“The Hellenic-German Chamber of Commerce helps its members, German and Greek firms alike to penetrate into the important markets all over the world using the eighty subsidiary German Chambers which internationally hold 120 offices. The emerging markets of Far East and Middle East as well as Latin America, constitute unique opportunities for the Greek exporting firms” underlined in a press conference given tο “In-On” magazine, the chairman of the Hellenic-German Chamber of Commerce Mr. Michalis Maillis.
At the same time –he clarified– the Chamber of Commerce organizes events that promote the development of its members as on the 4th March 2010 entitled “successful public relations and how to achieve them”.
Question: Is there an investment interest on behalf of the German companies towards the Greek ones?
Answer: As expected, investment interest towards Greece has been influenced not only due to the international crisis but also due to the negative picture that exists concerning Greece owing to treasury problems. This is what concerns us since the Chamber of Commerce has to predict the future. We do not doubt that Greece will manage to overcome these dominating problems, but even after its reformation, the state must permanently depend on an economy that shows progress. Otherwise, history will repeat itself. We are desperately in need of investments from Greece and abroad.
Question: Which branches are considered attractive?
Answer: The renewable sources of energy and the protection of the environment are issues of great interest to Greece. A huge recent investment concerned the repurchase of a part of the Hellenic Telecommunications Organization from Deutsche Telekom. Recently, a number of considerate investments were realized in the field of retail trade. As members of the Hellenic-German Chamber of Commerce, we welcome such investments that constitute a benefit to Greece and bring the economies of the two countries closer together. However, we would like to have invested in other fields, as well, mainly in the industry. In order for these investments to be realized, productivity and generally investments must be enhanced.
Question: Is there an interest for the construction of the new airport and harbor in Crete on behalf of German companies?
Answer: From the Camber’s point we are not allowed to discuss the business plans of specific enterprises. For this reason the following answer is on a theoretical basis. Why should not the Germans be interested in those constructions in Crete? The German construction companies are activated worldwide, even in extreme circumstances. Furthermore, the experience of the German firms regarding big constructions in Greece is positive.
Question: Tell us about the Hellenic-German Chamber of Commerce and its role regarding the development of the Greek enterprises in Germany.
Answer: The Hellenic-German Chamber of Commerce is an association comprised of almost 800 member firms, having in common that they participate one way or another in Greek-German transactions. This refers to bilateral trade, investments in every other country, services etc. We provide any kind of advice; we bring firms into contact and support them in various ways. The Chamber of Commerce acts as a representative of big fair organizations and is the second important institution after the Organization for the Promotion of Exports that promotes Greek exports. It has to be taken into account that the activities of the German fair institutions are not restricted only in Germany, but have been expanded in all the emerging markets of Far and Middle East, as well as in Latin America. Here, there are unique opportunities for the Greek exporting companies. The Chamber of Commerce helps its members, German and Greek companies to penetrate the important markets of the world using the eighty subsidiary German Chambers of Commerce that hold 120 offices all over the globe.
Additionally, according to the files of the Chamber of Commerce, the Greek markets in Germany regard:
– Poultry, cattle
– Meat and meat products, fish flour –meat flour
– Milk and dairy products (butter and cheese)
– Wheat, pastry and bakery products, cocoa and cocoa products, potatoes and potato products, fruit and vegetable juices
– Drinks, tobacco, coffee
– Kitchen and industrial salt
– Raw rubber, leather, unprocessed fur, chemical fibers
– Fertilizers, oil products, wood, threads, chemical fibers and artificial materials
– Paper and cardboard, paints, varnish
– Iron-plates or steel-plates
– Pharmaceutical raw products
– Cars, trailers, Pharmaceutical products, devices to produce electricity, office equipment, machines, chassis and other car parts, communication appliances.
CURRICULUM VITAE
Mr. Michalis Maillis.is the chairman of the Hellenic-German Chamber of Commerce and the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the firm “M.I. ΜΑILLIS Limited Liability Company”.
Mr. Michalis Maillis was born in Athens and completed post graduate studies in the field of Iron Metallurgy in the School of Polytechnics Βergakademie Clausthal – Zellerfeld in West Germany. Later, he worked as a Qualified Engineer in the Steel mill Maximillians Hutte in Germany as well as in the Greek Steel Company in Thessaloniki. When he completed his military service, he firstly worked as a representative and later as an importer in the field of Industrial Products.
In 1973, he established Μ. Ι. ΜΑΙLLIS, a Limited Liability Company, as a continuity of a private enterprise which pre-existed since 1968 and converted into a Public Limited Trade and Industrial Company in 1976.
As the chairman of the biggest European association in the international market of industrial packaging, he managed to upgrade a small company into a multinational corporation, in fact in a difficult business field. Based on specific strategy, Mr. Maillis leads the corporation in a series of strategic repurchases in Europe and North America, aiming at supplying complete package systems (materials and package machinery) along with the expansion of the distribution network. Today, Μ. Ι. Maillis’ association creates and develops complete solutions in the field of secondary packaging. It has got a leading post in the European market of packaging, holding productive units and trade companies in 20 countries in Europe and America.