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The increasing number of Chinese stores and stands are flooding the local market with cheap and bad quality goods and are acting outside the borders of the tax regulations. This is why on November 15 the Pieria Chamber of Commerce municipality in Northern Greece is organizing a meeting with representatives of almost all trade associations and unions in the country – so that they can discuss application methods of effective control over the management of foreign stores on Greek territory.

In an interview for Macedonia newspaper the chairman of the Pieria Chamber of Commerce Ilyas Hadjihristodoulou stressed that there is anger within the trade circles due to the disloyal competition of Chinese stores. “In Pieria the small stores are declaring bankruptcy one after the other, because they cannot deal with the forced conditions of illegal and disloyal competition and the cheap prices of Chinese goods,” says Hadjihristodoulou and adds that due to this fact many of the stores on some central streets in Katerini are empty.

According to the chairman of the union the Chinese trade stores are often working without the necessary permits and are not depositing social securities. Performed checks show that basic accounting documents are missing, which are supposed to show the origin and value of the product. A research done by the Chamber shows that only three out of all 53 active Chinese stores in Pieria have the required documents for having an open store.

Ilyas Hadjihristodoulou says: “We want to be certain that foreign stores will work under equal conditions and will be subject to the same methods of state control like the local merchants. Right now we are witnessing how the market is being flooded by goods with doubtful quality from countries, in which the value of production is significantly lower. As of now the worst damage has been done to the textile production and clothing but lately we can see that furniture and electric appliances are also being imported.” The chairman of Pieria Chamber of Commerce Ilyas Hadjihristodoulou calls for a competent authorities to immediately pay attention to the demand of all Greek traders and producers, so that the balance and competition level of the local market can be restored.