Invest in Greece Ombudsman

Invest in Greece Ombudsman

Are you facing difficulties with the public administration related to an investment project under development in Greece? The Invest in Greece Ombudsman is now your mediator to accelerate your project responsibly, directly, and transparently.

Invest in Greece Ombudsman Entrepreneurship Mediator Invest in Greece Ombudsman Invest in Greece Agency offers, free of charge, the service of the Invest in Greece Ombudsman. The Investor Ombudsman is an internationally recognised practice, designed to unblock and facilitate the implementation of investment projects, and is available to both domestic and international investors. What is the mission of the Invest in Greece The aim of the Invest in Greece Ombudsman is: To be a valuable partner for entrepreneurship in Greece, providing quick, transparent and responsible mediation services, to overcome conflicts/disagreements between investors and the State To meaningfully contribute to the improvement of the legal and institutional framework regarding investment in Greece, identifying the main impediment issues that occur during the implementation stages of investment projects To make specific recommendations for improvement to the political leadership The Invest in Greece Ombudsman commenced operation in Greece in April 2013, under provision of Law 4146/2013 Creation of a Development Friendly Environment for Strategic and Private Investments (Government Gazette Issue 90 A, 18/04/2013.

Invest in Greece Ombudsman Entrepreneurship Mediator What is the role of the Invest in Greece The Invest in Greece Ombudsman is available for investment projects exceeding the value of two million (2,000,000) Euro. The Ombudsman is to mediate between the investor and the State, in cases where specific bureaucratic obstacles, delays, disputes or other difficulties lead to intractable differences, deadlocks, standstills or similar difficulties regarding the investment project. The service is provided to investors following the submission of a request by the investor regarding an existing problem that they are facing. How can you reach the Invest in Greece Given that your case refers to an investment project, the value of which exceeds two million (2,000,000) Euro, and encounters specific obstacles such as delays, disputes or other difficulties related to transactions with the State during its implementation process, you may submit a request for a meeting with the Invest in Greece Ombudsman, either online via the booking form on the Invest in Greece website (www.investingreece. gov.gr) or by telephone: +30 210 33 55 770. The service is provided free of charge.

Frequently Asked Questions What administrative structures cooperate with the Invest in Greece The Ombudsman s office receives and examines specific, documented requests, related to cases of delays, disputes or other difficulties with public authorities in the implementation of investment projects. Once all the necessary information for the examination of each case has been collected, the Ombudsman identifies the competent public authorities related to the complaint and the project s stage at said public authorities. The Ombudsman thereafter examines the reasons which are causing possible delays, and establishes and maintains constant and systematic cooperation with the State authorities to overcome specific issues delaying or preventing the implementation of the investment projects. What documentation should I submit to the Invest in Greece The Ombudsman is informed from the interested party regarding the case and identifies the documents which are considered vital to understand the reasons which may be leading to delays or other problems during the implementation process of the specific investment. The Ombudsman thereafter requests the investor to submit the specific documentation to the office of the Ombudsman, in order to facilitate the processing of the specific elements of the case, cooperation with the competent authorities, and to identify ways of overcoming the specific issues. All cases are handled without a fee, in a timely, transparent and confidential manner. Should I inform the Ombudsman of all the documentation that I send to the State authorities, to facilitate the tracking of the progress of my case? As soon as a case has been assigned to the Ombudsman, the office and the executives of the Ombudsman at Invest in Greece will be informed, in writing and in person in meetings at the Invest in Greece offices, of any future development in the case or cases faced by the investment. This will enable the Ombudsman to utilise to the fullest, with the competent authorities, all information and developments regarding the progress of the case.

Frequently Asked Questions Does the Ombudsman accept specific complaints by investors regarding State services? The operating framework of the Ombudsman provides for the systematic cooperation with the specific contact-partner in each state authority, to contribute to the speedy resolution of the issues which arise during the investment implementation process, and delay or prevent the implementation of the investment. The Ombudsman does not examine allegations regarding the State authorities, and is not the competent authority in such cases. It is possible for the Ombudsman to provide information to the investor regarding the appropriate legal process, according to the nature of the issue at hand. Does the Ombudsman accept reports regarding cases which have either been ruled on, or are pending in the courts? Cases which have been ruled on or are pending in the courts do not fall under the scope of the Ombudsman. Does the Ombudsman accept cases regarding disputes amongst private parties? Disputes amongst private parties do not fall under the scope of the Ombudsman. How does the Ombudsman contribute to the improvement of the institutional framework? The Ombudsman uses the information that is collected regarding cases of delays or other difficulties in the different stages of the implementation of an investment project, in order to support proposals to the political leadership for the improvement of specific parameters of the operational framework for investment in Greece.

Invest in Greece 3, Mitropoleos Str., 10557 Athens, Greece T: +30 210 3355700, F: 210 3355743 www.investingreece.gov.gr