08.11.2014 Athens / Greece
TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu attended the 2nd for 2014 General Assembly of the Association of Balkan Chambers (ABC) in Athens. Speaking at the meeting attended by ABC member chamber presidents, TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu pointed out the need to continue focusing on structural reforms in the Balkans and stated that these reforms must cover education, healthcare, employment policy, public spending and efficiency.
TOBB President and Eurochambres Vice President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu,
along with the TOBB board Vice President Ender Yorgancılar and TOBB Board
Member, attended the second Association of Balkan Chambers held this year.
In his speech, Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that the political and economic
situation in Europe will be increasingly important for the Balkans in the
future. Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “That is why we must work harder; render the ABC
community stronger and active among national states and European institutions.”
Speaking in regards to the European Commission Expansion Strategy and
Progress Report released last month, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “This shows that the
European continent has yet to complete its expansion. Peace, equality and
prosperity have yet to be distributed evenly in Europe. We must all transform
our economies. We must all take the EU as our reference point for our internal
reform and transformation processes.”
- “Deep reforms are necessary”
Reporting that the growth rate in Germany is still too slow and that
growth in France is slowing down, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “Italy will shrink.
There are indications that the UK’s economic revitalization is suffering due to
the low performance of the Eurozone. The growth in Spain is slowing down in the
third quarter – Spanish exports are slowing down as well. IMF has urged the EU
to make deep structural reforms.”
- Job market reform is a must
Reminding that the IMF has lowered the global growth figures for the
third time this year, M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “Unemployment is still too
high in a couple of countries and job creation seems difficult. The European
Central Bank has announced that a third of unemployment is caused by structural
reasons. This means that a solution is impossible without structural job market
reform. Neither the global economic situation nor the European economic
performance will do us any good. This shows that we must remain inactive. Quite
the contrary: We must be better prepared because there is no practical
alternative to expansion. There are no alternatives to the European Union for
peace and prosperity in Europe. That is why an integrated Europe is still our
shared future. These reforms must cover education, healthcare, employment
policy, public spending, efficiency and transparency.”
During the second session of the meeting presentations were made on the
subjects of Trade Guide Facilitation for speeding up the flow of goods on
Corridor VII and X, CEFTA-DIHK Partnership Project and the International Trade
Arbitration Debate to be held in Sofia.