5大改革有望重塑希腊经济

    没有哪怕一家游轮公司根据这项新的法律进入希腊市场。如今，希腊新政府已承诺将批准一项新的措施，同时取消对非欧盟运营商的征税和合同要求。目前该法案还在等待希腊国会审议。“这项新的法案必将使比雷埃夫斯等希腊港口成为吸引大型游轮运营商的重要目的地，”希腊国际商会（International Chamber of Commerce in Greece）负责人尼克斯•维尼克斯表示。这项法案值得关注，因为它的通过将是改革的一个重要征兆。

卡车运输业

    希腊贵得离谱的陆路运输费用已成为束缚希腊国内制造业和商品出口的沉重枷锁。要经营一个卡车车队，公司必须要为每部车获取牌照，而20世纪70年代以来，政府再也没有发放过新的牌照。“四十年来，希腊的国际贸易量增长了两倍，而卡车数量却一点都没变，”希腊著名的经济学家米兰达•扎法表示。因此，卡车严重短缺，制造商们必须要支付高价才能将商品运往国内外。卡车牌照允许转让，但价格不菲，因此拍照转手时，持有者自然会开出高价，以期收回当初的重金投资。

    由于国内运费太贵，希腊人转而从比利时购买花椰菜。如果要运送同样的一屋子家具，请比利时卡车运输公司从布鲁塞尔运至雅典所需的费用可能还要低于从雅典一个仓库运至几英里外新住所所需的费用。如果从雅典运输电子产品至塞萨洛尼基，卡车只能空车返回，不得装运新的货物。

    2010年，希腊国会通过了一项法律，授权政府以低价发放新的牌照。但这项改革推迟了三年，引发了人们对改革到底是否会落实的疑虑。令人不由得想起当初的游轮“改革”。今年年初，希腊国会取消了过渡期，1月底全面放开了卡车运输市场。除非希腊倒退，从橄榄油到家用电器等所有的希腊出口商品在国际市场上的价格都将大大降低，希腊国内的蔬菜和其他农产品也将得以进入新的国内市场。

医药业

    几十年来，希腊经济一直充斥着价格管制，这不仅损害了消费者利益，也让那些被细心呵护的产业丧失了提高生产率的一切动力。一个典型的例子就是医药业。希腊政府确保药店在所有药品上加价35%。因此，一个月剂量、售价200美元的心脏病专利药零售价加价高达70美元。“过度诊断的动力很强，”扎法说。“这也解释了为什么希腊人的人均用药量排在欧盟首位。”

    根据新的法律，药店对平价药加价不得超过15%，高价药的加价比率则更低。平均加价幅度应从过去的35%降到不到15%。消费者赢得了重大胜利。

    Not a single cruise line entered the market under that law. But now, the new government has pledged to enact a measure that removes both the tax and the contract requirement for non-EU carriers. It's now on the docket for the current parliament. "The new law promises to make ports such as Piraeus a major attraction for the big cruise operators," says Nicos Vernicos, head of the International Chamber of Commerce in Greece. Watch this law closely: Its passage would be a crucial bellwether for reform.

The trucking industry

    The shockingly high cost of road transport is socking both Greek exports and domestic production. To operate a trucking fleet, companies need a license for each truck, and no new ones have been granted since the 1970s. "In 40 years, Greece's international trade has tripled, and the number of trucks is frozen," says Miranda Xafa, a leading Greek economist. As a result, trucks are in short supply, so manufacturers need to pay inflated prices to move merchandise within Greece, or to foreign markets. The licenses do get sold, but only at huge prices, once again ensuring that truckers will charge a king's ransom recoup their heavy investment.

    Greeks buy cauliflower from Belgium because it's so expensive to transport inside within their own borders. It costs less to move an apartment full of furniture from Brussels to Athens with a Belgian trucker than to ship the same furniture from an Athens warehouse to the new lodging a few miles away. Trucks transporting electronics from Athens to Thessaloniki were barred from returning with a new load.

    In 2010, the parliament passed a law enabling the government to issue new licenses at minimal cost. But the reform was delayed for three years -- reminiscent of the attempt at first cruise ship "reform" -- leading to questions over whether it would really happen. Early this year, the parliament eliminated the transition period, and fully opened the trucking market as of January. Unless Greece retreats, its shipment of everything from olive oil to appliances will cost far less to foreign buyers, and its vegetables and other produce will reach new markets across Greece.

Pharmaceuticals

    For several decades, the Greek economy has been rife with price controls that hammered consumers, and removed all incentive for the coddled industries to improve productivity. A notable example is pharmaceuticals. The government guaranteed pharmacies a 35% markup on all drugs. So a patented, $200 a month heart medicine got $70 tacked onto the retail price. "The incentive to over-prescribe was immense," says Xafa. "It explains why Greece has the highest level of pharmaceutical consumption per capita in the EU."

    Under a new law, pharmacies are limited to imposing a margin of 15% on inexpensive drugs, and far less on expensive therapies. On average, the markups should fall from the old 35% to well under 15% on average, a major victory for consumers.