AT THE CENTRE OF EUROPE

The UHCC promotes direct contacts with the European Commission Directorates-General, and especially those handling matters of interest to Chambers (Competition, Enterprise and Industry, Internal Market and Services, Regional Policy, Transport and Energy, Information Society and Media, Employment - Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, Education and Culture, Environment etc), with the Secretariat of the Council of Ministers, the Economic and Social Committee, the Committee of the Regions and the European Parliament, to forward the interests of Hellenic businesses,

or other Chamber-related matters. The Brussels Office plays a major role in these contacts and actions.

Furthermore, the UHCC is actively and systematically involved with the Eurochambres, the union that is the representative body of all Chambers from 25

EU member-states, but also other states having special relation with the EU (44 countries in total) and expresses the interests of two thousand Chambers

of Commerce and Industry and approx. 18 million businesses. More than 80% of those businesses are SMEs, while Eurochambres members employ 120 million people in total.

The UHCC follows and participates in the proceedings of the Eurochambres’ General Assemblies - Board of Directors meetings -Executive Committees and Annual Conferences. Moreover, it elaborates position and submits texts with proposals and opinions.

As a Eurochambres member, the UHCC has the opportunity to support the requests, and to seek solutions to the problems that productive sectors face in Greece, by expressing views and opinions during the creation of new European Commission pieces of legislation, and in defining the effects of community institutional initiatives within the context of single European market integration and consolidation.

The re-election of UHCC President George Kassimatis as Eurochambres Deputy President, responsible for energy, transports and tourism, has created the conditions for strengthening the UHCC presence in European developments.

The UHCC participates in various Eurochambres actions and initiatives.

(More information on : www.eurochambres.be)