Powerful Power Corporation Again” and the steps to be followed... “if there was a will”.... Read more Dear Business File reader Subscribe now for [...]

Hopeful signs for ship financing from EU banks The international and EU framework on capital requirements for ships has an impact on the cost of their nancing. In the a ermath of the 2008 nancial crisis ship lending from banks has become more costly and scarce at international and EU level. Bank lending is subject to the Basel III Accord on capital requirements, which is under review. However, if the current Basel IV proposals materialise, European banks may lose their shipping clients. Shipowners may [...]