"I want to express my satisfaction with the fact that President Trump decided yesterday to temporarily suspend the framework of high tariffs that he had imposed on a number of countries, with the obvious exception of China," Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stated on Thursday, while visiting Oinofyta and added:
"I also want to again express my hope that the European Union will be able to take advantage of this period of time so that it can negotiate an agreement with the United States that is mutually beneficial and - why not - arrives at a framework of zero tariffs to and from the United States, so that we can effectively facilitate trade between the European Union and the United States."
Mitsotakis visited the Central Greece Industries Association in Oinofyta, where a meeting was held. In his statements, he pointed out: "I want you to know that the Greek government is actively standing by industry. It recognises the very important work that is being done. We know that industry creates many well-paid jobs. We are now a rapidly growing economy, in which unemployment is decreasing at a rapid pace, and we want to direct more young people towards industry and manufacturing."
He added: "This obviously also concerns the cooperation that we should have for those new skills that the industry now requires, so that we can align your needs even better with the labour market, so that we can achieve the ambitious goals that we have set, so that we can quickly reach the European average as regards investments as a percentage of GDP... with industry and manufacturing playing a leading role."
Mitsotakis said the government's active interest in industry was evident in the priority given to industrial and manufacturing investments in the developmental law, which was expressed through a comprehensive plan for supporting industry "whether this concerns energy cost, or pending issues relating to spatial planning or facilitating the export activities of businesses or the strengthening of infrastructure in the wider region so that this informal industrial concentration is converted into an organised industrial region."

PM visits Intertrade Hellas, stresses that the goal is rising wages and lower unemployment

The prime minister's next stop were the facilities of Intertrade Hellas, the largest Greek producer and manufacturer of paper products for domestic use. He spoke with the company's management regarding their increased production and exports, as well as the increase in workers' wages over the past 18 months. In statements, Mitsotakis said: "This is the goal of our policy: for wages and productivity to rise as unemployment drops."
The prime minister was shown around the firm's facilities and briefed on its investment plans, amounting to 156 million euros. This is the largest investment in the paper-making sector in Europe and is expected to eliminate the country's trade deficit in paper products over 40 years.
Mitsotakis then visited Schimatari, where he met and chatted with a 22-year-old disabled basketball player and his coach about the role of sports.