Chamber of Commerce

 

ANNUAL REPORT 2018

 Units

  1. Establishment and Status of Members of the Greek-Pakistani Chamber of Commerce and Industry
  2. Purpose of the Chamber and Organization
  3. Events – Activities
  4. Co-organizations
  5. Other Actions

 

  1. Establishment, Amendments and State of Members

On February 14, 2018, the Presidential Decree No. 11 / 14-2-2018 (Government Gazette 24 / Α / 14-2-2018) allowed the non-profit corporation under the name “GREEK-PAKISTAN ENTREPRENEURSHIP COOPERATION INITIATIVE” to use lawfully the term “Chamber” in the context of its operation and activities and it was legally permitted to change its name by using the term “Chamber”.

The above-mentioned company was legally established by the 28-7-2017 private agreement, which was legally registered with the MAH: 113344 / 4-8-2017 and with GEMM: 143350401000 at the competent Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The Greek-Pakistani Chamber was established as a non-profit civil society on 28-7-2017 with founding members Maria-Roumpinou Markopoulou, Andreas Koutoupis and Spyridon-Nikolaos Presa, who also assumed the respective positions of the President, the Treasurer and of the Secretary-General respectively.

Following the amendment of the statutes of the non-profit civil society under the name “GREEK-PAKISTAN BUSINESS COOPERATION INITIATIVE” in the Hellenic-Pakistani Chamber of Commerce of 12-3-2018, the name of the company in a “GREEK-PAKISTAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE”, the relevant articles were amended and Ioannis Lazarou joined the company as a new member, who was elected as the new Secretary General of the Chamber in the post of the outgoing member, Spyridon-Nikolaos Presa, who the submission of the written application for resignation, which was unanimously accepted by the members of the company, was withdrawn and was deleted from it.

Following the 30-3-2018 2nd Amendment of the statute of the non-profit civil society under the name “HELLENIC-PAKISTAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE”, the members of the company with their 14-3-2018 private contract, E.M. it was decided to change the company’s name from “GREEK-PAKISTAN COMMERCIAL CHAMBER” to “GREEK-PAKISTAN COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL CHAMBER” and to amend the relevant articles of the company’s Articles of Association.

With the 3rd Amendment of the Articles of Association of the non-profit corporation under the name of “GREEK-PAKISTAN TRADE AND INDUSTRIAL CHAMBER”, which followed on 3-9-2018, it was decided to accept the 3-9-2018 applications for participation in the company of Athena Celia and Theodoros Parris respectively and their subsequent participation in it with equal portions of rights and obligations. Finally, it was decided to amend the relevant provisions of the company’s Articles of Association.

With the latest in the 2018 most recent amendment to the Articles of Association of the non-profit civil society under the name of “GREEK-PAKISTAN COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL CHAMBER”, held on 20-9-2018 it was decided: a) the election of a new Board of Directors with a three-year term starting from 21-9-2018 until 20-9-202, consisting of Maria-Roubina Markopoulou as President, Athena Tseliou as Treasurer and the newcomer partner Dimitrios Makripidis as Secretary General, b) her acceptance of 3 -9-2018 of a written application form p the company of the aforementioned new partner Dimitrios Makrypidis and the formation of the shares in six equal corporate shares and the corresponding distribution of corporate rights and obligations; c) the change in the amount of the registration of Pakistani natural and legal persons from 100 and 250 euro respectively to EUR 30 for both and the annual subscription subscription of Pakistani natural and legal persons from EUR 150 and EUR 300 respectively to EUR 70 for both and finally the corresponding amendments in the relevant articles.

At the extraordinary general meeting of the Chamber’s partners, which took place on 20-9-2018 at the offices of the company, its members, Andreas Koutoupis and Ioannis Lazarou, left the positions of Tremia and the Secretary General on the Board of Directors respectively, and retained their positions as Board members, with the consequence that Athena Tseliou as Treasurer and New Entrant Partner Dimitrios Makrypidis as General Secretary would take over their positions.

In the year 2018 the Greek-Pakistani Chamber of Commerce and Industry has 5 members, which are also its board of directors with the following tasks: Maria-Roubina Markopoulou as President, Athena Tseliou as Treasurer and the new partner Dimitrios Makrypides as Secretary General as well as Ioannis Lazarou and Andreas Koutoupi as members of the Board of Directors.

With the targeted and intense effort made within and outside the Greek borders at the level of attraction and registration of new members, the total number of members of the Chamber is expected to increase significantly in the year 2019 and in the following years.

  1. Purpose of the Chamber and Organization

2.a. Purpose

The objectives of the Greek-Pakistani Chamber of Commerce and Industry are described in its statutes and summarized: a) the development of mutual economic, commercial and business relations between Greece and Pakistan, b) the development of cultural, academic, especially in relation to their economic and commercial parameters and in the interests of their members, and c) the establishment of bilateral mutual Chambers in Greece and in Pakistan.

2b. Organization

In order to better serve the members and achieve the objectives of the Chamber, the Secretariat operates on a permanent basis in the offices of the Chamber on 20 Amerikis Street in Athens. The Secretariat provides its services five days a week and hours 10.00-16.00.

At the same time, the Greek-Pakistani Chamber of Commerce and Industry has an updated website www.greekpakistanichamber.eu as well as profiles on social networks twitter, Facebook and Instagram, which contain updates on the Chamber’s actions and serve the Chamber’s communication with the interested parties.

  1. Events – Activities

During the year 2018, the Chamber developed intense extrovert action at domestic and international level by participating in a series of successful events and meetings and organizing visits and travel of trade and industrial representations in Pakistan and Greece.

 

Tightening up commercial and industrial communities in Greece and Pakistan – Signing Memoranda of Cooperation and Understanding-Meetings-Meetings

 

At the same time, he organized joint meetings between businessmen from Greece and Pakistan, attaining the fullest possible information about the possibilities of promoting and developing economic relations between the entrepreneurs of the two countries and thus opening up open channels of communication between members.

Already in 2017, the chairman of the board of directors and founding member of the Greek-Pakistani Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Maria-Roubina Markopoulou, made a series of visits to Pakistan, paving the way for the consolidation and development of the Chamber’s relations with future commercial and our industrial partners in Pakistan.

Specifically, in the year 2017, she visited Pakistan three times in July, September and November 2017, and even with its personal corporate identity she made a memorandum of cooperation and understanding (MOUs) with local chambers of commerce and industry, as well as dominant societies in the their industry.

In addition, during her visit to Pakistan, the chairman of our Chamber of Commerce Board in July 2017 met, among other things, the Honorable then Ambassador of Greece to Islamabad, Pakistan, Mr. Dimitrios Zoytos, and discussed the prospects of opening new business prospects for trade but and, more generally, the cultivation of cooperation between the countries of Greece and Pakistan.

At the same time, there was a concern about the lack of a commercial follower in the competent department of the Greek Embassy, ​​which could provide information and facilitate the development of economic and trade relations between the two countries but the debate was conducted in a climate of euphoria given the then prospect of creation a Greek-Pakistani Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which could bring together the entrepreneurs of these two countries and help the export prospects for Greece.

In 2018, the president of our Chamber of Commerce, Mrs. Maria-Roubina Markopoulou, visited Pakistan four times, namely in the months of March, May, September and November, during which memoranda of cooperation and understanding were signed, meetings with major local governmental and economic actors and after a series of contacts and briefings, Memoranda of Understanding and Cooperation were signed with important business associations and partnerships of Pakistan if.

During these visits, the chairman of our chamber met with representatives of some of the most important commercial and industrial companies in Pakistan and presented them with the remarkable benefits and prospects of cooperation with major Greek exporting companies.

It is also worth mentioning that during all our President’s visits to Pakistan, meetings were held with the Ambassador of Greece to Islamabad where the latter was briefed on the actions and future objectives of our Chamber and also after each visit by the President in Pakistan, representatives of our Chamber met with the Honorable Ambassador of Pakistan to Greece and submitted him a formal report on our activity, agreements and contacts with government officials economic agents in Pakistan, and both ambassadors expressed their satisfaction and euphoria for our action so far.

Already in March 2018, our Chamber has made contact with influential factors in the economic life of Pakistan and the conclusion of Memoranda of Understanding and Cooperation with the Lahore Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry as well as with the Pakistan Government Regional Authority in Lahore.

During the trip of our board to Pakistan in May 2018, a Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation was signed with the Gujrat Chamber of Commerce and Industry, while the mission was prepared and agreed in June and July 2018 by the Regional Government Authority of Gujrat Pakistan in Lahore, Greece.

In fact, in June 2018, the Greek-Pakistani Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GPCCI), in cooperation with Lahore Federation, FPCCI organized the first business mission of 28 selected businessmen from Pakistan to Greece, during which businessmen from Pakistan remained in Athens for five days in order to participate in meetings and B2B meetings with Greek government officials and influential entrepreneurs, which took place at the ACCI, the Professional Chamber Athens and the Chamber of the 2,3 and 4-July.

The mission was attended by representatives of Pakistani companies active in the textile, electrical equipment, research and development, agricultural products, pharmaceuticals, tobacco, the automotive industry and infrastructure.

It is noteworthy that on May 8, 2018 a meeting of the President of the Hellenic Parliament, Mr. Giannis Hadjisheodosiou, was held with the Honorable Ambassador of Pakistan in Athens, Mr. Khalid Usman Qaiser, which was also attended by First Vice President Mr. Nikos Grentzelos, the Consul Yawar Abbas, the founder and chairman of the newly established Greek-Pakistani Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Roubina Markopoulou, and the Honorable Vice President, Yiannis N. Tzen.

As was not reasonable, this mission and its activities occupied the financial press of Greece and Pakistan while the meetings were held in a climate of intense interest and optimism for the future of Greek-Pakistani economic relations.

The visit of the chairman of our Chamber’s Board of Directors in September 2018 has been particularly productive as our Chamber has informed us during our previous visits to the government and economic players in Pakistan about the prospects for cooperation and the potential of the Greek export economy. Memoranda of Understanding and Cooperation with the Rawalpindi and Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry as well as with the Employers’ Association of Pakistan, Council of Development Islamabad Skills and the dominant position in the sector marketing and advertising company Copair SA.

In fact, the memorandums of cooperation and understanding were signed at the Marriot Islamabad Hotel where the presidents of the Rawalpindi and Islamabad chambers attended a dinner of honor, while the presidents of twelve major chambers and companies in Pakistan, who were excited about the prospects for partnership development which are being opened up, and we consider the cooperation we have developed with chambers and companies in Pakistan to be particularly important.

Indeed, during lunch, the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce expressed the wish to carry out a mission of more than seventy people in Greece, the realization of which was finalized in 2019.

In the following month, in October 2018, the chairman of our Chamber of Commerce Board met with the Honorable Ambassador of Pakistan to Greece, Mr Usman Khalid Kaiser, and informed him of the results of the last visit by our chamber’s representatives to Pakistan.

The Ambassador of Pakistan to Greece welcomed and said that only for the year 2018 there were one hundred visa applications from Greek businessmen who wanted to visit Pakistan for business reasons.

During the travel of the chairman of the board of our chamber in Pakistan in December 2018, we renewed our cooperation with the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which was ratified by the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding and Understanding, to send members of the Chamber in March 2019 to visit and meet Greek companies for which there is already and to explore the possibility of productive investments in sectors of the Greek economy.

In addition, in December 2018, the chairman of our Chamber of Commerce Board met with the new Ambassador of Greece to Pakistan, Honorable Mr. Dimitrios Chatzopoulos, informed him about the activities and contacts of our chamber in Greece and Pakistan, and discussed the promotion of visiting business missions of both countries to Greece and Pakistan respectively, as well as proposing areas of economic activity to which both countries could cooperate.

Finally, in December 2018, our Chamber signed an agreement with Amjad Kamal BUTT’s law firm in Pakistan to act as our local partner in Pakistan to establish a local office to promote our activities and contacts in Pakistan and on the other hand, on completing our registration as a Greek-Pakistani chamber and in the corresponding registers of chambers of Pakistan.

 

Direct Targets-Prospects

 

The direct objectives of the Greek-Pakistani Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GPCCI) are to further promote, strengthen and strengthen economic relations between the two countries’ entrepreneurs through the use of the information and reliability network we have established with local chambers, associations and businessmen in Pakistan and Greece respectively.

The contacts, meetings and agreements so far have shown that there is an interesting and fertile ground for the development of economic relations and cooperation between the entrepreneurs of the two countries.

For these reasons, our Chamber aims to intensify and promote the exchange of business missions between selected businessmen of the two countries, as well as the formulation of conditions at the bilateral level of the two states, to create incentives either through taxation or through the facilitation of transactions.

In order to achieve this, our Chamber intends to establish a local office in Pakistan in the near future and to register with the relevant Chamber of Commerce but also to promote the cooperation of the commercial departments of the Embassies of Greece and Pakistan in Islamabad and Athens respectively so that the two countries and their entrepreneurs are made available for closer and more effective economic co-operation at a bilateral state level.