A presentation was held at the Foreign Ministry on Thursday, 27 September 2012, of the results of a workshop within the framework of a programme for coordination between Greece’s Missions Abroad and the country’s agencies involved in promoting Greece internationally. This programme is being carried out on the initiative of Foreign Ministry Secretary General for International Economic Relations & Development Cooperation Panayiotis Mihalos and Deputy Development Minister Notis Mitarakis.
Also participating in the presentation were Secretary General for News Media and Communication Andrea Katsaniotis, the Secretary General of the Tourism Ministry, Anastasios Liaskos, Invest in Greece CEO Stefanos Isaias, HRADF President Takis Athanasopoulos, HEPO President Alcibiades Kalampokis, and Yiannis Emiris and Andreas Taprantzis, HRADF CEO and Executive Director, respectively. Participating in the meeting via web conference were the heads of Embassies and Economic and Commercial Affairs Sections chosen for the pilot implementation of the programme (Embassies and Commercial Affairs Sections in London, Washington and Beijing; Embassy in Abu Dhabi, Commercial Affairs Section in Dubai).
Following analysis of the existing situation as regards the implementation of actions involving internationalization – a situation characterized by lack of coordination, fragmented actions, overlapping responsibilities, splitting of resources, and an absence of national branding – the participants agreed that, in light of the current state of affairs, the promotion of Greece’s image and reversal of the climate abroad require immediate and direct initiatives on three levels, with the aim of “doing more, and better, with less.”:
1. Creation of a national brand (design of a single logo, linking of the economy and trade with tourism and culture, adaptation of the brand for specialized promotional actions).
2. Cooperation and coordination between agencies for promoting Greece internationally and attracting investments (regular mutual updating, drawing up of a concise and mutually supported strategic programme, institutionalization of an organizing and coordinating body in Greece).
3. Capitalization on infrastructure abroad (inventory of existing infrastructure and human resources, consolidation of services to reduce expenditures, seeking of sponsors).
Based on the presentation and the detailed discussion that followed, the participants decided on the operational procedures and mode of action of collaborating agencies from here on in, giving priority to the immediate implementation of planning so that tangible results might be achieved soon.
September 27, 2012