Trifonas Kostopoulos (p), Evangelia Aranitou, Evangelos Pilalis, Vasiliki Tsaknaki

Tianren Yang

In this paper we will discuss the economic crisis in Greece during the period: 2008-2015 and the negative impact it has on small and medium-sized enterprises in Greece. Small and medium-sized enterprises were the biggest financial victims, with thousands of them being bankrupt and shut down. Nowadays, the new economic policy focuses on rebuilding the Greek economy and Greece in general. The Greek Public Administration focuses its interest on new financial tools in order to support small and medium-sized businesses. In particular, with the National Entrepreneurship and Development Fund (ETEAN), it supports small and medium-sized enterprises in new technologies, while simultaniously protecting the environment, through specialised programs, such as the "EKSIKONOMO" (program for energy saving and environmental protection in small and medium-sized enterprises). Finally, ETEAN generally finances small and medium-sized enterprises with the purpose of recovering the Greek economy.

Alina Schoenberg (p), Chang Woon Nam , Florian Bartholomae

Trifonas Kostopoulos

Weimar achieved urban recovery as a ‘consumer city’ with sub-brandings like a population magnet with a high living-quality, a cultural city with touristic attractions, and a university city. Its intensive cultural promotion policies combined with urban regeneration programs have contributed to the recent demographic and economic growth. This study demonstrates this success and investigates its sectoral weaknesses compared to other German cities. Weimar needs an optimal mixture of consumption- and production-oriented development strategies to rectify the current structural imbalances and better control those negative impacts caused by a rapidly ageing population. Besides ample presence and intact connectivity of high-tech industries and producer services within a city which enhance R&D, innovation and productivity, Weimar should more seriously consider, when design-ing future development policy, that both urban growth approaches are interrelated: agglomeration generates higher income for the creative class, whereas high urban amenities attract young creative entrepreneurs selecting locations for start-ups.

Tianren Yang (p), Ying Jin

Alina Schoenberg

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