[Event] Greece attempts to renew chemical industry

"It is no secret that Greece must pay our debts. Our recent austerity measures should help, but how can those without work be expected to contribute?" -Alexis Tsirpras, Prime Minister of Greece

Indeed, the Greeks have a lot of debt. Recent 2016 austerity measures and budget cuts will provide relief, but even though unemployment is falling the large amount of it will mean that austerity measures will only help us meet short term goals.

Many chemical manufacturing jobs were lost at the height of the Greek debt crisis and the industry has been plagued by lack of workplace safety and long hours. Loans are being exploited for personal instead of company use.

So what is to be done?

The proposed solution by the Greek government is twofold:

1. A new subsidies program for manufacturers that have been inspected to meet safety standards. The amount for this will total $50 million USD over the next 2 years.
2. A government program to fund training for new and returning workers in the chemical industry to improve work productivity and safety. Currently an additional $5M USD is being allocated from the education budget specifically for Chemical engineering improvements.

We also hope to attract new EU investors to Greece with our improved industrial productivity and safety with these programs.