NO. 49

The American Hellenic Institute (AHI) commends the U.S. government for its decision to delist Greece from the Special 301 Report in 2020. The purpose of the Special 301 Report is to keep trading partners accountable by pinpointing areas of malpractice, including in areas such as intellectual property and counterfeit products. As such, nations on the Special 301 Report ‘watch list’ are under greater scrutiny from U.S. government agencies.

The U.S. government, in addressing the reasons why it decided to delist Greece from the list, accentuated the Greek government’s efforts to address improper use of unlicensed software and steps to reduce counterfeit products in Greece. The State Department's Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Keith Krach, in a letter to Development and Investments Minister Adonis Georgiadis, congratulated him on this development, and highlighted it as a “hugely positive development” in U.S.- Greece bilateral relations.

“AHI congratulates the U.S. government for its historic decision, and Greek government for its good work in adopting international best practices regarding trade and intellectual property,” AHI President Nick Larigakis said. “The U.S. government’s action to remove Greece from the watch list is an important step in strengthening U.S.-Greece economic relations.”