NEW HORIZONS FOR GREEK EXPORTS: BENEFITS OF FREE TRADE AGREEMENTS WITH THE UNITED KINGDOM AND CANADA
NEW HORIZONS FOR GREEK EXPORTS:
BENEFITS OF FREE TRADE AGREEMENTS WITH THE UNITED KINGDOM AND CANADA
Athens, December 9th, 2024 | The inaugural webinar titled “EU Free Trade Agreements: UK & Canada. New Horizons for Your Exports!” took place on December 3rd, 2024, drawing robust participation from Greek businesses and international stakeholders.
Organized by Enterprise Greece in collaboration with Enterprise Europe Network Hellas, and supported by the Greek Permanent Representation to the European Union and the Office of the Secretary General for International Economic Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the event highlighted the benefits of the European Union’s Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with the United Kingdom and Canada. This marked the first session in a webinar series aimed at equipping Greek exporters with the knowledge to maximize the advantages of the EU’s trade policy and its FTAs.
With over 150 attendees, the webinar brought together representatives from Greek companies and international participants from France, Cyprus, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Attendees included executives from institutions, chambers of commerce, and government officials from Greece and its foreign delegations in Europe and North America.
Key Highlights
H.E. Ambassador Ioannis Vrailas, Permanent Representative of Greece to the EU; Mr. Dimitrios Skalkos, Secretary General for International Economic Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Chairman of Enterprise Greece; and Dr. Achilleas Barlas, Coordinator of Enterprise Europe Network Hellas and the Innovation in SMEs Unit at PRAXI Network, delivered keynote insights.
Officials from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Trade, including Mr. Peter Berz, Head of Unit F1, and Mr. Jan-Willem Verheijden, Policy Officer in Unit A2, elaborated on EU trade policy and the advantages FTAs offer to SMEs.
Specific focus was placed on the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement and the EU-Canada Economic and Trade Agreement (EU-CETA). Mr. Ignacio Iruarrizaga Díez, Head of Unit for Trade Relations with Europe and Eastern Partners, and Ms. Pauline Weinzierl, Deputy Head of Unit D1, provided in-depth presentations on these agreements. A detailed demonstration on how SMEs can effectively leverage EU tools to enhance their access to international markets was provided by Ms. Petya Popova, Project Officer for the Access2Markets platform.
Mr. Fanis Matsopoulos, CEO of Universal Carriers SA and member of the Board of Directors of the Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry, shared practical experiences illustrating the advantages of FTAs, while Ms. Elena Makripidi, Second Counsellor for Economic and
Commercial Affairs at the Permanent Representation of Greece to the EU, summarized the key takeaways and provided closing remarks.
The webinar concluded with an engaging Q&A session, offering participants the opportunity to deepen their understanding of how to effectively utilize the EU-UK and EU-Canada trade agreements.
This successful event represents a pivotal step in bolstering Greece’s international trade relations, particularly with the United Kingdom and Canada. Greek businesses are strongly encouraged to capitalize on these agreements to foster export growth and support the national economy.
The webinar recording will soon be available on Enterprise Greece’s National Documentation Centre YouTube channel.
![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi_webp/<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>NEW HORIZONS FOR GREEK EXPORTS: </strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>BENEFITS OF FREE TRADE AGREEMENTS WITH THE UNITED KINGDOM AND CANADA</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Athens, December 9th, 2024</strong> | The inaugural webinar titled “EU Free Trade Agreements: UK & Canada. New Horizons for Your Exports!” took place on December 3rd, 2024, drawing robust participation from Greek businesses and international stakeholders.<br />Organized by Enterprise Greece in collaboration with Enterprise Europe Network Hellas, and supported by the Greek Permanent Representation to the European Union and the Office of the Secretary General for International Economic Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the event highlighted the benefits of the European Union’s Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with the United Kingdom and Canada. This marked the first session in a webinar series aimed at equipping Greek exporters with the knowledge to maximize the advantages of the EU’s trade policy and its FTAs.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">With over 150 attendees, the webinar brought together representatives from Greek companies and international participants from France, Cyprus, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Attendees included executives from institutions, chambers of commerce, and government officials from Greece and its foreign delegations in Europe and North America.<br />Key Highlights</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">H.E. Ambassador Ioannis Vrailas, Permanent Representative of Greece to the EU; Mr. Dimitrios Skalkos, Secretary General for International Economic Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Chairman of Enterprise Greece; and Dr. Achilleas Barlas, Coordinator of Enterprise Europe Network Hellas and the Innovation in SMEs Unit at PRAXI Network, delivered keynote insights.<br />Officials from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Trade, including Mr. Peter Berz, Head of Unit F1, and Mr. Jan-Willem Verheijden, Policy Officer in Unit A2, elaborated on EU trade policy and the advantages FTAs offer to SMEs.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Specific focus was placed on the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement and the EU-Canada Economic and Trade Agreement (EU-CETA). Mr. Ignacio Iruarrizaga Díez, Head of Unit for Trade Relations with Europe and Eastern Partners, and Ms. Pauline Weinzierl, Deputy Head of Unit D1, provided in-depth presentations on these agreements. A detailed demonstration on how SMEs can effectively leverage EU tools to enhance their access to international markets was provided by Ms. Petya Popova, Project Officer for the Access2Markets platform.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Mr. Fanis Matsopoulos, CEO of Universal Carriers SA and member of the Board of Directors of the Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry, shared practical experiences illustrating the advantages of FTAs, while Ms. Elena Makripidi, Second Counsellor for Economic and</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Commercial Affairs at the Permanent Representation of Greece to the EU, summarized the key takeaways and provided closing remarks.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The webinar concluded with an engaging Q&A session, offering participants the opportunity to deepen their understanding of how to effectively utilize the EU-UK and EU-Canada trade agreements.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">This successful event represents a pivotal step in bolstering Greece’s international trade relations, particularly with the United Kingdom and Canada. Greek businesses are strongly encouraged to capitalize on these agreements to foster export growth and support the national economy.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The webinar recording will soon be available on Enterprise Greece’s National Documentation Centre YouTube channel.</p>/sddefault.webp)