Govt promises wholesale end to red tape for new businesses in 3 major sectors

By Stamatis Zisismos 

A simple official notification to the relevant authority will suffice to inaugurate business activity in at least three major economic categories, the government promised on Tuesday, following the tabling of a finance ministry plan to simplify bureaucratic procedures in Greece’s notoriously “redtape-riddled” public sector.

The economic sectors, according to the government, account for 25 percent of annual GDP.

The basic tenant of the simplification is the long-sought but always fleeting principle of “first grant a license, then check”, something taken for granted in most other EU countries.

Food production, rented rooms in holiday regions and the all-important restaurant-bar-café sector are expected to benefit from a liberalization of their licensing and regulatory regime.

According to relevant Deputy Minister Theodora Tzakri, representatives of Greek ministries have been working together – under the supervision of the World Bank – to flesh out final proposals by June, which will then be included in draft legislation sent to Parliament for approval.

Based on the ambitious – by Greek standards – proposal, all pre-emptive licensing procedures will be eliminated for 90 percent of food-&-beverage businesses, with only the written notification needed to begin operation. Whatever licensing and official checks will follow a business’ opening.

One example cited to give the scope of Greek state bureaucracy is an olive oil press. Before it can legally operate such an enterprise requires at least 10 official documents from various state services, including approved designs of the structure and processing capabilities. By comparison, only four documents are needed for a similar business in France.