Focus on Greece
In his welcoming address in the packed conference hall of the Bavarian State Parliament, Eric Beißwenger MP, Bavarian Minister of State for European Affairs and International Affairs, and Vice-President of the OstWestWirtschaftsForum Bayern, highlighted the historic friendship between Bavaria and Greece and emphasised the importance of cross-border cooperation, particularly with regard to geopolitical stability, economic innovation and European integration.
This was followed by greetings from high-ranking representatives of the Hellenic Republic:
H.E. Alexandros Papaioannou, Ambassador of Greece to Germany, referred to the strategic partnership between the two countries within the EU and their common interests in energy, digitalisation and sustainable development.
Konstantinos Kodellas, Consul General of Greece in Munich, praised the strong contribution of the Greek diaspora in Bavaria to economic and cultural networking.
Rea Tsitsani, Head of the Economic and Commercial Department at the Greek Consulate General, presented current initiatives to promote investment and start-up cooperation.
RA Stavros Kostantinidis, Chairman of the Greek Academy Munich e. V., emphasised the role of civil society and education in German-Greek cooperation.
The keynote speech was given by Anastasios Chatzivasileiou, State Secretary at the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs for International Economic Relations and Foreign Economic Promotion. In his English-language presentation entitled
"Greek-Bavarian Economic and Trade Cooperation – Potentials and Challenges,"
he outlined the strategic areas of bilateral cooperation: renewable energy, digitalisation, the pharmaceutical industry, infrastructure and tourism. He emphasised the positive economic developments in Greece following the debt crisis, with public debt falling from 210% of GDP in 2020 to just over 140% in 2025. The solid macroeconomic foundation is making Greece increasingly attractive to foreign investors, including those from Bavaria.
This was followed by a lively and multifaceted panel discussion moderated by Ursula Heller, television journalist at Bayerischer Rundfunk. The panellists were:
Anastasios Chatzivasileiou, State Secretary, Greece
Eric Beißwenger, Member of the Bavarian Parliament, Minister of State, Bavaria
Andreas Kuba, Global Vice President, Veridos GmbH
Dimitrios Bachadakis, CEO, CIP Group
Stelios Gikas, CEO, noris MIKE
Georg Anastasiadis, Editor-in-Chief, Münchner Merkur
The discussion focused on specific opportunities and obstacles in bilateral economic cooperation. Representatives from the business community pointed to successful Greek-German projects in the fields of IT, security technology and services. Challenges such as bureaucracy, tax conditions and a shortage of skilled workers were openly addressed. Journalists emphasised the importance of a stable Europe for economic confidence.
In his closing remarks, Eberhard Sinner, former Minister of State and President of the OWWF Bavaria, looked back on the crisis years: the financial crisis of 2015, the Grexit that was discussed at the time and demanded by some German politicians, and the simultaneous refugee crisis. Sending migrants back to Greece would have completely overwhelmed and destabilised the country. He recalled how important political stability, European solidarity and economic responsibility for Greece were for today's recovery. Sinner called for a continuation of partnership-based cooperation on an equal footing – even in difficult times.
Read the report in the Münchner Merkur newspaper dated 25 June 2025
To the photo gallery © Robert Auerbacher and Economic and Trade Department of the Greek Consulate General in Munich
