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Anastasia Balezdrova

While the Minister of Finance Evangelos Venizelos was announcing the stringent economic measures that are included in the mid-term recovery plan of the Greek economy business representatives presented a different Greece only a few kilometers away.

Emporiki Bank, part of the French group Credit Agricole, presented it within an initiative entitled "This is Greece".

"In today's hostile and challenging environment Greece still has a very productive and creative side that is worth showing in the country and abroad to contribute to the gradual elimination of the negative climate. Those Greek companies and businesspersons, who work hard, support their employees and customers, create value and are known for their creativity, innovation and orientation towards the world have become ambassadors of Greece. We want the people to support exactly this side and show it in the blog of the initiative "This is Greece", said the Managing Director of the Bank Alain Strub.

The initiative has two parts. The first is the blog that will act as a "platform for collecting and presenting examples of good entrepreneurship. Realizing the power of social media, the blog was developed to enable the users to upload texts, pictures and videos and share them with other users," said Alain Strub.

The second part is a 20-minute film, which the bank gave to the relevant authorities of Greece to use it in order to promote entrepreneurship. The main idea is contained in the slogan: "A day is enough to know Greece of business." The film presents twenty successful companies across the country, engaged in different businesses. From the shipping companies typical for Greece through processing of metals, jewelry, natural cosmetics, food products such as honey, vinegar and meat products to software firms. Greek business representatives selling their products and services on the domestic and international markets talk about their experiences and show that success is not impossible even in conditions of severe economic crisis. The evidence is the fact that exports of Greek products increased last year and today represents about 10% of the gross domestic product, as one of the businesspersons states in the film.

The Ministry of Regional Development, Competitiveness and Shipping and the French-Greek Chamber of Commerce and Industry supported the initiative of Emboriki Bank. In his address, Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis stressed its importance in supporting entrepreneurship and ensured that the efforts of the Ministry entrusted to him aim at supporting the business and investment.

"We developed the web portal StartupGreece to attract a new generation of Greek entrepreneurs. We invited young people under the age of 40 to become members and share their ideas with others," said the Minister in his address.

The initiative "This is Greece" could be an extension of a bank policy that aims to help the low-spirited Greek business revive. The latest advertising spots of the bank present small businessmen who find in its face the support they need to continue their activities without worries.

The initiative is available in all common social media, where young people who have ideas and seek ways to implement them can find it. As the owner of one of the very successful companies for natural cosmetics says in the film: "If you dream about something you do it. And when you do it, you will be able to dream again."