Greece

Greece is located in southern Europe between Albania and Turkey. The population is 11.3 million, over 3 million of which live in the capital, Athens. The population is expected to increase to 11.6 million by 2030, with the proportion of people over 65 increasing from 29% to 38% over the same period. Greek is the official language. Greek Orthodox is the dominant religion. The Euro is the official currency. The standard VAT rate is 23%.

Greece has a GDP per capita of €20,100, compared to the EU average of €24,400 in 2010. According to the OECD, the Greek economy contracted by 6.1% in 2011, and is expected to fall by 3% in 2012 before growing by 0.5% in 2013 (compared to the Eurozone average growth of 1.6%, 0.2% and 1.4% respectively). The inflation rate was 2.2% in 2011, compared to 3% in the EU. The unemployment rate was 18.3%, compared to 9.8% in the EU as a whole in 2011.

Greeks are proud of their ancient heritage, and religion is central to society, particularly for older people. Greeks are warm and friendly and prefer to do business with people they know and trust. Face to face meetings are preferred to other forms of communication. Honour and integrity are highly valued characteristics and it is important not to criticise people in public. Deadlines are not as important here as in some other countries.