“We can’t turn back time to correct mistakes. We are obliged to focus on the how’s and why’s of this tragedy”
11.08.2018
On Tuesday, PM Alexis Tsipras chaired a meeting to discuss the Attica wildfires, after which he admitted mistakes were possibly made in the management and response to the wildfires. However, he also addressed previous governments, stating that he “expected some self-criticism from those who were in power for decades”.
“We can’t turn back time to correct mistakes […] we are obliged to focus on the how’s and why’s of this tragedy. My promise from the very first day was that everything will be investigated in depth, in all dimensions and following clear procedures […] nothing will be hidden away” he said.
“Our intention is clear, the areas struck will be rebuilt rapidly but on a new basis that guarantees legality, respect for the environment and the lives of residents.”
The PM added that he had discussed 20 immediate measures with the Ministers and Authorities responsible, concerning the demolition of illegal buildings in Attica, controlling building activity and protecting the environment.
A total of 3,200 illegally constructed buildings will be demolished under the government plans. A thorough process to remove constructions obstructing access to coastlines has also begun, while 250 regional authority officials will be hired to crackdown on illegal building activity and an electronic platform to record illegal buildings will also be created.
PM Tsipras went on to comment on what he called the failed policies of the past which contributed to the failure to deal with the deadly Attica wildfires. However, he added that the government has accepted the political responsibility for the fires and will now take the opportunity to remedy long-standing issues.
The Prime Minister talked about a national tragedy, noting that "the pain of the lost lives gives rise to the responsibility not to be satisfied with words, but to take action, each in their own role, so that we never experience again such a tragedy."
"The chaos of uncontrolled building, which threatens human lives, can not be tolerated from now on. Anything that destroys forests and beaches, anything that represents a danger to human lives will be removed." PM Tsipras, talked about the debt to the dead. "But our duty is even greater to the living - to the next generations."
In this context, he underlined the need for a "broad, sincere and decisive" commitment by society "or at least by the vast majority of it". "The collective interest of a whole society can not be subordinated to the self-serving aims of some, of a minority."
He stressed that the political will of the government is not enough, but "confrontation with vested interests and behavious inherited from the past are required." "Political power has often encouraged unregulated activity." He pointed out that one of the main causes that led to the environmentally damaging and dangerous residential developments was the fear of the political costs: "Do not touch the irregularities in order to avoid losing votes. This was the rule for decades."
"Speculation, political profiteering, rushing, bribery, trading votes for illegalities, self-interested compromising with monstrous pathogens were the vicious sons of the political cost."
He described as "patrons" and "sponsors of unacceptable and wretched political behaviours" the vested interests, referring to those who saw in Greek land "an opportunity for illegal enrichment".
Alexis Tsipras commented on the position taken by the official opposition. "Just as I have taken responsibility, from the very first moment, even those responsibilities that can not be attributed to me, so I would expect even a tiny drop of self-criticism from those who have governed this country not for two or three or five years but for four or more decades, themselves and their families,"the Prime Minister stressed referring to the New Democracy and PASOK.
"The masters of the brown envelope, the masters of the transaction and the unauthorised activities, with the politicians and the Nomarchs, the political fireplaces and the local circuits that were fuelled by the transactions and the corruption and who engaged in speculation of all kinds in this residential monstrosity", he continued, noting that , instead of self-criticism, now they wag their fingers.
"At worst they pose in the photos with a broad - I would say, spiteful - smile of joy after an interview about the 90 dead." He accused the main opposition of treating the tragedy as a political opportunity. "To derive political, personal, and petty-party advantage." "We, for our part, bow our heads before this unspeakable tragedy."
PM Tsipras concluded by reiterating the government's determination to confront these pathogens, which we "inherited in order to to change them, not to perpetuate them." "There lies our great responsibility." "This situation must end and it will end."
Participating in the meeting which took place at the Technology Park of Lavrion were the Minister of the Environment and Infrastructure, the Regional Governor of Attica, the General Manager of the Public Land Company, and the relevant General Secretaries and representatives of Local Government.
“We can’t turn back time to correct mistakes […] we are obliged to focus on the how’s and why’s of this tragedy. My promise from the very first day was that everything will be investigated in depth, in all dimensions and following clear procedures […] nothing will be hidden away” he said.
“Our intention is clear, the areas struck will be rebuilt rapidly but on a new basis that guarantees legality, respect for the environment and the lives of residents.”
The PM added that he had discussed 20 immediate measures with the Ministers and Authorities responsible, concerning the demolition of illegal buildings in Attica, controlling building activity and protecting the environment.
A total of 3,200 illegally constructed buildings will be demolished under the government plans. A thorough process to remove constructions obstructing access to coastlines has also begun, while 250 regional authority officials will be hired to crackdown on illegal building activity and an electronic platform to record illegal buildings will also be created.
PM Tsipras went on to comment on what he called the failed policies of the past which contributed to the failure to deal with the deadly Attica wildfires. However, he added that the government has accepted the political responsibility for the fires and will now take the opportunity to remedy long-standing issues.
The Prime Minister talked about a national tragedy, noting that "the pain of the lost lives gives rise to the responsibility not to be satisfied with words, but to take action, each in their own role, so that we never experience again such a tragedy."
"The chaos of uncontrolled building, which threatens human lives, can not be tolerated from now on. Anything that destroys forests and beaches, anything that represents a danger to human lives will be removed." PM Tsipras, talked about the debt to the dead. "But our duty is even greater to the living - to the next generations."
In this context, he underlined the need for a "broad, sincere and decisive" commitment by society "or at least by the vast majority of it". "The collective interest of a whole society can not be subordinated to the self-serving aims of some, of a minority."
He stressed that the political will of the government is not enough, but "confrontation with vested interests and behavious inherited from the past are required." "Political power has often encouraged unregulated activity." He pointed out that one of the main causes that led to the environmentally damaging and dangerous residential developments was the fear of the political costs: "Do not touch the irregularities in order to avoid losing votes. This was the rule for decades."
"Speculation, political profiteering, rushing, bribery, trading votes for illegalities, self-interested compromising with monstrous pathogens were the vicious sons of the political cost."
He described as "patrons" and "sponsors of unacceptable and wretched political behaviours" the vested interests, referring to those who saw in Greek land "an opportunity for illegal enrichment".
Alexis Tsipras commented on the position taken by the official opposition. "Just as I have taken responsibility, from the very first moment, even those responsibilities that can not be attributed to me, so I would expect even a tiny drop of self-criticism from those who have governed this country not for two or three or five years but for four or more decades, themselves and their families,"the Prime Minister stressed referring to the New Democracy and PASOK.
"The masters of the brown envelope, the masters of the transaction and the unauthorised activities, with the politicians and the Nomarchs, the political fireplaces and the local circuits that were fuelled by the transactions and the corruption and who engaged in speculation of all kinds in this residential monstrosity", he continued, noting that , instead of self-criticism, now they wag their fingers.
"At worst they pose in the photos with a broad - I would say, spiteful - smile of joy after an interview about the 90 dead." He accused the main opposition of treating the tragedy as a political opportunity. "To derive political, personal, and petty-party advantage." "We, for our part, bow our heads before this unspeakable tragedy."
PM Tsipras concluded by reiterating the government's determination to confront these pathogens, which we "inherited in order to to change them, not to perpetuate them." "There lies our great responsibility." "This situation must end and it will end."
Participating in the meeting which took place at the Technology Park of Lavrion were the Minister of the Environment and Infrastructure, the Regional Governor of Attica, the General Manager of the Public Land Company, and the relevant General Secretaries and representatives of Local Government.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras Thursday announced the creation of the National Emergency Management Service, which will replace the General Secretariat for Civil Protection following last month’s deadly Attica wildfires that claimed the lives of 93 people.
The new agency, which will be under the direct authority of the Interior Ministry, will integrate all the services, research institutes and voluntary teams involved in the management of emergencies, PM Tsipras said during a visit to the Ministry for Citizens’ Protection. It will be run by a candidate of proven experience and scientific competence who will be appointed subject to approval by a team of experts.
The Director will be advised by a scientific council comprising members of research institutes and other agencies involved in the field of natural disasters. Representatives of the fire service, ambulance service, police, Hellenic Red Cross, coast guard, military, forestry service as well as research institutes and voluntary bodies will also be called upon to give advice.
The new service will have a budget of 500€ million, comprising funds from the European Investment Bank, the EU-subsidized National Strategic Reference Framework, as well as Greece’s public investment programme.
Describing the deadly wildfires in eastern Attica as “an unspeakable tragedy,” PM Tsipras said the most important thing is that such a disaster is never again repeated.”
"The country's emergency management system has come to the end of its cycle, radical reform is needed for us to be able to respond effectively to the new challenges."
"We have opted for the creation of an upgraded structure with two characteristics: It will be a single emergency management organization that will adapt the most modern models from Europe, the United States and Canada."
The selection procedure of the Director will utilise all the rules of transparency and meritocratic choice, since it will be organized under the supervision of an independent panel of experts and will be ratified by the Conference of Presidents of Parliament*.
[*This consists of the President and Vice-Presidents of Parliament, Parliamentary Chairpersons who have been elected as Members of Parliament, the Chairpersons of the Standing Committees, the Chairperson of the Committee on Institutions and Transparency, the Chairpersons of the Parliamentary Groups and a representative of the Independent Members as long as there are at least five Ed.]
"We are determined to move forward boldly and with great seriousness with all the interventions needed to correct the distortions of the past, to create a modern and efficient state that stand beside citizens not in their way."
The Prime Minister stressed that the important thing is not to find scapegoats, but to investigate the causes of the tragedy.
"After my meeting with the two leading Greek academics, Mr Zerefos and Mr. Lekkas, at which I asked them to make the assessment of climate change, I asked the distinguished professor, Mr. Goldman, to set up a committee under the auspices of the International Fire Observation Centre. That Committee has the objective of directly investigating the underlying causes of the recent tragedy. Objectively and honestly. Primarily, it will produce a report on the necessary reforms and policies that we must adopt to avoid such disasters in the future."
The new agency, which will be under the direct authority of the Interior Ministry, will integrate all the services, research institutes and voluntary teams involved in the management of emergencies, PM Tsipras said during a visit to the Ministry for Citizens’ Protection. It will be run by a candidate of proven experience and scientific competence who will be appointed subject to approval by a team of experts.
The Director will be advised by a scientific council comprising members of research institutes and other agencies involved in the field of natural disasters. Representatives of the fire service, ambulance service, police, Hellenic Red Cross, coast guard, military, forestry service as well as research institutes and voluntary bodies will also be called upon to give advice.
The new service will have a budget of 500€ million, comprising funds from the European Investment Bank, the EU-subsidized National Strategic Reference Framework, as well as Greece’s public investment programme.
Describing the deadly wildfires in eastern Attica as “an unspeakable tragedy,” PM Tsipras said the most important thing is that such a disaster is never again repeated.”
"The country's emergency management system has come to the end of its cycle, radical reform is needed for us to be able to respond effectively to the new challenges."
"We have opted for the creation of an upgraded structure with two characteristics: It will be a single emergency management organization that will adapt the most modern models from Europe, the United States and Canada."
The selection procedure of the Director will utilise all the rules of transparency and meritocratic choice, since it will be organized under the supervision of an independent panel of experts and will be ratified by the Conference of Presidents of Parliament*.
[*This consists of the President and Vice-Presidents of Parliament, Parliamentary Chairpersons who have been elected as Members of Parliament, the Chairpersons of the Standing Committees, the Chairperson of the Committee on Institutions and Transparency, the Chairpersons of the Parliamentary Groups and a representative of the Independent Members as long as there are at least five Ed.]
"We are determined to move forward boldly and with great seriousness with all the interventions needed to correct the distortions of the past, to create a modern and efficient state that stand beside citizens not in their way."
The Prime Minister stressed that the important thing is not to find scapegoats, but to investigate the causes of the tragedy.
"After my meeting with the two leading Greek academics, Mr Zerefos and Mr. Lekkas, at which I asked them to make the assessment of climate change, I asked the distinguished professor, Mr. Goldman, to set up a committee under the auspices of the International Fire Observation Centre. That Committee has the objective of directly investigating the underlying causes of the recent tragedy. Objectively and honestly. Primarily, it will produce a report on the necessary reforms and policies that we must adopt to avoid such disasters in the future."
Name Dispute
On Wednesday Defence Minister and leader of the Independent Greeks (ANEL), Panos Kammenos said his party will withdraw its support from the SYRIZA-led government if the name deal with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) is put to a vote in Greece’s Parliament.
“I will not allow this deal to go through with my consent,” he told Real FM.
Greek MPs are to vote on the deal after it has been ratified in a September 30th referendum in FYROM and after the Balkan state has revised its constitution – not expected before early 2019.
"Once the agreement reaches the parliament, if all procedures in Skopje are completed, AN-EL (Independent Greeks) will leave the Government. We have clearly said that and I cannot agree with a solution that gives away name Macedonia without giving the Greek people any say in it," Kammenos told Real FM radio station.
He explained what would happen if the agreement reached the Greek parliament.
"Once the PM decides to bring the agreement into the parliament, I will go to him and say that the party is leaving the government and all ministers nominated by Independent Greeks will resign, followed by a meeting with the President," said Mr. Kammenos and added that general elections would follow.
He said another option was also available - a referendum at which Greek citizens would decide if they approved the agreement.
Operation Trident
Greek tax inspectors on the island of Mykonos have found two point-of-sale machines which were linked to Switzerland. The two terminals were found at a Louis Vuitton store on Mykonos and another outlet in Nammos village.
The discoveries were part of a tax-inspection operation on the island which also uncovered a beach bar in Paraga which failed to declare around €3,500 of income.
‘Operation Trident’ also temporarily closed a souvenir shop which was making sales without issuing receipts.
According to the Athens-Macedonian New Agency, the authorities confiscated the daily turnover – worth 19,000€ – at Catrine, a famous restaurant on Mykonos, because the business had tax arrears of 380,000€.
A 48-hour shutdown was also imposed on a laundry business in Mykonos for failing to issue receipts worth 13,000€.
On Wednesday Defence Minister and leader of the Independent Greeks (ANEL), Panos Kammenos said his party will withdraw its support from the SYRIZA-led government if the name deal with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) is put to a vote in Greece’s Parliament.
“I will not allow this deal to go through with my consent,” he told Real FM.
Greek MPs are to vote on the deal after it has been ratified in a September 30th referendum in FYROM and after the Balkan state has revised its constitution – not expected before early 2019.
"Once the agreement reaches the parliament, if all procedures in Skopje are completed, AN-EL (Independent Greeks) will leave the Government. We have clearly said that and I cannot agree with a solution that gives away name Macedonia without giving the Greek people any say in it," Kammenos told Real FM radio station.
He explained what would happen if the agreement reached the Greek parliament.
"Once the PM decides to bring the agreement into the parliament, I will go to him and say that the party is leaving the government and all ministers nominated by Independent Greeks will resign, followed by a meeting with the President," said Mr. Kammenos and added that general elections would follow.
He said another option was also available - a referendum at which Greek citizens would decide if they approved the agreement.
Operation Trident
Greek tax inspectors on the island of Mykonos have found two point-of-sale machines which were linked to Switzerland. The two terminals were found at a Louis Vuitton store on Mykonos and another outlet in Nammos village.
The discoveries were part of a tax-inspection operation on the island which also uncovered a beach bar in Paraga which failed to declare around €3,500 of income.
‘Operation Trident’ also temporarily closed a souvenir shop which was making sales without issuing receipts.
According to the Athens-Macedonian New Agency, the authorities confiscated the daily turnover – worth 19,000€ – at Catrine, a famous restaurant on Mykonos, because the business had tax arrears of 380,000€.
A 48-hour shutdown was also imposed on a laundry business in Mykonos for failing to issue receipts worth 13,000€.
"We will never try to escape our responsibilities"
PM Alexis Tsipras
3.8.2018
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has invited agencies, experts and opposition parties to draw up a national plan to deal with decades of residential settlement irregularities in order to avoid any more tragedies .
"We will never try to escape our responsibilities," the Prime Minister stressed at the extraordinary Cabinet Meeting last Saturday.
He called on cabinet members to contribute with all their might to help the state effectively stand by the people "who have paid such a heavy price of life and property to the fire".
He said he was determined that his Government "from some self-preservation instinct" did not commit the same mistake as previous governments "by exaggerating the excuses to reduce the responsibilities". He would not go along with "the chain of characterizations, of easy accusations, of the polemic without boundaries and clearly without any respect for the dead, motivated by the attempt to exploit the pain and destruction of the tragedy. That only leads to the covering up of the truth, in the name of a macabre petty party politics."
"I say this not as a tactic but because the dead can not speak, and the least we owe to their memory is respect. At least respect for the truth."
The Prime Minister made it clear that the Ggovernment is not aiming to perpetuate any power given by the people, nor the mistakes and behaviours of the past. "We want to go deeper into reality because we believe that this is the only way we can change it," he said, making special reference to the distortions that have prevailed for many years in the Greek state and especially in unauthorised residential building.
"Today, therefore, we all understand in a painful way and to the utmost depth that we are governing a country that has been dominated by distortions for years," he noted referring to whole settlements that were arbitrarily built on stream beds and beaches, residential complexes created without provision for the safety of residents, under the auspices of a clientelist state. "However, today, this state is governed by us," he said, expressing his concern about whether what had to be done by the current Government to change things could be achieved in three years to solve decades of huge problems."
In particular, he wondered: " did we hesitate, giving priority to the battle to deal with the humanitarian disaster caused by the policies of the Memoranda, to deal resolutely with the risk of other disasters, created by the distortions of the corrupt past." "The responsibility is ours as long as these distortions remain," he said, "As long as the unauthorised buildings are not demolished, as long as paving is not removed from the rivers, as long as access to the beach remains forbidden by fences and villas built on the sand."
In this context, Alexis Tsipras stressed that the Government is not content with the relief measures for the victims already announced, expressing his determination to rapidly develop a national plan to deal with decades of residential building irregularities.
He directed a mass invitation to scientific bodies, universities, experts, but also to opposition parties, speaking about a "national effort, a duty placed on us all by today's tragedy." The aim, he said, is to provide citizens with the "simple and clear guarantee - a guarantee in every civilized society" - that there will be no further tragedies, noting that this is a practical expression of the meaning of his self-criticism. "Not in easy words that lead nowhere, but in difficult action," he noted.
The Prime Minister clarified the Government's willingness to "break eggs" in order to get things done. "If we need to" break eggs", to get the bulldozers working, if there is to be conflict, so be it," he said, stressing that there is no question of "waiting with folded arms, with measures and with aspirin, for the next tragedy." He also announced the immediate upgrading of the civil protection mechanism, based on new needs, new dangers, and European experience.
He placed the whole Government on alert, "because the summer is not over and that means we can not relax", he said.
Referring to the evidence discovered by the investigating authorities of arson being behind the deadly fires, he said that "We still do not know who is their target. We are not going to play a game of scenarios or hide behind conspiracy theories to give us easy answers."
Instead, he pointed out that it is now up to the Government to organize in the best possible way the defence of the state and society against such criminal acts. "If the aim of the perpetrators is to strike at social cohesion, to create a feeling of insecurity for the citizens, then they might try again," he said.
"Let us organize the defence of the state and society. We must guarantee the protection and security of every citizen, but also organize the voluntary mobilization of all to deal with such challenges," he said, stressing the significant contribution of volunteers in tackling the disaster, which shows, as he said, that this is feasible. "It is the only way," he said, "to organize effective defence against any plan that can not be dealt with in formal terms."
The Prime Minister also spoke about the issue of resignations and sackings of those responsible "or supposedly responsible" being expressed by the Opposition. "Executions, at the time of the battle, which have become the norm in previous tragedies, are not an act of political bravery but of political cowardice," he said, while he emphatically defended the people who have waged and are waging the battle, even at the risk of their lives. "Let the various critics and warlords from their couches not open fire on those who at risk to their lives in the face of the fires, fought and saved thousands of our fellow countrymen." Referring to the firefighters and the police officers, he said, "if they had not been on the field of the battle, today we would be mourning a lot more dead," the harbour workers" who rescued hundreds of our fellow citizens from death in the sea, the state and municipal employees "who rushed to help the work of fighting the fire".
"Let them shoot at us, not at them," he underlined. He also pointed out that the self-criticism he has expressed is not about the operational aspects of the colossal rescue effort in face of an unprecedented catastrophe that occurred on Monday night. "When this battle is over, after the last outbreak of danger is eliminated, there will be a calm appraisal and the possible attribution of responsibilities. Otherwise, we go on a witch hunt and try to find scapegoats," he said, pointing out "We have no intention of escaping our responsibilities."
"We will never try to escape our responsibilities," the Prime Minister stressed at the extraordinary Cabinet Meeting last Saturday.
He called on cabinet members to contribute with all their might to help the state effectively stand by the people "who have paid such a heavy price of life and property to the fire".
He said he was determined that his Government "from some self-preservation instinct" did not commit the same mistake as previous governments "by exaggerating the excuses to reduce the responsibilities". He would not go along with "the chain of characterizations, of easy accusations, of the polemic without boundaries and clearly without any respect for the dead, motivated by the attempt to exploit the pain and destruction of the tragedy. That only leads to the covering up of the truth, in the name of a macabre petty party politics."
"I say this not as a tactic but because the dead can not speak, and the least we owe to their memory is respect. At least respect for the truth."
The Prime Minister made it clear that the Ggovernment is not aiming to perpetuate any power given by the people, nor the mistakes and behaviours of the past. "We want to go deeper into reality because we believe that this is the only way we can change it," he said, making special reference to the distortions that have prevailed for many years in the Greek state and especially in unauthorised residential building.
"Today, therefore, we all understand in a painful way and to the utmost depth that we are governing a country that has been dominated by distortions for years," he noted referring to whole settlements that were arbitrarily built on stream beds and beaches, residential complexes created without provision for the safety of residents, under the auspices of a clientelist state. "However, today, this state is governed by us," he said, expressing his concern about whether what had to be done by the current Government to change things could be achieved in three years to solve decades of huge problems."
In particular, he wondered: " did we hesitate, giving priority to the battle to deal with the humanitarian disaster caused by the policies of the Memoranda, to deal resolutely with the risk of other disasters, created by the distortions of the corrupt past." "The responsibility is ours as long as these distortions remain," he said, "As long as the unauthorised buildings are not demolished, as long as paving is not removed from the rivers, as long as access to the beach remains forbidden by fences and villas built on the sand."
In this context, Alexis Tsipras stressed that the Government is not content with the relief measures for the victims already announced, expressing his determination to rapidly develop a national plan to deal with decades of residential building irregularities.
He directed a mass invitation to scientific bodies, universities, experts, but also to opposition parties, speaking about a "national effort, a duty placed on us all by today's tragedy." The aim, he said, is to provide citizens with the "simple and clear guarantee - a guarantee in every civilized society" - that there will be no further tragedies, noting that this is a practical expression of the meaning of his self-criticism. "Not in easy words that lead nowhere, but in difficult action," he noted.
The Prime Minister clarified the Government's willingness to "break eggs" in order to get things done. "If we need to" break eggs", to get the bulldozers working, if there is to be conflict, so be it," he said, stressing that there is no question of "waiting with folded arms, with measures and with aspirin, for the next tragedy." He also announced the immediate upgrading of the civil protection mechanism, based on new needs, new dangers, and European experience.
He placed the whole Government on alert, "because the summer is not over and that means we can not relax", he said.
Referring to the evidence discovered by the investigating authorities of arson being behind the deadly fires, he said that "We still do not know who is their target. We are not going to play a game of scenarios or hide behind conspiracy theories to give us easy answers."
Instead, he pointed out that it is now up to the Government to organize in the best possible way the defence of the state and society against such criminal acts. "If the aim of the perpetrators is to strike at social cohesion, to create a feeling of insecurity for the citizens, then they might try again," he said.
"Let us organize the defence of the state and society. We must guarantee the protection and security of every citizen, but also organize the voluntary mobilization of all to deal with such challenges," he said, stressing the significant contribution of volunteers in tackling the disaster, which shows, as he said, that this is feasible. "It is the only way," he said, "to organize effective defence against any plan that can not be dealt with in formal terms."
The Prime Minister also spoke about the issue of resignations and sackings of those responsible "or supposedly responsible" being expressed by the Opposition. "Executions, at the time of the battle, which have become the norm in previous tragedies, are not an act of political bravery but of political cowardice," he said, while he emphatically defended the people who have waged and are waging the battle, even at the risk of their lives. "Let the various critics and warlords from their couches not open fire on those who at risk to their lives in the face of the fires, fought and saved thousands of our fellow countrymen." Referring to the firefighters and the police officers, he said, "if they had not been on the field of the battle, today we would be mourning a lot more dead," the harbour workers" who rescued hundreds of our fellow citizens from death in the sea, the state and municipal employees "who rushed to help the work of fighting the fire".
"Let them shoot at us, not at them," he underlined. He also pointed out that the self-criticism he has expressed is not about the operational aspects of the colossal rescue effort in face of an unprecedented catastrophe that occurred on Monday night. "When this battle is over, after the last outbreak of danger is eliminated, there will be a calm appraisal and the possible attribution of responsibilities. Otherwise, we go on a witch hunt and try to find scapegoats," he said, pointing out "We have no intention of escaping our responsibilities."
On Monday, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras visited the site of deadly wildfires outside Athens.
“Today, I visited the site of the tragedy. I spoke with citizens, engineers, soldiers, firemen and volunteers,” Mr Tsipras noted after his visit. “Unspeakable grief and infinite respect for all those who waged an uneven battle with the flames, and are now waging the battle of restoration.”
However, some have criticised the Government's response to the tragedy. When Defence Minister Panos Kammenos visited the area last week, he was heckled by distraught survivors.
The Authorities have also come under criticism for how buildings and roads were laid out in the area and an alleged lack of adequate preparation for the fire season.
Mr Tsipras has accepted full political responsibility for the disaster and pledged a series of changes, including a crackdown on illegal and haphazard construction thought to have worsened the blaze.
Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens
Greek authorities believe the fire resulted from arson and turned so deadly because winds of up to 62 miles per hour buffeted the pine-forested seaside resorts.
The Government will move decisively and quickly, the Prime Minister said, to a comprehensive redevelopment, spatial and urban planning, with the creation of appropriate infrastructure. This means creating communal spaces, open access to beaches and a plan to ensure the safety of citizens, in strict flood and fire conditions. And this, of course, is not just about Mati but dozens of areas in Athens and wider Attica.
Plan to Demolish Illegal Buildings
On Wednesday, Environment and Energy Minister Giorgos Stathakis, his Deputy, Sokratis Famellos and Interior Minister Panos Skourletis announced a government plan for the demolition of hundreds of properties that have been illegally built on forestland and coastal areas such as those ravaged by the recent wildfires.
Addressing a joint press conference, Minister Stathakis said “The demolitions will be in a matter of days or weeks,” he said, noting that around 2,500 illegal buildings on forestland and another 700 on the coastline would be knocked down. In all these cases, the properties have been declared illegal by Greek courts. The owners have the right to appeal to the Council of State against the move within 15 days of receiving the demolition notices.
Deputy Minister Famellos indicated that municipal authorities are accountable as they are issuing the orders for demolitions. The piece of land in Mati, eastern Attica, where 26 people were found dead, is state property that has been encroached on, he said. The land, which had been built on, is officially designated as a coastal area and therefore any construction is illegal. He said that the specific area in Mati is part of the land-use plan that only allows its use by those bathing in the sea.
"On the stretch of land where 26 of our fellow citizens found tragic death, it has been confirmed that all the constructions were unauthorised and never legalized."
As for “the handling of the tragedy,” Interior Minister Skourletis said the Government would soon unveil “a plan for the radical overhaul and replanning of civil protection.”
Initial Financial Relief
Meanwhile, a legislative amendment was submitted to Parliament on Wednesday setting out the initial financial relief that will go to victims of the wildfires.
The amendment, which was jointly tabled by Minister Skourletis and Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos, proposes a sum of 5,900€ going toward repairs to each damaged home and 4,400€ for permanent physical injury. The relief concerns both primary residences and summer homes, with an extra sum of 600€ going to each disabled beneficiary or those with large families.
“Today, I visited the site of the tragedy. I spoke with citizens, engineers, soldiers, firemen and volunteers,” Mr Tsipras noted after his visit. “Unspeakable grief and infinite respect for all those who waged an uneven battle with the flames, and are now waging the battle of restoration.”
However, some have criticised the Government's response to the tragedy. When Defence Minister Panos Kammenos visited the area last week, he was heckled by distraught survivors.
The Authorities have also come under criticism for how buildings and roads were laid out in the area and an alleged lack of adequate preparation for the fire season.
Mr Tsipras has accepted full political responsibility for the disaster and pledged a series of changes, including a crackdown on illegal and haphazard construction thought to have worsened the blaze.
Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens
Greek authorities believe the fire resulted from arson and turned so deadly because winds of up to 62 miles per hour buffeted the pine-forested seaside resorts.
The Government will move decisively and quickly, the Prime Minister said, to a comprehensive redevelopment, spatial and urban planning, with the creation of appropriate infrastructure. This means creating communal spaces, open access to beaches and a plan to ensure the safety of citizens, in strict flood and fire conditions. And this, of course, is not just about Mati but dozens of areas in Athens and wider Attica.
Plan to Demolish Illegal Buildings
On Wednesday, Environment and Energy Minister Giorgos Stathakis, his Deputy, Sokratis Famellos and Interior Minister Panos Skourletis announced a government plan for the demolition of hundreds of properties that have been illegally built on forestland and coastal areas such as those ravaged by the recent wildfires.
Addressing a joint press conference, Minister Stathakis said “The demolitions will be in a matter of days or weeks,” he said, noting that around 2,500 illegal buildings on forestland and another 700 on the coastline would be knocked down. In all these cases, the properties have been declared illegal by Greek courts. The owners have the right to appeal to the Council of State against the move within 15 days of receiving the demolition notices.
Deputy Minister Famellos indicated that municipal authorities are accountable as they are issuing the orders for demolitions. The piece of land in Mati, eastern Attica, where 26 people were found dead, is state property that has been encroached on, he said. The land, which had been built on, is officially designated as a coastal area and therefore any construction is illegal. He said that the specific area in Mati is part of the land-use plan that only allows its use by those bathing in the sea.
"On the stretch of land where 26 of our fellow citizens found tragic death, it has been confirmed that all the constructions were unauthorised and never legalized."
As for “the handling of the tragedy,” Interior Minister Skourletis said the Government would soon unveil “a plan for the radical overhaul and replanning of civil protection.”
Initial Financial Relief
Meanwhile, a legislative amendment was submitted to Parliament on Wednesday setting out the initial financial relief that will go to victims of the wildfires.
The amendment, which was jointly tabled by Minister Skourletis and Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos, proposes a sum of 5,900€ going toward repairs to each damaged home and 4,400€ for permanent physical injury. The relief concerns both primary residences and summer homes, with an extra sum of 600€ going to each disabled beneficiary or those with large families.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras held a meeting with Christos Zerefos who heads the Research Centre for Atmospheric Physics and Climatology at the Academy of Athens and Efthimios Lekkas, Professor of Dynamic Tectonic and Applied Geology at the Department of Geology and Geoenvironment at the National & Kapodistrian University of Athens whose area of scientific expertise is the study and prevention of natural disasters.
After the meeting, the Prime Minister noted in his posting on social media that he had asked for their advice. "As climate change will bring us more often face to face with extreme weather events, strong winds or heavy rainfall, we need to upgrade the models and civil protection protocols to deal with floods and fires."
"They pledged to contribute with ideas and suggestions. And I am grateful to them. Let the two great tragedies of Attica, Mandra and Mati, be the alarm bell and the trigger for major changes. Let us enhance the prevention and protection mechanism properly so that we may never relive such tragedies."
Notes on the Economy
The way is open for the disbursement of the fifth and final installment of 15€ billion by the European Stability Mechanism [ESM] Board of Governors.
On 1 August 2018, the Governing Council of ESM approved the Supplementary Memorandum with Greece following the completion of national parliamentary procedures.
According to the same announcement, the European Commission today signed the Memorandum of Understanding with Greece, on behalf of the ESM. It should be noted that the ESM Governing Council now "paves the way for the disbursement of the fifth tranche", which will be released in the coming days.
Latest T-Bill Auction
Greece sold 26-week treasury bills on Wednesday, raising a total of 812.5€ million from the market, the Greek Public Debt Management Agency (PDMA) said. The interest rate of the new issue was set at 0.85 percent, the same as the previous auction in July. Excluded from the international money markets since 2010, Greece conducts a monthly treasury bill auction programme to cover maturing debts and meet its financing needs, in parallel with the bailout programme.
Manufacturing Sector News
Greek factory activity grew steadily in July, with production and new orders increasing, leading companies to hire more staff, a survey showed on Wednesday.
Markit’s Purchasing Managers’ Index for manufacturing, which accounts for about 10 percent of the Greek economy, was unchanged in July at 53.5, above the 50 line denoting expansion in activity. The manufacturing sector has improved steadily since June 2017.
“Growth remained strong in July. Rates of expansion in output and new orders eased, partly reflecting a weaker expansion in new export orders,” said Andrew Harker, IHS Markit associate director.
Driving the 14th straight month of growth in output were increased new orders at home and from abroad. Export business grew but at a slower pace than June.
With raw materials prices continuing to rise at a fast pace at the start of the third quarter, some firms were able to pass their higher cost burdens on to customers.
“Input costs continued to rise at a sharp pace, posing a potential threat to new order growth going forward,” Mr. Harker said. “Nevertheless, a sharp and accelerated rise in average charges suggests client demand for Greek goods remains robust.”
Manufacturing jobs continued to increase in July, extending a trend seen since May 2017, with many companies maintaining a positive outlook on production growth in the coming year, the survey showed.
Greece’s jobless rate, at 20.2 percent in April, remains the highest in the euro zone.
After the meeting, the Prime Minister noted in his posting on social media that he had asked for their advice. "As climate change will bring us more often face to face with extreme weather events, strong winds or heavy rainfall, we need to upgrade the models and civil protection protocols to deal with floods and fires."
"They pledged to contribute with ideas and suggestions. And I am grateful to them. Let the two great tragedies of Attica, Mandra and Mati, be the alarm bell and the trigger for major changes. Let us enhance the prevention and protection mechanism properly so that we may never relive such tragedies."
Notes on the Economy
The way is open for the disbursement of the fifth and final installment of 15€ billion by the European Stability Mechanism [ESM] Board of Governors.
On 1 August 2018, the Governing Council of ESM approved the Supplementary Memorandum with Greece following the completion of national parliamentary procedures.
According to the same announcement, the European Commission today signed the Memorandum of Understanding with Greece, on behalf of the ESM. It should be noted that the ESM Governing Council now "paves the way for the disbursement of the fifth tranche", which will be released in the coming days.
Latest T-Bill Auction
Greece sold 26-week treasury bills on Wednesday, raising a total of 812.5€ million from the market, the Greek Public Debt Management Agency (PDMA) said. The interest rate of the new issue was set at 0.85 percent, the same as the previous auction in July. Excluded from the international money markets since 2010, Greece conducts a monthly treasury bill auction programme to cover maturing debts and meet its financing needs, in parallel with the bailout programme.
Manufacturing Sector News
Greek factory activity grew steadily in July, with production and new orders increasing, leading companies to hire more staff, a survey showed on Wednesday.
Markit’s Purchasing Managers’ Index for manufacturing, which accounts for about 10 percent of the Greek economy, was unchanged in July at 53.5, above the 50 line denoting expansion in activity. The manufacturing sector has improved steadily since June 2017.
“Growth remained strong in July. Rates of expansion in output and new orders eased, partly reflecting a weaker expansion in new export orders,” said Andrew Harker, IHS Markit associate director.
Driving the 14th straight month of growth in output were increased new orders at home and from abroad. Export business grew but at a slower pace than June.
With raw materials prices continuing to rise at a fast pace at the start of the third quarter, some firms were able to pass their higher cost burdens on to customers.
“Input costs continued to rise at a sharp pace, posing a potential threat to new order growth going forward,” Mr. Harker said. “Nevertheless, a sharp and accelerated rise in average charges suggests client demand for Greek goods remains robust.”
Manufacturing jobs continued to increase in July, extending a trend seen since May 2017, with many companies maintaining a positive outlook on production growth in the coming year, the survey showed.
Greece’s jobless rate, at 20.2 percent in April, remains the highest in the euro zone.
"I won't hide the fact that I am overwhelmed by mixed feelings right now ... Pain, devastation for the human lives unexpectedly and unfairly lost. But also anguish at whether we acted correctly in everything we did."
28.07.2018 Alexis Tsipras
Prime Minister Alexis Tspiras said he assumed "political responsibility" for the tragedy.
At a televised cabinet meeting, PM Tsipras said he wanted first of all "to assume completely before the great Greek people the political responsibility for this tragedy".
"I believe that is what the Prime Minister and the Government should do." "I have called you here today first of all to take full political responsibility for this tragedy in front of my cabinet and the Greek people," he said. "I won't hide the fact that I am overwhelmed by mixed feelings right now ... Pain, devastation for the human lives unexpectedly and unfairly lost. But also anguish at whether we acted correctly in everything we did."
The Government has announced a long list of relief measures including a one-off 10,000€ payment for families of the victims. Their spouses and near relatives were also offered public sector jobs.
About 300 firefighters and volunteers were still combing the area on Friday for those still missing. More than 500 homes were destroyed by the blaze.
PM Tsipras promised a national plan to tackle decades of unauthorised construction and to reform and upgrade the Civil Protection Service "to guarantee ... that there will be no more tragedies".
The disaster unleashed a wave of solidarity and many survivors were being looked after by voluntary organisations, who are providing them with accommodation, clothing and food.
At a televised cabinet meeting, PM Tsipras said he wanted first of all "to assume completely before the great Greek people the political responsibility for this tragedy".
"I believe that is what the Prime Minister and the Government should do." "I have called you here today first of all to take full political responsibility for this tragedy in front of my cabinet and the Greek people," he said. "I won't hide the fact that I am overwhelmed by mixed feelings right now ... Pain, devastation for the human lives unexpectedly and unfairly lost. But also anguish at whether we acted correctly in everything we did."
The Government has announced a long list of relief measures including a one-off 10,000€ payment for families of the victims. Their spouses and near relatives were also offered public sector jobs.
About 300 firefighters and volunteers were still combing the area on Friday for those still missing. More than 500 homes were destroyed by the blaze.
PM Tsipras promised a national plan to tackle decades of unauthorised construction and to reform and upgrade the Civil Protection Service "to guarantee ... that there will be no more tragedies".
The disaster unleashed a wave of solidarity and many survivors were being looked after by voluntary organisations, who are providing them with accommodation, clothing and food.
Greece continues to deal with the devastating wildfires in east and west Attica that killed at least 86 people and left 187 injured.
The effort to extinguish the most disastrous wildfires Attica has seen in decades continued in Kineta (west Attica) and the Geraneia Mountains (east Attica). Authorities said many people are still reported missing and there are fears that the death toll could rise further.
The Government announced a series of measures on Tuesday to help those affected by the devastating fires, while Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras addressed the nation in a televised statement, declaring three-days of mourning.
The Greek PM said the country is experiencing an unspeakable tragedy. "There is nothing more valuable than human life” he said in his message, adding that “we must not allow mourning to overwhelm us, as there are hours of struggle, hours of unity, bravery and solidarity ahead”.
“We can only stand united in the face of tragedy.” “There are no dividing lines at such times”, he said adding that responsibilities will be apportioned later.
PM Tsipras said that the struggle to put out the fires, to save what can be saved, to alleviate the pain of those affected and to find the missing people continues. He thanked the foreign countries that rushed to help Greece tackle the fires. Italy, Germany, Poland and France all sent help in the form of planes, vehicles and firefighters, while Spain and Cyprus also offered assistance, and more planes joined from Romania.
Finally, he praised the efforts being made by firemen, medical staff, volunteers, the armed forces and the police who are fighting the wildfires. He promised to leave nobody without the help of the State, adding that all the necessary answers will be found for the tragedy.
Later, Government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos announced a series of measures. He said the Finance Ministry will open a special bank account to collect money, both from State entities and private individuals to finance the reconstruction of damaged residencies and other properties.
According to Mr.Tzanakopoulos, emergency measures to financially support those whose properties were damaged in the fires include: postponing the payment of tax dues until 28th September; a suspension of ENFIA property tax; and in some cases an exemption from tax.
The core measures as well as the compensations to be paid out will be announced in coming days, as experts have already begun to assess the extent and scope of the damage to properties and land in the areas hit by the wildfires.
First direct support measures
"In the next few days and after an overall assessment of the situation and extent of the damage, we will also announce the main package of measures to support the families of the victims of the disaster, as well as special aids and compensation for the victims, in addition to what is currently stipulated by the law" the Government spokesman said in his statement.
Specifically, a credit of 20€ million was approved by the Ministry of Finance and placed in a special account of the Ministry of the Interior to address the immediate needs of the affected municipalities and their citizens.
The establishment of a special account by the Finance Ministry, for contributions by the State, as well as individuals, because, the Government spokesman stressed, there is a tremendous interest in offering practical solidarity both from home and abroad. From this account will be financed the repair of material damage. The exact contribution of the State will be announced in the days following the overall assessment of the situation.
It was also decided to strengthen the joint police, fire and military patrols to effectively police the affected areas. At the same time, Mr. Tzanakopoulos highlighted the extraordinary measures announced earlier by the Finance Ministry, such as the extension for the submission of tax declarations (taxes on income, VAT and other taxes) until 28.9.2018.
The effort to extinguish the most disastrous wildfires Attica has seen in decades continued in Kineta (west Attica) and the Geraneia Mountains (east Attica). Authorities said many people are still reported missing and there are fears that the death toll could rise further.
The Government announced a series of measures on Tuesday to help those affected by the devastating fires, while Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras addressed the nation in a televised statement, declaring three-days of mourning.
The Greek PM said the country is experiencing an unspeakable tragedy. "There is nothing more valuable than human life” he said in his message, adding that “we must not allow mourning to overwhelm us, as there are hours of struggle, hours of unity, bravery and solidarity ahead”.
“We can only stand united in the face of tragedy.” “There are no dividing lines at such times”, he said adding that responsibilities will be apportioned later.
PM Tsipras said that the struggle to put out the fires, to save what can be saved, to alleviate the pain of those affected and to find the missing people continues. He thanked the foreign countries that rushed to help Greece tackle the fires. Italy, Germany, Poland and France all sent help in the form of planes, vehicles and firefighters, while Spain and Cyprus also offered assistance, and more planes joined from Romania.
Finally, he praised the efforts being made by firemen, medical staff, volunteers, the armed forces and the police who are fighting the wildfires. He promised to leave nobody without the help of the State, adding that all the necessary answers will be found for the tragedy.
Later, Government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos announced a series of measures. He said the Finance Ministry will open a special bank account to collect money, both from State entities and private individuals to finance the reconstruction of damaged residencies and other properties.
According to Mr.Tzanakopoulos, emergency measures to financially support those whose properties were damaged in the fires include: postponing the payment of tax dues until 28th September; a suspension of ENFIA property tax; and in some cases an exemption from tax.
The core measures as well as the compensations to be paid out will be announced in coming days, as experts have already begun to assess the extent and scope of the damage to properties and land in the areas hit by the wildfires.
First direct support measures
"In the next few days and after an overall assessment of the situation and extent of the damage, we will also announce the main package of measures to support the families of the victims of the disaster, as well as special aids and compensation for the victims, in addition to what is currently stipulated by the law" the Government spokesman said in his statement.
Specifically, a credit of 20€ million was approved by the Ministry of Finance and placed in a special account of the Ministry of the Interior to address the immediate needs of the affected municipalities and their citizens.
The establishment of a special account by the Finance Ministry, for contributions by the State, as well as individuals, because, the Government spokesman stressed, there is a tremendous interest in offering practical solidarity both from home and abroad. From this account will be financed the repair of material damage. The exact contribution of the State will be announced in the days following the overall assessment of the situation.
It was also decided to strengthen the joint police, fire and military patrols to effectively police the affected areas. At the same time, Mr. Tzanakopoulos highlighted the extraordinary measures announced earlier by the Finance Ministry, such as the extension for the submission of tax declarations (taxes on income, VAT and other taxes) until 28.9.2018.
"Mandra and Rafina taken together are both instances of the same unregulated urban and spatial development, struck by two different phenomena: the floods of Mandra and the fires of Eastern Attica."
Speaking on the Athenian-Macedonian radio station, Efthimios Lekkas, Professor of Dynamic Tectonic and Applied Geology at the Department of Geology and Geoenvironment at the National & Kapodistrian University of Athens and President of the Earthquake Planning and Protection Agency and the Hellenic Geological Society made these observations. "For years, criminal actions and procedures have taken place in the locating of our settlements, the locating of towns, because here we are dealing with another Mandra [The scene in Attica last year of catastrophic flooding Ed]."
"Mandra and Rafina taken together are both instances of the same unregulated urban and spatial development, struck by two different phenomena: the floods of Mandra and the fires of Eastern Attica." "The impact on housing and infrastructure is great, but what creates a great deal of concern for us is not only the 1,500 structures that have been destroyed, they will be rebuilt somehow. The great challenge for us is to investigate why so many people have been lost in such a small fire, because the fire was small in terms of size. It is 100 times smaller than the fire that occurred in Ileia in 2007."
"Along the length of the fire’s path were the roads of the town plan and housing development. The crime in the area affected was that there were no escape routes, there were no crossroads, only streets that were traps. Along the whole length of the streets there was no way out either at the coast or at any other point, and this effectively trapped the inhabitants and so we had all these victims," the Professor explained, adding that "These are difficult times, but they require us to be methodical and calm".
Speaking later to ERT1, he said that according to the first estimates the area affected is 15 square kilometres.
"With continuous monitoring by satellite, we are trying to predict the next day, which is very difficult, given the environmental degradation in the area, water pollution, floods, intense erosion, landslides. And these phenomena will not be long coming but will be caused by the first rain."
"It will take a long struggle to prevent future disasters. Let us be prepared to deal with these phenomena. At Athens University there exist the the required resources, since it has 50 departments dealing with the relevant specialisms."
Professor Lekkas underlined the urgency of mapping the situation so that we do not experience worse problems. "If the actions are targeted and environmentally acceptable, the State has time."
"In the records this will be recorded as the only fire with so many victims in such a short time. We should never in any circumstances have so many victims. This is what we are looking at at the University to see how this disaster came about. Basically, it was something similar to Mandra. Mainly, wrong spatial planning and town planning. It is just that in Mandra we had a flood while here a fire."
The research team of the Department of Geology and Geoenvironment of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens was in the area immediately after the fire of July 23rd in the area of Eastern Attica and collected data and witness statements.
Professor Efthimis Lekkas, indicating that the systematic analysis of the data is still in progress, gave the first data and conclusions about the phenomenon and its devastating effects.
Data – Initial Conclusions
1. This is a typical case of a fire in a zone of mixed “wildland urban interface (WUI)”, where the highest probability of human losses is recorded in the Greek world and globally. Especially in Greece such cases are numerous.
2. Powerful west winds, speeds by location and distance of more than 90 kilometres an hour have played a very important role in the rapid downward spread of the fire.
3. The rapid lateral spread of the fire was probably the main reason for the lack of early warning, which contributed to the large number of casualties.
4. It was observed that mainly houses and buildings raised up or on first floors were affected, with less recorded damage to the ground floors and below ground floors, a typical example of a “crown fire”.
5. Based on testimonies currently being analyzed, it appears that the population near the beach was informed of the fire by people who evacuated the western part of the settlement of Mati, which was already affected and not in the form of early warning from any official body. This indicates that there was almost zero warning and no time to react.
6. The field research revealed weaknesses in the construction of houses with vulnerable points on the roof, the window frames and other parts that contributed to their destruction. Their improvement may have had positive effects in terms of their vulnerability to fires.
7. Importantly, it is considered to be the particular urban design of the settlement, which has acted as a "trap" for the population that tried to evacuate. Some of its important features were: narrow streets, numerous dead ends, particularly elongated building blocks, without the possibility of lateral escape.
8. On the basis of testimonies that are currently being analyzed systematically, the congestion has contributed to the effects due to panic as well as the large concentration of a population -residents and visitors / tourists - who probably did not know the geography of the area.
9. The morphology of the coastline made it difficult to get to the beach in most places (crumbling edges), limited access to beaches, which combined with low visibility and a smoke-filled atmosphere contributed to the entrapment.
10. The likely unexpected behaviour of the fire due to a change in the type of vegetation. The fire started from areas that had been burned in the past and moved to an area that had not been burned recently so had a high concentration of combustible material and therefore the fire’s behaviour was far more explosive.
Reactions
Rafina Mayor Evangelos Bournous blamed the layout of the settlements for making the situation much worse. Many of the houses appear to have sprung up in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s with no consideration for escape routes, particularly down to the beach. He said an evacuation would not have been an option, given the speed at which the fire spread and the haphazard layout of the area, which featured small winding roads and cliffs next to the sea.
"They talk about an evacuation plan. How can an evacuation plan be implemented on a settlement [built] outside of town planning, which does not have places for people to gather?" the Mayor said.
"Everyone tried to leave all together and they got trapped on the coastal road."
Maria Spyraki, spokesperson for the New Democracy party said "This Government has just added unbridled cheek to its abject failure in protecting lives and people's property." New Democracy
said questions had been raised over the number of firefighters available and evacuation procedures.
Fofi Gennimata, President of the Movement for Change, called for the Government to resign over the disaster. "This Government is dangerous and must go."
Senior Cleric Bishop Ambrosios of Kalavryta linked the wildfire tragedy to the wrath of God in a blog he wrote on Tuesday. He suggested the fires were God’s punishment because of Greece’s “atheist Prime Minister”.
“Atheist Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras draws the wrath of God,” Bishop Ambrosios wrote.
“The atheists of SYRIZA are the causes of the general disaster! Their atheism draws the wrath of God!” he added.
The statements were criticised by Archbishop Ieronymos, Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, on Wednesday who called Bishop Ambrosios’ words a ‘sad phenomenon’.
Investigation
Christos Spirtzis, the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, visiting the area, stated that engineers will check the files to see how building licences were granted in the affected areas. He pledged that engineers will check on the planning permissions of all the buildings located 100 metres from the beach.
He said that there were luxurious houses and buildings right next to the beach. "Of special significance is the particular urban planning of the settlement, which has acted as a " trap" for the population that tried to evacuate".
Officials citing information from satellite maps have said that 13 fires broke out at the same time across the region of Attica on Monday.
Deputy Citizen Protection Minister Nikos Toskas on Thursday suggested that arson had played a role in the tragedy in the Rafina area. "A serious piece of information has led to us opening an investigation into possible criminal acts".
Speaking on the Athenian-Macedonian radio station, Efthimios Lekkas, Professor of Dynamic Tectonic and Applied Geology at the Department of Geology and Geoenvironment at the National & Kapodistrian University of Athens and President of the Earthquake Planning and Protection Agency and the Hellenic Geological Society made these observations. "For years, criminal actions and procedures have taken place in the locating of our settlements, the locating of towns, because here we are dealing with another Mandra [The scene in Attica last year of catastrophic flooding Ed]."
"Mandra and Rafina taken together are both instances of the same unregulated urban and spatial development, struck by two different phenomena: the floods of Mandra and the fires of Eastern Attica." "The impact on housing and infrastructure is great, but what creates a great deal of concern for us is not only the 1,500 structures that have been destroyed, they will be rebuilt somehow. The great challenge for us is to investigate why so many people have been lost in such a small fire, because the fire was small in terms of size. It is 100 times smaller than the fire that occurred in Ileia in 2007."
"Along the length of the fire’s path were the roads of the town plan and housing development. The crime in the area affected was that there were no escape routes, there were no crossroads, only streets that were traps. Along the whole length of the streets there was no way out either at the coast or at any other point, and this effectively trapped the inhabitants and so we had all these victims," the Professor explained, adding that "These are difficult times, but they require us to be methodical and calm".
Speaking later to ERT1, he said that according to the first estimates the area affected is 15 square kilometres.
"With continuous monitoring by satellite, we are trying to predict the next day, which is very difficult, given the environmental degradation in the area, water pollution, floods, intense erosion, landslides. And these phenomena will not be long coming but will be caused by the first rain."
"It will take a long struggle to prevent future disasters. Let us be prepared to deal with these phenomena. At Athens University there exist the the required resources, since it has 50 departments dealing with the relevant specialisms."
Professor Lekkas underlined the urgency of mapping the situation so that we do not experience worse problems. "If the actions are targeted and environmentally acceptable, the State has time."
"In the records this will be recorded as the only fire with so many victims in such a short time. We should never in any circumstances have so many victims. This is what we are looking at at the University to see how this disaster came about. Basically, it was something similar to Mandra. Mainly, wrong spatial planning and town planning. It is just that in Mandra we had a flood while here a fire."
The research team of the Department of Geology and Geoenvironment of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens was in the area immediately after the fire of July 23rd in the area of Eastern Attica and collected data and witness statements.
Professor Efthimis Lekkas, indicating that the systematic analysis of the data is still in progress, gave the first data and conclusions about the phenomenon and its devastating effects.
Data – Initial Conclusions
1. This is a typical case of a fire in a zone of mixed “wildland urban interface (WUI)”, where the highest probability of human losses is recorded in the Greek world and globally. Especially in Greece such cases are numerous.
2. Powerful west winds, speeds by location and distance of more than 90 kilometres an hour have played a very important role in the rapid downward spread of the fire.
3. The rapid lateral spread of the fire was probably the main reason for the lack of early warning, which contributed to the large number of casualties.
4. It was observed that mainly houses and buildings raised up or on first floors were affected, with less recorded damage to the ground floors and below ground floors, a typical example of a “crown fire”.
5. Based on testimonies currently being analyzed, it appears that the population near the beach was informed of the fire by people who evacuated the western part of the settlement of Mati, which was already affected and not in the form of early warning from any official body. This indicates that there was almost zero warning and no time to react.
6. The field research revealed weaknesses in the construction of houses with vulnerable points on the roof, the window frames and other parts that contributed to their destruction. Their improvement may have had positive effects in terms of their vulnerability to fires.
7. Importantly, it is considered to be the particular urban design of the settlement, which has acted as a "trap" for the population that tried to evacuate. Some of its important features were: narrow streets, numerous dead ends, particularly elongated building blocks, without the possibility of lateral escape.
8. On the basis of testimonies that are currently being analyzed systematically, the congestion has contributed to the effects due to panic as well as the large concentration of a population -residents and visitors / tourists - who probably did not know the geography of the area.
9. The morphology of the coastline made it difficult to get to the beach in most places (crumbling edges), limited access to beaches, which combined with low visibility and a smoke-filled atmosphere contributed to the entrapment.
10. The likely unexpected behaviour of the fire due to a change in the type of vegetation. The fire started from areas that had been burned in the past and moved to an area that had not been burned recently so had a high concentration of combustible material and therefore the fire’s behaviour was far more explosive.
Reactions
Rafina Mayor Evangelos Bournous blamed the layout of the settlements for making the situation much worse. Many of the houses appear to have sprung up in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s with no consideration for escape routes, particularly down to the beach. He said an evacuation would not have been an option, given the speed at which the fire spread and the haphazard layout of the area, which featured small winding roads and cliffs next to the sea.
"They talk about an evacuation plan. How can an evacuation plan be implemented on a settlement [built] outside of town planning, which does not have places for people to gather?" the Mayor said.
"Everyone tried to leave all together and they got trapped on the coastal road."
Maria Spyraki, spokesperson for the New Democracy party said "This Government has just added unbridled cheek to its abject failure in protecting lives and people's property." New Democracy
said questions had been raised over the number of firefighters available and evacuation procedures.
Fofi Gennimata, President of the Movement for Change, called for the Government to resign over the disaster. "This Government is dangerous and must go."
Senior Cleric Bishop Ambrosios of Kalavryta linked the wildfire tragedy to the wrath of God in a blog he wrote on Tuesday. He suggested the fires were God’s punishment because of Greece’s “atheist Prime Minister”.
“Atheist Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras draws the wrath of God,” Bishop Ambrosios wrote.
“The atheists of SYRIZA are the causes of the general disaster! Their atheism draws the wrath of God!” he added.
The statements were criticised by Archbishop Ieronymos, Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, on Wednesday who called Bishop Ambrosios’ words a ‘sad phenomenon’.
Investigation
Christos Spirtzis, the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, visiting the area, stated that engineers will check the files to see how building licences were granted in the affected areas. He pledged that engineers will check on the planning permissions of all the buildings located 100 metres from the beach.
He said that there were luxurious houses and buildings right next to the beach. "Of special significance is the particular urban planning of the settlement, which has acted as a " trap" for the population that tried to evacuate".
Officials citing information from satellite maps have said that 13 fires broke out at the same time across the region of Attica on Monday.
Deputy Citizen Protection Minister Nikos Toskas on Thursday suggested that arson had played a role in the tragedy in the Rafina area. "A serious piece of information has led to us opening an investigation into possible criminal acts".
Tourism: Record Increases in Turnover, Arrivals, Tours
21.7.2018
In the wide range of activities of the national economy from turnover to the number of tickets issued by museums and archaeological sites and from the demand for labour at the holiday resorts to the traffic at the airports, the benefits of the records that are being broken this year by Greek tourism .
All elements of state and business entities directly and indirectly involved with tourism (Hellenic Statistical Authority, Civil Aviation Authority, Fraport, Athens International Airport, National Air Navigation Authority, Bank of Greece, Panhellenic Federation of Hoteliers, Ergani) attest to an impressive growth rate of Greek tourism in 2018.
Significant benefits for all productive sectors from the spectacular growth of tourism were also mentioned by the Minister of Tourism Elena Kountoura with her speech at the recent meeting of the Board of Directors. of the Athens Chamber of Commerce.
From the data gathered from these institutions, the Minister reported:
* 12.4% growth was recorded in foreign tourism in the first quarter, exceeding 1.8 million visitors - not only a record but showing that for the first time Greece had significant foreign tourist activity during the winter season as well.
* Also there was a 13.2% annual increase in net tourism revenues in the first quarter, amounting to 554€ million euros.
* An increase of 8.7% was recorded in the first quarter compared to the same period last year in the travel to Attica, which remained the top Greek destination with more than 751,000 foreign visitors.
The diffusion of benefits is geographically universal, as for the first time all regions of Greece have benefited from the rise of tourism. The destinations of Western Greece recorded an increase of 147.4% in the first quarter of 2018, an increase of 91% in the Anatolian Macedonia - Thrace, 71.6% in West Macedonia, 58.6% in the region of Epirus, 47% in Thessaly, in the North Aegean 41%. At the same time, the most popular destinations, such as the South Aegean (up 17.2%), Crete (up 15%) and Sterea Hellas (up 12.6%) recorded an increase in revenues.
Increased traffic at airports
An impressive increase of 20.4% was recorded in the five-month period of international aviation arrivals compared to last year, surpassing 4.5 million visitors.
In the January-June period, an increase of 16.8% was recorded of international passenger traffic in the 14 regional airports managed by Fraport.
An increase of 15.7% was recorded in international passenger traffic in Athens International Airport in the first six months compared to last year.
An additional 1.2 million extra visitors (totaling more than 10 million visitors) are projected to visit Greece between July and October compared to last year, with direct connections from foreign airports to 19 Greek regional destinations.
Over 30% more tickets to museums and archaeological sites sold
An increase of 31.4% was recorded in the sale of tickets at museums and archaeological sites in the first quarter of the year compared to the corresponding period of 2017 and total visitors by 22.2%.
Compared to the same quarter last year, turnover in accommodation and catering services in the first quarter increased by 10.9% versus last year’s increase of 0.9%.
Revenue growth of over 12% was recorded by hotels in each category in the first five months of 2018 compared to 2017. For example, May saw a rise of 15.7%, compared to May 2017.
Occupancy of hotels in Athens and Thessaloniki increased by 2.4% in the period January - May 2018 compared to the corresponding period of 2017, reaching an average of 70.4%. This May the occupancy rate exceeded 85%. In the holiday 'resorts' of all categories across Greece, occupancy rates in the first five months of the year increased by 13.7%, averaging 63.5%.
An increase of 10.6% in revenue per available room was recorded in Athens and Thessaloniki hotels during the first five months of 2017 and 25.8% in resorts.
An extra 298,171 jobs were created in the first half of 2018.
All elements of state and business entities directly and indirectly involved with tourism (Hellenic Statistical Authority, Civil Aviation Authority, Fraport, Athens International Airport, National Air Navigation Authority, Bank of Greece, Panhellenic Federation of Hoteliers, Ergani) attest to an impressive growth rate of Greek tourism in 2018.
Significant benefits for all productive sectors from the spectacular growth of tourism were also mentioned by the Minister of Tourism Elena Kountoura with her speech at the recent meeting of the Board of Directors. of the Athens Chamber of Commerce.
From the data gathered from these institutions, the Minister reported:
* 12.4% growth was recorded in foreign tourism in the first quarter, exceeding 1.8 million visitors - not only a record but showing that for the first time Greece had significant foreign tourist activity during the winter season as well.
* Also there was a 13.2% annual increase in net tourism revenues in the first quarter, amounting to 554€ million euros.
* An increase of 8.7% was recorded in the first quarter compared to the same period last year in the travel to Attica, which remained the top Greek destination with more than 751,000 foreign visitors.
The diffusion of benefits is geographically universal, as for the first time all regions of Greece have benefited from the rise of tourism. The destinations of Western Greece recorded an increase of 147.4% in the first quarter of 2018, an increase of 91% in the Anatolian Macedonia - Thrace, 71.6% in West Macedonia, 58.6% in the region of Epirus, 47% in Thessaly, in the North Aegean 41%. At the same time, the most popular destinations, such as the South Aegean (up 17.2%), Crete (up 15%) and Sterea Hellas (up 12.6%) recorded an increase in revenues.
Increased traffic at airports
An impressive increase of 20.4% was recorded in the five-month period of international aviation arrivals compared to last year, surpassing 4.5 million visitors.
In the January-June period, an increase of 16.8% was recorded of international passenger traffic in the 14 regional airports managed by Fraport.
An increase of 15.7% was recorded in international passenger traffic in Athens International Airport in the first six months compared to last year.
An additional 1.2 million extra visitors (totaling more than 10 million visitors) are projected to visit Greece between July and October compared to last year, with direct connections from foreign airports to 19 Greek regional destinations.
Over 30% more tickets to museums and archaeological sites sold
An increase of 31.4% was recorded in the sale of tickets at museums and archaeological sites in the first quarter of the year compared to the corresponding period of 2017 and total visitors by 22.2%.
Compared to the same quarter last year, turnover in accommodation and catering services in the first quarter increased by 10.9% versus last year’s increase of 0.9%.
Revenue growth of over 12% was recorded by hotels in each category in the first five months of 2018 compared to 2017. For example, May saw a rise of 15.7%, compared to May 2017.
Occupancy of hotels in Athens and Thessaloniki increased by 2.4% in the period January - May 2018 compared to the corresponding period of 2017, reaching an average of 70.4%. This May the occupancy rate exceeded 85%. In the holiday 'resorts' of all categories across Greece, occupancy rates in the first five months of the year increased by 13.7%, averaging 63.5%.
An increase of 10.6% in revenue per available room was recorded in Athens and Thessaloniki hotels during the first five months of 2017 and 25.8% in resorts.
An extra 298,171 jobs were created in the first half of 2018.
"I would not say that it was one of the easiest meetings. But I am more optimistic than before the meeting." PM Tsipras
The President of Turkey spoke about his talks with Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in Brussels on Thursday.
"At our meeting we talked about the 8 military coup instigators, the issue of security in the Aegean, immigration and cooperation on this issue, the mosque in Athens, the Muslim minority, the Cyprus issue, and the Greek Cypriot side’s unilateral actions. Mr Tsipras moves with good attitude and intends to improve our relations. But we have to work harder.
At our meeting we talked about the military issues, as well as about the investments of Turkish investors in Greece. Greece is always waiting for Turkish investors.
We also spoke about the 8 FETO members who fled in Greece, as well as the two Greek soldiers under trial in Turkey because they violated the borders.
We also talked about the Fethiye Mosque, the issue of the mosques in Athens, their restoration. We examined in detail the issue of western Thrace. We reiterated the issue of electing a mufti not by appointment but through elections.
If God wants, the mufti will be elected. He does not say no. He tells us "we will move into a new system". He tells us "we will abolish the mufti's appointment". Let's say that green light has turned on this issue, but we can not say that the job has been finished.
Everybody knows our determination to fight the Gülenists (FETO). Mr. Tsipras knows that. I explained to him our persistence about the extradition of the 8 coup fugitives who fled to Greece after the 15 July coup attempt. Of course, he also stands on the issue of the soldiers who have violated the border in Adrianople. To sort out these issues, we have agreed to make a good effort.
We also talked about Cyprus. As part of developments in the northern and southern parts of the island, we discussed the Guterres framework. He will send his representative. There will be contacts. We must make our talks with Tsipras. Also, our Foreign Ministers, our intelligence services, the heads of our armed forces should discuss the Aegean issues in order to prepare matters. We will then discuss them".
After the meeting on the sidelines of the NATO summit, PM Tsipras said "I would not say that it was one of the easiest meetings. But I am more optimistic than before the meeting."
The President of Turkey spoke about his talks with Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in Brussels on Thursday.
"At our meeting we talked about the 8 military coup instigators, the issue of security in the Aegean, immigration and cooperation on this issue, the mosque in Athens, the Muslim minority, the Cyprus issue, and the Greek Cypriot side’s unilateral actions. Mr Tsipras moves with good attitude and intends to improve our relations. But we have to work harder.
At our meeting we talked about the military issues, as well as about the investments of Turkish investors in Greece. Greece is always waiting for Turkish investors.
We also spoke about the 8 FETO members who fled in Greece, as well as the two Greek soldiers under trial in Turkey because they violated the borders.
We also talked about the Fethiye Mosque, the issue of the mosques in Athens, their restoration. We examined in detail the issue of western Thrace. We reiterated the issue of electing a mufti not by appointment but through elections.
If God wants, the mufti will be elected. He does not say no. He tells us "we will move into a new system". He tells us "we will abolish the mufti's appointment". Let's say that green light has turned on this issue, but we can not say that the job has been finished.
Everybody knows our determination to fight the Gülenists (FETO). Mr. Tsipras knows that. I explained to him our persistence about the extradition of the 8 coup fugitives who fled to Greece after the 15 July coup attempt. Of course, he also stands on the issue of the soldiers who have violated the border in Adrianople. To sort out these issues, we have agreed to make a good effort.
We also talked about Cyprus. As part of developments in the northern and southern parts of the island, we discussed the Guterres framework. He will send his representative. There will be contacts. We must make our talks with Tsipras. Also, our Foreign Ministers, our intelligence services, the heads of our armed forces should discuss the Aegean issues in order to prepare matters. We will then discuss them".
After the meeting on the sidelines of the NATO summit, PM Tsipras said "I would not say that it was one of the easiest meetings. But I am more optimistic than before the meeting."
Supreme Court Ruling on Prespa Agreement
Yesterday the Greek Supreme Court [ΣτΕ], chaired by Vice President Athanasios Rantos and the rapporteur Mr Skaltsounis, rejected the petition of the Pan-Macedonian Organisations for the suspension of the Prespa Agreement, at the same overturning a number of arguments put forward by New Democracy with regard to the effects of the agreement.
Specifically, the Supreme Court scrutinised the organizations’ claims that by notifying NATO and the EU that Greece supports the accession of FYROM to the two organizations, "a situation will be created that will face the Greek Parliament with a fait accompli when it is called upon to ratify the accession acts, just as the danger lies in wait of the country being held responsible internationally if it does not do so." The Judges responded that it does not appear that these accession procedures will have been completed before the agreement comes into force nor does it appear that irreversible legal situations have been created. In addition, the Judges referred to the fact that, in the event that the agreement does not come into force both as a whole and "as regards its provisions separately, it will not bind any of the parties in any way".
The Supreme Court also rejected the danger of losing the name "Macedonian" for Greek products, on the one hand because the applicants did not have a legitimate interest in the issue, but mainly because they noted that this claim refers to "possible, future and uncertain situations which, moreover, are not directly caused by text of the agreement".
Accordingly, citing the danger of a revision of school textbooks in the direction of the falsification of Greek History, the Supreme Court responded that this consequence "is future and uncertain, mainly because it does not appear that any revision of textbooks is inevitable, but also much more importantly, any move in such a direction would of necessity be decided by the multidisciplinary committee that would be set up."
In addition, the court decision adds, "the legality of school curriculum can be challenged before the Supreme Court at a later stage".
Justice Minister Stavros Kontonis issued this statement: "The decision by the Committee of Suspensions of the Supreme Court is not just a blow for the far-right and the jingoists, who for weeks have traded in violence and excesses with allegations of "surrender"and "betrayal". Mostly it is a complete and thoroughly detailed scientific response by the Supreme Court against unfounded allegations of New Democracy and PASOK about completed facts, even in the event of the non-ratification of the Agreement."
"The violent propaganda has fallen into the void with the stamp of Justice and it is demonstrated in the most fervent way that the Government has fully safeguarded national interests both in substance and as regards the procedure to be followed."
He stressed that the following statements are also mentioned in the court’s decision:
-The decision of the International Court of Justice in The Hague of 5.12.2011 on violation of the Interim Agreement by Greece on the nomination of FYROM to NATO at the 2008 Bucharest Summit.
-There is no mention of the Macedonian Ethnicity just of Citizenship in the Prespa Agreement.
- It does not appear that a revision of the school manuals is inevitable.
- There is no risk of losing the name "Macedonian" for Greek products.
"We expect New Democracy, following the decision of the Committee of Suspensions of the Supreme Court, to cease unreasonable misinformation and misinformation if it wants to demonstrate in practice that it respects the judgments and the independence of the Judiciary.
Otherwise, let them declare that they disagree with the decision, putting forward arguments rather than inarticulate cries and lies that have nothing to do with the text of the Prespa Agreement and its provisions."
Yesterday the Greek Supreme Court [ΣτΕ], chaired by Vice President Athanasios Rantos and the rapporteur Mr Skaltsounis, rejected the petition of the Pan-Macedonian Organisations for the suspension of the Prespa Agreement, at the same overturning a number of arguments put forward by New Democracy with regard to the effects of the agreement.
Specifically, the Supreme Court scrutinised the organizations’ claims that by notifying NATO and the EU that Greece supports the accession of FYROM to the two organizations, "a situation will be created that will face the Greek Parliament with a fait accompli when it is called upon to ratify the accession acts, just as the danger lies in wait of the country being held responsible internationally if it does not do so." The Judges responded that it does not appear that these accession procedures will have been completed before the agreement comes into force nor does it appear that irreversible legal situations have been created. In addition, the Judges referred to the fact that, in the event that the agreement does not come into force both as a whole and "as regards its provisions separately, it will not bind any of the parties in any way".
The Supreme Court also rejected the danger of losing the name "Macedonian" for Greek products, on the one hand because the applicants did not have a legitimate interest in the issue, but mainly because they noted that this claim refers to "possible, future and uncertain situations which, moreover, are not directly caused by text of the agreement".
Accordingly, citing the danger of a revision of school textbooks in the direction of the falsification of Greek History, the Supreme Court responded that this consequence "is future and uncertain, mainly because it does not appear that any revision of textbooks is inevitable, but also much more importantly, any move in such a direction would of necessity be decided by the multidisciplinary committee that would be set up."
In addition, the court decision adds, "the legality of school curriculum can be challenged before the Supreme Court at a later stage".
Justice Minister Stavros Kontonis issued this statement: "The decision by the Committee of Suspensions of the Supreme Court is not just a blow for the far-right and the jingoists, who for weeks have traded in violence and excesses with allegations of "surrender"and "betrayal". Mostly it is a complete and thoroughly detailed scientific response by the Supreme Court against unfounded allegations of New Democracy and PASOK about completed facts, even in the event of the non-ratification of the Agreement."
"The violent propaganda has fallen into the void with the stamp of Justice and it is demonstrated in the most fervent way that the Government has fully safeguarded national interests both in substance and as regards the procedure to be followed."
He stressed that the following statements are also mentioned in the court’s decision:
-The decision of the International Court of Justice in The Hague of 5.12.2011 on violation of the Interim Agreement by Greece on the nomination of FYROM to NATO at the 2008 Bucharest Summit.
-There is no mention of the Macedonian Ethnicity just of Citizenship in the Prespa Agreement.
- It does not appear that a revision of the school manuals is inevitable.
- There is no risk of losing the name "Macedonian" for Greek products.
"We expect New Democracy, following the decision of the Committee of Suspensions of the Supreme Court, to cease unreasonable misinformation and misinformation if it wants to demonstrate in practice that it respects the judgments and the independence of the Judiciary.
Otherwise, let them declare that they disagree with the decision, putting forward arguments rather than inarticulate cries and lies that have nothing to do with the text of the Prespa Agreement and its provisions."
Thessaloniki Takes Action on Environmental Protection
A prosecutor in the northern port city of Thessaloniki has requested that the head of the city’s environmental monitoring agency and eight more inspectors should stand trial after an investigation revealed a high number of administrative violations.
The investigation was launched in 2015 on the orders of the country’s general inspector for public administration to scrutinise the work done by environmental inspectors in northern Greece back to 2010.
However, the authorities were only able to collect data on the period from 2010 to 2011, as the head of the Thessaloniki agency refused to provide any details for the remaining four-year period.
Nevertheless, the Authorities still found many environmental violations had been “covered up, either through unjustified delays or by direct administrative orders”.
In 63 out of the 122 cases between 2010 and 2011 that were checked, significant delays, in some cases up to five years, were found. In many cases, no fines had been imposed on violators.
The delays concerned violations of environmental regulations at landfills, biological waste treatment facilities, private businesses and even hospitals.
According to the report, in the five-and-a-half years since the environmental monitoring agency’s inspection at nine hospitals, none of the cases has been brought to a conclusion.
A prosecutor in the northern port city of Thessaloniki has requested that the head of the city’s environmental monitoring agency and eight more inspectors should stand trial after an investigation revealed a high number of administrative violations.
The investigation was launched in 2015 on the orders of the country’s general inspector for public administration to scrutinise the work done by environmental inspectors in northern Greece back to 2010.
However, the authorities were only able to collect data on the period from 2010 to 2011, as the head of the Thessaloniki agency refused to provide any details for the remaining four-year period.
Nevertheless, the Authorities still found many environmental violations had been “covered up, either through unjustified delays or by direct administrative orders”.
In 63 out of the 122 cases between 2010 and 2011 that were checked, significant delays, in some cases up to five years, were found. In many cases, no fines had been imposed on violators.
The delays concerned violations of environmental regulations at landfills, biological waste treatment facilities, private businesses and even hospitals.
According to the report, in the five-and-a-half years since the environmental monitoring agency’s inspection at nine hospitals, none of the cases has been brought to a conclusion.
Alexis Tsipras
at the Industrial Association
of Northern Greece
14.7.2018
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, speaking at the Industrial Association of Northern Greece, announced the Ministry of Industry’s target of increasing industry’s contribution to the country’s GDP to 12%.
The Prime Minister criticized the Association of Enterprises and Industries [ΣΕΒ] for "its political interventions" distinguishing that from the stance of the Association of Industries of Northern Greece [ΣΒΕΕ]. "I know that all of you here, you are people who have everyday contact with the market and have your own opinions about what needs to change. And you have proved that behind your public positions, there are no other motives. Unfortunately, this is not always the case with the ΣΕΒ leadership, which, while there is a great deal of doubt about exactly which productive forces it represents, its motives are purely political and have nothing to do with the anxieties of either the business world or Greek society."
Alexis Tsipras accused ΣΕΒ that in its recent report "basically it is attempting to intervene in the public debate on the 2019 and 2020 measures, signalling the necessity of implementing them, whether or not we meet the targets. It is extremely interesting that ΣΕΒ almost always favours any anti-social and anti-development measure, in this case the pension cuts. Rushing this time to defend the position publicly expressed by New Democracy, and even reprimanding EU Commissioner Moskovic, who talked about non-fixed obligations that we can re-examine when the time comes."
"I would advise the ΣΕΒ leadership, to stop showing themselves up and to follow the example of your attitude, an attitude of responsibility accompanied by an inclination to make a real contribution to the country's recovery. And not adopt an attitude that serves exclusively the plans of the oligarchy of wealth and of a political-economic elite, which has a profound responsibility for the bankruptcy, for the sinking of the economy into the recession, and Greek society into despair."
Speaking as he was in Thessaloniki, PM Tsipras also referred to the FYROM name agreement. He noted the stance of the ΣΒΕΕ and its President and pointed out that "prospects for investment in the neighbouring country are opening up".
"I recognize and respect the citizens' sensitivities, particularly in northern Greece, about the FYROM nomenclature but I can not allow these sensitivities to fall victim to wilful falsifications and to a miserable political propaganda of political and petty party expediency that ultimately undermine the national interest," he said, reminding his audience that the Government had not deviated from the national line that has been shaped 20 years ago. He noted that Skopje's leadership "are no longer the nationalists and counterfeiters of history, but an honest and sincere leadership that seeks to establish strong ties of friendship and cooperation with our country - that considers Greece as the leading power of the Balkans, on which it relies for its economic recovery and its European prospects."
"The alternative was for us to continue to call them the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia while, however, the rest of the world recognizes them as Macedonia without the politically correct and enduring "former Yugoslavia". And this is not hypothetical, it is the reality of almost 25 years, with 140 countries having already recognised the neighbouring country by its constitutional name."
The Prime Minister specifically referred to the question of the name “Macedonian” on Greek products saying that "before the agreement, this naming was internationally monopolized by FYROM", but this "has been set aside because the agreement provides for the establishment of a UN-mandated committee to finally solve these issues by protecting the production and products of our Macedonia."
Alexis Tsipras called for "all the productive forces of the country to join in our plan to exit the crisis." He pointed out that the ΣΒΒΕ is the first social partner to talk about "after the debt agreement and the final end of the Memoranda" and stressed that the focus now is
- achieving high growth rates
- the further decline in unemployment
- raising the standard of living of working people
- the means needed for these purposes.
The growth sectors of the economy are those of tourism and culture, shipping, transport, agri-food production and processing, and industry that is "traditionally strong and established in the wider Balkan region".
"On the burning issue of taxation - I appreciate how much you care about it - especially since the President has mentioned it, I can now confidently tell you that, thanks to the current credibility of our public finances, there is a road map for targeted tax relief starting from the budget of 2019.".
"We have managed to achieve primary surpluses that have surpassed all estimates for three years in a row and we are heading for a fourth, starting from empty coffers. Today we are in a position to make tax deductions, calculated and planned rather than piecemeal. The more the economy stabilizes at high positive growth rates, the more we will be able to proceed with targetted tax relief. "
The Prime Minister criticized the Association of Enterprises and Industries [ΣΕΒ] for "its political interventions" distinguishing that from the stance of the Association of Industries of Northern Greece [ΣΒΕΕ]. "I know that all of you here, you are people who have everyday contact with the market and have your own opinions about what needs to change. And you have proved that behind your public positions, there are no other motives. Unfortunately, this is not always the case with the ΣΕΒ leadership, which, while there is a great deal of doubt about exactly which productive forces it represents, its motives are purely political and have nothing to do with the anxieties of either the business world or Greek society."
Alexis Tsipras accused ΣΕΒ that in its recent report "basically it is attempting to intervene in the public debate on the 2019 and 2020 measures, signalling the necessity of implementing them, whether or not we meet the targets. It is extremely interesting that ΣΕΒ almost always favours any anti-social and anti-development measure, in this case the pension cuts. Rushing this time to defend the position publicly expressed by New Democracy, and even reprimanding EU Commissioner Moskovic, who talked about non-fixed obligations that we can re-examine when the time comes."
"I would advise the ΣΕΒ leadership, to stop showing themselves up and to follow the example of your attitude, an attitude of responsibility accompanied by an inclination to make a real contribution to the country's recovery. And not adopt an attitude that serves exclusively the plans of the oligarchy of wealth and of a political-economic elite, which has a profound responsibility for the bankruptcy, for the sinking of the economy into the recession, and Greek society into despair."
Speaking as he was in Thessaloniki, PM Tsipras also referred to the FYROM name agreement. He noted the stance of the ΣΒΕΕ and its President and pointed out that "prospects for investment in the neighbouring country are opening up".
"I recognize and respect the citizens' sensitivities, particularly in northern Greece, about the FYROM nomenclature but I can not allow these sensitivities to fall victim to wilful falsifications and to a miserable political propaganda of political and petty party expediency that ultimately undermine the national interest," he said, reminding his audience that the Government had not deviated from the national line that has been shaped 20 years ago. He noted that Skopje's leadership "are no longer the nationalists and counterfeiters of history, but an honest and sincere leadership that seeks to establish strong ties of friendship and cooperation with our country - that considers Greece as the leading power of the Balkans, on which it relies for its economic recovery and its European prospects."
"The alternative was for us to continue to call them the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia while, however, the rest of the world recognizes them as Macedonia without the politically correct and enduring "former Yugoslavia". And this is not hypothetical, it is the reality of almost 25 years, with 140 countries having already recognised the neighbouring country by its constitutional name."
The Prime Minister specifically referred to the question of the name “Macedonian” on Greek products saying that "before the agreement, this naming was internationally monopolized by FYROM", but this "has been set aside because the agreement provides for the establishment of a UN-mandated committee to finally solve these issues by protecting the production and products of our Macedonia."
Alexis Tsipras called for "all the productive forces of the country to join in our plan to exit the crisis." He pointed out that the ΣΒΒΕ is the first social partner to talk about "after the debt agreement and the final end of the Memoranda" and stressed that the focus now is
- achieving high growth rates
- the further decline in unemployment
- raising the standard of living of working people
- the means needed for these purposes.
The growth sectors of the economy are those of tourism and culture, shipping, transport, agri-food production and processing, and industry that is "traditionally strong and established in the wider Balkan region".
"On the burning issue of taxation - I appreciate how much you care about it - especially since the President has mentioned it, I can now confidently tell you that, thanks to the current credibility of our public finances, there is a road map for targeted tax relief starting from the budget of 2019.".
"We have managed to achieve primary surpluses that have surpassed all estimates for three years in a row and we are heading for a fourth, starting from empty coffers. Today we are in a position to make tax deductions, calculated and planned rather than piecemeal. The more the economy stabilizes at high positive growth rates, the more we will be able to proceed with targetted tax relief. "
PM Tsipras at the West Balkans Summit in London
"Today Greece is back. Today Greece is emerging from the crisis and is regaining its leading role in the Balkans,"Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said in a statement after the conclusion of the Western Balkans Summit in London.
"Greece is now the force that can guarantee the European perspective of the Western Balkan countries, their security, peace, stability and impetus for growth."
Referring to the summit's debates, the Prime Minister said that "beyond the fact that everyone now recognizes this leading role that Greece is recovering in the region, we have discussed and proposed very important projects concerning the connectivity of Northern Greece in terms of transport, energy, and information technology with the Balkans. Plans for projects have already been made during the recent four-day meeting of Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania on the interconnection of the ports of Northern Greece with those of the Black Sea and the Danube, the energy projects, the IGB vertical axis, the TAP, rail and road links between Piraeus, Thessaloniki, Skopje, Belgrade and Budapest."
Mr Tsipras also said "ideas on the financial support for these projects were discussed and proposed, as well as the financial support for projects related to Greece's border with Macedonia in order to strengthen cross-border infrastructure and entrepreneurship on both sides".
"I want to say in a few words that this Summit shows the possibility and the perspective that the country can have as a leading force in the region," the Greek Prime Minister said. "But most of all, the prospect of Northern Greece , our Macedonia, Thessaloniki, as a focus of the economic development of the Balkan region. Thessaloniki can become the economic capital of the Balkans; Northern Greece can become a lever for growth in the region that can be the engine of growth for the whole Balkans."
"Today Greece is back. Today Greece is emerging from the crisis and is regaining its leading role in the Balkans,"Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said in a statement after the conclusion of the Western Balkans Summit in London.
"Greece is now the force that can guarantee the European perspective of the Western Balkan countries, their security, peace, stability and impetus for growth."
Referring to the summit's debates, the Prime Minister said that "beyond the fact that everyone now recognizes this leading role that Greece is recovering in the region, we have discussed and proposed very important projects concerning the connectivity of Northern Greece in terms of transport, energy, and information technology with the Balkans. Plans for projects have already been made during the recent four-day meeting of Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania on the interconnection of the ports of Northern Greece with those of the Black Sea and the Danube, the energy projects, the IGB vertical axis, the TAP, rail and road links between Piraeus, Thessaloniki, Skopje, Belgrade and Budapest."
Mr Tsipras also said "ideas on the financial support for these projects were discussed and proposed, as well as the financial support for projects related to Greece's border with Macedonia in order to strengthen cross-border infrastructure and entrepreneurship on both sides".
"I want to say in a few words that this Summit shows the possibility and the perspective that the country can have as a leading force in the region," the Greek Prime Minister said. "But most of all, the prospect of Northern Greece , our Macedonia, Thessaloniki, as a focus of the economic development of the Balkan region. Thessaloniki can become the economic capital of the Balkans; Northern Greece can become a lever for growth in the region that can be the engine of growth for the whole Balkans."
"No one has the luxury of not adopting a position"
"No one has the luxury of not adopting a position," said Labour Minister Efi Aichioglu during the parliamentary debate on insurance and pension regulations, provisions on undeclared work and protection measures for unaccompanied refugees.
The Minister underlined that the bill raised very specific questions:
"Are you in favour of strengthening the bargaining power and wage growth of working people, or of stifling them? Are you for collective labour agreements or for employers' arbitrariness? Are you for the rules of labour protection, or are you with the offending of the large contractors? Are you for a type of development that respects working people, or are you with the adventurers who go bankrupt and leave hundreds of families unpaid? Are you for legality or are you with the big offenders who hide their workers in commercial refrigerators so that the Labour Inspectorate will not find them? Are you for the public social security system for everyone, or for private insurance for the few and the rest in Καιάδα? [A pit or cavern in ancient Sparta into which were thrown those who did not match the ideal citizen Ed] Are you for the eight hour day or the twelve hour day of Mr. Kurtz? [Chancellor of Austria and Chairman of the Austrian People's Party Ed] " said Labour Minister, addressing the opposition, noting however that New Democracy had already given their answer: "Mr.Vroutsis [ND Spokesman Ed] gave the answer in the debate in Parliament, saying that the reforms he was putting forward would have the effect of reducing unemployment. Those structural and structural reforms were the lowering of the minimum wage, the abolition of collective bargaining and the reduction of redundancy payments."
"We are giving our own response in practice with the reintroduction of Collective Agreements, with Law 4488 in September 2017, with the support of the Labour Inspectorate [ΣΕΠΕ Ed], with the bill that I am presenting to you today, with the development plan."
"It is obvious that New Democracy is in complete alignment with the Association of Enterprises and Industries [ΣΕΒ] and its plan on labour issues is in line with the plan being implemented by the Chancellor in Austria, who is abolishing the eight hour day and turning it into a 12 hour day. This is also evidenced by New Democracy’s actions in the European Parliament's vote on professional drivers' schedules, where it, along with Golden Dawn, voted in favour of abolishing the 8-hour day and the 48-hour week. This is the work model of New Democracy and is quite often presented by ΣΕΒ, or by the President of the main opposition."
Regarding the fight against undeclared work, Ms.Achitsoglou pointed out that during the period of the deregulation of the labour protection legislation, control mechanisms were significantly weakened. "On the other hand," she said, "today's Government is strengthening the Labour Inspectorate so that it can respond to its crucial role by making its presence felt in the workplace. That is precisely why it is possible for us to have a full picture of the real effectiveness of the measures, and we are making the necessary changes."
The Minister for Labour stressed that "changing the architecture of the financial penalties for undeclared work is now linked to the element of justice for the worker, as three months' stamps are secured for the worker, while allowing the employer to conform by taking on the undeclared worker with a full-time contract".
She added that "taking into account the behaviour of the employer, controls and checks are being systematized" and if a repeat offender is found, the fines double or treble.
With regard to the regulation of work contracts, she stressed that "for us, to protect the world of work is clearly a priority. For the first time, we are setting rules on the establishment of work contracts where a number of abuses of employee rights are taking place. We have an integrated system of rules that establishes the joint and several liability of the contracting entity, the contractor and the subcontractor to employees in the performance of an assigned job."
For the provisions regulating internships, the Minister said that "there is a clear limit on the percentage of workers who can do work experience or an apprenticeship in a tourism enterprise. Their total number can not exceed 17% of workers per business or branch, up to a maximum of 40 persons in each case".
Referring to the national insurance system, the Labour Minister underlined the fact that the previous government bequeathed an insurance system with a 1.1€ billion deficit, after 11 successive pension cuts and 400 thousand unpaid pension benefits.
"Today, three years later, we have ensured the viability of the system, ΕΦΚΑ has a surplus of 400€ million. We have substantially reduced the outstanding pension claims. Having achieved the first objective, we are taking initiatives to close old wounds, to correct the social injustices of the past that we inherited. We are demonstrating this with the current draft law, which allows for the deletion of a series of debts,"said Mrs. Atschigoglu.
"Cleisthenes 1"
The Bill on "Cleisthenes 1" was passed by Parliament by 150 votes in favour with 123 against.
Articles 28 and 56, which establish simple proportions in municipal and regional elections, were adopted with 161 votes in favour and 111 against. The amendment on the division of Athens and the Attica Region was passed with 241 votes in favour and 31 votes against.
The amendment on the simultaneous conduct of local elections and European elections was voted by 149 votes against 122, while one MP abstained.
Interior Minister Panos Skourletis accepted the amendment tabled by 16 members of SYRIZA, agreeing that "the transition (from 'Kallikrates' to' Cleisthenes') must be done in a smooth manner '. This will ensure, among other things, that the next municipal elections will be held on the basis of simple proportional representation.
"No one has the luxury of not adopting a position," said Labour Minister Efi Aichioglu during the parliamentary debate on insurance and pension regulations, provisions on undeclared work and protection measures for unaccompanied refugees.
The Minister underlined that the bill raised very specific questions:
"Are you in favour of strengthening the bargaining power and wage growth of working people, or of stifling them? Are you for collective labour agreements or for employers' arbitrariness? Are you for the rules of labour protection, or are you with the offending of the large contractors? Are you for a type of development that respects working people, or are you with the adventurers who go bankrupt and leave hundreds of families unpaid? Are you for legality or are you with the big offenders who hide their workers in commercial refrigerators so that the Labour Inspectorate will not find them? Are you for the public social security system for everyone, or for private insurance for the few and the rest in Καιάδα? [A pit or cavern in ancient Sparta into which were thrown those who did not match the ideal citizen Ed] Are you for the eight hour day or the twelve hour day of Mr. Kurtz? [Chancellor of Austria and Chairman of the Austrian People's Party Ed] " said Labour Minister, addressing the opposition, noting however that New Democracy had already given their answer: "Mr.Vroutsis [ND Spokesman Ed] gave the answer in the debate in Parliament, saying that the reforms he was putting forward would have the effect of reducing unemployment. Those structural and structural reforms were the lowering of the minimum wage, the abolition of collective bargaining and the reduction of redundancy payments."
"We are giving our own response in practice with the reintroduction of Collective Agreements, with Law 4488 in September 2017, with the support of the Labour Inspectorate [ΣΕΠΕ Ed], with the bill that I am presenting to you today, with the development plan."
"It is obvious that New Democracy is in complete alignment with the Association of Enterprises and Industries [ΣΕΒ] and its plan on labour issues is in line with the plan being implemented by the Chancellor in Austria, who is abolishing the eight hour day and turning it into a 12 hour day. This is also evidenced by New Democracy’s actions in the European Parliament's vote on professional drivers' schedules, where it, along with Golden Dawn, voted in favour of abolishing the 8-hour day and the 48-hour week. This is the work model of New Democracy and is quite often presented by ΣΕΒ, or by the President of the main opposition."
Regarding the fight against undeclared work, Ms.Achitsoglou pointed out that during the period of the deregulation of the labour protection legislation, control mechanisms were significantly weakened. "On the other hand," she said, "today's Government is strengthening the Labour Inspectorate so that it can respond to its crucial role by making its presence felt in the workplace. That is precisely why it is possible for us to have a full picture of the real effectiveness of the measures, and we are making the necessary changes."
The Minister for Labour stressed that "changing the architecture of the financial penalties for undeclared work is now linked to the element of justice for the worker, as three months' stamps are secured for the worker, while allowing the employer to conform by taking on the undeclared worker with a full-time contract".
She added that "taking into account the behaviour of the employer, controls and checks are being systematized" and if a repeat offender is found, the fines double or treble.
With regard to the regulation of work contracts, she stressed that "for us, to protect the world of work is clearly a priority. For the first time, we are setting rules on the establishment of work contracts where a number of abuses of employee rights are taking place. We have an integrated system of rules that establishes the joint and several liability of the contracting entity, the contractor and the subcontractor to employees in the performance of an assigned job."
For the provisions regulating internships, the Minister said that "there is a clear limit on the percentage of workers who can do work experience or an apprenticeship in a tourism enterprise. Their total number can not exceed 17% of workers per business or branch, up to a maximum of 40 persons in each case".
Referring to the national insurance system, the Labour Minister underlined the fact that the previous government bequeathed an insurance system with a 1.1€ billion deficit, after 11 successive pension cuts and 400 thousand unpaid pension benefits.
"Today, three years later, we have ensured the viability of the system, ΕΦΚΑ has a surplus of 400€ million. We have substantially reduced the outstanding pension claims. Having achieved the first objective, we are taking initiatives to close old wounds, to correct the social injustices of the past that we inherited. We are demonstrating this with the current draft law, which allows for the deletion of a series of debts,"said Mrs. Atschigoglu.
"Cleisthenes 1"
The Bill on "Cleisthenes 1" was passed by Parliament by 150 votes in favour with 123 against.
Articles 28 and 56, which establish simple proportions in municipal and regional elections, were adopted with 161 votes in favour and 111 against. The amendment on the division of Athens and the Attica Region was passed with 241 votes in favour and 31 votes against.
The amendment on the simultaneous conduct of local elections and European elections was voted by 149 votes against 122, while one MP abstained.
Interior Minister Panos Skourletis accepted the amendment tabled by 16 members of SYRIZA, agreeing that "the transition (from 'Kallikrates' to' Cleisthenes') must be done in a smooth manner '. This will ensure, among other things, that the next municipal elections will be held on the basis of simple proportional representation.
Recep Erdogan sworn in as new Super-President of Turkey
On Monday, Recep Tayyip Erdogan was sworn in for a new five-year mandate to Turkey's strengthened presidential post.
After his re-election on June 24th, securing 52.6% of the vote, Preseident Erdogan was sworn in before the National Assembly, where he committed himself to defend the principles of secular Turkey founded by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and to fulfill his duties in an "impartial" manner.
"As President of the country, I swear on my honour and integrity, before the great Turkish nation and its history, to work with all my might to protect and extol the glory and honour of the Republic of Turkey and to fulfill my duties which I undertake impartially."
In the past year, food prices increased by nearly 20%, transport tickets by 23%; inflation is over 15% and loan interest rates have climbed above 17%.
President Erdogan "will now have the institutional and legal power to control almost everything" under the new system, says Ayse Ayia, a professor of political science at the Middle East Technical University in Ankara.
The position of the Prime Minister is abolished and the President will now concentrate all executive powers in his hands and have the power to issue decrees. He will also appoint six of the thirteen members of the Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK), responsible for appointing and dismissing judicial staff.
As Chairman of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), President Erdogan will "have control over his party's MPs, which means he will control the country's executive, judiciary and legislative power," commented Emre Erdogan, a professor of political science at the University of Bilgi, Istanbul. "Such a system creates enormous opportunities for a president (...) to rule the country alone."
In President Erdoğan's "new Turkey", the post of prime minister is abolished and all executive power is now in the hands of the president. The Turkish president will appoint his ministers as well as one or more vice-presidents.
By a decree issued Monday, the Ministry of European Affairs was also abolished. From now on it will be part of the Foreign Ministry. Also, according to the decree, the years of office of officers will be determined by the presidency. At the same time, the law defining the responsibilities of the Chief of the Armed Forces and the National Security Council on security issues was abolished.
Monday was also be a significant day since, on Monday, July 9th, the state of emergency in place since the failed coup of July 2016 came to an end, 10 days ahead of the scheduled time.
However, in a State of Emergency Decree published on July 8th, the Government ordered the dismissal of more than 18,500 state employees including police officers, soldiers and academics.
According to the Official Gazette 18,632 people had been sacked, among them 8,998 police officers for suspected links to terror organisations "and groups 'acting against national security', over 3,000 army, air force and naval personnel, civil servants from the Justice Ministry, gendarmerie and coast guard staff.
Four thousand guests attended the ceremony among them 22 state leaders, vice-presidents, politicians, officials, and ministers.
Those who attended the ceremony were the Presidents of Bulgaria, Georgia, fYROMacedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Sudan, Guinea, Zambia, Equatorial Guinea, Somalia, Mauritania, Gabon, Chad, Djibouti, Venezuela, as well as the Emir of Qatar and the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mustafa Akinci. Present at the ceremony was also the European Commissioner for Immigration and Home Affairs, Dimitris Avramopoulos as well as prominent New Democracy MP, Dora Bakoyannis. The Greek Government was represented by the Greek Ambassador to Ankara, Petros Mavroides.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew was among the guests.
"My God, lead us to the right path. He is infallible. Amen! I will be the President not only of those who voted for me but of all 81 million citizens of Turkey", President Erdoğan said, sending a message of unity and giving a religious tone to the way in which the country will be governed.
Russian Relations Strained
The Greek Government has decided to expel two Russian diplomats, and ban the entry into Greece of two more, accusing them of intrusion into domestic affairs and illegal acts against Greece’s national security.
Greece is accusing the Russian diplomats of failed efforts to extract and circulate information, and to bribe Greek state operatives.
According to high-level Greek diplomatic sources, tensions have been brewing between Greece and Russia over the last two years for reasons that have to do with regional security.
Despite this latest development, the same sources note that Greece continues, in line with its long-standing policy, to want good cooperative relations with Russia and to promote friendship between the two peoples, but they add that this can only be the case if both countries respect each other’s sovereignty.
They also point to the careful stance Greece took in the Skripal affair when it did not follow other Western countries that expelled Russian diplomats, a position that was welcomed by Russia.
The same sources note that despite the efforts by the Greek government to keep relations with Russia on a good level, lately various circles that are connected to Russian interests have been meddling in Greek domestic affairs.
Through monetary rewards they are trying to influence municipalities, metropolitans in the Greek Orthodox hierarchy, and to gain influence in Mount Athos.
They point to the effort by Russia to intervene in a sensitive domestic issue like the agreement between Greece and FYROM over its name, and by doing so negatively affect Greece’s role in the Balkans.
On Monday, Recep Tayyip Erdogan was sworn in for a new five-year mandate to Turkey's strengthened presidential post.
After his re-election on June 24th, securing 52.6% of the vote, Preseident Erdogan was sworn in before the National Assembly, where he committed himself to defend the principles of secular Turkey founded by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and to fulfill his duties in an "impartial" manner.
"As President of the country, I swear on my honour and integrity, before the great Turkish nation and its history, to work with all my might to protect and extol the glory and honour of the Republic of Turkey and to fulfill my duties which I undertake impartially."
In the past year, food prices increased by nearly 20%, transport tickets by 23%; inflation is over 15% and loan interest rates have climbed above 17%.
President Erdogan "will now have the institutional and legal power to control almost everything" under the new system, says Ayse Ayia, a professor of political science at the Middle East Technical University in Ankara.
The position of the Prime Minister is abolished and the President will now concentrate all executive powers in his hands and have the power to issue decrees. He will also appoint six of the thirteen members of the Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK), responsible for appointing and dismissing judicial staff.
As Chairman of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), President Erdogan will "have control over his party's MPs, which means he will control the country's executive, judiciary and legislative power," commented Emre Erdogan, a professor of political science at the University of Bilgi, Istanbul. "Such a system creates enormous opportunities for a president (...) to rule the country alone."
In President Erdoğan's "new Turkey", the post of prime minister is abolished and all executive power is now in the hands of the president. The Turkish president will appoint his ministers as well as one or more vice-presidents.
By a decree issued Monday, the Ministry of European Affairs was also abolished. From now on it will be part of the Foreign Ministry. Also, according to the decree, the years of office of officers will be determined by the presidency. At the same time, the law defining the responsibilities of the Chief of the Armed Forces and the National Security Council on security issues was abolished.
Monday was also be a significant day since, on Monday, July 9th, the state of emergency in place since the failed coup of July 2016 came to an end, 10 days ahead of the scheduled time.
However, in a State of Emergency Decree published on July 8th, the Government ordered the dismissal of more than 18,500 state employees including police officers, soldiers and academics.
According to the Official Gazette 18,632 people had been sacked, among them 8,998 police officers for suspected links to terror organisations "and groups 'acting against national security', over 3,000 army, air force and naval personnel, civil servants from the Justice Ministry, gendarmerie and coast guard staff.
Four thousand guests attended the ceremony among them 22 state leaders, vice-presidents, politicians, officials, and ministers.
Those who attended the ceremony were the Presidents of Bulgaria, Georgia, fYROMacedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Sudan, Guinea, Zambia, Equatorial Guinea, Somalia, Mauritania, Gabon, Chad, Djibouti, Venezuela, as well as the Emir of Qatar and the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mustafa Akinci. Present at the ceremony was also the European Commissioner for Immigration and Home Affairs, Dimitris Avramopoulos as well as prominent New Democracy MP, Dora Bakoyannis. The Greek Government was represented by the Greek Ambassador to Ankara, Petros Mavroides.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew was among the guests.
"My God, lead us to the right path. He is infallible. Amen! I will be the President not only of those who voted for me but of all 81 million citizens of Turkey", President Erdoğan said, sending a message of unity and giving a religious tone to the way in which the country will be governed.
Russian Relations Strained
The Greek Government has decided to expel two Russian diplomats, and ban the entry into Greece of two more, accusing them of intrusion into domestic affairs and illegal acts against Greece’s national security.
Greece is accusing the Russian diplomats of failed efforts to extract and circulate information, and to bribe Greek state operatives.
According to high-level Greek diplomatic sources, tensions have been brewing between Greece and Russia over the last two years for reasons that have to do with regional security.
Despite this latest development, the same sources note that Greece continues, in line with its long-standing policy, to want good cooperative relations with Russia and to promote friendship between the two peoples, but they add that this can only be the case if both countries respect each other’s sovereignty.
They also point to the careful stance Greece took in the Skripal affair when it did not follow other Western countries that expelled Russian diplomats, a position that was welcomed by Russia.
The same sources note that despite the efforts by the Greek government to keep relations with Russia on a good level, lately various circles that are connected to Russian interests have been meddling in Greek domestic affairs.
Through monetary rewards they are trying to influence municipalities, metropolitans in the Greek Orthodox hierarchy, and to gain influence in Mount Athos.
They point to the effort by Russia to intervene in a sensitive domestic issue like the agreement between Greece and FYROM over its name, and by doing so negatively affect Greece’s role in the Balkans.
Hydrousa Project Launched
On Thursday and Friday at Lavrio in Attica, 27 partners, including some leading European universities, presented the HYDROUSA project. Funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme, its aim is to use water from nonconventional sources, including wastewater, to diminish or ideally eliminate the need to bring in fresh water from elsewhere and to reduce the cost of freshwater.
HYDROUSA intends to set up, demonstrate and optimize innovative on-site nature-based solutions to recover fresh water, nutrients and energy from wastewater, rainwater, groundwater, atmospheric water vapour and seawater to produce marketable products. This is seen as helping to increase agricultural production and boost the economic activities of water-scarce Mediterranean areas.
A number of islands and coastal areas in the Mediterranean face significant water shortage problems resulting in environmental problems and a reduction in agricultural activity. Furthermore, the prices people and businesses pay for water are often very high due to desalination and/or transportation costs.
Starting this month on the Greek islands of Lesvos, Myconos and Tinos, the 54-month “Water Loops” project expects to change all this by valorizing nonconventional water resources to be used for multiple purposes that will boost the water, energy and agricultural profile of these regions. Energy will be recovered from wastewater to be used by the local municipalities.
After the wastewater has been treated, the nutrients contained in sewage will be recycled to boost agricultural production. High added-value crops, herbs and essential oils will be produced using such water. The idea is that the project will help Greece and other Mediterranean and EU countries boost their fresh water reserves, enhance agricultural activities and solve chronic water resource problems faced by decentralized communities where fresh water is in short supply. Furthermore, this approach will provide more jobs in the water and agricultural sectors.
The 12€ million project’s stakeholders include the National Technical University of Athens, Brunel University of London, local authorities and technical companies.
On Thursday and Friday at Lavrio in Attica, 27 partners, including some leading European universities, presented the HYDROUSA project. Funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme, its aim is to use water from nonconventional sources, including wastewater, to diminish or ideally eliminate the need to bring in fresh water from elsewhere and to reduce the cost of freshwater.
HYDROUSA intends to set up, demonstrate and optimize innovative on-site nature-based solutions to recover fresh water, nutrients and energy from wastewater, rainwater, groundwater, atmospheric water vapour and seawater to produce marketable products. This is seen as helping to increase agricultural production and boost the economic activities of water-scarce Mediterranean areas.
A number of islands and coastal areas in the Mediterranean face significant water shortage problems resulting in environmental problems and a reduction in agricultural activity. Furthermore, the prices people and businesses pay for water are often very high due to desalination and/or transportation costs.
Starting this month on the Greek islands of Lesvos, Myconos and Tinos, the 54-month “Water Loops” project expects to change all this by valorizing nonconventional water resources to be used for multiple purposes that will boost the water, energy and agricultural profile of these regions. Energy will be recovered from wastewater to be used by the local municipalities.
After the wastewater has been treated, the nutrients contained in sewage will be recycled to boost agricultural production. High added-value crops, herbs and essential oils will be produced using such water. The idea is that the project will help Greece and other Mediterranean and EU countries boost their fresh water reserves, enhance agricultural activities and solve chronic water resource problems faced by decentralized communities where fresh water is in short supply. Furthermore, this approach will provide more jobs in the water and agricultural sectors.
The 12€ million project’s stakeholders include the National Technical University of Athens, Brunel University of London, local authorities and technical companies.
No Holds Barred in Debate on the Economy
7.7.2018
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and New Democracy leader Kyriacos Mitsotakis went head-to-head during a tense parliamentary debate on the economy on Thursday. The debate had been requested by New Democracy following the latest Eurogroup decisions on Greece. In his opening speech, Alexis Tsipras thanked Mitsotakis for requesting the debate on the economy, a request he called a “gift” to the Government, which provided an opportunity to present the significant recent achievements.
The PM went over the record of previous governments in the handling of the economy, stressing the high unemployment rate and recession delivered to the SYRIZA-ANEL coalition in 2015. He also accused the previous governments of failing to address the country’s debt-pile and to put an end to the bailout-era. “Greece was treated by investors as a failed State” Alexis Tsipras charged.
“Greece is safely exiting the Memoranda which you plunged the country into” he told Mr. Mitsotakis.
PM Tsipras hailed the decision of the 21 June Eurogroup as “truly historic”, as it allows Greece to return to the financial markets, secure debt relief and create a path to growth for the next 15 years. The decision had been met positively by the finance markets, he added.
"You are not concerned with the needs of people, only your political survival, the thirst for return to power"
"You desperately want to cut pensions and you tremble at the possibility of that measure not being implemented, that is your big fear. It was revealing, you showed the Greek citizens what your real intentions are. People's needs do not concern you, just your political survival, the thirst for a return to power. Your doctrine is “the worse it is for the people the better it is for you. You completely lose your temper and are exposed."
He continued, saying Kyriakos Mitsotakis organized a trip to Berlin and Brussels to defend his close party interests. "Mr. Mitsotakis was not ashamed to go to Berlin to ask for assurances that Germany would push for the measure of pension cuts to be implemented. Does he not understand that this unethical political sabotage harms not the government but the country itself?"
"They are not interested in anyone’s standard of living; people's needs do not concern them. The only thing that concerns them is their political survival and power. When they see the possibility of things being better for the people, then they lose their temper. You should be ashamed before the Greek citizens. We will tell everything, and every last citizen will see through you."
"You have taken the same embarrassing attitude to the refugee issue. There is no bottom to the barrel of your self-delusion."
The Prime Minister said that Mr. Mitsotakis is "just a political construct of the country's business elite, including your friend, Mr. Frouzis of Novartis, the one you shamelessly told us you do not know. The man you did not know, then, organised dinners in your honour. And in direct consultation with you, he actively participated in your campaign for your election to the leadership of the New Democracy. And you also had the audacity to tell us from this platform, that we set up a plot about Novartis and we smeared innocent people."
"Greece yesterday, bankruptcy, interdependence and corruption, is over. Greece of today and tomorrow is a country that stands again on its own two feet. Together with the great national effort for economic and social reconstruction, it is putting its house in order. And it is cutting the connections to the abscesses of the past. Greece will not go back. Greece has stood on its feet and is going forward."
Continuing his criticism of the ND president, he said he is "trapped in a catastrophic cul-de-sac ... detrimental to the country. The end of the Memoranda makes you feel that the earth is giving way beneath your feet because you know that what you have put forward as a ND programme to appeal to the Greek people at the next election cannot stand up in the absence of a Memorandum. Your catastrophic and anti-social policies can not be justified without the alibi of a Memorandum’s coercion.
"Now is the time to talk about Greece of the future and the choices facing the Greek people are clear, is it going to be an eight-hour day or a twelve-hour day? With the welfare state or with redundancies? With work protection or with its destruction? with collective bargaining or with the jungle of deregulation?"
Referring to the opposition's stance on the agreement with fYROM, the Prime Minister spoke of a very dangerous game. "Driven by the far-right faction of your party, you have decided to play games with a crucial national issue. To divide the Greeks to keep your party united.
"Adopting the speech and practices of a new nationalism, you offer political cover to fascism. You have given the opportunity to all sorts of nationalist and fascist groups to come to the fore. To threaten, to abuse, to assault."
He also accused the ND President on the refugee issue of lining up with "the far right of Orbán and Kurtz, for a fortress Europe that raises walls against the hunted" and "denies co-responsibility and solidarity."
"In a nutshell, you have chosen your camp in the debate on the future of Europe and the world. You are on the wrong side of history. Until recently, you were characterized as a neoliberal. Today, with your attitude to Macedonian and refugee questions, you are also characterized by the international media as a Greek Orbán. The extreme right, Mr. Mitsotakis, is the last haven for political fraudsters who are based only on lies, propaganda and division. And you prove that you are one of them, a political scam artist. Because at the moment you spread divisiveness, you tell barefaced lies to the face of the Greek people."
The Prime Minister described as "a sleight of hand" and "a distortion of reality" Mr. Mitsotakis' assertions against the Prespa Agreement and urged the President of the New Democracy and the MPs to read the their identity cards. In fact, he held in his hand a 2007 police ID and read out that in the space for ethnicity [ιθαγένεια] is written "Nationality". "Nowhere does the Prespa Agreement refer to a Macedonian nation."
Mr. Tsipras presented Kyriakos Mitsotakis with an interview given by Kyriakos Mitsotakis himself, published in the newspaper "Epsilon" of Eleftherotypia on January 17, 1993, with the headline: "No, Macedonia is not a big issue! And the question must be solved by compromise, a composite name, a geographical definition."
He commented that "then Kyriakos Mitsotakis was defending a position that was the official position of New Democracy and of the late Konstantinos Mitsotakis and hence was in a correct attitude and position in relation to his political heritage, a position which he has later repeated many times in public statements but also from this platform here."
"In 2016, I remind you, Mr Mitsotakis, on the Macedonian question, was denouncing us here in Parliament, because you could not the fact that our position is that of Bucharest and the composite name. Of course, later, for reasons that have to do with, and are well-known to have to do with the need for the unity of your party and the hegemony of the extreme-right wing, it changed its position and moved to a view that is not the standing position either of yourself or of your faction."
The Economy
"Mr. Mitsotakis, I accept with great pleasure the gift you make me by us having a thorough discussion on economic issues after the country's historic success."
"In a few days, now, in August, to your great sorrow, the country is definitively and irrevocably emerging from the programme. Where your own Governments failed, ours has succeeded."
"You have been concerned about how to lay mines for the country and how the next government should be faced with economic strangulation."
"The image of the country has changed sharply, unemployment has dropped to a three-year low by seven points and youth unemployment is close to 20 percentage points. 350,000 new jobs have already been created and this figure is expected to increase significantly this year as well as in the coming years. The budgetary targets for each year of the Third Programme have been greatly exceeded. And of course this happened without the need for new rounds of unbearable cuts for the social majority. Also, after almost a decade, Greece has recorded positive growth rates. In 2017, GDP grew by almost 1.5% and in the first quarter of 2018 GDP growth was 2.3%, ie almost six times the Eurozone average which closed at 0.4% for the first quarter."
"The positive image is also reflected in the key indices of domestic production," the prime minister explained, listing items such as the 6.7% increase in the Turnover Index in Industry, the increase of almost 30% of the net inflows of foreign direct investment in Greece for 2017 and the increase in the total value of exports of goods and services in April 2018 by 11.6%.
"And all this, it is only the beginning of a trajectory that will constantly accelerate. Especially after the decisive - and I would say historic - recent decision by the Eurogroup."
As regards the Eurogroup decision, PM Tsipras stressed that it was about finalizing the Third Programme."And of course, the acknowledgement that Greece no longer needs loans from the official sector, but can under its own steam return to the normality of borrowing from the financial markets."
In order to regulate the Greek debt, he noted that it is "a decision that brings debt back onto a viable path, and most importantly, it is shaping a clean corridor for the Greek economy for the next 15 years".
"As you know, the success or otherwise of this decision, whatever we say between ourselves, would be judged by the markets the next day. The recovery recorded by the Greek bond yields on June 22nd shows that this solution has been accepted with great satisfaction. Unless, along with Moskovic and the European officials, the financial markets are part of this international conspiracy in favour of SYRIZA."
About the Eurogroup decision on post-memorandum monitoring, Alexis Tsipras noted: "And what we have not heard about in this Chamber ... about the suffocating supervision, about new Memoranda, about conceding sovereignty until 2060 ... about the notorious 4th Memorandum, these things seem not only to be your hidden fantasy but also your desperate desire. "
"The monitoring of the Greek economy will take the form of reports on its trajectory and possibly the suggestion of some interventions if necessary. Just as it is with all the countries that have emerged from Memoranda. The Greek Government will take into account the data of these reports. However, the first and last word on interventions will be its own."
"Greece will have the first and last word on its present and future. No one other than the elected representatives of the Greek people."
"I did not refer to all these positive developments for the country to convince Mr. Mitsotakis. He has headed off, away from the real anxieties and needs of the citizens."
"I am addressing myself to the Greek people who are listening to us at this moment and who are seeing that after many years the country has prospects, who are seeing that everything we have done to get to this point had a purpose."
"We did not make a difficult compromise three years ago just to prevent the return of those who looted and bankrupted the country. Rather we proceeded with a plan for the recovery of the economy and with the constant, unwavering goal of healing the wounds of the crisis, to create the conditions to improve the standard of living of our fellow citizens."
"The most crucial period is now beginning, and we are now working on the necessary interventions that will gradually restore normality to the country and improve the daily lives of citizens."
"Let us protect the world of work. Strengthen the bargaining power of employees. Improve working conditions, raise wages, reduce employers' arbitrary behaviour. Further strengthen the welfare state. So that none of our fellow citizens is left on the sidelines."
The PM went over the record of previous governments in the handling of the economy, stressing the high unemployment rate and recession delivered to the SYRIZA-ANEL coalition in 2015. He also accused the previous governments of failing to address the country’s debt-pile and to put an end to the bailout-era. “Greece was treated by investors as a failed State” Alexis Tsipras charged.
“Greece is safely exiting the Memoranda which you plunged the country into” he told Mr. Mitsotakis.
PM Tsipras hailed the decision of the 21 June Eurogroup as “truly historic”, as it allows Greece to return to the financial markets, secure debt relief and create a path to growth for the next 15 years. The decision had been met positively by the finance markets, he added.
"You are not concerned with the needs of people, only your political survival, the thirst for return to power"
"You desperately want to cut pensions and you tremble at the possibility of that measure not being implemented, that is your big fear. It was revealing, you showed the Greek citizens what your real intentions are. People's needs do not concern you, just your political survival, the thirst for a return to power. Your doctrine is “the worse it is for the people the better it is for you. You completely lose your temper and are exposed."
He continued, saying Kyriakos Mitsotakis organized a trip to Berlin and Brussels to defend his close party interests. "Mr. Mitsotakis was not ashamed to go to Berlin to ask for assurances that Germany would push for the measure of pension cuts to be implemented. Does he not understand that this unethical political sabotage harms not the government but the country itself?"
"They are not interested in anyone’s standard of living; people's needs do not concern them. The only thing that concerns them is their political survival and power. When they see the possibility of things being better for the people, then they lose their temper. You should be ashamed before the Greek citizens. We will tell everything, and every last citizen will see through you."
"You have taken the same embarrassing attitude to the refugee issue. There is no bottom to the barrel of your self-delusion."
The Prime Minister said that Mr. Mitsotakis is "just a political construct of the country's business elite, including your friend, Mr. Frouzis of Novartis, the one you shamelessly told us you do not know. The man you did not know, then, organised dinners in your honour. And in direct consultation with you, he actively participated in your campaign for your election to the leadership of the New Democracy. And you also had the audacity to tell us from this platform, that we set up a plot about Novartis and we smeared innocent people."
"Greece yesterday, bankruptcy, interdependence and corruption, is over. Greece of today and tomorrow is a country that stands again on its own two feet. Together with the great national effort for economic and social reconstruction, it is putting its house in order. And it is cutting the connections to the abscesses of the past. Greece will not go back. Greece has stood on its feet and is going forward."
Continuing his criticism of the ND president, he said he is "trapped in a catastrophic cul-de-sac ... detrimental to the country. The end of the Memoranda makes you feel that the earth is giving way beneath your feet because you know that what you have put forward as a ND programme to appeal to the Greek people at the next election cannot stand up in the absence of a Memorandum. Your catastrophic and anti-social policies can not be justified without the alibi of a Memorandum’s coercion.
"Now is the time to talk about Greece of the future and the choices facing the Greek people are clear, is it going to be an eight-hour day or a twelve-hour day? With the welfare state or with redundancies? With work protection or with its destruction? with collective bargaining or with the jungle of deregulation?"
Referring to the opposition's stance on the agreement with fYROM, the Prime Minister spoke of a very dangerous game. "Driven by the far-right faction of your party, you have decided to play games with a crucial national issue. To divide the Greeks to keep your party united.
"Adopting the speech and practices of a new nationalism, you offer political cover to fascism. You have given the opportunity to all sorts of nationalist and fascist groups to come to the fore. To threaten, to abuse, to assault."
He also accused the ND President on the refugee issue of lining up with "the far right of Orbán and Kurtz, for a fortress Europe that raises walls against the hunted" and "denies co-responsibility and solidarity."
"In a nutshell, you have chosen your camp in the debate on the future of Europe and the world. You are on the wrong side of history. Until recently, you were characterized as a neoliberal. Today, with your attitude to Macedonian and refugee questions, you are also characterized by the international media as a Greek Orbán. The extreme right, Mr. Mitsotakis, is the last haven for political fraudsters who are based only on lies, propaganda and division. And you prove that you are one of them, a political scam artist. Because at the moment you spread divisiveness, you tell barefaced lies to the face of the Greek people."
The Prime Minister described as "a sleight of hand" and "a distortion of reality" Mr. Mitsotakis' assertions against the Prespa Agreement and urged the President of the New Democracy and the MPs to read the their identity cards. In fact, he held in his hand a 2007 police ID and read out that in the space for ethnicity [ιθαγένεια] is written "Nationality". "Nowhere does the Prespa Agreement refer to a Macedonian nation."
Mr. Tsipras presented Kyriakos Mitsotakis with an interview given by Kyriakos Mitsotakis himself, published in the newspaper "Epsilon" of Eleftherotypia on January 17, 1993, with the headline: "No, Macedonia is not a big issue! And the question must be solved by compromise, a composite name, a geographical definition."
He commented that "then Kyriakos Mitsotakis was defending a position that was the official position of New Democracy and of the late Konstantinos Mitsotakis and hence was in a correct attitude and position in relation to his political heritage, a position which he has later repeated many times in public statements but also from this platform here."
"In 2016, I remind you, Mr Mitsotakis, on the Macedonian question, was denouncing us here in Parliament, because you could not the fact that our position is that of Bucharest and the composite name. Of course, later, for reasons that have to do with, and are well-known to have to do with the need for the unity of your party and the hegemony of the extreme-right wing, it changed its position and moved to a view that is not the standing position either of yourself or of your faction."
The Economy
"Mr. Mitsotakis, I accept with great pleasure the gift you make me by us having a thorough discussion on economic issues after the country's historic success."
"In a few days, now, in August, to your great sorrow, the country is definitively and irrevocably emerging from the programme. Where your own Governments failed, ours has succeeded."
"You have been concerned about how to lay mines for the country and how the next government should be faced with economic strangulation."
"The image of the country has changed sharply, unemployment has dropped to a three-year low by seven points and youth unemployment is close to 20 percentage points. 350,000 new jobs have already been created and this figure is expected to increase significantly this year as well as in the coming years. The budgetary targets for each year of the Third Programme have been greatly exceeded. And of course this happened without the need for new rounds of unbearable cuts for the social majority. Also, after almost a decade, Greece has recorded positive growth rates. In 2017, GDP grew by almost 1.5% and in the first quarter of 2018 GDP growth was 2.3%, ie almost six times the Eurozone average which closed at 0.4% for the first quarter."
"The positive image is also reflected in the key indices of domestic production," the prime minister explained, listing items such as the 6.7% increase in the Turnover Index in Industry, the increase of almost 30% of the net inflows of foreign direct investment in Greece for 2017 and the increase in the total value of exports of goods and services in April 2018 by 11.6%.
"And all this, it is only the beginning of a trajectory that will constantly accelerate. Especially after the decisive - and I would say historic - recent decision by the Eurogroup."
As regards the Eurogroup decision, PM Tsipras stressed that it was about finalizing the Third Programme."And of course, the acknowledgement that Greece no longer needs loans from the official sector, but can under its own steam return to the normality of borrowing from the financial markets."
In order to regulate the Greek debt, he noted that it is "a decision that brings debt back onto a viable path, and most importantly, it is shaping a clean corridor for the Greek economy for the next 15 years".
"As you know, the success or otherwise of this decision, whatever we say between ourselves, would be judged by the markets the next day. The recovery recorded by the Greek bond yields on June 22nd shows that this solution has been accepted with great satisfaction. Unless, along with Moskovic and the European officials, the financial markets are part of this international conspiracy in favour of SYRIZA."
About the Eurogroup decision on post-memorandum monitoring, Alexis Tsipras noted: "And what we have not heard about in this Chamber ... about the suffocating supervision, about new Memoranda, about conceding sovereignty until 2060 ... about the notorious 4th Memorandum, these things seem not only to be your hidden fantasy but also your desperate desire. "
"The monitoring of the Greek economy will take the form of reports on its trajectory and possibly the suggestion of some interventions if necessary. Just as it is with all the countries that have emerged from Memoranda. The Greek Government will take into account the data of these reports. However, the first and last word on interventions will be its own."
"Greece will have the first and last word on its present and future. No one other than the elected representatives of the Greek people."
"I did not refer to all these positive developments for the country to convince Mr. Mitsotakis. He has headed off, away from the real anxieties and needs of the citizens."
"I am addressing myself to the Greek people who are listening to us at this moment and who are seeing that after many years the country has prospects, who are seeing that everything we have done to get to this point had a purpose."
"We did not make a difficult compromise three years ago just to prevent the return of those who looted and bankrupted the country. Rather we proceeded with a plan for the recovery of the economy and with the constant, unwavering goal of healing the wounds of the crisis, to create the conditions to improve the standard of living of our fellow citizens."
"The most crucial period is now beginning, and we are now working on the necessary interventions that will gradually restore normality to the country and improve the daily lives of citizens."
"Let us protect the world of work. Strengthen the bargaining power of employees. Improve working conditions, raise wages, reduce employers' arbitrary behaviour. Further strengthen the welfare state. So that none of our fellow citizens is left on the sidelines."
“We can lay the foundations for a European, democratically-based Balkans”
On Wednesday PM Alexis Tsipras, Bulgarian PM Boyko Borissov, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and PM Viorica Dancila of Romania held their fourth Quadrilateral Summit in Thessaloniki.
Emerging from the meeting, PM Borissov said that Bulgaria guaranteed that its Presidency of the Council of the EU in the first half of 2018 would turn into a Balkan Presidency. He also said that Romania, Greece and Bulgaria would lobby for Serbia's entry into the EU but it is important that it fulfils
the criteria. "We have to raise the gross domestic product and incomes, and become wealthier nations. Bulgaria used to have a single bridge with Romania [across the Danube] while Budapest alone has seven bridges. The bridge at Vidin-Calafat has four times more traffic than was expected," he said.
The Bulgarian Prime Minister said that the countries in the region should introduce a uniform tariff for the import of goods and make it payable at а one-stop shop. "Bourgas-Alexandroupolis [railway corridor] is a key project for us аnd I hope the Ministers will prepare the projects and the financing by the end of September. We are also working on the gas interconnectors with Serbia and Greece and on a gas hub
which will bring Russian natural gas," said Borissov. "We will ask EU commissioners to help us with this idea."
PM Tsipras called the Bulgarian EU Presidency "very successful", adding that in essence, it was a Balkan EU Presidency. He said the upcoming 16+1 Summit in Sofia, in which Greece is to participate, was also on the agenda of the Thessaloniki meeting. He stressed that being located at the crossroads of three
continents, the Balkans will play a significant geopolitical and economic role in the future. The Greek Prime Minister stated that the steps taken during the Bulgarian EU Presidency opened up new prospects for the Balkans.
"It closes a cycle of progress and opens another, new cycle, even more promising"
Alexis Tsipras said "I think we have a new, dynamic future ahead of us, as long as we have a vision for our region and dare to make progress even if it is often against the current." " Just with these steps, we can lay the foundations for a European, democratically-based Balkans that is not based on nationalism, fear and introversion or inertia but on co-development and cooperation. "
As the Greek Prime Minister said, the four leaders underlined their support for International Law as the framework on which their cooperation and dialogue should be built.
In this context, they stressed:
-The importance they attach to the accession course [ to join the EU Ed] of all the Western Balkans and, in particular, Serbia, for which they note that it has taken significant steps in this direction and is a country with a crucial role in the stability and security of the Western Balkans .
- Their support for the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen area as well sine the two countries have fulfilled the relevant criteria, as stressed in the March 2012 European Council Conclusions.
Above all, the four leaders talked about the positive prospects in the wider region in the areas of economy, transport and infrastructure.
With the support of the relevant ministers who participated in the Summit, they discussed the creation of a "ring" of combined road, rail and sea transport and transport and specific projects that will advance in the next period, such as:
1. The rail links between Thessaloniki and Rousse and Thessaloniki-Skopje-Belgrade.
2. The energy projects such as the Greek-Bulgarian gas pipeline IGB and the Vertical Corridor.
3. The role of not only the port of Thessaloniki but also of Kavala and Alexandroupolis for the region as well as the ports of the Black Sea.
4. The important opportunities open to companies in the four countries that will undertake the projects.
The Greek Prime Minister made a flashback of what happened last year to show the progress that has been made by saying that "no one expected that they would change so much in our region and that this initiative would be widened - with the participation of her prime minister Romania - and would make a significant contribution to developments by promoting and promoting a new era of regional cooperation and development in the Balkans. "
He recalled the situation in previous years and said:
-In 2014, when - unfortunately - the EU-Western Balkans Ministerial Summit failed to re-launch the Thessaloniki Agenda, President Juncker announced that for 5 years there would be no enlargement of the EU, and Chancellor Merkel was promoting a Berlin Process excluded European countries in the region from the dialogue.
-2015-2016 with all the difficulties we have experienced with the refugee crisis and the financial crisis in Greece.
-2017 with the very serious political crises in Albania and FYROM.
At this point he remarked that in the last year we had the complete reversal of this course and more specifically:
-The signing of the Bulgaria-FYROM agreement.
-The successful Bulgarian Presidency and the extremely important EU-Western Balkans Summit
-The historic Prespa Agreement, which a year ago was something unthinkable, laying the groundwork for solving an extremely important issue and giving a new perspective to the whole region.
-The important decisions on Serbia-Montenegro's accession pathways (the prospect of them joining in 2025), as well as FYROM (if there is a positive outcome and a commonly accepted name) and Albania.
For his part, President Vucic said the Thessaloniki meeting was very important for Serbia, which sets great store by the support from Bulgaria, Greece and Romania. He explained that this was the first time the four leaders had talked about a joint venture that will manage the transport infrastructure projects and the trade revenues generated by the four countries.
PM Dancila congratulated PM Borissov on the successful completion of the EU Presidency, adding that Romania's stint starts in January 2019. She said the Western Balkans would stay in the focus of the EU Council Presidency.
The next quadrilateral meeting will be held in Varna in late September.
On Wednesday PM Alexis Tsipras, Bulgarian PM Boyko Borissov, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and PM Viorica Dancila of Romania held their fourth Quadrilateral Summit in Thessaloniki.
Emerging from the meeting, PM Borissov said that Bulgaria guaranteed that its Presidency of the Council of the EU in the first half of 2018 would turn into a Balkan Presidency. He also said that Romania, Greece and Bulgaria would lobby for Serbia's entry into the EU but it is important that it fulfils
the criteria. "We have to raise the gross domestic product and incomes, and become wealthier nations. Bulgaria used to have a single bridge with Romania [across the Danube] while Budapest alone has seven bridges. The bridge at Vidin-Calafat has four times more traffic than was expected," he said.
The Bulgarian Prime Minister said that the countries in the region should introduce a uniform tariff for the import of goods and make it payable at а one-stop shop. "Bourgas-Alexandroupolis [railway corridor] is a key project for us аnd I hope the Ministers will prepare the projects and the financing by the end of September. We are also working on the gas interconnectors with Serbia and Greece and on a gas hub
which will bring Russian natural gas," said Borissov. "We will ask EU commissioners to help us with this idea."
PM Tsipras called the Bulgarian EU Presidency "very successful", adding that in essence, it was a Balkan EU Presidency. He said the upcoming 16+1 Summit in Sofia, in which Greece is to participate, was also on the agenda of the Thessaloniki meeting. He stressed that being located at the crossroads of three
continents, the Balkans will play a significant geopolitical and economic role in the future. The Greek Prime Minister stated that the steps taken during the Bulgarian EU Presidency opened up new prospects for the Balkans.
"It closes a cycle of progress and opens another, new cycle, even more promising"
Alexis Tsipras said "I think we have a new, dynamic future ahead of us, as long as we have a vision for our region and dare to make progress even if it is often against the current." " Just with these steps, we can lay the foundations for a European, democratically-based Balkans that is not based on nationalism, fear and introversion or inertia but on co-development and cooperation. "
As the Greek Prime Minister said, the four leaders underlined their support for International Law as the framework on which their cooperation and dialogue should be built.
In this context, they stressed:
-The importance they attach to the accession course [ to join the EU Ed] of all the Western Balkans and, in particular, Serbia, for which they note that it has taken significant steps in this direction and is a country with a crucial role in the stability and security of the Western Balkans .
- Their support for the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen area as well sine the two countries have fulfilled the relevant criteria, as stressed in the March 2012 European Council Conclusions.
Above all, the four leaders talked about the positive prospects in the wider region in the areas of economy, transport and infrastructure.
With the support of the relevant ministers who participated in the Summit, they discussed the creation of a "ring" of combined road, rail and sea transport and transport and specific projects that will advance in the next period, such as:
1. The rail links between Thessaloniki and Rousse and Thessaloniki-Skopje-Belgrade.
2. The energy projects such as the Greek-Bulgarian gas pipeline IGB and the Vertical Corridor.
3. The role of not only the port of Thessaloniki but also of Kavala and Alexandroupolis for the region as well as the ports of the Black Sea.
4. The important opportunities open to companies in the four countries that will undertake the projects.
The Greek Prime Minister made a flashback of what happened last year to show the progress that has been made by saying that "no one expected that they would change so much in our region and that this initiative would be widened - with the participation of her prime minister Romania - and would make a significant contribution to developments by promoting and promoting a new era of regional cooperation and development in the Balkans. "
He recalled the situation in previous years and said:
-In 2014, when - unfortunately - the EU-Western Balkans Ministerial Summit failed to re-launch the Thessaloniki Agenda, President Juncker announced that for 5 years there would be no enlargement of the EU, and Chancellor Merkel was promoting a Berlin Process excluded European countries in the region from the dialogue.
-2015-2016 with all the difficulties we have experienced with the refugee crisis and the financial crisis in Greece.
-2017 with the very serious political crises in Albania and FYROM.
At this point he remarked that in the last year we had the complete reversal of this course and more specifically:
-The signing of the Bulgaria-FYROM agreement.
-The successful Bulgarian Presidency and the extremely important EU-Western Balkans Summit
-The historic Prespa Agreement, which a year ago was something unthinkable, laying the groundwork for solving an extremely important issue and giving a new perspective to the whole region.
-The important decisions on Serbia-Montenegro's accession pathways (the prospect of them joining in 2025), as well as FYROM (if there is a positive outcome and a commonly accepted name) and Albania.
For his part, President Vucic said the Thessaloniki meeting was very important for Serbia, which sets great store by the support from Bulgaria, Greece and Romania. He explained that this was the first time the four leaders had talked about a joint venture that will manage the transport infrastructure projects and the trade revenues generated by the four countries.
PM Dancila congratulated PM Borissov on the successful completion of the EU Presidency, adding that Romania's stint starts in January 2019. She said the Western Balkans would stay in the focus of the EU Council Presidency.
The next quadrilateral meeting will be held in Varna in late September.
Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos: Next Steps
"We have all the pieces of the puzzle about the debt and I think they can give the confidence that investors need," the Finance Minister said on Wednesday. "They should be much more confident about Greece after August 21st".
"Greece is in a position to self-finance its debt after the relief measures which have been agreed."
Ahead of next week's meetings with investors in New York and Boston, Minister Tsakalotos stressed that the debt deal offers a clear corridor to investors "whether we are talking about a 10-year bond or direct foreign investment".
"I told them that all the pieces of the puzzle would come together on June 21 and that was done."
"We have all the pieces of the debt puzzle and I think they can give the confidence that investors need," he said. "I want to meet them, listen to their opinions, tell them my views, and explain why they should be much more confident about Greece after 21st August when we get out of the programme." Asked if Greece will need further debt relief to maintain its market access and service its debt in the long run, as the IMF said last week, Minister Tsakalotos said it is too early for such long-term assessments.
The promise of Eurozone Finance Ministers in 2017 to look at the issue again and do more if necessary is an additional safety net, he said.
"As things stand, with a serious government policy for sustainable growth, then I think everything points to sustainability," he said.
He added that the government is aiming to manage the debt not only through relief measures but also through development policies and reforms such as improving the business climate and improving the public sector.
Greece has exceeded its fiscal targets. But it is committed to achieving a primary surplus of 3.5% of GDP by 2022 and 2.2% of GDP between 2023 and 2060, which the IMF has described as "very ambitious" and "extremely high".
Minister Tsakalotos said that both the government and the partners may be re-examining the issue in the future.
"If you ask me as an economist, the primary surplus is too high," he said. "European economies in general have a framework that places great emphasis on budgetary discipline."
"The Greek Government will examine it and the Finance Ministers will do so to see if the IMF's opinion is correct and if there is a problem with its sustainability (the objective of a surplus in the long run)."
The Government estimates the 3.5% target overrun this year and distribution of the social dividend. By the end of July, the ministry's ministry will have to come up with proposals on how to allocate the surplus.
Asked whether he will proceed with tax reductions, he acknowledged that the sharing of the tax burden needs a review. Consideration is also to be given to reducing social security contributions together with raising the minimum wage.
"The real problem in Greece is who pays these taxes, that is what we are focussing on, that is why I said we are thinking perhaps to reduce the insurance contributions."
"Because there are clearly many self-employed people and small businesses that have been hit by both tax increases and insurance contributions," the Finance Minister added.
IMF Report on Greece
IMF Spokesman on Greece, Michalis Psalidopoulos, reported to the House of Representatives [USA] the conclusions of IMF officers following their visit to Greece:
* First: Greece will leave the programmes, having largely eliminated its macroeconomic imbalances.
* Second: Some major reforms have already been implemented.
* Third: Unemployment is falling, even if it is still high.
* Fourth: The recent debt relief agreement will ensure its medium-term viability.
* Fifth: Development has returned to Greece.
* Sixth: The country must be given credit for "significant fiscal adjustment".
* Seventh: The "current account adjustment" should also be given credit.
IMF spokesman, Michalis Psalidopoulos, left open the possibility of renegotiating pension cuts. He noted that the Eurogroup agreement ensures debt sustainability at least in the medium term and added that the IMF's definitive report on Greece containing the debt sustainability analysis will be more positive than the previous one. "The deal puts the debt issue in a more secure course, at least until 2032-2033," he said.
Referring to the high primary surpluses, he stressed that "as Greece applies the agreed measures and proves to the European partners that it is not going to end up in the situations of the first decade of the 21st century, it will be able to convince them that their insistence on high primary surpluses is excessive and is very likely to be discussed again in the future."
T-Bill Auction
On Wednesday Greece sold 26-week treasury bills at a yield of 0.85 percent, unchanged from the previous similar auction last month.
Wednesday’s auction amounted to 1.625€ billion, the Public Debt Management Agency (PDMA) announced. Total bids of 1.729€ billion were submitted, exceeding the required amount by 1.38 times.
"We have all the pieces of the puzzle about the debt and I think they can give the confidence that investors need," the Finance Minister said on Wednesday. "They should be much more confident about Greece after August 21st".
"Greece is in a position to self-finance its debt after the relief measures which have been agreed."
Ahead of next week's meetings with investors in New York and Boston, Minister Tsakalotos stressed that the debt deal offers a clear corridor to investors "whether we are talking about a 10-year bond or direct foreign investment".
"I told them that all the pieces of the puzzle would come together on June 21 and that was done."
"We have all the pieces of the debt puzzle and I think they can give the confidence that investors need," he said. "I want to meet them, listen to their opinions, tell them my views, and explain why they should be much more confident about Greece after 21st August when we get out of the programme." Asked if Greece will need further debt relief to maintain its market access and service its debt in the long run, as the IMF said last week, Minister Tsakalotos said it is too early for such long-term assessments.
The promise of Eurozone Finance Ministers in 2017 to look at the issue again and do more if necessary is an additional safety net, he said.
"As things stand, with a serious government policy for sustainable growth, then I think everything points to sustainability," he said.
He added that the government is aiming to manage the debt not only through relief measures but also through development policies and reforms such as improving the business climate and improving the public sector.
Greece has exceeded its fiscal targets. But it is committed to achieving a primary surplus of 3.5% of GDP by 2022 and 2.2% of GDP between 2023 and 2060, which the IMF has described as "very ambitious" and "extremely high".
Minister Tsakalotos said that both the government and the partners may be re-examining the issue in the future.
"If you ask me as an economist, the primary surplus is too high," he said. "European economies in general have a framework that places great emphasis on budgetary discipline."
"The Greek Government will examine it and the Finance Ministers will do so to see if the IMF's opinion is correct and if there is a problem with its sustainability (the objective of a surplus in the long run)."
The Government estimates the 3.5% target overrun this year and distribution of the social dividend. By the end of July, the ministry's ministry will have to come up with proposals on how to allocate the surplus.
Asked whether he will proceed with tax reductions, he acknowledged that the sharing of the tax burden needs a review. Consideration is also to be given to reducing social security contributions together with raising the minimum wage.
"The real problem in Greece is who pays these taxes, that is what we are focussing on, that is why I said we are thinking perhaps to reduce the insurance contributions."
"Because there are clearly many self-employed people and small businesses that have been hit by both tax increases and insurance contributions," the Finance Minister added.
IMF Report on Greece
IMF Spokesman on Greece, Michalis Psalidopoulos, reported to the House of Representatives [USA] the conclusions of IMF officers following their visit to Greece:
* First: Greece will leave the programmes, having largely eliminated its macroeconomic imbalances.
* Second: Some major reforms have already been implemented.
* Third: Unemployment is falling, even if it is still high.
* Fourth: The recent debt relief agreement will ensure its medium-term viability.
* Fifth: Development has returned to Greece.
* Sixth: The country must be given credit for "significant fiscal adjustment".
* Seventh: The "current account adjustment" should also be given credit.
IMF spokesman, Michalis Psalidopoulos, left open the possibility of renegotiating pension cuts. He noted that the Eurogroup agreement ensures debt sustainability at least in the medium term and added that the IMF's definitive report on Greece containing the debt sustainability analysis will be more positive than the previous one. "The deal puts the debt issue in a more secure course, at least until 2032-2033," he said.
Referring to the high primary surpluses, he stressed that "as Greece applies the agreed measures and proves to the European partners that it is not going to end up in the situations of the first decade of the 21st century, it will be able to convince them that their insistence on high primary surpluses is excessive and is very likely to be discussed again in the future."
T-Bill Auction
On Wednesday Greece sold 26-week treasury bills at a yield of 0.85 percent, unchanged from the previous similar auction last month.
Wednesday’s auction amounted to 1.625€ billion, the Public Debt Management Agency (PDMA) announced. Total bids of 1.729€ billion were submitted, exceeding the required amount by 1.38 times.
"Kleisthenes I" Goes to Parliament
Simple proportional representation as the electoral system in municipal and regional elections
The Ministry of Interior’s bill for the reform of the institutional framework of local government – the "Kleisthenes I" programme - was submitted to Parliament on Wednesday.
The main provisions of the draft law are the following:
All municipal and regional council seats to be allocated to the Combinations that participate in the elections, depending on the number of valid ballots received in the first round. If no Combination gets 50% plus 1, the vote is repeated the following Sunday (2nd round), between just the mayoral candidates of the two Combinations that received the most votes.
Local Government elections will be seperated from the European elections and will be held on the second Sunday of October (the upcoming will take place on 13 October), while municipal and regional term of office will return to the four-year period from the five years of the Kallikratis programme. The establishment of the new authorities shall take place on 1 January of the following year following the election and their term of office shall end on 31 December of the fourth year.
The number of candidate municipal councilors must be at least equal to the number of seats in each constituency.
"Kleisthenes 1" also includes arrangements for strengthening citizen participation by means of local and regional referenda on local issues.
The institution of the Municipal and Regional Support of the Citizen, which was provided by "Kallikratis" and did not have the expected results, is replaced by the Municipal and Regional Ombudsman.
The Municipalities are divided into five categories based on their population, their special geographical characteristics, the basic characteristics of the economic activity within their boundaries, their degree of urbanization, their inclusion or not in larger metropolitan urban planning complexes and their place in the administrative division of the country.
The allocation of state funding to municipalities will not only take into account their inclusion in the relevant category but also other criteria such as the length of water supply and sewerage networks as well as the municipal and rural road network, the level of availability of local resources, population variations by season, demographic trends, etc.
The bill is complemented by arrangements for the modernization of the institutional framework for the organization and operation of the Solid Waste Management Facility (FODSA) in the country, as well as provisions for the quicker allocation of citizenship and naturalization.
Simple proportional representation as the electoral system in municipal and regional elections
The Ministry of Interior’s bill for the reform of the institutional framework of local government – the "Kleisthenes I" programme - was submitted to Parliament on Wednesday.
The main provisions of the draft law are the following:
All municipal and regional council seats to be allocated to the Combinations that participate in the elections, depending on the number of valid ballots received in the first round. If no Combination gets 50% plus 1, the vote is repeated the following Sunday (2nd round), between just the mayoral candidates of the two Combinations that received the most votes.
Local Government elections will be seperated from the European elections and will be held on the second Sunday of October (the upcoming will take place on 13 October), while municipal and regional term of office will return to the four-year period from the five years of the Kallikratis programme. The establishment of the new authorities shall take place on 1 January of the following year following the election and their term of office shall end on 31 December of the fourth year.
The number of candidate municipal councilors must be at least equal to the number of seats in each constituency.
"Kleisthenes 1" also includes arrangements for strengthening citizen participation by means of local and regional referenda on local issues.
The institution of the Municipal and Regional Support of the Citizen, which was provided by "Kallikratis" and did not have the expected results, is replaced by the Municipal and Regional Ombudsman.
The Municipalities are divided into five categories based on their population, their special geographical characteristics, the basic characteristics of the economic activity within their boundaries, their degree of urbanization, their inclusion or not in larger metropolitan urban planning complexes and their place in the administrative division of the country.
The allocation of state funding to municipalities will not only take into account their inclusion in the relevant category but also other criteria such as the length of water supply and sewerage networks as well as the municipal and rural road network, the level of availability of local resources, population variations by season, demographic trends, etc.
The bill is complemented by arrangements for the modernization of the institutional framework for the organization and operation of the Solid Waste Management Facility (FODSA) in the country, as well as provisions for the quicker allocation of citizenship and naturalization.
Tripartite Agreement on Migrant Issue
Alexis Tsipras met with Pedro Sanchez (Spain) and Angela Merkel of Germany with a view to establishing a rationale for the management of the refugee cisis in Europe “in the face of the forces of far-right populism”. They made an agreement with a key axis on minimizing unlawful secondary flows in favour of the immediate acceleration of the reunification of refugee families in Germany.
The three leaders expressed their support for completing the revision of the Common European Asylum System in 2018 with the aim of striking the right balance between a fair sharing of responsibilities and solidarity.
"Until the implementation of the new Common European Asylum System, the interim measures imposed by those member countries who are willing to move forward collectively at European level are the best way to move forward," PM Tsipras said.
At the same time, the positive attitude of Greece and Spain has been agreed upon for the reception of asylum seekers identified in the future at the German border with Austria by the German authorities and their entry is recorded by Eurodac, while Germany will gradually accept and will complete the reunification of families from Greece and Spain. In particular, Germany has pledged to immediately process 2,900 requests for family reunification from Greece, and also to examine positively hundreds of other requests.
"On the basis of the reunions, the final balance for Greece will be extremely positive," said the Greek Prime Minister, stressing that "it is an act of solidarity and humanity, especially in a period that, unfortunately, as we have seen in the session, some people forget that the term “refugee” it does not refer to statistics and numbers but to human souls that have been parted under harsh conditions. "
PM Tsipras announced that in the next few years there will be similar agreements with other countries in order to include all the countries with progressive government along with France and Germany.
In this context, at the press conference, the Greek Prime Minister pointed out the deep divisions in the European Union between the democratic humanistic and the extreme conservative, chauvinistic and anti-immigrant perceptions. "What we knew as the founding principles and values of the EU, solidarity, humanism, respect for human rights and international law, are not common place for all 28," he said.
"Greece has put in first place the values of solidarity and co-responsibility, of humanity that constitute, or should constitute, the foundation of Europe."
Alexis Tsipras met with Pedro Sanchez (Spain) and Angela Merkel of Germany with a view to establishing a rationale for the management of the refugee cisis in Europe “in the face of the forces of far-right populism”. They made an agreement with a key axis on minimizing unlawful secondary flows in favour of the immediate acceleration of the reunification of refugee families in Germany.
The three leaders expressed their support for completing the revision of the Common European Asylum System in 2018 with the aim of striking the right balance between a fair sharing of responsibilities and solidarity.
"Until the implementation of the new Common European Asylum System, the interim measures imposed by those member countries who are willing to move forward collectively at European level are the best way to move forward," PM Tsipras said.
At the same time, the positive attitude of Greece and Spain has been agreed upon for the reception of asylum seekers identified in the future at the German border with Austria by the German authorities and their entry is recorded by Eurodac, while Germany will gradually accept and will complete the reunification of families from Greece and Spain. In particular, Germany has pledged to immediately process 2,900 requests for family reunification from Greece, and also to examine positively hundreds of other requests.
"On the basis of the reunions, the final balance for Greece will be extremely positive," said the Greek Prime Minister, stressing that "it is an act of solidarity and humanity, especially in a period that, unfortunately, as we have seen in the session, some people forget that the term “refugee” it does not refer to statistics and numbers but to human souls that have been parted under harsh conditions. "
PM Tsipras announced that in the next few years there will be similar agreements with other countries in order to include all the countries with progressive government along with France and Germany.
In this context, at the press conference, the Greek Prime Minister pointed out the deep divisions in the European Union between the democratic humanistic and the extreme conservative, chauvinistic and anti-immigrant perceptions. "What we knew as the founding principles and values of the EU, solidarity, humanism, respect for human rights and international law, are not common place for all 28," he said.
"Greece has put in first place the values of solidarity and co-responsibility, of humanity that constitute, or should constitute, the foundation of Europe."
Prespa Agreement
In a second vote on the law ratifying the Prespa Agreement with Greece on the name of the country following President Georges Ivanov’s refusal to sign-off the decree, FYROM's parliament voted with 69 votes in favour with one abstention. The opposition had left the parliament.
FYROM Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov said that the President is obliged by the Constitution to sign-off the decree after the second parliamentary vote.
Parliament Speaker, Talat Tseferi, announced that the law can be sent for publication in the Government Gazette under his own signature.
In a second vote on the law ratifying the Prespa Agreement with Greece on the name of the country following President Georges Ivanov’s refusal to sign-off the decree, FYROM's parliament voted with 69 votes in favour with one abstention. The opposition had left the parliament.
FYROM Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov said that the President is obliged by the Constitution to sign-off the decree after the second parliamentary vote.
Parliament Speaker, Talat Tseferi, announced that the law can be sent for publication in the Government Gazette under his own signature.
"Europe is called upon to face the spectre of its history - the need for solidarity and collective decisions in the EU"
30.6.2018
"The brightest days are ahead of us. Following a substantial Eurogroup debt relief decision, Greece is now ready to go out into the international markets. And to stand again on its own two feet," said Alexis Tsipras speaking at the London Business School on Wednesday.
He described the country's situation when his Government took over and what has changed in the last years of its governance. He focused on the dilemmas Europe faces and its proposals for a more open, democratic, solidarity-based Europe as the answer to the tidal wave of extreme right, right-wing populism, isolationism, racism and xenophobia that threaten it.
He stressed that unemployment, poverty, inequalities, and marginalization are part of European reality and policies are needed to tackle them. While pointing to the need for solidarity and collective decisions in the EU, he castigated the idea that everyone can do it on their own, noting that it is offensive and deceitful to think that we can hide in our shell and see others stumble.
He stressed that "even in the most difficult times, we did not lose our dedication to Europe, because we believe that Europe can and will change". We must, he emphasized, strengthen solidarity and block right-wing populism. "We have to shape the new face of Europe and let the world see the changes we have made."
Starting his speech, Alexis Tsipras said: "I bring good news from a place that was synonymous with bad news or even worse, depressing news." He said it had taken eight years to reverse things, and that, in fact, it took about 4 years for the government to reverse the path towards endless austerity and a recession that seemed irreversible. He stressed that from 2015 to 2018, "Greece has been transformed from an example of a monumental fiscal failure into a" subject of study "for exceeding fiscal targets and economic recovery," noting that for three years not only were the primary surplus targets achieved but those targets were exceeded by about 2% on average. "In addition to that, the goal was to put an end to the unprecedented recession spiral in which my country had fallen since 2009," he noted. He said that after 2016, which was the year of stabilization, it ended 2017 with a growth rate of 1.4% and in 2018 the figures would be higher. In fact, he said, in the first four months of 2018 we had a decade-long record of growth of 2.3%. The same applies to foreign direct investment. He also noted that the 4€ billion invested last year in Greece is also the highest amount of foreign direct investment since 2008.
The Prime Minister added that the same is true of all key sectors of the economy: exports are blossonimg, production is on a steady growth path, the banking sector is stable, with capital adequacy and an ongoing plan to reduce non-performing loans. He pointed out that tourism is one of the most powerful industries in the country, breaking one record after another, and that in 2018 it will be a record year of 32 million visitors.
Mr. Tsipras said that "these elements are beginning to leave their mark on the recovery, which affects all social aspects and, above all, unemployment." He said that Greece 4 years ago was a country with 27% unemployment and 60% unemployment among young people in particular. "That was Greece in 2014. We are now on a steady path to tackling this terrible consequence of unrestrained austerity and recession. 350,000 new jobs have been created, leading to a total 7% reduction over the last three years."
"Nothing went well when Europe decided to face an upcoming crisis by creating discrimination"
Speaking about Europe and the challenges it faces, Mr Tsipras pointed out that particular importance can be given to fiscal stability, which is key to avoiding potential threats to the European economy. "But what about growth? Investment? New Jobs? Social Protection? ," criticising the fact that Europe and the Eurozone in particular have decided to put these issues on hold and focus primarily on the budgetary strand."
He commented that austerity had been imposed as a punishment. He emphasised that as history reveals, however, nothing good happens when countries are treated as scapegoats and forced to endure such punishment. "Nothing went well when Europe decided to cope with an upcoming crisis, discriminating between the 'hardworking' and 'lazy' between North and South. And when you legitimise such discrimination it is transformed into a rule that is applied to every other situation and not just to the economy."
He pointed out that the refugee crisis proved this, as some Member States chose to avoid responsibility. "They even built walls and fences against the people trying to escape from war and terrorism," he commented, pointing out that "their attitude has created burdens on other countries, such as Greece, which dealt with the issue with respect for our shared responsibility and with humanity and solidarity."
"Europe has to face the spectre of its history"
The Prime Minister stressed that now Europe is harvesting the bitter fruits of its hesitation to bridge the gap of the discrimination which it itself created and that "Europe is now faced with the spectre of its history - nationalists, the far-right, neo-Nazis, who benefit from our collective hesitation to deal with the real issues," he said. He noted that unemployment, poverty, inequality, marginalisation are part of European reality "and we need responses and policies to deal with them because they have been shifted from the European ideals which united us."
The Greek Prime Minister condemned the logic that everyone can manage things on their own, noting that it is offensive and deceitful to think that we can hide in our shell and watch others stumble. He said it was offensive "because it forces the clock of history to turn back to its most turbulent period: when every nation was trying to impose its will on others." It is deceitful because in the era of globalization everything is connected, markets, trade, industry and people.
He commented that he understood that he was talking to a country where her people have chosen the lonely path away from the European family and that although he deeply respects this, he disagrees emphatically. Because, as he explained, although he comes from a country that has suffered terribly from the crisis and has paid the price of the EU's hesitation to show its solidarity, we have never lost our devotion to Europe, even at the most difficult times. "Because we think Europe can and must change," he said, but it is a long process. It is a marathon rather than a sprint.
He stressed that "this does not mean that we have all the time in the world at our disposal. On the contrary, we have to start today. " He stressed in particular that "we need to reform many aspects of the EU. We need more Europe but a more open and democratic Europe".
He set the dilemma: "We must decide whether to insist on the European ideal of solidarity or to let the EU get swept away by the tidal wave of right-wing populism and isolationism." He noted that "the answer is simple: we must strengthen solidarity and block right-wing populism at the same time. We need to show our solidarity on critical issues." In particular, he stressed that there could be no deep-seated recovery without a combination of public and private and social investment. "Fighting unemployment, securing a network of protection for the most vulnerable, safeguarding social welfare, deepening the development of the social and cooperative economy, investing in research and development are priorities that ensure that no one will get left behind in its new era of development,
The Prime Minister stressed that in order to curb racism and xenophobia, we need a fundamental renewal of European institutions and decision-making. "We must check the democratic deficit in Europe. This is of vital importance if we want citizens to see the EU not as a well oiled bureaucratic machine but as a democratic force that respects the will of its peoples." "We must shape the new face of Europe and let the world see the changes we have made. Europe must become a pillar of stability and a world leader, he noted.
He added that a new, effective peace-oriented model of European and global security must emerge. "Europe has no room to look back to the miserable past of conflicts and divisions. Europe must be a strong, open, democratic force that aims to change the world as a ray of progress - an example to be imitated, "said Alexis Tsipras, saying optimistically that "In the end we will achieve it".
He described the country's situation when his Government took over and what has changed in the last years of its governance. He focused on the dilemmas Europe faces and its proposals for a more open, democratic, solidarity-based Europe as the answer to the tidal wave of extreme right, right-wing populism, isolationism, racism and xenophobia that threaten it.
He stressed that unemployment, poverty, inequalities, and marginalization are part of European reality and policies are needed to tackle them. While pointing to the need for solidarity and collective decisions in the EU, he castigated the idea that everyone can do it on their own, noting that it is offensive and deceitful to think that we can hide in our shell and see others stumble.
He stressed that "even in the most difficult times, we did not lose our dedication to Europe, because we believe that Europe can and will change". We must, he emphasized, strengthen solidarity and block right-wing populism. "We have to shape the new face of Europe and let the world see the changes we have made."
Starting his speech, Alexis Tsipras said: "I bring good news from a place that was synonymous with bad news or even worse, depressing news." He said it had taken eight years to reverse things, and that, in fact, it took about 4 years for the government to reverse the path towards endless austerity and a recession that seemed irreversible. He stressed that from 2015 to 2018, "Greece has been transformed from an example of a monumental fiscal failure into a" subject of study "for exceeding fiscal targets and economic recovery," noting that for three years not only were the primary surplus targets achieved but those targets were exceeded by about 2% on average. "In addition to that, the goal was to put an end to the unprecedented recession spiral in which my country had fallen since 2009," he noted. He said that after 2016, which was the year of stabilization, it ended 2017 with a growth rate of 1.4% and in 2018 the figures would be higher. In fact, he said, in the first four months of 2018 we had a decade-long record of growth of 2.3%. The same applies to foreign direct investment. He also noted that the 4€ billion invested last year in Greece is also the highest amount of foreign direct investment since 2008.
The Prime Minister added that the same is true of all key sectors of the economy: exports are blossonimg, production is on a steady growth path, the banking sector is stable, with capital adequacy and an ongoing plan to reduce non-performing loans. He pointed out that tourism is one of the most powerful industries in the country, breaking one record after another, and that in 2018 it will be a record year of 32 million visitors.
Mr. Tsipras said that "these elements are beginning to leave their mark on the recovery, which affects all social aspects and, above all, unemployment." He said that Greece 4 years ago was a country with 27% unemployment and 60% unemployment among young people in particular. "That was Greece in 2014. We are now on a steady path to tackling this terrible consequence of unrestrained austerity and recession. 350,000 new jobs have been created, leading to a total 7% reduction over the last three years."
"Nothing went well when Europe decided to face an upcoming crisis by creating discrimination"
Speaking about Europe and the challenges it faces, Mr Tsipras pointed out that particular importance can be given to fiscal stability, which is key to avoiding potential threats to the European economy. "But what about growth? Investment? New Jobs? Social Protection? ," criticising the fact that Europe and the Eurozone in particular have decided to put these issues on hold and focus primarily on the budgetary strand."
He commented that austerity had been imposed as a punishment. He emphasised that as history reveals, however, nothing good happens when countries are treated as scapegoats and forced to endure such punishment. "Nothing went well when Europe decided to cope with an upcoming crisis, discriminating between the 'hardworking' and 'lazy' between North and South. And when you legitimise such discrimination it is transformed into a rule that is applied to every other situation and not just to the economy."
He pointed out that the refugee crisis proved this, as some Member States chose to avoid responsibility. "They even built walls and fences against the people trying to escape from war and terrorism," he commented, pointing out that "their attitude has created burdens on other countries, such as Greece, which dealt with the issue with respect for our shared responsibility and with humanity and solidarity."
"Europe has to face the spectre of its history"
The Prime Minister stressed that now Europe is harvesting the bitter fruits of its hesitation to bridge the gap of the discrimination which it itself created and that "Europe is now faced with the spectre of its history - nationalists, the far-right, neo-Nazis, who benefit from our collective hesitation to deal with the real issues," he said. He noted that unemployment, poverty, inequality, marginalisation are part of European reality "and we need responses and policies to deal with them because they have been shifted from the European ideals which united us."
The Greek Prime Minister condemned the logic that everyone can manage things on their own, noting that it is offensive and deceitful to think that we can hide in our shell and watch others stumble. He said it was offensive "because it forces the clock of history to turn back to its most turbulent period: when every nation was trying to impose its will on others." It is deceitful because in the era of globalization everything is connected, markets, trade, industry and people.
He commented that he understood that he was talking to a country where her people have chosen the lonely path away from the European family and that although he deeply respects this, he disagrees emphatically. Because, as he explained, although he comes from a country that has suffered terribly from the crisis and has paid the price of the EU's hesitation to show its solidarity, we have never lost our devotion to Europe, even at the most difficult times. "Because we think Europe can and must change," he said, but it is a long process. It is a marathon rather than a sprint.
He stressed that "this does not mean that we have all the time in the world at our disposal. On the contrary, we have to start today. " He stressed in particular that "we need to reform many aspects of the EU. We need more Europe but a more open and democratic Europe".
He set the dilemma: "We must decide whether to insist on the European ideal of solidarity or to let the EU get swept away by the tidal wave of right-wing populism and isolationism." He noted that "the answer is simple: we must strengthen solidarity and block right-wing populism at the same time. We need to show our solidarity on critical issues." In particular, he stressed that there could be no deep-seated recovery without a combination of public and private and social investment. "Fighting unemployment, securing a network of protection for the most vulnerable, safeguarding social welfare, deepening the development of the social and cooperative economy, investing in research and development are priorities that ensure that no one will get left behind in its new era of development,
The Prime Minister stressed that in order to curb racism and xenophobia, we need a fundamental renewal of European institutions and decision-making. "We must check the democratic deficit in Europe. This is of vital importance if we want citizens to see the EU not as a well oiled bureaucratic machine but as a democratic force that respects the will of its peoples." "We must shape the new face of Europe and let the world see the changes we have made. Europe must become a pillar of stability and a world leader, he noted.
He added that a new, effective peace-oriented model of European and global security must emerge. "Europe has no room to look back to the miserable past of conflicts and divisions. Europe must be a strong, open, democratic force that aims to change the world as a ray of progress - an example to be imitated, "said Alexis Tsipras, saying optimistically that "In the end we will achieve it".
EU Debate Response to Migration
On behalf of Greece, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras presented four proposals at the Informal Migration / Refugee Summit held in Brussels last Sunday 24th June on the initiative of the European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.
According to government sources, these proposals were:
1. Revise the European asylum system with a fair sharing of the burden of hosting.
2. Reinforcement of European first host countries.
3. Support for countries of transit and origin.
4. Replacement of Frontex by strong European Coast Guard and Brigade forces.
PM Tsipras expressed serious reservations about the creation of closed centres for refugees outside the European Union.
Following the meeting, he made the following statement:
"We had the opportunity today to have a substantive debate, preparatory to the Summit in a few days - next Thursday and Friday - on the crucial issue of the immigration and refugee crisis. This crisis, as you know, is not a conjunctural crisis. It is not a temporary affair. Europe will face it for some years to come. I therefore think - and this is particularly important - the great dilemma ahead of us is whether we will face this crisis by looking for European collective solutions, treating it as a European collective challenge or by treating it as a crisis that concerns those countries where the symptoms occur, and so each country would seek separate national solutions to tackle the problem.
In today's debate, because most of the participants - not everyone but most - are inclined to the first view that it is a European crisis and a European solution has to be sought, thoughts and opinions were heard. We did not end up with specifics and this meeting was preparatory. But I think I can at least tell you what we put forward from our side. So I set out the need not to proceed, not to deal with this problem in a fragmentary way. Unilateral actions in no way solve problems, but they create even more and I asked for the revision of the European Asylum System, which has passed its sell by date, the Dublin Agreement, to be revised as soon as possible.
I asked for support for the front-line host countries, for the countries of origin and transit. I also asked that we immediately set up a European return mechanism, but also to upgrade Frontex to a European coastguard and border guard. I have put forward the view that we should see as equally seriously both the issue of protecting European borders and the internal and external dimensions of the immigration crisis. This means that Europe should be guided by a policy of sharing responsibility, solidarity and mutual support rather than a policy that will only apply to those countries that are receiving refugee flows.
Regarding where this debate will end, I repeat that it is open. The Council will take place in a few days, where we may get a first picture, given - I repeat - that there are disagreements. In any case, I have expressed the view that countries which agree on the need to tackle this problem collectively and in a coordinated way should jointly go ahead with multilateral cooperation initiatives to tackle the problem. And those countries that do not agree with this approach obviously can not be forced, but it is certain that at some point they will find themselves facing other kinds of problems, and then, possibly, they may get a corresponding response also from all the other countries that they are showing towards the refugee problem.
As far as the issue of secondary flows is concerned, I would like to express my view, as I have expressed within the Council, that, as far as Greece is concerned, unilaterally, they closed our northern borders a long time ago. Therefore, we believe that secondary flows from Greece do not exist and, if they exist, some will be by illegal routes, they will be extremely limited. Therefore, this is not an issue that we consider to be a major issue. We want, we have no objection, there to be a co-ordinated effort to reduce the secondary flows but a priority for us of value and importance is for us to eradicate, if possible, the primary flows by the implementation of the EU-Turkey Agreement. Because, you know, reducing these illegal primary flows can enable this EU-Turkey agreement to work constructively and creatively, which I want to remind you does not mean that we are closing the doors and windows to legal immigration. On the contrary, it means closing the door to the traffickers' illegal activity and allowing legal flows through the asylum procedure, which is of course a process that respects international treaties and international law.
Finally, I stressed that I raised the issue of family reunification with great emphasis and expressed the view that Europe should not show an odious face in complete contradiction to its principles and values. A face which, unfortunately, other countries are showing at this time, something which has been commented on in the international press, but it is, I would say, a scourge in terms of the universal values that must govern our culture . Therefore, and this is particularly true of Greece, as we currently have a large number of cases of separated families that need reunification, we must immediately take the necessary steps to achieve this. "
Question: How important was this meeting for you? Was the EU-Turkey agreement discussed? Have there been bilateral agreements?
Prime Minister: "First of all, I want to repeat that today we have not made decisions. We have prepared for the [European] Council. I think there is a great dilemma that we have had to face. This concerns whether we want European solutions to a European problem or whether we believe that each country should solve the problem on its own. And this is an idea that some Member States believe, if the problem is not in their back yard, they do not have to deal with it, resolve it and show solidarity for common solutions. I line up with the first idea, with the first proposition. I think it is indeed a European problem and we need to find European solutions. The EU-Turkey agreement is a difficult agreement, but it is necessary. We are working hard to implement this agreement."
On behalf of Greece, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras presented four proposals at the Informal Migration / Refugee Summit held in Brussels last Sunday 24th June on the initiative of the European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.
According to government sources, these proposals were:
1. Revise the European asylum system with a fair sharing of the burden of hosting.
2. Reinforcement of European first host countries.
3. Support for countries of transit and origin.
4. Replacement of Frontex by strong European Coast Guard and Brigade forces.
PM Tsipras expressed serious reservations about the creation of closed centres for refugees outside the European Union.
Following the meeting, he made the following statement:
"We had the opportunity today to have a substantive debate, preparatory to the Summit in a few days - next Thursday and Friday - on the crucial issue of the immigration and refugee crisis. This crisis, as you know, is not a conjunctural crisis. It is not a temporary affair. Europe will face it for some years to come. I therefore think - and this is particularly important - the great dilemma ahead of us is whether we will face this crisis by looking for European collective solutions, treating it as a European collective challenge or by treating it as a crisis that concerns those countries where the symptoms occur, and so each country would seek separate national solutions to tackle the problem.
In today's debate, because most of the participants - not everyone but most - are inclined to the first view that it is a European crisis and a European solution has to be sought, thoughts and opinions were heard. We did not end up with specifics and this meeting was preparatory. But I think I can at least tell you what we put forward from our side. So I set out the need not to proceed, not to deal with this problem in a fragmentary way. Unilateral actions in no way solve problems, but they create even more and I asked for the revision of the European Asylum System, which has passed its sell by date, the Dublin Agreement, to be revised as soon as possible.
I asked for support for the front-line host countries, for the countries of origin and transit. I also asked that we immediately set up a European return mechanism, but also to upgrade Frontex to a European coastguard and border guard. I have put forward the view that we should see as equally seriously both the issue of protecting European borders and the internal and external dimensions of the immigration crisis. This means that Europe should be guided by a policy of sharing responsibility, solidarity and mutual support rather than a policy that will only apply to those countries that are receiving refugee flows.
Regarding where this debate will end, I repeat that it is open. The Council will take place in a few days, where we may get a first picture, given - I repeat - that there are disagreements. In any case, I have expressed the view that countries which agree on the need to tackle this problem collectively and in a coordinated way should jointly go ahead with multilateral cooperation initiatives to tackle the problem. And those countries that do not agree with this approach obviously can not be forced, but it is certain that at some point they will find themselves facing other kinds of problems, and then, possibly, they may get a corresponding response also from all the other countries that they are showing towards the refugee problem.
As far as the issue of secondary flows is concerned, I would like to express my view, as I have expressed within the Council, that, as far as Greece is concerned, unilaterally, they closed our northern borders a long time ago. Therefore, we believe that secondary flows from Greece do not exist and, if they exist, some will be by illegal routes, they will be extremely limited. Therefore, this is not an issue that we consider to be a major issue. We want, we have no objection, there to be a co-ordinated effort to reduce the secondary flows but a priority for us of value and importance is for us to eradicate, if possible, the primary flows by the implementation of the EU-Turkey Agreement. Because, you know, reducing these illegal primary flows can enable this EU-Turkey agreement to work constructively and creatively, which I want to remind you does not mean that we are closing the doors and windows to legal immigration. On the contrary, it means closing the door to the traffickers' illegal activity and allowing legal flows through the asylum procedure, which is of course a process that respects international treaties and international law.
Finally, I stressed that I raised the issue of family reunification with great emphasis and expressed the view that Europe should not show an odious face in complete contradiction to its principles and values. A face which, unfortunately, other countries are showing at this time, something which has been commented on in the international press, but it is, I would say, a scourge in terms of the universal values that must govern our culture . Therefore, and this is particularly true of Greece, as we currently have a large number of cases of separated families that need reunification, we must immediately take the necessary steps to achieve this. "
Question: How important was this meeting for you? Was the EU-Turkey agreement discussed? Have there been bilateral agreements?
Prime Minister: "First of all, I want to repeat that today we have not made decisions. We have prepared for the [European] Council. I think there is a great dilemma that we have had to face. This concerns whether we want European solutions to a European problem or whether we believe that each country should solve the problem on its own. And this is an idea that some Member States believe, if the problem is not in their back yard, they do not have to deal with it, resolve it and show solidarity for common solutions. I line up with the first idea, with the first proposition. I think it is indeed a European problem and we need to find European solutions. The EU-Turkey agreement is a difficult agreement, but it is necessary. We are working hard to implement this agreement."
Debt Relief : The Details
A SYRIZA Spokesman provided the following commentary on the significance of the agreed Debt Relief Measures:
“Debt relief totalling around 95€ billion has been achieved by the Greek Government, following the latest Eurogroup decision of 21st June. At the same time, the Greek State has been granted a security cushion for the next two years, which reaches 24.1€ billion. With the 3.3€ billion earmarked for the acquisition of part of Greece's debt to the IMF, this cushion amounts to 20.8€ billion.
While these figures can seem irrelevant to the everyday life of citizens, it is important to note that this restructuring leads our country out of the Memoranda, giving the Government the opportunity to pursue the policy it wants if the targets for surpluses are met. In addition, the Medium-term Strategy Framework 2019-2022 provides for tax cuts and an increase in social spending in the coming years, amounting to 3.5€ billion.
Moreover, the Government can now pursue its own development plan, which is already in the public sphere, and which was also mentioned by the Institutions in the recent Eurogroup, in terms of boosting growth for the coming years.
Already the next day's degree of freedom is also reflected in an annex to the latest decision of the eurozone finance ministers, which explicitly states the possibility of raising the minimum wage, while the return of collective agreements has already been agreed.
The Details
The debt relief is close to 95€ billion. Last Thursday's decision concerns the implementation of medium-term measures to alleviate Greek debt.
As ESM said in a recent announcement, this decision will reduce debt-to-GDP ratio by about 25% by 2060 and will reduce annual financing needs to GDP by 6%. The above translates to an amount of around 50€ billion.
With regard to the implementation of the medium-term measures, which will be analysed below, there is a reduction of 2.3€ billion from the postponement of payments, about 500€ million from the extensions in the loan period up to 2032, and the return of the European Central Bank's profits from Greek bonds will be in the order of 1.2€ billion for the period 2019-2022. Also, there will be a gain made from both the acquisition of part of our debt to the IMF. The above sums amount to 45€ billion.
Regarding the gains from the debt relief decision, it is important that a ten-year grace period is given for the EFSF loan, ie freezing capital and interest payments until 2032. Even more importantly, the decision provides for a ten-year extension of the maturing of EFSF loan bonds (ie about 100€ billion). This means that the weighted average maturity of the bonds on this loan rises from 22 to about 32 years. These bonds would begin to repay in 2023 and will begin to expire in 2033.
24.1€ billion"Cushion"
The 15€ billion disbursement increases the Greek Government's cash reserve to 24.1€ billion.
As Government sources said, "this means that the country's financing needs are covered for at least the next two years even in the worst-case scenario of not issuing new bonds. So, the Greek State can design its accessing of the markets without any pressure and only on the criterion of optimal management of Greek debt and not to service debt obligations. This development marks the definitive end of the credit line debate, as the line of support is already in the public fund without any pledges for conditional disbursements. "It is worth noting that out of the 24.1€ billion, an amount of 3.3€ billion is expected to be directed to the repayment of our country's debt to the IMF. At the moment our debts to the IMF are of the order of 10.4€ billion.
Return of profits
At the same time, a return from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and
from other Eurozone Central Banks of 4.8€
billion will be disbursed in four annual or eight half-yearly installments. A prerequisite for disbursing these funds is to achieve the objectives and meet the commitments contained in the Eurogroup decision. "Annually reimbursing 1.2€ billion to cover either development or financing expenditure will allow additional budgetary space as the primary surplus target remains at 3.5%, but we will have an annual return of 1.2€ billion."
Lower Primary Surpluses
Until 2022, the target for the primary surplus is 3.5% of GDP and at the last Eurogroup meeting it was clarified just how much "above, but close to 2% of GDP" should be the primary surpluses until 2060 based on of last year's decision. Eventually, it was set at 2.2%. It is noteworthy that this target would be set at 2.6% under the Stability and Growth Pact if there was no final decision.
How will oversight work?
The question now arises as to whether new commitments will emerge from the agreement and whether it is a new Memorandum. "Clearly not," Government sources said, adding that "the Assessment process is over. The monitoring of the Greek economy will consist of missions of Institutions that will result in reports likely to contain recommendations to the Greek authorities, as is the case with all the other countries that have left the programme."
The European Union has “simple” and “increased” oversight for countries that have left a Memorandum. Countries that have already completed programmes have “simple” oversight through semi-annual reports. In the case of Greece, oversight will be “increased” and will be every three months. As long as Greece achieves the goals, there is no question. And it is the Greek Government that chooses the means of achieving the goals, not the Institutions.
IMF and pensions
The IMF remained in the Greek programme as a "technical adviser",while acquiring a portion (3.3€ billion) of Greece's debt (10.4€ billion) from the “cushion”. This particular action also untied the "hands" of the Fund, as its Board of Directors is expected to say that Greek debt is viable in the medium term. Of course, this reduces the activity of the Fund within our country, and from autumn the debate about the non-implementation of the pension reduction measure from 1-1-2019 can be opened.
Minimum wage
The Commission has also published a two-page text covering the post-Memorandum period. According to this: "With regard to the labour market, Greece will ensure competitiveness through annual adjustment of the minimum wage according to the provisions of Law 4172/2012. The implementation of the action plan on undeclared work will be completed by the end of the year 2019 ".
It is a fact that with a Ministerial Act Act in 2012, the minimum wage in our country decreased from 751€ to 586€ for all employees, except for young people up to 25 years, for whom 511€ was set. In September the discussion is expected to start about how to increase it.”
Standard & Poor Give Greece B+
On Monday, the Rating Agency Standard & Poor announced the upgrading of Greece's long-term credit rating from B to B+, signifying that the economic outlook is stable.
The upgrading came less than 96 hours after the recent Eurogroup. The improved assessment came almost three weeks before S & P plans to announce the "rating" it would give to Greece and this is judged to accelerate the country's appeal procedures for borrowing directly from the markets.
The S & P statement referred to reduced risks in servicing Greece's debt and added that the creation of liquidity cushions and further debt extensions will reduce the debt-related risks in the next two years.
At the same time, it noted that the country's banks are making progress in reducing “red loans”, given that it will strengthen the financial environment.
The rationale for the upgrading is also the creation of a significant liquidity cushion in view of Greece's withdrawal from the Memoranda of Understanding in August: "In our estimation, the liquidity cushion significantly reduces the risk of financing for the government and increases accessibility to markets under more favourable conditions for both the state and the banking sector."
A SYRIZA Spokesman provided the following commentary on the significance of the agreed Debt Relief Measures:
“Debt relief totalling around 95€ billion has been achieved by the Greek Government, following the latest Eurogroup decision of 21st June. At the same time, the Greek State has been granted a security cushion for the next two years, which reaches 24.1€ billion. With the 3.3€ billion earmarked for the acquisition of part of Greece's debt to the IMF, this cushion amounts to 20.8€ billion.
While these figures can seem irrelevant to the everyday life of citizens, it is important to note that this restructuring leads our country out of the Memoranda, giving the Government the opportunity to pursue the policy it wants if the targets for surpluses are met. In addition, the Medium-term Strategy Framework 2019-2022 provides for tax cuts and an increase in social spending in the coming years, amounting to 3.5€ billion.
Moreover, the Government can now pursue its own development plan, which is already in the public sphere, and which was also mentioned by the Institutions in the recent Eurogroup, in terms of boosting growth for the coming years.
Already the next day's degree of freedom is also reflected in an annex to the latest decision of the eurozone finance ministers, which explicitly states the possibility of raising the minimum wage, while the return of collective agreements has already been agreed.
The Details
The debt relief is close to 95€ billion. Last Thursday's decision concerns the implementation of medium-term measures to alleviate Greek debt.
As ESM said in a recent announcement, this decision will reduce debt-to-GDP ratio by about 25% by 2060 and will reduce annual financing needs to GDP by 6%. The above translates to an amount of around 50€ billion.
With regard to the implementation of the medium-term measures, which will be analysed below, there is a reduction of 2.3€ billion from the postponement of payments, about 500€ million from the extensions in the loan period up to 2032, and the return of the European Central Bank's profits from Greek bonds will be in the order of 1.2€ billion for the period 2019-2022. Also, there will be a gain made from both the acquisition of part of our debt to the IMF. The above sums amount to 45€ billion.
Regarding the gains from the debt relief decision, it is important that a ten-year grace period is given for the EFSF loan, ie freezing capital and interest payments until 2032. Even more importantly, the decision provides for a ten-year extension of the maturing of EFSF loan bonds (ie about 100€ billion). This means that the weighted average maturity of the bonds on this loan rises from 22 to about 32 years. These bonds would begin to repay in 2023 and will begin to expire in 2033.
24.1€ billion"Cushion"
The 15€ billion disbursement increases the Greek Government's cash reserve to 24.1€ billion.
As Government sources said, "this means that the country's financing needs are covered for at least the next two years even in the worst-case scenario of not issuing new bonds. So, the Greek State can design its accessing of the markets without any pressure and only on the criterion of optimal management of Greek debt and not to service debt obligations. This development marks the definitive end of the credit line debate, as the line of support is already in the public fund without any pledges for conditional disbursements. "It is worth noting that out of the 24.1€ billion, an amount of 3.3€ billion is expected to be directed to the repayment of our country's debt to the IMF. At the moment our debts to the IMF are of the order of 10.4€ billion.
Return of profits
At the same time, a return from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and
from other Eurozone Central Banks of 4.8€
billion will be disbursed in four annual or eight half-yearly installments. A prerequisite for disbursing these funds is to achieve the objectives and meet the commitments contained in the Eurogroup decision. "Annually reimbursing 1.2€ billion to cover either development or financing expenditure will allow additional budgetary space as the primary surplus target remains at 3.5%, but we will have an annual return of 1.2€ billion."
Lower Primary Surpluses
Until 2022, the target for the primary surplus is 3.5% of GDP and at the last Eurogroup meeting it was clarified just how much "above, but close to 2% of GDP" should be the primary surpluses until 2060 based on of last year's decision. Eventually, it was set at 2.2%. It is noteworthy that this target would be set at 2.6% under the Stability and Growth Pact if there was no final decision.
How will oversight work?
The question now arises as to whether new commitments will emerge from the agreement and whether it is a new Memorandum. "Clearly not," Government sources said, adding that "the Assessment process is over. The monitoring of the Greek economy will consist of missions of Institutions that will result in reports likely to contain recommendations to the Greek authorities, as is the case with all the other countries that have left the programme."
The European Union has “simple” and “increased” oversight for countries that have left a Memorandum. Countries that have already completed programmes have “simple” oversight through semi-annual reports. In the case of Greece, oversight will be “increased” and will be every three months. As long as Greece achieves the goals, there is no question. And it is the Greek Government that chooses the means of achieving the goals, not the Institutions.
IMF and pensions
The IMF remained in the Greek programme as a "technical adviser",while acquiring a portion (3.3€ billion) of Greece's debt (10.4€ billion) from the “cushion”. This particular action also untied the "hands" of the Fund, as its Board of Directors is expected to say that Greek debt is viable in the medium term. Of course, this reduces the activity of the Fund within our country, and from autumn the debate about the non-implementation of the pension reduction measure from 1-1-2019 can be opened.
Minimum wage
The Commission has also published a two-page text covering the post-Memorandum period. According to this: "With regard to the labour market, Greece will ensure competitiveness through annual adjustment of the minimum wage according to the provisions of Law 4172/2012. The implementation of the action plan on undeclared work will be completed by the end of the year 2019 ".
It is a fact that with a Ministerial Act Act in 2012, the minimum wage in our country decreased from 751€ to 586€ for all employees, except for young people up to 25 years, for whom 511€ was set. In September the discussion is expected to start about how to increase it.”
Standard & Poor Give Greece B+
On Monday, the Rating Agency Standard & Poor announced the upgrading of Greece's long-term credit rating from B to B+, signifying that the economic outlook is stable.
The upgrading came less than 96 hours after the recent Eurogroup. The improved assessment came almost three weeks before S & P plans to announce the "rating" it would give to Greece and this is judged to accelerate the country's appeal procedures for borrowing directly from the markets.
The S & P statement referred to reduced risks in servicing Greece's debt and added that the creation of liquidity cushions and further debt extensions will reduce the debt-related risks in the next two years.
At the same time, it noted that the country's banks are making progress in reducing “red loans”, given that it will strengthen the financial environment.
The rationale for the upgrading is also the creation of a significant liquidity cushion in view of Greece's withdrawal from the Memoranda of Understanding in August: "In our estimation, the liquidity cushion significantly reduces the risk of financing for the government and increases accessibility to markets under more favourable conditions for both the state and the banking sector."
More Funding For Nurseries, Crèches & Kindergartens
95€ million has been made available to 325 municipalities for operating the total of 1,700 municipal nurseries and kindergartens.
Interior Minister Panos Skourletis has signed off an invitation to the municipalities and their Legal Entities to make proposals for an allocation from the €95 million so that all municipal nurseries, crèches and kindergartens operating throughout the country can be subsidized.
There is funding per station to a maximum of 50,000€. The deadline for the submission of applications is 31st December 2018 for the programme to be implemented until December 31st 2022, with the possibility of extension in justified cases.
"The main concern of the Government and the Interior Ministry is to establish an increasingly safe living environment for infants and children. On the basis of this objective, the Ministry of the Interior, in response to the requirement for continuous improvement of the services provided to the citizens and especially to the young children and their parents, in cooperation with the Ministry of Labor, Social Security and Social Solidarity, issued the Presidential Decree 99/2017, which sets out the conditions for the licensing and operation of municipal nurseries, kindergartens and crèches."
"With full awareness of the difficulties faced by the country and its impact on Local Authorities, a five-year period for Municipalities is foreseen to fully adapt to the provisions of the Presidential Decree 99/2017, giving priority to security issues. At the same time, an amount of 95€ million was secured in order to strengthen the collective effort to create better conditions for infants and children, despite the financially adverse conditions.
This is another specific initiative to strengthen Local Government at the local level by the Government and the Ministry of the Interior, which is part of the ongoing efforts to harmonize social infrastructure with modern needs and requirements. "
Tackling Child Poverty
Child poverty declined by 1.8 percentage points in 2017 ( calculated on 2016 earnings), reaching pre-crisis levels, according to figures released today by the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT).
Overall, all indicators are improving, as poverty, poverty and social exclusion, material deprivation and physical deprivation of children record a significant reduction.
In particular, child poverty and the material deprivation of children have fallen more than in the general population, while material deprivation is declining for the first time since 2009 and the poverty threshold is rising for the first time since 2008.
According to ELSTAT (Figures for 2017 income with 2016 incomes):
• The risk of poverty or social exclusion declined to 34.8% in 2017 from 35.7% in 2015 (2014 incomes). That is, in the two years of SYRIZA governance, the risk of poverty has fallen more than 1%.
• Child poverty declined by 2.1 percentage points to 24.5% in 2017 from 26.6% in 2015
• Material deprivation declined by 1.1% over the same period, declining for the first time since 2009
• In 2008, the poverty line was 6480€ annual income per person, and through gradual annual reductions, this reached 4500€ in 2016. In 2017, it is rising for the first time, with an annual income of 4560€.
• Also, in 2008, the poverty threshold for a family with 2 adults and 2 children under 14 was 13,608 euro and went down to 9450€ in 2016. In 2017 it rose to 9576€.
Welcoming the figures, the Deputy Minister of Labour, Social Security and Social Solidarity, Theano Photiou, said:
"The planning of our government to combat poverty, child poverty and social exclusion is bringing tangible results and the official figures of the Greek Statistical Authority are an irrefutable witness.
Measures such as the Humanitarian Crisis Law, the solidarity card, rent subsidy, free electricity, school meals, the ever-expanding free access of poor children to nursery schools create a cushion of solidarity to those of our fellow citizens who are in need. At the same time, every euro given for social solidarity has a fiscal multiplier, as the investment involved means, among other things, new jobs.
We are confident that the ELSTAT figures of the year will be even more spectacular as they are basically recording the results of the humanitarian crisis law without counting our key political interventions such as the Social Solidarity Allowance and the family allowances we instituted in 2017. The focus of our policy is our children and our fellow citizens in need. The reduction, especially of child poverty, gives us extra courage to continue. We have a long way to go yet but we will persist."
95€ million has been made available to 325 municipalities for operating the total of 1,700 municipal nurseries and kindergartens.
Interior Minister Panos Skourletis has signed off an invitation to the municipalities and their Legal Entities to make proposals for an allocation from the €95 million so that all municipal nurseries, crèches and kindergartens operating throughout the country can be subsidized.
There is funding per station to a maximum of 50,000€. The deadline for the submission of applications is 31st December 2018 for the programme to be implemented until December 31st 2022, with the possibility of extension in justified cases.
"The main concern of the Government and the Interior Ministry is to establish an increasingly safe living environment for infants and children. On the basis of this objective, the Ministry of the Interior, in response to the requirement for continuous improvement of the services provided to the citizens and especially to the young children and their parents, in cooperation with the Ministry of Labor, Social Security and Social Solidarity, issued the Presidential Decree 99/2017, which sets out the conditions for the licensing and operation of municipal nurseries, kindergartens and crèches."
"With full awareness of the difficulties faced by the country and its impact on Local Authorities, a five-year period for Municipalities is foreseen to fully adapt to the provisions of the Presidential Decree 99/2017, giving priority to security issues. At the same time, an amount of 95€ million was secured in order to strengthen the collective effort to create better conditions for infants and children, despite the financially adverse conditions.
This is another specific initiative to strengthen Local Government at the local level by the Government and the Ministry of the Interior, which is part of the ongoing efforts to harmonize social infrastructure with modern needs and requirements. "
Tackling Child Poverty
Child poverty declined by 1.8 percentage points in 2017 ( calculated on 2016 earnings), reaching pre-crisis levels, according to figures released today by the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT).
Overall, all indicators are improving, as poverty, poverty and social exclusion, material deprivation and physical deprivation of children record a significant reduction.
In particular, child poverty and the material deprivation of children have fallen more than in the general population, while material deprivation is declining for the first time since 2009 and the poverty threshold is rising for the first time since 2008.
According to ELSTAT (Figures for 2017 income with 2016 incomes):
• The risk of poverty or social exclusion declined to 34.8% in 2017 from 35.7% in 2015 (2014 incomes). That is, in the two years of SYRIZA governance, the risk of poverty has fallen more than 1%.
• Child poverty declined by 2.1 percentage points to 24.5% in 2017 from 26.6% in 2015
• Material deprivation declined by 1.1% over the same period, declining for the first time since 2009
• In 2008, the poverty line was 6480€ annual income per person, and through gradual annual reductions, this reached 4500€ in 2016. In 2017, it is rising for the first time, with an annual income of 4560€.
• Also, in 2008, the poverty threshold for a family with 2 adults and 2 children under 14 was 13,608 euro and went down to 9450€ in 2016. In 2017 it rose to 9576€.
Welcoming the figures, the Deputy Minister of Labour, Social Security and Social Solidarity, Theano Photiou, said:
"The planning of our government to combat poverty, child poverty and social exclusion is bringing tangible results and the official figures of the Greek Statistical Authority are an irrefutable witness.
Measures such as the Humanitarian Crisis Law, the solidarity card, rent subsidy, free electricity, school meals, the ever-expanding free access of poor children to nursery schools create a cushion of solidarity to those of our fellow citizens who are in need. At the same time, every euro given for social solidarity has a fiscal multiplier, as the investment involved means, among other things, new jobs.
We are confident that the ELSTAT figures of the year will be even more spectacular as they are basically recording the results of the humanitarian crisis law without counting our key political interventions such as the Social Solidarity Allowance and the family allowances we instituted in 2017. The focus of our policy is our children and our fellow citizens in need. The reduction, especially of child poverty, gives us extra courage to continue. We have a long way to go yet but we will persist."
Municipality Criticised
Fire broke out last Friday at an illegal dump in the Municipality of Maroussi, a suburb of Athens.
The Attica Regional Inspectorate identified a worsened situation compared to the findings of checks they had carried out a year earlier. In the two new post mortems after the fire, it is noted that "in the location and in the wider area, there was still intense smell from Friday’s fire, which reached as far as the junction of the streets of Soros and Mesogeion where there is a large private school building."
"The situation in the location has not only not improved, but it has deteriorated compared to previous checks. It was also noted that due to the "deposits of bio-waste, household waste and all sorts of non-degradable materials, combined with the vegetation that exists all over the place, breeding grounds for rats and insects have been created constituting the growth of a significant health risk, resulting in unfavourable conditions to the detriment of local people, public health and the environment in general."
The post mortems show that, despite the fines of €22,000 imposed by the Auditing Services of the Attica Region on the Municipality of Maroussi, the New Democracy administration "has not taken any environmental protection measures such as rainwater management system or a system for the collection and treatment of liquid waste." It is also noted that despite the recommendations made in 2013, the Municipality of Maroussi has not proceeded with any licencing process for waste disposal, resulting in the location being an illegal dump inside the urban area.
Footnote:
"A great and painful circle has closed, a new era for the country begun, we return to normality, we regain our economic sovereignty.
However, the benefits of this return must be felt in society as quickly as possible. Our first concern, therefore, is to support labour and the welfare state, tax relief for those who have shouldered the burden of the crisis, aid targeted at the weakest social strata. But our aim is also to consolidate democracy and transparency in our country, which, due to the corruption of the old political system, led to a deep and protracted crisis.
So we continue to struggle. We have won a crucial battle, we still have a lot more ahead of us."
Alexis Tsipras
Fire broke out last Friday at an illegal dump in the Municipality of Maroussi, a suburb of Athens.
The Attica Regional Inspectorate identified a worsened situation compared to the findings of checks they had carried out a year earlier. In the two new post mortems after the fire, it is noted that "in the location and in the wider area, there was still intense smell from Friday’s fire, which reached as far as the junction of the streets of Soros and Mesogeion where there is a large private school building."
"The situation in the location has not only not improved, but it has deteriorated compared to previous checks. It was also noted that due to the "deposits of bio-waste, household waste and all sorts of non-degradable materials, combined with the vegetation that exists all over the place, breeding grounds for rats and insects have been created constituting the growth of a significant health risk, resulting in unfavourable conditions to the detriment of local people, public health and the environment in general."
The post mortems show that, despite the fines of €22,000 imposed by the Auditing Services of the Attica Region on the Municipality of Maroussi, the New Democracy administration "has not taken any environmental protection measures such as rainwater management system or a system for the collection and treatment of liquid waste." It is also noted that despite the recommendations made in 2013, the Municipality of Maroussi has not proceeded with any licencing process for waste disposal, resulting in the location being an illegal dump inside the urban area.
Footnote:
"A great and painful circle has closed, a new era for the country begun, we return to normality, we regain our economic sovereignty.
However, the benefits of this return must be felt in society as quickly as possible. Our first concern, therefore, is to support labour and the welfare state, tax relief for those who have shouldered the burden of the crisis, aid targeted at the weakest social strata. But our aim is also to consolidate democracy and transparency in our country, which, due to the corruption of the old political system, led to a deep and protracted crisis.
So we continue to struggle. We have won a crucial battle, we still have a lot more ahead of us."
Alexis Tsipras
Agreement reached on the Greek Debt
23.6.2018
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras wore a tie during his speech, fulfilling the promise he had given that he would wear a tie only when he got a good deal on the debt.
"Following the Greek debt decisions, our country is definitely turning the page. And it is entering a new period. Where, in the place of austerity, social justice will take over every day more and more. In place of impositions, there will be democracy. In place of uncertainty, there will be stability." Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras stressed in his speech to the SYRIZA and ANEL MPs.
The Prime Minister announced "targetted relief, tax cuts, raising the minimum wage to support those who fought for us to get out of the Memoranda."
"We undertook the difficult but necessary task of transforming the country. In this effort, we faced strongly conflict, we compromised painfully, we worked hard but we did not shrink from the task. We did not hesitate in the face of difficulties and obstacles. We have arrived here. We are at the end of the Memoranda.
We do not intend to return to the Greece of yesterday. To the Greece of waste, clientelist relationships, widespread tax evasion, and corruption. Quite the opposite. This means that we can, with our own strength, build the Greece of the future.
The performance of the economy makes it possible for us to move towards a tax cut in 2019 but also to support the welfare state. For us to move forward to democratising reforms in the public administration and to reforms that improve the investment climate.
We succeeded where all previous governments failed.
We are in a position to proceed on the road to reconfiguring the labour market reshuffle by restoring collective bargaining and raising the minimum wage. To focus on the world of work and its needs.
"We have managed to solve the problem of the Greek debt - a debt we inherited from old Greece." "We have taken a country on the edge of a cliff with 1.5 million unemployed people with empty coffers and we undertook the task of building on the ruins to transform structures to build the country."
In this endeavor, sometimes we put up a fight, at other times we compromised, but we did not cower in the face of the difficulties and obstacles. Greece is again a normal country and is again written on the world map, standing on its own two feet. "We have succeeded where all previous governments failed."
"The regime of loss of sovereignty that was imposed on the country from 2010 onwards, the duress of the Memoranda, known to us all, has come to an end. The oversight as provided by the EU mechanisms bears no relation to the duress of the Memoranda that we have lived through."
"Greece returns exclusively to the Greeks."
The debt relief measures we agreed with our partners yesterday at the Eurogroup ensure a smooth and stable refinancing of the Greek debt, minimizing or even eliminating the risks of potential turbulence.
June 21st rightfully can stand in history as a great day.for Greece and Europe. SYRIZA & ANEL reached this historic day together. With an honest alliance that was jeered at, slandered, fought against by all the forces of the old regime.
If the exit from the Memorandums was the first goal of the alliance and has been achieved, for the second goal we still have the road ahead of us. We have many battles to wage to bring justice. Against the party political networks of power, the moral degeneracy of the rake-off and the bribe."
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras wore a tie during his speech, fulfilling the promise he had given that he would wear a tie only when he got a good deal on the debt.
The Prime Minister announced "targetted relief, tax cuts, raising the minimum wage to support those who fought for us to get out of the Memoranda."
"We undertook the difficult but necessary task of transforming the country. In this effort, we faced strongly conflict, we compromised painfully, we worked hard but we did not shrink from the task. We did not hesitate in the face of difficulties and obstacles. We have arrived here. We are at the end of the Memoranda.
We do not intend to return to the Greece of yesterday. To the Greece of waste, clientelist relationships, widespread tax evasion, and corruption. Quite the opposite. This means that we can, with our own strength, build the Greece of the future.
The performance of the economy makes it possible for us to move towards a tax cut in 2019 but also to support the welfare state. For us to move forward to democratising reforms in the public administration and to reforms that improve the investment climate.
We succeeded where all previous governments failed.
We are in a position to proceed on the road to reconfiguring the labour market reshuffle by restoring collective bargaining and raising the minimum wage. To focus on the world of work and its needs.
"We have managed to solve the problem of the Greek debt - a debt we inherited from old Greece." "We have taken a country on the edge of a cliff with 1.5 million unemployed people with empty coffers and we undertook the task of building on the ruins to transform structures to build the country."
In this endeavor, sometimes we put up a fight, at other times we compromised, but we did not cower in the face of the difficulties and obstacles. Greece is again a normal country and is again written on the world map, standing on its own two feet. "We have succeeded where all previous governments failed."
"The regime of loss of sovereignty that was imposed on the country from 2010 onwards, the duress of the Memoranda, known to us all, has come to an end. The oversight as provided by the EU mechanisms bears no relation to the duress of the Memoranda that we have lived through."
"Greece returns exclusively to the Greeks."
The debt relief measures we agreed with our partners yesterday at the Eurogroup ensure a smooth and stable refinancing of the Greek debt, minimizing or even eliminating the risks of potential turbulence.
June 21st rightfully can stand in history as a great day.for Greece and Europe. SYRIZA & ANEL reached this historic day together. With an honest alliance that was jeered at, slandered, fought against by all the forces of the old regime.
If the exit from the Memorandums was the first goal of the alliance and has been achieved, for the second goal we still have the road ahead of us. We have many battles to wage to bring justice. Against the party political networks of power, the moral degeneracy of the rake-off and the bribe."
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras wore a tie during his speech, fulfilling the promise he had given that he would wear a tie only when he got a good deal on the debt.
Government spokesman, Dimitris Tzanakopoulos characterised Thursday’s agreement at the Eurogroup as a "great negotiating and political success".
He called it an historic decision, which gives shape to a situation of viability for the Greek debt.
It came after major difficulties for eight years and three programmes and it is worth all the efforts that have been made, noted Mr. Tzanakopoulos, because "a new situation for the society and the economy is taking shape".
"There is taking shape a new situation for Greek society and the economy without the incubus of the debt as a constant vexation. Yesterday's decisions ensure its extension together with a ten-year period of grace. With the “pillow” of liquidity we have the ability to secure the financing of the Greek State without stress and pressure. "
"The criterion we had set for this agreement was for it to be convincing in the markets that the debt, after changing its profile, would be viable and that there is no risk for those investing in Greek bonds. This criterion has been completely satisfied."
As the Government spokesman said, "the Greek people can smile" once again.
Mr.Tzanakopoulos continued, explaining that:
" In 2010, PASOK and New Democracy had to manage a debt that was at 110-115% [of GDP Ed]; in the course of their own government from 2012 to 2015, the Greek debt jumped to 180%. The results cited by the Official Opposition did not solve the problems of the Greek economy, but instead they sank it further down."
"Today we are talking about the final termination of the Memorandums and let us not forget that today's results were considered impossible as, as Mr. Mitsotakis said in Parliament, that Greece has no possibility of accessing the financial markets because it would be a minefield."
"We have managed to secure the financing of the Greek Government at least until the end of 2020."
Referring to the post-memorandum oversight, the Government Spokesman pointed out that the Eurogroup decision says "spending decisions are no longer dependent on the completion of reforms. That is to say, there is no longer a coercive mechanism, the Greek government undertakes the reforms according to its own prioritisation. Of course, there is the 3.5% [Primary Surplus Ed] target that is the Government's commitment and there is no ambivalence about the reforms to the insurance system or to objective values.
On pensions and the tax-free allowance, everything depends on the country's fiscal trajectory. And I would suggest to New Democracy not to bet all its money to this type of opposition because it will lose it."
"Over recent days, there have been fringe incidents that reveal co-operation between officers and members of New Democracy and members and officers of Golden Dawn. New Democracy has shifted its position and has degenerated from being a liberal centre-right party to a party flirting dangerously with the nationalist far right.
Mr. Mitsotakis is a political fraudster. He commits himself to European and German officials that he will not renege on the Agreement and then comes here and makes trade with patriotism, flirts with far-right political forces, allows his officers to talk about purges against the left and returns to the traditional language of nationalism. He is a completely failed leader of the Official Opposition."
The agreement includes:
* A 10 year grace period free from interest payments and a 10 years extension to the loan period for EFSF loans going from 2023 to 2033.
*Greece is to receive 15€ billion and a refund of 1.2€ billion a year from 2019-2022 on assets held by the ECB [ANFAS]
*With a 24.1€ billion “cushion” as a protective mechanism against any risk, Greece can access the financial markets.
So in each of these years, Greece will save 2.3€ billion from deferred payments, 0.5€ billion from non-payment of interest and receive 1.2€ from ANFAS. It will benefit from better interest rates with regard to the ECB's and the IMF's bonds
He called it an historic decision, which gives shape to a situation of viability for the Greek debt.
It came after major difficulties for eight years and three programmes and it is worth all the efforts that have been made, noted Mr. Tzanakopoulos, because "a new situation for the society and the economy is taking shape".
"There is taking shape a new situation for Greek society and the economy without the incubus of the debt as a constant vexation. Yesterday's decisions ensure its extension together with a ten-year period of grace. With the “pillow” of liquidity we have the ability to secure the financing of the Greek State without stress and pressure. "
"The criterion we had set for this agreement was for it to be convincing in the markets that the debt, after changing its profile, would be viable and that there is no risk for those investing in Greek bonds. This criterion has been completely satisfied."
As the Government spokesman said, "the Greek people can smile" once again.
Mr.Tzanakopoulos continued, explaining that:
" In 2010, PASOK and New Democracy had to manage a debt that was at 110-115% [of GDP Ed]; in the course of their own government from 2012 to 2015, the Greek debt jumped to 180%. The results cited by the Official Opposition did not solve the problems of the Greek economy, but instead they sank it further down."
"Today we are talking about the final termination of the Memorandums and let us not forget that today's results were considered impossible as, as Mr. Mitsotakis said in Parliament, that Greece has no possibility of accessing the financial markets because it would be a minefield."
"We have managed to secure the financing of the Greek Government at least until the end of 2020."
Referring to the post-memorandum oversight, the Government Spokesman pointed out that the Eurogroup decision says "spending decisions are no longer dependent on the completion of reforms. That is to say, there is no longer a coercive mechanism, the Greek government undertakes the reforms according to its own prioritisation. Of course, there is the 3.5% [Primary Surplus Ed] target that is the Government's commitment and there is no ambivalence about the reforms to the insurance system or to objective values.
On pensions and the tax-free allowance, everything depends on the country's fiscal trajectory. And I would suggest to New Democracy not to bet all its money to this type of opposition because it will lose it."
"Over recent days, there have been fringe incidents that reveal co-operation between officers and members of New Democracy and members and officers of Golden Dawn. New Democracy has shifted its position and has degenerated from being a liberal centre-right party to a party flirting dangerously with the nationalist far right.
Mr. Mitsotakis is a political fraudster. He commits himself to European and German officials that he will not renege on the Agreement and then comes here and makes trade with patriotism, flirts with far-right political forces, allows his officers to talk about purges against the left and returns to the traditional language of nationalism. He is a completely failed leader of the Official Opposition."
The agreement includes:
* A 10 year grace period free from interest payments and a 10 years extension to the loan period for EFSF loans going from 2023 to 2033.
*Greece is to receive 15€ billion and a refund of 1.2€ billion a year from 2019-2022 on assets held by the ECB [ANFAS]
*With a 24.1€ billion “cushion” as a protective mechanism against any risk, Greece can access the financial markets.
So in each of these years, Greece will save 2.3€ billion from deferred payments, 0.5€ billion from non-payment of interest and receive 1.2€ from ANFAS. It will benefit from better interest rates with regard to the ECB's and the IMF's bonds
Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos’ view
“The Government is pleased with the deal. The debt is now viable” said Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos speaking at a press conference after the Eurogroup agreement.
He noted that with the agreement it had been made clear that there was no Fourth Memorandum and stressed that the Eurogroup ended on very good terms, since there are no new strings.
"The Eurogroup ended in a very good way, the four pieces of the puzzle had to be fitted together today on June 21st. All four were completed. The completion of the Assessment, the overall strategy, the post- Memoranda monitoring programme after."
"We can access the financial markets. This government will never forget what the Greek people have been through these 8 years. This nation must very quickly see results. Everybody was talking about it being an important moment."
"What we got is an immediate 10 year period of grace for interest payments and a ten year maturity extension for our bonds plus extra finance for the safety cushion."
Growth will not be for the few but for everyone, and this is the promise the Greek government gives.
I think we have reached the end of the Greek crisis, Greece is turning the page, and the Greek people will see that the agenda is changing."
“The Government is pleased with the deal. The debt is now viable” said Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos speaking at a press conference after the Eurogroup agreement.
He noted that with the agreement it had been made clear that there was no Fourth Memorandum and stressed that the Eurogroup ended on very good terms, since there are no new strings.
"The Eurogroup ended in a very good way, the four pieces of the puzzle had to be fitted together today on June 21st. All four were completed. The completion of the Assessment, the overall strategy, the post- Memoranda monitoring programme after."
"We can access the financial markets. This government will never forget what the Greek people have been through these 8 years. This nation must very quickly see results. Everybody was talking about it being an important moment."
"What we got is an immediate 10 year period of grace for interest payments and a ten year maturity extension for our bonds plus extra finance for the safety cushion."
Growth will not be for the few but for everyone, and this is the promise the Greek government gives.
I think we have reached the end of the Greek crisis, Greece is turning the page, and the Greek people will see that the agenda is changing."
New Democracy’s No-Confidence Motion Defeated
“Future historians will struggle to comprehend why, at such a positive moment for the country, New Democracy chose to try and topple the government.”
The Government on Saturday survived a no-confidence vote brought against it by New Democracy.
The motion received 127 votes with 153 against. Coalition partner Independent Greeks (ANEL) backed the Government despite its opposition to the name deal with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (fYROM).
Addressing Parliament, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras slammed the opposition for bringing the motion of no confidence, remarking that “future historians will struggle to comprehend why, at such a positive moment for the country, New Democracy chose to try and topple the government.”
"You have chosen with your irresponsible attitude on the Macedonian Question to open Pandora's box," said PM Tsipras, adding: "You have legitimated the extreme, incendiary nationalist discourse and the extreme nationalist terminology in order to fish in the cloudy waters of the nationalist audience."
"These days could be described as historic", the Prime Minister said, referring to developments in the economy and the agreement on the name issue. "The country has agreed with fYROM to finally resolve a three-decade-long conflict. Greece's transition from a period of economic sickliness and international isolation to the era of dynamic economic recovery and the strengthening of its international position has been sealed."
"I honestly find it hard to understand your eagerness, as a future historian may find it difficult to understand why in such positive circumstances for the country New Democracy has chosen to attempt to throw out the Government. Especially by making use of the strongest institutional weapon."
"The last thing that Mr Mitsotakis and New Democracy are concerned about in this proposal are the enterprises you are invoking. Nor is the strengthening of the international position of the country of interest to you. Neither are you interested in the restoration of Greece's leading role in the Balkans. Nor does the recovery of the economy interest you. Nor does the definitive debt adjustment interest you. None of all these things is of interest to you."
"All you want is the fall of the Government"
"The only thing you seek is the fall of the Government before the country's exit from the Memorandums that you yourselves led the country into."
"Because you know that the starting point of the new era for the country is the start of the reversal of judgement about your political project," he said, adding that Kyriakos Mitsotakis was a political opportunist.
"What did you say about Macedonia? What was the position?" Alexis Tsipras asked the leader of the official opposition.
"You came out and told us that, with the Agreement “we are dividing the Greeks in order to unite the Skopjeans”. But it was your bad luck that at the same time in the neighbouring country, Mr. Gruevski, Mr Ivanov and those with them, are saying exactly the same about Mr Zaev. That it divides his people to unite the Greeks. The truth is that neither of the two is true."
"You chose with your irresponsible attitude on the Macedonian Question to open Pandora's box," said Mr. Tsipras, adding: "You are legitimising the extreme, incendiary nationalist discourse and the extreme nationalist terminology in order to fish in the cloudy waters of the nationalist audience."
"You have the full responsibility, Mr. Mitsotakis, for giving legitimacy to the snake to emerge from its egg within the dark caverns of the Republic."
"You have not denounced nationalism in your speech, obviously because you have it in your party."
"You allowed your MPs, even if you did not motivate them to do so, to speak about traitors and high treason, with the result that you are leaving the back door wide open to the nationalist swarm of Golden Dawn, to the eulogists of the Junta and of the Nazis, to come to the Greek Parliament and to agitate for the abolition of the government and the demolition of democracy."
Continuing his criticism, Alexis Tsipras said: "You have the awful responsibility of being the one that finally chose to divide the Greeks in your effort to unite your party that is so split. And you did not hesitate, even to involve the President of the Republic in the destabilization attempt you tried to set up. However, Mr. Mitsotakis, I will tell you honestly that despite the ill-defined institutional derailment you have staged for the Macedonian Question, your big problem is that you are all pretence."
New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis declared that “a vote against the motion of no confidence is a vote in favour of the Tsipras-Zaev agreement tomorrow.” “I want all Greeks to understand the theatre of hypocrisy that has been staged.”
Tsipras’s coalition partner Panos Kammenos reiterated his party’s opposition to the FYROM name deal, saying that ANEL will oppose it, when it comes to Parliament, “not just with our vote” but by any means possible. He stressed, however, that he remains allied to Tsipras for his declared fight against corruption and to get the country out of the bailout era.
The leader of To Potami, Stavros Theodorakis, pointed to the positive aspects of the deal. “Helping our country doesn’t mean supporting the SYRIZA-ANEL Government,” he added. The leader of Movement for Change, Fofi Gennimata, in which Theodorakis is a partner, opposed the deal, saying she trusts the Government with “nothing”.
Former New Democracy PM Antonis Samaras condemned the Government for conceding too much to fYROM. In his speech to MPs, Mr. Samaras criticized the administration for recognizing a Macedonian nationality and language, and warned that the deal will fuel “aggressive irredentism,” creating instability in the wider region. “Either the deal will not last or it will cause turmoil,” Mr. Samaras said. “I fought for the Macedonia issue, you gave it all away,” he said.
fYROM’s Parliament ratifies the name agreement
fYROM’s Parliament ratified the name agreement with Greece on Wednesday and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a note to the Greek counterpart institution, saying that the name agreement had been ratified by the Macedonian Parliament. After receiving the note, the Greek authorities will inform the European Council that there are no further obstacles in the process of fYROM's EU accession.
fYROM’s Parliament adopted the law on the ratification of the Final Agreement for the settlement of the differences as described in the United Nations Security Council Resolutions 817 (1993) and 845 (1993), the termination of the Interim Accord of 1995 and the establishment of a strategic partnership.
fYROM MPs voted 69-0 to ratify the agreement, while the opposition VMRO-DPMNE did not attend the parliament’s session.
“We have an agreement with a clear mark of our Macedonian identity, of our Macedonian language, forever. We did not give anything to anyone, nor did anyone take anything when we agreed on a geographical qualifier. This is a bold step in the interest of the future of citizens and our children for a peaceful future. Let's dismiss the manipulations, elimination and xenophobia and offer the agreement a chance. The citizens will have the final say,” PM Zaev said.
After signing the bill, Parliament Speaker Talat Xhaferi sent it to the Cabinet of President Gjorge Ivanov to sign off. The President has seven days to decide to sign it or not. However, President Ivanov has repeatedly said he would neither support nor sign the agreement because, in his opinion, it is harmful.
If he vetoes it, Parliament will hold another vote on the bill, which would require an absolute majority—61 MPs—to become law.
If the law is passed for the second time, the President is bound by the Constitution to sign it off.
President Gjorge Ivanov called on PM Zoran Zaev to immediately initiate the impeachment procedure against him: “I call on Zaev to immediately initiate the impeachment procedure i.e. the procedure for determining the President of the Republic's accountability by the same two-thirds parliamentary majority vote necessary to amend the Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia.”
According to the agreement, after Parliament ratifies it, Greece is obliged to inform the European Council President Donald Tusk that it supports the start of fYROM’s EU membership negotiations and to inform NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg that it supports the NATO invitation. The EU foreign ministers will meet on June 25-26 while the EU Summit will be held on June 28.
The North Atlantic Alliance reached a unanimous political decision today to officially discuss North Macedonia's NATO invitation during the Alliance's Summit in Brussels on July 11 and 12, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said in Parliament on Wednesday.
Previously, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said NATO hoped to start accession talks at the Summit after Macedonia reached name agreement with Greece. “I hope that there will be progress with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia because they have reached an agreement with Greece on the name issue. If that agreement is finalized and fully implemented, the new name will be the Republic of North Macedonia, and then we can move on when it comes to the membership for the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to NATO. I really hope that we can do so,” Mr. Stoltenberg said in an interview with France 24.
Following the signing of the Prespa agreement, Greece and fYROM start a new era of friendship, cooperation and stability, Greek Government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos told Wednesday's regular press briefing.
"We support the efforts by Mr. Zaev for the agreement's ratification, followed by the referendum and the constitutional revision, as stipulated so that the deal enters into force. This will be followed by the Greek parliament's ratification," said Mr.Tzanakopoulos.
Asked about how the Greek Government will support the fYROM authorities, Mr.Tzanakopoulos said "the support always comes through words and efforts to convince the citizens of the neighboring country that the agreement benefits both states."
He criticized New Democracy over its stance regarding the name agreement, adding that oppositions in both countries have identical positions of playing the card of "alleged patriots and alleged traitors".
"Both oppositions consider the deal as treason. On one hand, Mr. Mitsotakis says PM Tsipras is the traitor, on the other VMRO-DPMNE says PM Zaev is the traitor. No one is a traitor. We are simply talking about two leaders and two governments that have, for the first time, trod the path of cooperation, friendship and solidarity, and of the joint development of the Balkans by solving a 26-year-old dispute," said MR. Tzanakopoulos.
On Wednesday, Commissioner for European Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn welcomed the fYROM Parliament's ratification of the name agreement.
"I welcome the Parliament's ratification of the name deal. It is the first step of many towards full implementation. I trust all political leaders to show leadership and courage for the next steps."
The agreement will be finally put up for referendum in Macedonia, which should be organized either in September or October.
“Future historians will struggle to comprehend why, at such a positive moment for the country, New Democracy chose to try and topple the government.”
The Government on Saturday survived a no-confidence vote brought against it by New Democracy.
The motion received 127 votes with 153 against. Coalition partner Independent Greeks (ANEL) backed the Government despite its opposition to the name deal with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (fYROM).
Addressing Parliament, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras slammed the opposition for bringing the motion of no confidence, remarking that “future historians will struggle to comprehend why, at such a positive moment for the country, New Democracy chose to try and topple the government.”
"You have chosen with your irresponsible attitude on the Macedonian Question to open Pandora's box," said PM Tsipras, adding: "You have legitimated the extreme, incendiary nationalist discourse and the extreme nationalist terminology in order to fish in the cloudy waters of the nationalist audience."
"These days could be described as historic", the Prime Minister said, referring to developments in the economy and the agreement on the name issue. "The country has agreed with fYROM to finally resolve a three-decade-long conflict. Greece's transition from a period of economic sickliness and international isolation to the era of dynamic economic recovery and the strengthening of its international position has been sealed."
"I honestly find it hard to understand your eagerness, as a future historian may find it difficult to understand why in such positive circumstances for the country New Democracy has chosen to attempt to throw out the Government. Especially by making use of the strongest institutional weapon."
"The last thing that Mr Mitsotakis and New Democracy are concerned about in this proposal are the enterprises you are invoking. Nor is the strengthening of the international position of the country of interest to you. Neither are you interested in the restoration of Greece's leading role in the Balkans. Nor does the recovery of the economy interest you. Nor does the definitive debt adjustment interest you. None of all these things is of interest to you."
"All you want is the fall of the Government"
"The only thing you seek is the fall of the Government before the country's exit from the Memorandums that you yourselves led the country into."
"Because you know that the starting point of the new era for the country is the start of the reversal of judgement about your political project," he said, adding that Kyriakos Mitsotakis was a political opportunist.
"What did you say about Macedonia? What was the position?" Alexis Tsipras asked the leader of the official opposition.
"You came out and told us that, with the Agreement “we are dividing the Greeks in order to unite the Skopjeans”. But it was your bad luck that at the same time in the neighbouring country, Mr. Gruevski, Mr Ivanov and those with them, are saying exactly the same about Mr Zaev. That it divides his people to unite the Greeks. The truth is that neither of the two is true."
"You chose with your irresponsible attitude on the Macedonian Question to open Pandora's box," said Mr. Tsipras, adding: "You are legitimising the extreme, incendiary nationalist discourse and the extreme nationalist terminology in order to fish in the cloudy waters of the nationalist audience."
"You have the full responsibility, Mr. Mitsotakis, for giving legitimacy to the snake to emerge from its egg within the dark caverns of the Republic."
"You have not denounced nationalism in your speech, obviously because you have it in your party."
"You allowed your MPs, even if you did not motivate them to do so, to speak about traitors and high treason, with the result that you are leaving the back door wide open to the nationalist swarm of Golden Dawn, to the eulogists of the Junta and of the Nazis, to come to the Greek Parliament and to agitate for the abolition of the government and the demolition of democracy."
Continuing his criticism, Alexis Tsipras said: "You have the awful responsibility of being the one that finally chose to divide the Greeks in your effort to unite your party that is so split. And you did not hesitate, even to involve the President of the Republic in the destabilization attempt you tried to set up. However, Mr. Mitsotakis, I will tell you honestly that despite the ill-defined institutional derailment you have staged for the Macedonian Question, your big problem is that you are all pretence."
New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis declared that “a vote against the motion of no confidence is a vote in favour of the Tsipras-Zaev agreement tomorrow.” “I want all Greeks to understand the theatre of hypocrisy that has been staged.”
Tsipras’s coalition partner Panos Kammenos reiterated his party’s opposition to the FYROM name deal, saying that ANEL will oppose it, when it comes to Parliament, “not just with our vote” but by any means possible. He stressed, however, that he remains allied to Tsipras for his declared fight against corruption and to get the country out of the bailout era.
The leader of To Potami, Stavros Theodorakis, pointed to the positive aspects of the deal. “Helping our country doesn’t mean supporting the SYRIZA-ANEL Government,” he added. The leader of Movement for Change, Fofi Gennimata, in which Theodorakis is a partner, opposed the deal, saying she trusts the Government with “nothing”.
Former New Democracy PM Antonis Samaras condemned the Government for conceding too much to fYROM. In his speech to MPs, Mr. Samaras criticized the administration for recognizing a Macedonian nationality and language, and warned that the deal will fuel “aggressive irredentism,” creating instability in the wider region. “Either the deal will not last or it will cause turmoil,” Mr. Samaras said. “I fought for the Macedonia issue, you gave it all away,” he said.
fYROM’s Parliament ratifies the name agreement
fYROM’s Parliament ratified the name agreement with Greece on Wednesday and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a note to the Greek counterpart institution, saying that the name agreement had been ratified by the Macedonian Parliament. After receiving the note, the Greek authorities will inform the European Council that there are no further obstacles in the process of fYROM's EU accession.
fYROM’s Parliament adopted the law on the ratification of the Final Agreement for the settlement of the differences as described in the United Nations Security Council Resolutions 817 (1993) and 845 (1993), the termination of the Interim Accord of 1995 and the establishment of a strategic partnership.
fYROM MPs voted 69-0 to ratify the agreement, while the opposition VMRO-DPMNE did not attend the parliament’s session.
“We have an agreement with a clear mark of our Macedonian identity, of our Macedonian language, forever. We did not give anything to anyone, nor did anyone take anything when we agreed on a geographical qualifier. This is a bold step in the interest of the future of citizens and our children for a peaceful future. Let's dismiss the manipulations, elimination and xenophobia and offer the agreement a chance. The citizens will have the final say,” PM Zaev said.
After signing the bill, Parliament Speaker Talat Xhaferi sent it to the Cabinet of President Gjorge Ivanov to sign off. The President has seven days to decide to sign it or not. However, President Ivanov has repeatedly said he would neither support nor sign the agreement because, in his opinion, it is harmful.
If he vetoes it, Parliament will hold another vote on the bill, which would require an absolute majority—61 MPs—to become law.
If the law is passed for the second time, the President is bound by the Constitution to sign it off.
President Gjorge Ivanov called on PM Zoran Zaev to immediately initiate the impeachment procedure against him: “I call on Zaev to immediately initiate the impeachment procedure i.e. the procedure for determining the President of the Republic's accountability by the same two-thirds parliamentary majority vote necessary to amend the Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia.”
According to the agreement, after Parliament ratifies it, Greece is obliged to inform the European Council President Donald Tusk that it supports the start of fYROM’s EU membership negotiations and to inform NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg that it supports the NATO invitation. The EU foreign ministers will meet on June 25-26 while the EU Summit will be held on June 28.
The North Atlantic Alliance reached a unanimous political decision today to officially discuss North Macedonia's NATO invitation during the Alliance's Summit in Brussels on July 11 and 12, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said in Parliament on Wednesday.
Previously, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said NATO hoped to start accession talks at the Summit after Macedonia reached name agreement with Greece. “I hope that there will be progress with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia because they have reached an agreement with Greece on the name issue. If that agreement is finalized and fully implemented, the new name will be the Republic of North Macedonia, and then we can move on when it comes to the membership for the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to NATO. I really hope that we can do so,” Mr. Stoltenberg said in an interview with France 24.
Following the signing of the Prespa agreement, Greece and fYROM start a new era of friendship, cooperation and stability, Greek Government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos told Wednesday's regular press briefing.
"We support the efforts by Mr. Zaev for the agreement's ratification, followed by the referendum and the constitutional revision, as stipulated so that the deal enters into force. This will be followed by the Greek parliament's ratification," said Mr.Tzanakopoulos.
Asked about how the Greek Government will support the fYROM authorities, Mr.Tzanakopoulos said "the support always comes through words and efforts to convince the citizens of the neighboring country that the agreement benefits both states."
He criticized New Democracy over its stance regarding the name agreement, adding that oppositions in both countries have identical positions of playing the card of "alleged patriots and alleged traitors".
"Both oppositions consider the deal as treason. On one hand, Mr. Mitsotakis says PM Tsipras is the traitor, on the other VMRO-DPMNE says PM Zaev is the traitor. No one is a traitor. We are simply talking about two leaders and two governments that have, for the first time, trod the path of cooperation, friendship and solidarity, and of the joint development of the Balkans by solving a 26-year-old dispute," said MR. Tzanakopoulos.
On Wednesday, Commissioner for European Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn welcomed the fYROM Parliament's ratification of the name agreement.
"I welcome the Parliament's ratification of the name deal. It is the first step of many towards full implementation. I trust all political leaders to show leadership and courage for the next steps."
The agreement will be finally put up for referendum in Macedonia, which should be organized either in September or October.
Greece-fYROM Name Dispute Agreement Reached
16.6.2018
On Wednesday,the Greek Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras, after informing the President of the Republic, Prokopis Pavlopoulos, about the Agreement, made a televised speech:
“A few hours ago and after many months of persistent negotiations, we managed to reach an agreement with the fYROM Prime Minister to resolve our longstanding dispute over the neighbour’s name.
For more than seventy years, since the establishment of the neighbouring state of Yugoslavia, and particularly after its independence in 1992, the neighbouring country has been called the "Republic of Macedonia", with all that this implies for the appropriation of the weighty cultural heritage of Greek Macedonia.
I would like to inform you that in order to establish constructive cooperative relations and sincere friendship between our peoples and so that Greece not only accepts, but also takes the lead in, the European and Euro-Atlantic prospects of our neighbours, they have agreed to change their constitutional name for all uses and for everyone [omnes erga].
They agreed to renaming their country “The Republic of Severna Makedonija”, that is in our language “The Republic of Northern Macedonia.”
The change of name will come into effect both in terms of their international and bilateral relations, but also internally.
In short, this name will be erga omnes - for everything, both abroad and internally, which means that our neighbours have undertaken to revise their Constitution.
In this way and under the terms of the agreement, the 140 countries that today recognize our neighbours as Macedonia will now recognize them as "The Republic of Northern Macedonia".
This achieves a clear distinction between Greek Macedonia and our North Neighbours and finally puts an end to the irredentism of their current constitutional name.
At the same time - and perhaps this may have the greatest historical weight and value for Greece - in the Agreement that we have reached there is , for the first time, the provision that our Northern Neighbours do not have and can not claim in the future any relationship with the ancient Greek civilization of Macedonia.
The term Macedonian of Greek historical heritage, which derives its origin from the ancient Greek civilization, is explicitly and categorically distinguished from the term Macedonian as it is used and on the basis of which the citizens of our neighbour are identified.
In the same context, the Agreement recognizes the relevant UN decisions since 1977 to record the language of our neighbours as a Macedonian language, with the additional but clear wording that it belongs to the family of South Slavic languages, which is expressly completely separate from the Greek-Macedonian linguistic heritage and the ancient Greek civilization.
The agreement also provides that the nationality to be included in the travel documents of our neighbours will not be simply “Macedonian”, as it is today, but “Macedonian/Citizen of Northern Macedonia”.
Greece will recognize the nationality of neighbouring citizens as "citizens of Northern Macedonia".
But beyond that, the fact that we have agreed with our neighbours that in the forthcoming Constitutional Revision they have undertaken to remove from their Constitution any reference which could be interpreted as irredentist.
Specifically:
References to the Macedonian Minority, as well as the need to protect it, are to be eliminated.
Instead of the article on border protection, references to current problematic borders are deleted.
Finally, any historical and irredentist references are to be removed from the preamble of their Constitution.
With PM Zaef, we also reached a clear timetable for the signing - ratification and implementation of the Agreement.
The Agreement, once signed by the Foreign Ministers, must be ratified by the Parliament of our Neighbours.
Greece will then support a decision on the opening of North Macedonia's accession negotiations with the EU at the forthcoming European Council.
At the same time, Greece will support the sending of an invitation by the NATO Summit for North Macedonia to join the organization.
Both invitations will be conditional on the successful completion of the Constitutional Revision, which guarantees the use of the name for all purposes.
Simply put, if the Constitutional Revision fails, then the invitation to join NATO is automatically void and the accession negotiations with the EU will not be initiated.
Last but not least, Greece will ratify the Agreement in the Greek Parliament by passing it into law along with our neighbours’ NATO Accession Protocol after the successful completion of the constitutional review in the neighbouring country.
In this way our country is fully and completely safeguarding its interests and does not lose its relative negotiating advantage.
Women and Men of Greece,
I am deeply convinced that this Agreement is not only a great victory for diplomacy, but also a great historical opportunity.
The Greek Government has defended in its entirety all its red lines, all the red lines of our national position, as it has been shaped in the last 20 years and more.
Most important, however, is that we are facing a historic opportunity that concerns not only our nation but, more generally, our region.
This is a historic moment for the Balkans and our peoples.
It finally closes a dispute that undermined the common pace of development and stability in the wider region.
And it opens a window to the future.
A window of solidarity, friendship and cooperation, prosperity and co-development between our peoples.
With the Agreement, our homeland establishes itself as a leading force in the Balkans and as a real pillar of stability in a deeply wounded region.
At a time when countries around us are turning in on themselves, badly beaten up by the germ of nationalism, Greece is once again leading the Balkans as the country that paves the way for the peaceful resolution of disputes and the creative coexistence of peoples.
And I am deeply proud of this.
And beyond party political objectives and esoteric calculations, today all of us, all Greek women and all Greek men, can be proud.
Not only about our history and cultural heritage, which we establish with the Agreement, not only about our national past, but also about our present and future.
A strong Greece, a lighthouse of civilization, history and values, a Greek Pillar of stability in the Balkans, the Eastern Mediterranean, Europe.
This is the Greece we are envisaging and today we are making a historic step in this direction.
Thank you.
Below is the full text of the Agreement in English
“A few hours ago and after many months of persistent negotiations, we managed to reach an agreement with the fYROM Prime Minister to resolve our longstanding dispute over the neighbour’s name.
For more than seventy years, since the establishment of the neighbouring state of Yugoslavia, and particularly after its independence in 1992, the neighbouring country has been called the "Republic of Macedonia", with all that this implies for the appropriation of the weighty cultural heritage of Greek Macedonia.
I would like to inform you that in order to establish constructive cooperative relations and sincere friendship between our peoples and so that Greece not only accepts, but also takes the lead in, the European and Euro-Atlantic prospects of our neighbours, they have agreed to change their constitutional name for all uses and for everyone [omnes erga].
They agreed to renaming their country “The Republic of Severna Makedonija”, that is in our language “The Republic of Northern Macedonia.”
The change of name will come into effect both in terms of their international and bilateral relations, but also internally.
In short, this name will be erga omnes - for everything, both abroad and internally, which means that our neighbours have undertaken to revise their Constitution.
In this way and under the terms of the agreement, the 140 countries that today recognize our neighbours as Macedonia will now recognize them as "The Republic of Northern Macedonia".
This achieves a clear distinction between Greek Macedonia and our North Neighbours and finally puts an end to the irredentism of their current constitutional name.
At the same time - and perhaps this may have the greatest historical weight and value for Greece - in the Agreement that we have reached there is , for the first time, the provision that our Northern Neighbours do not have and can not claim in the future any relationship with the ancient Greek civilization of Macedonia.
The term Macedonian of Greek historical heritage, which derives its origin from the ancient Greek civilization, is explicitly and categorically distinguished from the term Macedonian as it is used and on the basis of which the citizens of our neighbour are identified.
In the same context, the Agreement recognizes the relevant UN decisions since 1977 to record the language of our neighbours as a Macedonian language, with the additional but clear wording that it belongs to the family of South Slavic languages, which is expressly completely separate from the Greek-Macedonian linguistic heritage and the ancient Greek civilization.
The agreement also provides that the nationality to be included in the travel documents of our neighbours will not be simply “Macedonian”, as it is today, but “Macedonian/Citizen of Northern Macedonia”.
Greece will recognize the nationality of neighbouring citizens as "citizens of Northern Macedonia".
But beyond that, the fact that we have agreed with our neighbours that in the forthcoming Constitutional Revision they have undertaken to remove from their Constitution any reference which could be interpreted as irredentist.
Specifically:
References to the Macedonian Minority, as well as the need to protect it, are to be eliminated.
Instead of the article on border protection, references to current problematic borders are deleted.
Finally, any historical and irredentist references are to be removed from the preamble of their Constitution.
With PM Zaef, we also reached a clear timetable for the signing - ratification and implementation of the Agreement.
The Agreement, once signed by the Foreign Ministers, must be ratified by the Parliament of our Neighbours.
Greece will then support a decision on the opening of North Macedonia's accession negotiations with the EU at the forthcoming European Council.
At the same time, Greece will support the sending of an invitation by the NATO Summit for North Macedonia to join the organization.
Both invitations will be conditional on the successful completion of the Constitutional Revision, which guarantees the use of the name for all purposes.
Simply put, if the Constitutional Revision fails, then the invitation to join NATO is automatically void and the accession negotiations with the EU will not be initiated.
Last but not least, Greece will ratify the Agreement in the Greek Parliament by passing it into law along with our neighbours’ NATO Accession Protocol after the successful completion of the constitutional review in the neighbouring country.
In this way our country is fully and completely safeguarding its interests and does not lose its relative negotiating advantage.
Women and Men of Greece,
I am deeply convinced that this Agreement is not only a great victory for diplomacy, but also a great historical opportunity.
The Greek Government has defended in its entirety all its red lines, all the red lines of our national position, as it has been shaped in the last 20 years and more.
Most important, however, is that we are facing a historic opportunity that concerns not only our nation but, more generally, our region.
This is a historic moment for the Balkans and our peoples.
It finally closes a dispute that undermined the common pace of development and stability in the wider region.
And it opens a window to the future.
A window of solidarity, friendship and cooperation, prosperity and co-development between our peoples.
With the Agreement, our homeland establishes itself as a leading force in the Balkans and as a real pillar of stability in a deeply wounded region.
At a time when countries around us are turning in on themselves, badly beaten up by the germ of nationalism, Greece is once again leading the Balkans as the country that paves the way for the peaceful resolution of disputes and the creative coexistence of peoples.
And I am deeply proud of this.
And beyond party political objectives and esoteric calculations, today all of us, all Greek women and all Greek men, can be proud.
Not only about our history and cultural heritage, which we establish with the Agreement, not only about our national past, but also about our present and future.
A strong Greece, a lighthouse of civilization, history and values, a Greek Pillar of stability in the Balkans, the Eastern Mediterranean, Europe.
This is the Greece we are envisaging and today we are making a historic step in this direction.
Thank you.
Below is the full text of the Agreement in English
Official Government Statement : Key points from the Agreement
"With the conclusion of the negotiations and the agreement with fYROM, Greece is taking back its history, the history of ancient Macedonia, which had been crushed by neighbours' older governments," say government sources.
The Official Government Statement went on:
“The Greek Government is managing to resolve a problem that has been exercising Greek diplomats (and also Greek society) for more than twenty-five years. At the same time it is promoting stability and cooperation in an extremely critical period for the region, highlighting Greece’s role as a European pillar of peace, security and development in the Balkans.
Advantages of the deal
1. The agreement fully corresponds to the national position in favour of a composite name with a geographical designation for erga omnes use, a position which has been maintained for 20 years.
2. Acceptance of erga omnes is a great diplomatic success for Greece, as, in the past, it has not been accepted as a basis for discussion. This means that our neighbours will not only use the agreed name in their international relations, international organizations, international forums and international documents, but also within the country.
3. The name "Republic of Northern Macedonia", which will be recognized in our country as "Severna Makedonja", ends the irredentism of the name "Republic of Macedonia".
4. The Government, however, succeeded not only in getting accepted the erga omnes usage but also in placing the obligation on the neighbour to proceed directly to a constitutional revision.
5. The constitutional revision is a huge victory for Greece, as it was not part of the national position over the past 20 years which was taken by all the subsequent PASOK and New Democracy Governments. It was the red line of the current Government, and it had never previously been agreed that the neighbouring country should change its constitution under an international agreement.
6. The agreement makes provision for Greece to proceed with ratification only after the constitutional review in the neighbouring country has been completed. The invitation to join NATO and access to EU funds will be occur following ratification by the fYROM parliament of the agreement but its accession to both organizations will take place after the constitutional revision, as the invitation explicitly states that it is void if it the condition of the constitutional revision is not met.
7. With this agreement, we take back our history, symbols and tradition, since, in the agreement, the neighbouring country expressly accepts the distinction between the Greek Macedonians, their ancient Greek culture, their language and the region in which they live on the one hand and the people of that country with their own history, linguistic and cultural characteristics on the other (see Article 7 below).
8. The name will be registered in the new constitution with the necessary revision. At the same time, the more than 140 countries that recognize the country nowadays with the term Macedonia will recognize it as Northern Macedonia.
9. The name completely distinguishes this country from Greek Macedonia and its three regions (Eastern, Central, Western).
10. The end of irredentism is confirmed in the most formal way as guarantees are given in the most explicit and unequivocal way of eliminating, preventing and suppressing all sorts of irredentist rhetoric and actions, whether coming from public or private entities.
11. It was ensured that all irredentist references were deleted from the neighbour's constitution. For example, a) replace the Article concerning support for their expatriots, faithfully copying the corresponding chapter in the Greek Constitution. In this context, references to protection of "Macedonian minorities" in neighboring countries are removed; b) the Article on border protection is replaced by deleting any problematic references; c) any even implicit historical references to irredentist views in the Preamble of the Constitution are to be removed.
12. The agreement provides that “nationality/ citizenship in Northern Macedonia” will become “Macedonian / citizen of the Republic of North Macedonia”. This unified term replaces the simple "Macedonian" currently on travel documents, so it is a clear improvement.
Greece will recognize nationality/citizenship as "citizens of Severna Makedonja".
It is noted that the term "nationality" is different from ethnicity. Consequently, the agreement does not recognize ethnicity/nation, but recognises the right of the neighbour's citizens to self-identification. Article 7 of the agreement states that our citizens have the ability to continue to identify our neighbours with whatever term they use. (see Article 7 below)
13. Our neighbours have already changed their airport name, their motorway and their stadium. There will be either the exchange of statues with the Municipality of Thessaloniki or if the exchange does not take place, the agreement foresees that the neighbouring country will place plaques on statues and monuments to make it clear that they are symbols of Greek culture (eg Skopje's square will have an inscription so that it refers to the Hellenistic period and will be marked as symbolizing the friendship of Greece - fYROM).
14. Despite the fact that the language "Macedonian language" had been recognized by Greece within the UN since 1977, the agreement contains the additional clear wording that it belongs to the family of Slavic languages, as well as the explicit placing on record that this language is separate from ancient Greek culture and the Greek-Macedonian linguistic heritage.
15. All names and titles used by government and wider public institutions, as well as state-funded, expatriot/cultural organisations will be re-defined by the term "of Northern Macedonia", while the definition "Macedonia" is to be abolished.
16. A Working Group of Experts will be established, which from 2019 and within 3 years will have to sort out business trademark issues.
"With the conclusion of the negotiations and the agreement with fYROM, Greece is taking back its history, the history of ancient Macedonia, which had been crushed by neighbours' older governments," say government sources.
The Official Government Statement went on:
“The Greek Government is managing to resolve a problem that has been exercising Greek diplomats (and also Greek society) for more than twenty-five years. At the same time it is promoting stability and cooperation in an extremely critical period for the region, highlighting Greece’s role as a European pillar of peace, security and development in the Balkans.
Advantages of the deal
1. The agreement fully corresponds to the national position in favour of a composite name with a geographical designation for erga omnes use, a position which has been maintained for 20 years.
2. Acceptance of erga omnes is a great diplomatic success for Greece, as, in the past, it has not been accepted as a basis for discussion. This means that our neighbours will not only use the agreed name in their international relations, international organizations, international forums and international documents, but also within the country.
3. The name "Republic of Northern Macedonia", which will be recognized in our country as "Severna Makedonja", ends the irredentism of the name "Republic of Macedonia".
4. The Government, however, succeeded not only in getting accepted the erga omnes usage but also in placing the obligation on the neighbour to proceed directly to a constitutional revision.
5. The constitutional revision is a huge victory for Greece, as it was not part of the national position over the past 20 years which was taken by all the subsequent PASOK and New Democracy Governments. It was the red line of the current Government, and it had never previously been agreed that the neighbouring country should change its constitution under an international agreement.
6. The agreement makes provision for Greece to proceed with ratification only after the constitutional review in the neighbouring country has been completed. The invitation to join NATO and access to EU funds will be occur following ratification by the fYROM parliament of the agreement but its accession to both organizations will take place after the constitutional revision, as the invitation explicitly states that it is void if it the condition of the constitutional revision is not met.
7. With this agreement, we take back our history, symbols and tradition, since, in the agreement, the neighbouring country expressly accepts the distinction between the Greek Macedonians, their ancient Greek culture, their language and the region in which they live on the one hand and the people of that country with their own history, linguistic and cultural characteristics on the other (see Article 7 below).
8. The name will be registered in the new constitution with the necessary revision. At the same time, the more than 140 countries that recognize the country nowadays with the term Macedonia will recognize it as Northern Macedonia.
9. The name completely distinguishes this country from Greek Macedonia and its three regions (Eastern, Central, Western).
10. The end of irredentism is confirmed in the most formal way as guarantees are given in the most explicit and unequivocal way of eliminating, preventing and suppressing all sorts of irredentist rhetoric and actions, whether coming from public or private entities.
11. It was ensured that all irredentist references were deleted from the neighbour's constitution. For example, a) replace the Article concerning support for their expatriots, faithfully copying the corresponding chapter in the Greek Constitution. In this context, references to protection of "Macedonian minorities" in neighboring countries are removed; b) the Article on border protection is replaced by deleting any problematic references; c) any even implicit historical references to irredentist views in the Preamble of the Constitution are to be removed.
12. The agreement provides that “nationality/ citizenship in Northern Macedonia” will become “Macedonian / citizen of the Republic of North Macedonia”. This unified term replaces the simple "Macedonian" currently on travel documents, so it is a clear improvement.
Greece will recognize nationality/citizenship as "citizens of Severna Makedonja".
It is noted that the term "nationality" is different from ethnicity. Consequently, the agreement does not recognize ethnicity/nation, but recognises the right of the neighbour's citizens to self-identification. Article 7 of the agreement states that our citizens have the ability to continue to identify our neighbours with whatever term they use. (see Article 7 below)
13. Our neighbours have already changed their airport name, their motorway and their stadium. There will be either the exchange of statues with the Municipality of Thessaloniki or if the exchange does not take place, the agreement foresees that the neighbouring country will place plaques on statues and monuments to make it clear that they are symbols of Greek culture (eg Skopje's square will have an inscription so that it refers to the Hellenistic period and will be marked as symbolizing the friendship of Greece - fYROM).
14. Despite the fact that the language "Macedonian language" had been recognized by Greece within the UN since 1977, the agreement contains the additional clear wording that it belongs to the family of Slavic languages, as well as the explicit placing on record that this language is separate from ancient Greek culture and the Greek-Macedonian linguistic heritage.
15. All names and titles used by government and wider public institutions, as well as state-funded, expatriot/cultural organisations will be re-defined by the term "of Northern Macedonia", while the definition "Macedonia" is to be abolished.
16. A Working Group of Experts will be established, which from 2019 and within 3 years will have to sort out business trademark issues.
Reactions
Many countries and their leaders formally welcomed and supported the Athens-Skopje agreement, including Germany, Cyprus, USA, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Slovenia, Albania …
Shortly after 7.00 on Wednesday afternoon, Alexis Tsipras contacted Kyriakos Mitsotakis and all the political leaders by telephone and informed them of the developments on the name issue and the next steps.
New Democracy
The leader of the Main Opposition made the following statement on television, shortly after the speech of Alexis Tsipras:
"After six months of secret diplomacy, Mr Tsipras agreed with Mr Zaev to sign a transnational agreement to resolve the issue with the neighbouring country. He did it after ignoring the Greek people and their sensitivities. And after defiantly ignoring the opposition and Parliament.
I want to be quite clear: Mr.Tsipras has no political legitimacy to bind the country by signing an agreement that does not have the support of his own Government. This has no precedent in Greek politics and constitutional history and constitutes an insult to the parliamentary system. I will immediately inform the President of the Republic, the institutional guarantor of the Government, about this unprecedented development.
As for the substance of the agreement and on what we know so far and heard from Mr Tsipras, I have to say only this: Acceptance of "Macedonian language" and "Macedonian ethnicity" constitute an unacceptable national caving-in.
The solution that was agreed is a bad deal. It contrasts with the majority of Greeks. Some people do not realize it or even worse they are not interested in understanding it. They are the same ones who in the past had no objection for the neighbouring country to be called plain Macedonia.
In addition, a bad deal offers ground to marginal elements to play falsely on nationalism, which unfortunately is happening almost everywhere in Europe.
We have several wounds that have to be healed as a country. We do not need to open another one, especially in Northern Greece. My priority is to contribute with all my might to safeguarding the unity of the Greek people. I repeat: We will not divide the Greeks in order to unite the Skopjians.
The problem of Skopje can not be turned into a problem of Greece. I urge Mr. Tsipras not to sign this agreement."
Movement for Change
"The Movement of Change has repeatedly stressed that it is in favour of a solution, but not of any solution", stressed in the senior governing body. In this context, the conditions are repeated: "A composite name for all purposes, constitutional revision, the cancellation of all forms of irredentism are our standing patriotic positions".
"On the basis of these positions, we will assess the formal draft agreement that the Government has pledged will be made public, to see if it meets the prerequisites for the protection of national interests and the stability in the wider region, as well as promoting European principles", concludes the statement.
On behalf of the Greek Communist Party (KKE), Mr. Koutsoubas said “The agreement gives the "green light" to destabilize the region”. He stressed to the Prime Minister that "with this agreement, he and his government are giving a letter of recommendation to fYROM for its accession to NATO and the EU. In this respect, it gives the 'green light' for the insecurity and destabilization in the region".
He pointed out that all the terms of the agreement are up in the air until the timetable and the procedure set out in the agreement are completed.
Yet, the General Secretary of the KKE pointed out to the Prime Minister that "with this agreement the "seed" of irredentism remains, which consists in the Greek Government accepting the positions of the fYROM Government regarding the terms "Macedonian citizen" and "Macedonian language".
The River
With his post on Twitter, the President of The River, Stavros Theodorakis, announced his positive attitude to a possible agreement between Tsipras and Zaev.
"The River remains unwavering in its position to find a solution, which is a responsible and patriotic beneficial attitude, particularly when the country faces Erdogan's threats. We are waiting for the text of the agreement to take a more concrete position".
Union of Centrists
Vassilis Leventis, for his part, reiterated to the Prime Minister the standing position of the Union of Centrists on giving away the name "Macedonia" and added that his party will do everything it can to cancel this agreement.
..and in fYROM
On Thursday, fYROM President Gjorgi Ivanov said the agreement reached with Greece is unacceptable, he will not support it and will not sign it off.
"The deal with Greece is detrimental to Macedonia and it is a personal decision and responsibility of Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov and I will not sign it off," he said.
He also stated that this agreement abandoned the positions of the state for not changing the constitution and not accepting an erga omnes name.
"The text is a defeat for "Macedonia", President Ivanov said, explaining that it does not only change the constitutional name, but also the preamble to the Constitution and all the articles referring to the Republic of Macedonia.
Membership of the EU and NATO, he said, should not be the alibi for a damaging agreement and it does not unite society but it polarizes it even more.
"Greece has managed to maximize its demands, detracts from the acquired rights in the UN and violates the ancestry of our ancestors. It violates our right of self-determination for 73 years and 27 years of independence. It violates what is sacred to our Republic," he said.
President Ivanov is strongly connected to the nationalist VMRO-DPMNE party that was defeated in the General Elections in 2017. That party nominated him for the Presidency. He has the power to veto the deal - but not indefinitely. Reports suggest that he stormed out of a meeting with Prime Minister Zoran Zaev after just three minutes. However, President Ivanov can only use his veto once - and he has no power to block a referendum.
Next Steps
The Foreign Ministers of fYROM and Greece are expected to sign the accord this weekend. fYROM's parliament will then vote on whether to approve it. If it votes in favour, the President can refuse to sign it off - which would send it back to parliament for a second vote. If it passed again, the President would be obliged to approve the legislation.
Mr Zaev's government needs a two-thirds majority to get the agreement through parliament. At least some VMRO-DPMNE MPs will be needed to gain a two-thirds majority in a parliamentary vote.
The aim is to get fYROM’s parliament to back the agreement before EU leaders meet for a summit on 28 June. Greece will then send a letter to the EU withdrawing its objection to accession talks, and a letter to Nato too. That would be followed by a fYROM referendum in September or October.
Many countries and their leaders formally welcomed and supported the Athens-Skopje agreement, including Germany, Cyprus, USA, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Slovenia, Albania …
Shortly after 7.00 on Wednesday afternoon, Alexis Tsipras contacted Kyriakos Mitsotakis and all the political leaders by telephone and informed them of the developments on the name issue and the next steps.
New Democracy
The leader of the Main Opposition made the following statement on television, shortly after the speech of Alexis Tsipras:
"After six months of secret diplomacy, Mr Tsipras agreed with Mr Zaev to sign a transnational agreement to resolve the issue with the neighbouring country. He did it after ignoring the Greek people and their sensitivities. And after defiantly ignoring the opposition and Parliament.
I want to be quite clear: Mr.Tsipras has no political legitimacy to bind the country by signing an agreement that does not have the support of his own Government. This has no precedent in Greek politics and constitutional history and constitutes an insult to the parliamentary system. I will immediately inform the President of the Republic, the institutional guarantor of the Government, about this unprecedented development.
As for the substance of the agreement and on what we know so far and heard from Mr Tsipras, I have to say only this: Acceptance of "Macedonian language" and "Macedonian ethnicity" constitute an unacceptable national caving-in.
The solution that was agreed is a bad deal. It contrasts with the majority of Greeks. Some people do not realize it or even worse they are not interested in understanding it. They are the same ones who in the past had no objection for the neighbouring country to be called plain Macedonia.
In addition, a bad deal offers ground to marginal elements to play falsely on nationalism, which unfortunately is happening almost everywhere in Europe.
We have several wounds that have to be healed as a country. We do not need to open another one, especially in Northern Greece. My priority is to contribute with all my might to safeguarding the unity of the Greek people. I repeat: We will not divide the Greeks in order to unite the Skopjians.
The problem of Skopje can not be turned into a problem of Greece. I urge Mr. Tsipras not to sign this agreement."
Movement for Change
"The Movement of Change has repeatedly stressed that it is in favour of a solution, but not of any solution", stressed in the senior governing body. In this context, the conditions are repeated: "A composite name for all purposes, constitutional revision, the cancellation of all forms of irredentism are our standing patriotic positions".
"On the basis of these positions, we will assess the formal draft agreement that the Government has pledged will be made public, to see if it meets the prerequisites for the protection of national interests and the stability in the wider region, as well as promoting European principles", concludes the statement.
On behalf of the Greek Communist Party (KKE), Mr. Koutsoubas said “The agreement gives the "green light" to destabilize the region”. He stressed to the Prime Minister that "with this agreement, he and his government are giving a letter of recommendation to fYROM for its accession to NATO and the EU. In this respect, it gives the 'green light' for the insecurity and destabilization in the region".
He pointed out that all the terms of the agreement are up in the air until the timetable and the procedure set out in the agreement are completed.
Yet, the General Secretary of the KKE pointed out to the Prime Minister that "with this agreement the "seed" of irredentism remains, which consists in the Greek Government accepting the positions of the fYROM Government regarding the terms "Macedonian citizen" and "Macedonian language".
The River
With his post on Twitter, the President of The River, Stavros Theodorakis, announced his positive attitude to a possible agreement between Tsipras and Zaev.
"The River remains unwavering in its position to find a solution, which is a responsible and patriotic beneficial attitude, particularly when the country faces Erdogan's threats. We are waiting for the text of the agreement to take a more concrete position".
Union of Centrists
Vassilis Leventis, for his part, reiterated to the Prime Minister the standing position of the Union of Centrists on giving away the name "Macedonia" and added that his party will do everything it can to cancel this agreement.
..and in fYROM
On Thursday, fYROM President Gjorgi Ivanov said the agreement reached with Greece is unacceptable, he will not support it and will not sign it off.
"The deal with Greece is detrimental to Macedonia and it is a personal decision and responsibility of Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov and I will not sign it off," he said.
He also stated that this agreement abandoned the positions of the state for not changing the constitution and not accepting an erga omnes name.
"The text is a defeat for "Macedonia", President Ivanov said, explaining that it does not only change the constitutional name, but also the preamble to the Constitution and all the articles referring to the Republic of Macedonia.
Membership of the EU and NATO, he said, should not be the alibi for a damaging agreement and it does not unite society but it polarizes it even more.
"Greece has managed to maximize its demands, detracts from the acquired rights in the UN and violates the ancestry of our ancestors. It violates our right of self-determination for 73 years and 27 years of independence. It violates what is sacred to our Republic," he said.
President Ivanov is strongly connected to the nationalist VMRO-DPMNE party that was defeated in the General Elections in 2017. That party nominated him for the Presidency. He has the power to veto the deal - but not indefinitely. Reports suggest that he stormed out of a meeting with Prime Minister Zoran Zaev after just three minutes. However, President Ivanov can only use his veto once - and he has no power to block a referendum.
Next Steps
The Foreign Ministers of fYROM and Greece are expected to sign the accord this weekend. fYROM's parliament will then vote on whether to approve it. If it votes in favour, the President can refuse to sign it off - which would send it back to parliament for a second vote. If it passed again, the President would be obliged to approve the legislation.
Mr Zaev's government needs a two-thirds majority to get the agreement through parliament. At least some VMRO-DPMNE MPs will be needed to gain a two-thirds majority in a parliamentary vote.
The aim is to get fYROM’s parliament to back the agreement before EU leaders meet for a summit on 28 June. Greece will then send a letter to the EU withdrawing its objection to accession talks, and a letter to Nato too. That would be followed by a fYROM referendum in September or October.
Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos accused the Opposition of "inaccuracies and statistical alchemy": "You have not understood anything about what is happening"
" In a year’s time, people will vote for the party which promises something better. For the one who promises participation in the development that will take place, "Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos stressed in the House Committees on the multi-bill. "Such a distortion of data and statistics I have not come across. And I have not come across such a gap between the debate in Europe about Greece. You have understood nothing about what is happening,"the Finance Minister underlined, and continued:" Exit from the Programme has been decided. There will not be a precautionary line of credit for you to call a fourth memorandum. You don’t get it that there will be no enhanced oversight without new measures and without money. You have not followed the discussion about the debt which is going better and better and you will see on June 21st. You are not following what is happening in development. You do not see the increase in exports. You talk about investment in the first quarter. But in January 2017, we had increased investment spending, and that's why 2018 saw a drop in relation to 2017. You don’t say anything about the Ergane Information System which showed that after April we regained the record with 109,000 new jobs in May and a total of 265,000 new jobs since the beginning of the year. Do you see the trend? Is this the disaster? "
"We are not talking a lot of hot air"
New Democracy MP Thanassis Bouras shouted out that the Minister was describing everything as being rosy. "No, it's not all rosy, but it's not a disaster," Minister Tsakalotos replied. He continued: "We are not talking a lot of hot air. Go to the 5,000 more businesses that have opened and to the 265,000 who found work and tell them you do not care."
In response to criticism of primary surpluses and fiscal room for manoeuvre, the Finance Minister clarified that "There is not a single extra measure". "Why is there extra fiscal room for manoeuvre? Because unemployment is falling and the Single Social Insurance Agency [ΕΦΚΑ] is doing well and tax evasion is reduced and revenue is going well."The target for the primary surplus is 3.5% and we will get there. That the above will cover it as we will set out. I would have expected PASOK to at least make proposals. We say in 2019 that there will a reduction in taxes and it will be 700€ million and in the years to come there will be a blend of tax cuts and social spending."
Indeed, he pointed out that even with New Democracy’s faulty sums, the measures are worth 15€ billion but the counter measures are worth more. "For the 15€ billion of measures that you are talking about, the explanation is that you do not understand simple arithmetic. And even with your wrong method of counting, you see the countermeasures are more than the measures. The correct method is this. The measures are worth 4,750€ billion and the counter measures are worth 7,650€ billion,"said Minister Tsakalotos lifting up the two tables of figures.
About the Property Tax [ENFIA], the Finance Minister pointed out: "We will surprised by Dora Bakoyannis and the newspapers that write about ENFIA. There will be few differences. Most people will not notice anything. Few will have an increase but they will probably be your voters. Ordinary people will not see an increase."
" In a year’s time, people will vote for the party which promises something better. For the one who promises participation in the development that will take place, "Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos stressed in the House Committees on the multi-bill. "Such a distortion of data and statistics I have not come across. And I have not come across such a gap between the debate in Europe about Greece. You have understood nothing about what is happening,"the Finance Minister underlined, and continued:" Exit from the Programme has been decided. There will not be a precautionary line of credit for you to call a fourth memorandum. You don’t get it that there will be no enhanced oversight without new measures and without money. You have not followed the discussion about the debt which is going better and better and you will see on June 21st. You are not following what is happening in development. You do not see the increase in exports. You talk about investment in the first quarter. But in January 2017, we had increased investment spending, and that's why 2018 saw a drop in relation to 2017. You don’t say anything about the Ergane Information System which showed that after April we regained the record with 109,000 new jobs in May and a total of 265,000 new jobs since the beginning of the year. Do you see the trend? Is this the disaster? "
"We are not talking a lot of hot air"
New Democracy MP Thanassis Bouras shouted out that the Minister was describing everything as being rosy. "No, it's not all rosy, but it's not a disaster," Minister Tsakalotos replied. He continued: "We are not talking a lot of hot air. Go to the 5,000 more businesses that have opened and to the 265,000 who found work and tell them you do not care."
In response to criticism of primary surpluses and fiscal room for manoeuvre, the Finance Minister clarified that "There is not a single extra measure". "Why is there extra fiscal room for manoeuvre? Because unemployment is falling and the Single Social Insurance Agency [ΕΦΚΑ] is doing well and tax evasion is reduced and revenue is going well."The target for the primary surplus is 3.5% and we will get there. That the above will cover it as we will set out. I would have expected PASOK to at least make proposals. We say in 2019 that there will a reduction in taxes and it will be 700€ million and in the years to come there will be a blend of tax cuts and social spending."
Indeed, he pointed out that even with New Democracy’s faulty sums, the measures are worth 15€ billion but the counter measures are worth more. "For the 15€ billion of measures that you are talking about, the explanation is that you do not understand simple arithmetic. And even with your wrong method of counting, you see the countermeasures are more than the measures. The correct method is this. The measures are worth 4,750€ billion and the counter measures are worth 7,650€ billion,"said Minister Tsakalotos lifting up the two tables of figures.
About the Property Tax [ENFIA], the Finance Minister pointed out: "We will surprised by Dora Bakoyannis and the newspapers that write about ENFIA. There will be few differences. Most people will not notice anything. Few will have an increase but they will probably be your voters. Ordinary people will not see an increase."
"Our limit can only be the lines of the horizons of the great seas of the world where our ships sail" PM Tsipras at Posidonia 2018
9.6.2018
With steady steps to ensure the country's exit from the Memoranda and secure access to the financial markets, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras stressed during his speech at Posidonia 2018.
By the end of June we will have completed the last prerequisite measures of the final Assessment of the final programme for the country. So we go to the Eurogroup on June 21st where there will be final decisions on debt measures, stressed Mr. Tsipras.
The aim is stable and lasting access to the money markets, he added, stressing that "we are working in partnership with our partners for an efficient and long-term solution", while making sure that the rest of Europe's peoples will not be burdened.
"The credibility will be judged not by the activation or otherwise of the IMF programme in the short time left to complete the programme," he said, but, among other things, by specifying that Greece in a very short space of time will be a country that will be able to stand on its own two feet and rely on her own strengths. Without crutches and preventative credit lines of support.
Speaking about shipping, Alexis Tsipras stressed that: "As the country advances in a new era, with better prospects, with security and stability for the dynamic recovery of the Greek economy, the collective recovery of the country and its people, the potential of Greek shipping is multiplying".
"The shipping industry managed in difficult times and in storms and, now, with calm waters and a clear horizon, it can excel," the Prime Minister stressed, while making a special reference to the people who serve on the ships, the "heroic crews."
As he said, "their demands and their fair requests must be respected, particularly with regard to wages, working hours and working conditions".
POSIDONIA 2018 takes place under the auspices of the Ministry of Shipping and Island Policy, the Hellenic Shipowners' Association and the Hellenic Naval Chamber with the support of the Municipality of Piraeus and the London Greek Committee of Maritime Cooperation.
PM Tsipras’ Speech
“You know that Greece has the largest commercial fleet in the world, with 20% of the world's commercial fleet and 50% of the European capacity in terms of tonnage now belonging to Greek shipping companies whose activity is obviously a heavyweight in terms of the country's GDP. Suffice it to say that just for 2017, shipping exceeded 9€ billion, almost 20% more than in 2016.
The truth is that the activity of the shipping industry in the years of the crisis did not - fortunately, I would say - follow the general course of the Greek economy. However, it is time for this to end. It is time for Greek shipping to no longer be the positive exception, but one example among many sectors of the Greek economy that are developing dynamically.
And you know, we worked hard to bring in this era, the era of recovery for the Greek economy. Very often, under extremely harsh conditions. It took three years of hard and painstaking effort to bring the Greek economy back on course, with our concern to constantly protect the social strata that were most affected by the long-term crisis, and it required particularly difficult and persistent efforts to establish the new,stable and healthy foundations by which the country must be supported for a better tomorrow. Overcoming the structural weaknesses as well as the pathogens of the past that led us to this crisis.
To that end, we have implemented a very ambitious reform programme, with many profound reforms in the whole economic life of the country, reforms which it has not always been easy to implement.
We have balanced the public finances after we have redeveloped them, and so from a country that is still in deficit - almost the last, I would say, in all the countries of the Eurozone - today Greece is one of the first and it is a country in surplus. In this way we managed to recover the most important thing: trust. To regain the trust of our partners in the European Union, but day by day to regain the confidence of the markets. And, if you like, it is also the passport for a definitive exit from support programmes. But at the same time, it is the guarantee of gradual and necessary tax relief in the coming years, since the creation of budgetary margins is what enables us to secure tax relief, and not just in the short-term.
Of course, it is not enough just for me to say the above. What matters is that they have been ratified by international organisations, the OECD, all the institutions that monitor the Greek programme and oversee it, international analysts, and of course the markets as well. And we know, our experience has taught us, but we still see it today with the political turbulence in our neighbouring countries that the recovery of the international community's confidence, unlike its loss, is very difficult and takes a lot of work.
That is why today we need to go steadily and carefully to prepare the next day for the country outside the support programmes, while taking all the necessary steps to ensure our return to the international markets.
And we are, friends, just at that point where all the last pieces of the puzzle are beginning to fall into place and completing the big picture.
Within the current month, in June, we are completing the last prerequisites for the last Assessment, the country's last adjustment programme, and so we are going at full speed to the Eurogroup meeting on 21st June, having completed the last Assessment, and at the same time by then intensive consultations on the relief of the Greek debt will have also come to an end. Processes and consultations that have been in progress throughout the recent period. And I would like to take this opportunity to emphasize that, as far as the reduction of the Greek debt is concerned, the framework of which has been decided by our partners for about a year, we are working and pursuing not just any solution. But for a solution that will give, as I repeat, as Eurogroup decisions taken over a year ago will give Greece stable and lasting access to the money markets. Not temporary access.
So we are working in partnership with our partners for a solution that can persuade the markets to lend in the long-term and give the Greek economy the time it needs to develop and to reduce the stockpile of accumulated debt through growth. And I assure you, friends, that the technical means for this to happen exist without harming the peoples, the taxpayers of other eurozone countries. And I also assure you that on these technical instruments we have been working intensively lately with our European partners and I am optimistic that the solution will be found. Indeed, all of them are seeking it, and its credibility will not be judged by its activation or otherwise of the IMF programme over the short time remaining until the completion of the third programme. But its credibility will be judged by its own substance and that will gain impetus from the dynamics being developed in the markets themselves.
So Greece, friends, with the successful completion of the fourth and last Assessment and the final and meaningful agreement on the debt, will in a very short time be a country that will be able to stand on its own feet again. A country that can rely on its own strengths. Without crutches, with no credit lines of support, that is without the permanent artificial assistance to her breathing. So a country that can recover, that can plan its future as it deserves after the sacrifices that the Greek people have made over the years. This is our goal and that, I would say, is not the goal just of the Government, it is the goal of all of us. It is a national goal. And this goal, I urge you, every man and every woman, especially Greek shipping and its representatives to contribute to, each according to their capacities, each and every one, to contribute all together to achieve it. Because, I repeat, success will be success for the country and will be worthy of the sacrifices and struggles of the Greek people to keep the country at the hard core of the Member States of the European Union.
Dear friends, throughout the three years of a difficult and often uphill journey and the struggle for the rebuilding of the economy, we had in our minds and we were working to prepare the next day for the country. We knew that a coherent development plan, a national development plan, would be needed for the country to move to a new production model, a production model that would exploit the comparative advantages, the competitive advantages of the country, and would promote the turning outwards of our economy to the world financial system. The old model of consumption of imports bought with borrowed money and the waste of valuable resources on low added value sectors is bankrupt and we should never think about going back to it.
We even have, if you wish, the first encouraging evidence that this transition to a new production model is already happening. These data also come from the balance of payments and, in particular, from the trade balance and the current account. Exports are steadily rising, more than imports, and what I would like to stress is that if the growth in exports continues at this rate, it will soon become the basic component of growth, together with balanced consumption and investment. As you can see, there is a window of great opportunity opening also for the further development of Greek shipping. Our exports to date have been mainly directed to the countries of Europe. We have chosen consciously, for both economic and geopolitical purposes, to exploit our geostrategic position on the southeastern edge of the Mediterranean as a meeting point of three continents, connecting three seas, the Mediterranean, the Black Sea and the Indian Ocean. And to deepen our trade ties with emerging Asian powers that are strengthening their presence in the markets of Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The emergence of Piraeus, Europe's main gateway to transit trade with the Asian economies, capitalizes on the geographical advantage of our homeland. Our intention is to further assist in establishing it as a modern, European maritime centre that at least at the service level will reduce the distance between London and Singapore. At the same time, we are strengthening our ties with our traditional allies in the West and through a multidimensional foreign policy, we are becoming a reliable interlocutor, with prestige and influence, just as we are functioning as factor of stabilisation, as a pillar of stability and security in a region objectively difficult and many times over lacking in stability.
This is what I believe explains the constant increase of our Tourism in our country in recent years, every year breaking records and of course it also explains the expansion of investment projects in major projects in the fields of energy, infrastructure and international logistics transport in our country , as well as the increase of the Greek shipping share in the global volume of transactions. The above creates the historical opportunity for the mutual cooperation between the shipping industry and the other dynamic sectors of the Greek economy that will bring us back to the international economic stage.
For our part, we are investing in and upgrading the infrastructure that Greek shipping needs and promoting actions that facilitate its activity, both inside and outside Greece.
Port policy, through selected strategic concession contracts, and spearheaded by the success of Piraeus, I repeat, as an international maritime centre with the necessary structures and infrastructures, can contribute even more to economic development and to the upgrading of the international position of the country.
A relevant strategic goal, which is crucial for attracting investment and creating new jobs, is the revival of the shipbuilding industry.
While in the field of maritime, coastal tourism, the construction of new infrastructures and the modernization of existing ones will boost the development of cruise and recreational tourism.
Greece is known to everyone that as a special country on the global and European map. Its main feature is the sea. It is a maritime country, it is a country of islands, it has the longest coastline in the whole of the EU and has most islands in the EU.
This calls for an important role in the formulation and implementation of both maritime policy, in particular regarding the islands, and the EU's territorial cohesion policy.
Island life is, I would say, a structural characteristic of our homeland.
And of course, it is, no doubt, our strategic asset. From this flows both challenges, such as our anxiety and our struggle to secure equality for our islanders, as well as opportunities, such as the development of niche markets with great added value.
It is also a fact that in today's globalized and competitive environment, there are new - mostly technological - challenges in the field of shipping and the exploitation of the seas.
The use, for example, of space technologies and data from satellite systems is now indispensable for shipping and is increasing daily.
In this context, we asked the European Space Agency to take an initiative on "Space and Shipping" in which our country will have a leading role.
Our goal is to work with other countries to design and implement solutions that will be applied to ships and marine systems.
And I invite you to take part in this initiative, which will highlight the leading role of Greek shipping within the European family.
Friends,
Especially today, where there is a re-emergence of a protectionist tendency but also a risk of a retrenchment of international trade, due to widespread upheavals and trade conflicts, often between traditional partners, it is of great importance that shipping remains at the top of the European development agenda. And the know-how of the Greeks is a guarantee in this direction.
Greece attaches great importance to the role and work of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) in creating a framework of agreed rules that are key to the sustainability of shipping in the coming years.
Greece, as an EU member state with an active role in shaping its shipping policy, is always actively contributing to this direction while at the same time ratifying and implementing all IMO Conventions on time.
I would therefore like to assure the IMO Secretary-General, whom we have just heard address this meeting, who honours once again our country and Posidonia with his presence, that Greece as a member of the top tier of the IMO Council will continue to actively support the Agency's priorities and objectives for the benefit of the global maritime community.
But friends, every successful effort can only succeed if it has the means, the equipment, the investment, the proper design, but above all, it requires people who accomplish all the above and carry them out.
In closing, I would therefore like to make a special reference to the people who have brought Greek shipping to such heights. I would like to conclude by referring to the world of nautical service.
It is these, without exaggeration, “heroic crews”, who manage to work under conditions often unthinkable by ordinary human standards.
It is to these people that Greek shipping owes impressive growth and its strong international role.
As far as we are concerned as the State, we consider it our self-evident and absolute obligation to do everything to guarantee the labour rights of these crews. And for their claims and their fair demands to be respected, particularly in terms of salaries, working hours and working conditions.
At the same time, to invest in their skills and to support our seamen is a debt of both the State and the shipping world,
Our country is able to transfer and teach our know-how and become an international centre of attraction for the education of all shipping-related specializations and all stages of its development. From research, planning, building, launching, staffing to business development.
Dear friends,
as the country advances in what we are calling a new era, with better prospects, greater security and stability, with the dynamic recovery of the Greek economy that entails a collective recovery of the country and its people, I believe the potential of Greek shipping is multiplying.
Our limit can only be the lines of the horizons of the great seas of the world where our ships sail.
I am sure that Greek shipping is in a position to do so and will make use of this exceptional momentum for the Greek economy, the excellent momentum for the country.
Besides, Greek shipping did it in difficult times and in tempestuous time. Now, with calm waters and with a clear horizon, I think it can succeed.
So, I welcome you to this year's Posidonia 2018, I wish you good continuity in the work of the conference, and I sincerely wish for successful partnerships that will lead Greek and world shipping to an even better future.
Thank you very much.”
By the end of June we will have completed the last prerequisite measures of the final Assessment of the final programme for the country. So we go to the Eurogroup on June 21st where there will be final decisions on debt measures, stressed Mr. Tsipras.
The aim is stable and lasting access to the money markets, he added, stressing that "we are working in partnership with our partners for an efficient and long-term solution", while making sure that the rest of Europe's peoples will not be burdened.
"The credibility will be judged not by the activation or otherwise of the IMF programme in the short time left to complete the programme," he said, but, among other things, by specifying that Greece in a very short space of time will be a country that will be able to stand on its own two feet and rely on her own strengths. Without crutches and preventative credit lines of support.
Speaking about shipping, Alexis Tsipras stressed that: "As the country advances in a new era, with better prospects, with security and stability for the dynamic recovery of the Greek economy, the collective recovery of the country and its people, the potential of Greek shipping is multiplying".
"The shipping industry managed in difficult times and in storms and, now, with calm waters and a clear horizon, it can excel," the Prime Minister stressed, while making a special reference to the people who serve on the ships, the "heroic crews."
As he said, "their demands and their fair requests must be respected, particularly with regard to wages, working hours and working conditions".
POSIDONIA 2018 takes place under the auspices of the Ministry of Shipping and Island Policy, the Hellenic Shipowners' Association and the Hellenic Naval Chamber with the support of the Municipality of Piraeus and the London Greek Committee of Maritime Cooperation.
PM Tsipras’ Speech
“You know that Greece has the largest commercial fleet in the world, with 20% of the world's commercial fleet and 50% of the European capacity in terms of tonnage now belonging to Greek shipping companies whose activity is obviously a heavyweight in terms of the country's GDP. Suffice it to say that just for 2017, shipping exceeded 9€ billion, almost 20% more than in 2016.
The truth is that the activity of the shipping industry in the years of the crisis did not - fortunately, I would say - follow the general course of the Greek economy. However, it is time for this to end. It is time for Greek shipping to no longer be the positive exception, but one example among many sectors of the Greek economy that are developing dynamically.
And you know, we worked hard to bring in this era, the era of recovery for the Greek economy. Very often, under extremely harsh conditions. It took three years of hard and painstaking effort to bring the Greek economy back on course, with our concern to constantly protect the social strata that were most affected by the long-term crisis, and it required particularly difficult and persistent efforts to establish the new,stable and healthy foundations by which the country must be supported for a better tomorrow. Overcoming the structural weaknesses as well as the pathogens of the past that led us to this crisis.
To that end, we have implemented a very ambitious reform programme, with many profound reforms in the whole economic life of the country, reforms which it has not always been easy to implement.
We have balanced the public finances after we have redeveloped them, and so from a country that is still in deficit - almost the last, I would say, in all the countries of the Eurozone - today Greece is one of the first and it is a country in surplus. In this way we managed to recover the most important thing: trust. To regain the trust of our partners in the European Union, but day by day to regain the confidence of the markets. And, if you like, it is also the passport for a definitive exit from support programmes. But at the same time, it is the guarantee of gradual and necessary tax relief in the coming years, since the creation of budgetary margins is what enables us to secure tax relief, and not just in the short-term.
Of course, it is not enough just for me to say the above. What matters is that they have been ratified by international organisations, the OECD, all the institutions that monitor the Greek programme and oversee it, international analysts, and of course the markets as well. And we know, our experience has taught us, but we still see it today with the political turbulence in our neighbouring countries that the recovery of the international community's confidence, unlike its loss, is very difficult and takes a lot of work.
That is why today we need to go steadily and carefully to prepare the next day for the country outside the support programmes, while taking all the necessary steps to ensure our return to the international markets.
And we are, friends, just at that point where all the last pieces of the puzzle are beginning to fall into place and completing the big picture.
Within the current month, in June, we are completing the last prerequisites for the last Assessment, the country's last adjustment programme, and so we are going at full speed to the Eurogroup meeting on 21st June, having completed the last Assessment, and at the same time by then intensive consultations on the relief of the Greek debt will have also come to an end. Processes and consultations that have been in progress throughout the recent period. And I would like to take this opportunity to emphasize that, as far as the reduction of the Greek debt is concerned, the framework of which has been decided by our partners for about a year, we are working and pursuing not just any solution. But for a solution that will give, as I repeat, as Eurogroup decisions taken over a year ago will give Greece stable and lasting access to the money markets. Not temporary access.
So we are working in partnership with our partners for a solution that can persuade the markets to lend in the long-term and give the Greek economy the time it needs to develop and to reduce the stockpile of accumulated debt through growth. And I assure you, friends, that the technical means for this to happen exist without harming the peoples, the taxpayers of other eurozone countries. And I also assure you that on these technical instruments we have been working intensively lately with our European partners and I am optimistic that the solution will be found. Indeed, all of them are seeking it, and its credibility will not be judged by its activation or otherwise of the IMF programme over the short time remaining until the completion of the third programme. But its credibility will be judged by its own substance and that will gain impetus from the dynamics being developed in the markets themselves.
So Greece, friends, with the successful completion of the fourth and last Assessment and the final and meaningful agreement on the debt, will in a very short time be a country that will be able to stand on its own feet again. A country that can rely on its own strengths. Without crutches, with no credit lines of support, that is without the permanent artificial assistance to her breathing. So a country that can recover, that can plan its future as it deserves after the sacrifices that the Greek people have made over the years. This is our goal and that, I would say, is not the goal just of the Government, it is the goal of all of us. It is a national goal. And this goal, I urge you, every man and every woman, especially Greek shipping and its representatives to contribute to, each according to their capacities, each and every one, to contribute all together to achieve it. Because, I repeat, success will be success for the country and will be worthy of the sacrifices and struggles of the Greek people to keep the country at the hard core of the Member States of the European Union.
Dear friends, throughout the three years of a difficult and often uphill journey and the struggle for the rebuilding of the economy, we had in our minds and we were working to prepare the next day for the country. We knew that a coherent development plan, a national development plan, would be needed for the country to move to a new production model, a production model that would exploit the comparative advantages, the competitive advantages of the country, and would promote the turning outwards of our economy to the world financial system. The old model of consumption of imports bought with borrowed money and the waste of valuable resources on low added value sectors is bankrupt and we should never think about going back to it.
We even have, if you wish, the first encouraging evidence that this transition to a new production model is already happening. These data also come from the balance of payments and, in particular, from the trade balance and the current account. Exports are steadily rising, more than imports, and what I would like to stress is that if the growth in exports continues at this rate, it will soon become the basic component of growth, together with balanced consumption and investment. As you can see, there is a window of great opportunity opening also for the further development of Greek shipping. Our exports to date have been mainly directed to the countries of Europe. We have chosen consciously, for both economic and geopolitical purposes, to exploit our geostrategic position on the southeastern edge of the Mediterranean as a meeting point of three continents, connecting three seas, the Mediterranean, the Black Sea and the Indian Ocean. And to deepen our trade ties with emerging Asian powers that are strengthening their presence in the markets of Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The emergence of Piraeus, Europe's main gateway to transit trade with the Asian economies, capitalizes on the geographical advantage of our homeland. Our intention is to further assist in establishing it as a modern, European maritime centre that at least at the service level will reduce the distance between London and Singapore. At the same time, we are strengthening our ties with our traditional allies in the West and through a multidimensional foreign policy, we are becoming a reliable interlocutor, with prestige and influence, just as we are functioning as factor of stabilisation, as a pillar of stability and security in a region objectively difficult and many times over lacking in stability.
This is what I believe explains the constant increase of our Tourism in our country in recent years, every year breaking records and of course it also explains the expansion of investment projects in major projects in the fields of energy, infrastructure and international logistics transport in our country , as well as the increase of the Greek shipping share in the global volume of transactions. The above creates the historical opportunity for the mutual cooperation between the shipping industry and the other dynamic sectors of the Greek economy that will bring us back to the international economic stage.
For our part, we are investing in and upgrading the infrastructure that Greek shipping needs and promoting actions that facilitate its activity, both inside and outside Greece.
Port policy, through selected strategic concession contracts, and spearheaded by the success of Piraeus, I repeat, as an international maritime centre with the necessary structures and infrastructures, can contribute even more to economic development and to the upgrading of the international position of the country.
A relevant strategic goal, which is crucial for attracting investment and creating new jobs, is the revival of the shipbuilding industry.
While in the field of maritime, coastal tourism, the construction of new infrastructures and the modernization of existing ones will boost the development of cruise and recreational tourism.
Greece is known to everyone that as a special country on the global and European map. Its main feature is the sea. It is a maritime country, it is a country of islands, it has the longest coastline in the whole of the EU and has most islands in the EU.
This calls for an important role in the formulation and implementation of both maritime policy, in particular regarding the islands, and the EU's territorial cohesion policy.
Island life is, I would say, a structural characteristic of our homeland.
And of course, it is, no doubt, our strategic asset. From this flows both challenges, such as our anxiety and our struggle to secure equality for our islanders, as well as opportunities, such as the development of niche markets with great added value.
It is also a fact that in today's globalized and competitive environment, there are new - mostly technological - challenges in the field of shipping and the exploitation of the seas.
The use, for example, of space technologies and data from satellite systems is now indispensable for shipping and is increasing daily.
In this context, we asked the European Space Agency to take an initiative on "Space and Shipping" in which our country will have a leading role.
Our goal is to work with other countries to design and implement solutions that will be applied to ships and marine systems.
And I invite you to take part in this initiative, which will highlight the leading role of Greek shipping within the European family.
Friends,
Especially today, where there is a re-emergence of a protectionist tendency but also a risk of a retrenchment of international trade, due to widespread upheavals and trade conflicts, often between traditional partners, it is of great importance that shipping remains at the top of the European development agenda. And the know-how of the Greeks is a guarantee in this direction.
Greece attaches great importance to the role and work of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) in creating a framework of agreed rules that are key to the sustainability of shipping in the coming years.
Greece, as an EU member state with an active role in shaping its shipping policy, is always actively contributing to this direction while at the same time ratifying and implementing all IMO Conventions on time.
I would therefore like to assure the IMO Secretary-General, whom we have just heard address this meeting, who honours once again our country and Posidonia with his presence, that Greece as a member of the top tier of the IMO Council will continue to actively support the Agency's priorities and objectives for the benefit of the global maritime community.
But friends, every successful effort can only succeed if it has the means, the equipment, the investment, the proper design, but above all, it requires people who accomplish all the above and carry them out.
In closing, I would therefore like to make a special reference to the people who have brought Greek shipping to such heights. I would like to conclude by referring to the world of nautical service.
It is these, without exaggeration, “heroic crews”, who manage to work under conditions often unthinkable by ordinary human standards.
It is to these people that Greek shipping owes impressive growth and its strong international role.
As far as we are concerned as the State, we consider it our self-evident and absolute obligation to do everything to guarantee the labour rights of these crews. And for their claims and their fair demands to be respected, particularly in terms of salaries, working hours and working conditions.
At the same time, to invest in their skills and to support our seamen is a debt of both the State and the shipping world,
Our country is able to transfer and teach our know-how and become an international centre of attraction for the education of all shipping-related specializations and all stages of its development. From research, planning, building, launching, staffing to business development.
Dear friends,
as the country advances in what we are calling a new era, with better prospects, greater security and stability, with the dynamic recovery of the Greek economy that entails a collective recovery of the country and its people, I believe the potential of Greek shipping is multiplying.
Our limit can only be the lines of the horizons of the great seas of the world where our ships sail.
I am sure that Greek shipping is in a position to do so and will make use of this exceptional momentum for the Greek economy, the excellent momentum for the country.
Besides, Greek shipping did it in difficult times and in tempestuous time. Now, with calm waters and with a clear horizon, I think it can succeed.
So, I welcome you to this year's Posidonia 2018, I wish you good continuity in the work of the conference, and I sincerely wish for successful partnerships that will lead Greek and world shipping to an even better future.
Thank you very much.”
Not Plain Sailing at Piraeus
The Chinese Embassy in Athens has filed a complaint with the Greek Government concerning Thursday’s blockade of the cargo terminal run by COSCO at Piraeus by disgruntled port workers.
The complaint called on the Government to protect China’s significant investments in Greece and came after dozens of unionists prevented COSCO employees from getting to work on Thursday by blocking the two entrance gates to the cargo terminal but also the company’s management building at the port.
Chinese Ambassador Zou Xiaoli and PPA CEO Fu Chengqiu met with Shipping Minister Panagiotis Kouroublis, but were unable to secure the mobilisation of the port police to end the blockade.
Last Thursday’s dock workers’strike was “unlawful for formal reasons (the 24-hour warning was not observed), but not a legal abuse”, the Piraeus Court of First Instance ruled.
On Tuesday, the dockers responded to COSCO's challenge with a new strike, leading to the closure of the Container Terminal, while the strikers were also joined by the contractors' union at Piraeus Container Terminal.
On the workers' side, serious complaints have been made that employers and contractors have sought to thwart the strike action by transferring in staff from a small tourist ship, including members of Golden Dawn. It was for this reason, the workers took complaints and demands for interventions both to the Minister of Citizen Protection and to the Minister of Shipping.
However, following Tuesday’s Court decision, it is thought that it is likely to pave the way for the signing of a Collective Labour Agreement that has been delayed for several months by the PPA administration. Workers and unions are calling for the signing of a Collective Labour Agreement, with increases in wages, compliance with health and safety rules and an increase in the size of work teams.
"COSCO has to respect the employees working either in the PPA or for the SEP and to start a meaningful dialogue with their representatives immediately to prove to the Greek society that it respects labour rights as well as Greek and European legislation and practice and is interested in the social impact of its investment," a SYRIZA spokesman said yesterday, adding: "A prerequisite for the fair and sustainable development that is imperative for the Greek economy and society is the labour and trade union rights, decent wages and a working environment that protects the health and safety of workers."
In 2016, COSCO Shipping, a Chinese state-owned enterprise and the world’s largest shipping company took over the management of Piraeus, which it calls the “dragon head” of its European operations. To live up to its motto—“Bridging the East with West”—the company relies on the port as a crucial node in what is perhaps the world’s most sophisticated supply chain.
While the Greek government and Piraeus Port Authority report the quadrupled increase in cargo volume since 2010, Piraeus workers are concerned that COSCO’s use of cheap, subcontracted labour is a threat to their livelihoods—which generations of workers fought to obtain. “Since privatisation, people at the docks feel that our livelihoods and basic labour rights are under threat.… We are dealing with COSCO and the private sector, and our welfare simply is not as important as it was to the Government,” said Thanos Khanatios, a 53-year-old dockworker from Piraeus who has been working at the port over the past 30 years.
In 2015, as a condition of the $100 billion European Union bailout that followed the 2008 financial crisis, the Greek Government agreed to privatise a number of state-held assets including the Piraeus Port Authority, which manages the port’s container and passenger terminals. The Greek State sold a majority stake for $330 million to COSCO. For the Chinese company, the purchase had a clear financial logic. About 80% of China’s imports and exports to and from Europe are transported by sea, and by avoiding the need to sail to busy Northern European ports like Rotterdam or Hamburg, COSCO can offload containers in Piraeus, reducing the time it takes cargo to get to Europe by nearly a week. Plus, by owning the port authority, COSCO can help determine how much its own ships would have to pay itself in port fees.
As part of the deal, COSCO pledged to participate in financing €350 million worth of investment in the port, including a repair of port equipment and the dredging of Piraeus’s central port. Supporters of privatisation argue these improvements signal a coming maritime renaissance at Piraeus—already the busiest port in the eastern Mediterranean. Nektarios Demenopolous, the deputy manager for investor relations at Piraeus Port Authority, told me, “There are 300€ million of investment to come in the next five years, followed by another 50€ million. Privatisation has made the port much more dynamic and will reboot activities at the port like ship repair that have been in recession. It will be remembered as a success story.”
But a “success story” for whom? The dockworkers of Piraeus say they and their families have seen little of the alleged gains brought by COSCO. As Piraeus Port Authority boasts of widening profit margins and increasing maritime traffic, wages for dockworkers have not changed since they were slashed from 1500€ per month to 600€ after the financial crisis. Beyond that, COSCO now hires few dockworkers as full-time employees, and tends to enlist unskilled labourers for complex container unloading. COSCO also primarily remunerates people on an ad hoc basis as subcontractors, leaving dockworkers and their families entirely dependent on the ebb and flow of traffic into Piraeus. It also means their traditional retirement benefits have disappeared.
“There is a lot to be worried about. Health and safety conditions have worsened for us. Wages are stagnant. The complex system of subcontractors is a blow to labour relations, as the company brings in unskilled workers but then says it is not liable for safety risks,” Mr. Khanatios said.
The Chinese Embassy in Athens has filed a complaint with the Greek Government concerning Thursday’s blockade of the cargo terminal run by COSCO at Piraeus by disgruntled port workers.
The complaint called on the Government to protect China’s significant investments in Greece and came after dozens of unionists prevented COSCO employees from getting to work on Thursday by blocking the two entrance gates to the cargo terminal but also the company’s management building at the port.
Chinese Ambassador Zou Xiaoli and PPA CEO Fu Chengqiu met with Shipping Minister Panagiotis Kouroublis, but were unable to secure the mobilisation of the port police to end the blockade.
Last Thursday’s dock workers’strike was “unlawful for formal reasons (the 24-hour warning was not observed), but not a legal abuse”, the Piraeus Court of First Instance ruled.
On Tuesday, the dockers responded to COSCO's challenge with a new strike, leading to the closure of the Container Terminal, while the strikers were also joined by the contractors' union at Piraeus Container Terminal.
On the workers' side, serious complaints have been made that employers and contractors have sought to thwart the strike action by transferring in staff from a small tourist ship, including members of Golden Dawn. It was for this reason, the workers took complaints and demands for interventions both to the Minister of Citizen Protection and to the Minister of Shipping.
However, following Tuesday’s Court decision, it is thought that it is likely to pave the way for the signing of a Collective Labour Agreement that has been delayed for several months by the PPA administration. Workers and unions are calling for the signing of a Collective Labour Agreement, with increases in wages, compliance with health and safety rules and an increase in the size of work teams.
"COSCO has to respect the employees working either in the PPA or for the SEP and to start a meaningful dialogue with their representatives immediately to prove to the Greek society that it respects labour rights as well as Greek and European legislation and practice and is interested in the social impact of its investment," a SYRIZA spokesman said yesterday, adding: "A prerequisite for the fair and sustainable development that is imperative for the Greek economy and society is the labour and trade union rights, decent wages and a working environment that protects the health and safety of workers."
In 2016, COSCO Shipping, a Chinese state-owned enterprise and the world’s largest shipping company took over the management of Piraeus, which it calls the “dragon head” of its European operations. To live up to its motto—“Bridging the East with West”—the company relies on the port as a crucial node in what is perhaps the world’s most sophisticated supply chain.
While the Greek government and Piraeus Port Authority report the quadrupled increase in cargo volume since 2010, Piraeus workers are concerned that COSCO’s use of cheap, subcontracted labour is a threat to their livelihoods—which generations of workers fought to obtain. “Since privatisation, people at the docks feel that our livelihoods and basic labour rights are under threat.… We are dealing with COSCO and the private sector, and our welfare simply is not as important as it was to the Government,” said Thanos Khanatios, a 53-year-old dockworker from Piraeus who has been working at the port over the past 30 years.
In 2015, as a condition of the $100 billion European Union bailout that followed the 2008 financial crisis, the Greek Government agreed to privatise a number of state-held assets including the Piraeus Port Authority, which manages the port’s container and passenger terminals. The Greek State sold a majority stake for $330 million to COSCO. For the Chinese company, the purchase had a clear financial logic. About 80% of China’s imports and exports to and from Europe are transported by sea, and by avoiding the need to sail to busy Northern European ports like Rotterdam or Hamburg, COSCO can offload containers in Piraeus, reducing the time it takes cargo to get to Europe by nearly a week. Plus, by owning the port authority, COSCO can help determine how much its own ships would have to pay itself in port fees.
As part of the deal, COSCO pledged to participate in financing €350 million worth of investment in the port, including a repair of port equipment and the dredging of Piraeus’s central port. Supporters of privatisation argue these improvements signal a coming maritime renaissance at Piraeus—already the busiest port in the eastern Mediterranean. Nektarios Demenopolous, the deputy manager for investor relations at Piraeus Port Authority, told me, “There are 300€ million of investment to come in the next five years, followed by another 50€ million. Privatisation has made the port much more dynamic and will reboot activities at the port like ship repair that have been in recession. It will be remembered as a success story.”
But a “success story” for whom? The dockworkers of Piraeus say they and their families have seen little of the alleged gains brought by COSCO. As Piraeus Port Authority boasts of widening profit margins and increasing maritime traffic, wages for dockworkers have not changed since they were slashed from 1500€ per month to 600€ after the financial crisis. Beyond that, COSCO now hires few dockworkers as full-time employees, and tends to enlist unskilled labourers for complex container unloading. COSCO also primarily remunerates people on an ad hoc basis as subcontractors, leaving dockworkers and their families entirely dependent on the ebb and flow of traffic into Piraeus. It also means their traditional retirement benefits have disappeared.
“There is a lot to be worried about. Health and safety conditions have worsened for us. Wages are stagnant. The complex system of subcontractors is a blow to labour relations, as the company brings in unskilled workers but then says it is not liable for safety risks,” Mr. Khanatios said.
The Economy : some figures
Greek factory activity grew at a faster pace in May, with sharp increases in new orders and production leading companies to hire more workers, a survey showed on Friday.
Markit's Purchasing Managers' Index for manufacturing, which accounts for about 10 percent of the Greek economy, rose to 54.2 from 52.9 in April. Readings above 50 denote expansions in activity; below 50, a contraction.
“May saw the recovery in the Greek manufacturing sector reach an important milestone, with output now having risen on a monthly basis throughout a year,” said Andrew Harker, IHS Markit associate director.
Driving the expansion in output was a rise in new orders at home and from abroad. Growth in export business hit a three-month high in May.
“Encouragingly, rates of growth in production, new orders and employment all picked up from the previous month. The road to recovery remains long, however, after a number of years of decline,” Mr. Harker said.
The country's jobless rate, at 20.8% in February, remains the highest in the eurozone.
Greek manufacturers continued to take on new workers in May, responding to higher output requirements, with the pace of job creation just below a record high hit in March.
Inflationary pressures intensified in May, the survey showed, as both input costs and output prices rose at sharper rates compared to April. Firms reported higher costs for raw materials such as metals and oil.
Tourism employment
Tourism employment reached a record high of 400,000 people last summer, according to data compiled by the Greek Tourism Confederation Institute (SETE Intelligence).
In the period from July to September 2017, tourism employed 19,000 more people than a year earlier – an annual increase of 5% from the 381,000 employed in the summer of 2016.
In the last decade (from 2008 to 2017) employment in tourism recorded an average annual growth of just 0.9 percent. Tourism’s contribution to employment in Greece climbed from 7.5% in 2008 to an all-time high of 10.4% in 2017. The main age group employed in tourism is 30- to 44-year-olds.
The increase in part-time employment in tourism observed since the industry’s recovery in 2013, due to structural changes in the labour market, has not taken place at the expense of full-time employment but is complementing it, SETE Intelligence explained.
Exports
The upward trend of Greek exports continued, rising by 11.6% in April, faster than 4.4% rate of increase in imports. According to ELSTAT, the total value of Greek exports in April amounted to € 2,589.1 million compared to € 2,320.8 million in the same month of 2017.
Greek factory activity grew at a faster pace in May, with sharp increases in new orders and production leading companies to hire more workers, a survey showed on Friday.
Markit's Purchasing Managers' Index for manufacturing, which accounts for about 10 percent of the Greek economy, rose to 54.2 from 52.9 in April. Readings above 50 denote expansions in activity; below 50, a contraction.
“May saw the recovery in the Greek manufacturing sector reach an important milestone, with output now having risen on a monthly basis throughout a year,” said Andrew Harker, IHS Markit associate director.
Driving the expansion in output was a rise in new orders at home and from abroad. Growth in export business hit a three-month high in May.
“Encouragingly, rates of growth in production, new orders and employment all picked up from the previous month. The road to recovery remains long, however, after a number of years of decline,” Mr. Harker said.
The country's jobless rate, at 20.8% in February, remains the highest in the eurozone.
Greek manufacturers continued to take on new workers in May, responding to higher output requirements, with the pace of job creation just below a record high hit in March.
Inflationary pressures intensified in May, the survey showed, as both input costs and output prices rose at sharper rates compared to April. Firms reported higher costs for raw materials such as metals and oil.
Tourism employment
Tourism employment reached a record high of 400,000 people last summer, according to data compiled by the Greek Tourism Confederation Institute (SETE Intelligence).
In the period from July to September 2017, tourism employed 19,000 more people than a year earlier – an annual increase of 5% from the 381,000 employed in the summer of 2016.
In the last decade (from 2008 to 2017) employment in tourism recorded an average annual growth of just 0.9 percent. Tourism’s contribution to employment in Greece climbed from 7.5% in 2008 to an all-time high of 10.4% in 2017. The main age group employed in tourism is 30- to 44-year-olds.
The increase in part-time employment in tourism observed since the industry’s recovery in 2013, due to structural changes in the labour market, has not taken place at the expense of full-time employment but is complementing it, SETE Intelligence explained.
Exports
The upward trend of Greek exports continued, rising by 11.6% in April, faster than 4.4% rate of increase in imports. According to ELSTAT, the total value of Greek exports in April amounted to € 2,589.1 million compared to € 2,320.8 million in the same month of 2017.
"The increase in tourism and the exit from the Memoranda are important successes that no one can ignore or belittle"
2.6.2018
"The rise of tourism and the exit from the Memoranda are important successes that no one can ignore or belittle," Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras stressed in the speech at the Opening Meeting of the 26th Annual General Meeting of the Association of Greek Tourist Enterprises.
The full speech of the Prime Minister at SETE
Dear President of SETE,
Friends,
It is with great pleasure that I address today's greetings to SETE's annual meeting because I am given the opportunity to share positive news with you and to describe the optimistic situation that is shaped for the next day of the Greek economy and the country after an unjustifiably prolonged period of grievance .
To date, the tourism industry may have been the only one that has not only resisted the sweeping wave of the deep recession that hit us, but managed to grow. Surely you were the best example of what we can do even in difficult times. You supported employment when the general level of unemployment stood at 27% and you continued to invest in the country's positive outlook when others abandoned it.
Today, the situation is changing.
We promised a difficult but remedial path for the country and the economy, and three years later we are finally seeing that we are emerging into the clearing. We stopped the collapse, we reversed the downward trend of the Greek economy and we are moving ahead and planning for the next day. Now the whole economy is growing and that goes hand in hand with your dynamic example.
This year we will break the record for Greek tourism, with the forecasts talking about 32 million visitors. The best year in the history of Greek tourism.
Already according to recent data on tourist receipts, the incoming tourist traffic has increased by 12.8% compared to last year. I do not know whether anyone can belittle such a great success. Of course, you will tell me, some are trying to downplay the fact that after 8 whole years, this summer we are exiting the Memoranda, the record in tourism will not be belittled.
However, both events are of great importance, for the country, for the Greek economy, but also for the psychology of each individual citizen. For the 32 million visitors who will come to Greece this year, that is to say about 3 for each Greek, they should leave with the best impressions of our country and this is not only about the people in tourism but also about each of us individually.
And the benefits to the economy will not just be reaped by the people in tourism. This summer, therefore, we have many reasons to be happier and more prosperous. Because if one reason is our image and our good hospitality to the foreign visitors, the other is that we have succeeded, we endured and at last we are exiting the Memoranda.
In less than a month from today, we will have finished with the latest pending reviews of the Fourth Assessment and thus the completion of the obligations flowing from the Third and final programme.
We are all working hard for this, and in mid-June the latest bill on the last prerequisites will be ready for voting on. At the same time, by the end of June, the final, definitive decisions concerning the alleviation of the Greek debt will have been completed. So we expect a deal that is well-tailored in terms of its characteristics, to an ambitious perspective and tailored to the long-term needs of the Greek economy.
An agreement sufficient to convince the markets and the international community that Greece is returning dynamically to the global economic system. And above all an agreement worthy of the efforts of the Greek people after eight years of painful adjustment.
This is also the solution demanded by the criticality of the moment for the euro and for the whole European project, given the recent turbulence from the political crisis in Italy, which suggests that everyone ought not to be overwhelmed by the positive figures of the Greek economy, but should provide a solution that will guarantee the confidence of the markets in the Greek economy.
And it will finalize the Greek crisis, so that we all work hard to make it the end of the European crisis, that is to work to prevent the political crisis in Italy from becoming a new economic crisis in the eurozone.
And I believe that everyone will show the maturity required to avoid this. On the other hand, however, Europe must understand two important truths. One is that persistence in austerity for a long time, without horizons of hope, erodes the legitimacy of economic goals and causes division within societies.
And secondly, contempt for democracy raises dangerous but justified reactions from the people. Because it is equally dangerous and unacceptable for some people to shake their finger at the people and show them how to vote. And we should never forget that the path of European integration is based on the concept of the consensus of its peoples, and if it is withdrawn, we can find ourselves facing phenomena that are dangerous with negative consequences for all.
The times, therefore, require us to be very careful. At this difficult juncture, however, Greece is a positive news factor. It is no longer part of the problem but part of the solution.
After eight difficult years, the country has returned to a page of trust and trustworthiness in relation to both its partners and the markets. We have returned to positive growth rates, even at levels that have reached a decade high. Unemployment is declining at a steady pace, investment is similar to a decade high and the current account is in balance. To the latter specifically, it should be noted that your industry has contributed to the maximum extent.
We have made an unquestionable and consistent fiscal adjustment. We have implemented a demanding reform programme that has changed the image of the country both internally and abroad. This is clearly reflected in the indicators of the economic climate and business confidence, production indicators and investment orders.
This is also the image of the Greek economy abroad.
Our international firms are upgrading, markets are welcoming Greek bonds and are preparing our definitive return to the self-financing of our obligations, while international organizations and institutions in all tones are ratifying our reform effort and the serious work that has been done.
This strengthening of the Greek economy has been accompanied by the corresponding strengthening of our geopolitical position. It is a fact of international relations that when a country folds up economically, it reduces to a certain extent its geo-strategic influence or at least that is how it is perceived, and that has the consequence increased external challenges.
Without wild speeches and with proper preparation, we have set as our ultimate goal the reversal of our economy by the restoration of our prestige in the international political arena. We have deepened our strategic alliances, we took the initiative, and we are acting as a pillar of stability and conciliation in a region vulnerable to crises of instability.
The pursuit of a consensual solution to the issue of finding a commonly accepted name with the neighbouring country of FYROM is a good example in this direction. At the same time we are taking advantage of our geostrategic position as a gateway to Europe. We have a key role in the investment planning of large states and businesses in the energy and trade sectors, further enhancing our influence on the southeastern edge of the Mediterranean.
I am referring to the above because I know, and from the individual discussions we have had, that your industry has a vital interest in security issues. And one of the factors that contributed to having achieved successive tourism records over the last three years was the fact that our country remained a pillar of stability and security in a fragile broader region.
I want to assure you that we are constantly alert and always take careful steps to ensure the best of our country's position and interests, further strengthening the role and image as the most stable and safe country in our region.
Friends,
Allow me here to make some comments on the warning of some not to turn the Greek economy into a tourism monopoly. In the first place, this implies ignorance of the real situation and can only be understood as a bad joke.
This is why, as we have presented in our holistic development plan for the post-Memoranda era, Tourism is indeed one of the comparative advantages of the country, as is also shipping, culture, agriculture, industry, pharmaceuticals and research, ie human capital.
We call it holistic because for the first time it is not a development plan that promotes the distinct, independent growth of each sector as it has been so far, but instead creates the conditions for the cross-sectoral interdependence of the sub-sectors so that economic dynamism spreads inside the country and successively expands production at ever higher levels, while increasing added value and employment.
This is also the point of creating the Forum of Agricultural foodstuffs - Tourism and Industry.
We want an increasing number of tourists to generate demand for products of Greek origin from other branches of the Greek economy and for it not to flow abroad as demand for imported goods.
However the performance of Tourism is neither self-evident nor is it automatic. It is the result of systematic work, good cooperation and a combination of political actions, institutional interventions and development tools.
And let me, at this point, briefly mention some of them:
During the three years 2015-2018 we implemented a series of interventions such as:
• promoting a unique national brand and promoting new "island and mainland" destinations by targeting different markets,
• completing the Codification of Tourism Legislation over the past 100 years, now available on a digital platform,
• upgrading Education in Tourism with the re-opening of the Guides Schools and the modernization of the tourist schools,
• simplifying licensing procedures and business operations
• financing Small and Medium Entrepreneurship for new tourism projects and themed tourism through NSRF programs, with €230 million.
• Implementing OECD recommendations to turn Greece into a top tourist destination with themed tourism experiences throughout the year and across the country.
While for the two years 2018-2019 we are promoting a series of actions such as:
• Improving the competitive framework for attracting investment in the tourism sector by improving the siting, licencing, and tax incentives
• The design and development of a modern system of public tourism education and the linking of educational programmes to the labour market,
• Creating a digital ecosystem for Greek tourism in 4 strategic pillars:
1) the digital conversion of services to citizens - companies,
2) the digital upgrading of tourist education,
3) the integrated system for the collection and processing of information and
4) the use of new technologies to promote tourism.
At the same time,
• the modernization of public infrastructure in tourism, such as airports, harbours, marinas and tourist accomodation
• at last the regulating of Air BnB. The legal framework was completed in 2017 and the control mechanism comes into force in 2018
• Developing a very ambitious policy framework to promote the film industry in Greece, which is expected to have a multiplier effect on the advertising of the Greek tourist product.
Increased tourist traffic, however, creates the need for investment in tourism, small and large. And your industry, I believe, will play a leading role in curbing the terrible disintegration during the crisis. That is why we have set as a priority in the development law the support for as many projects as possible. It is striking that in the second phase of the bidding process that expires today, 7,300 completed proposals were submitted, with a total value of 2.3€ billion.
And I wish we were able to finance them all. However, the tourism industry, despite the need for large investments in buildings and other infrastructure, is mainly based on its human resources.
It is a sector of intensive labour. An abundance of specialisations combined with professionalism to provide the internationally recognized tourist services that we offer. In the past a lot of workers, it is true to say, fell victim to non-declared work and the illegal practices of certain businessmen operating with a short-sighted logic. We we took measures to crack down on the phenomenon, as much for the workers as for the reliable businessmen that face the illegal competition.
Today is the right time to put the working framework on a more correct footing and to look at the optimum level of the minimum wage. For some, this is a crime of high treason, but for us it is imperative, both morally and economicly. Because we believe that redistribution is the real driver of growth, and after a long period of austerity now that we are gradually moving into a better situation, it is fair that the world of work gets its share of the improving conditions.
But I insist that, from a purely economic point of view, the argument that competitiveness means low labour costs has proven to be wrong. Because it is a reality and it has been observed that the extent to which labour is flexible - and this is a tendency in world capitalism – then the efficiency of work is reduced. For the simple reason that employees do not feel committed to their job and do not care about the outcome of their work.
The Economy means above all community and mutual co-operation.
And you know this very well, especially you, the people of tourism, where the performance of human resources in your business plays a decisive role in the quality of the tourist product you offer. I therefore believe that improving earnings will stimulate both the optimism and the efficiency of the world of work.
Besides, the sizes of the economy we are all talking about are not just statistics that concern a few. Nor have the changes of adaptation happened in vain, rather all this concerns every citizen of the country and the collective effort we made for a better tomorrow.
I want to thank you personally for your efforts, your perseverance and your efficiency that has not only made your industry stand up to the crisis but also made it become even stronger.
Rightly, you are now nourishing the fruits of this dynamic growth in the industry, but you are also feeding a large part of the Greek economy.
I want to repeat to you that the continuing recovery of the Greek economy will quickly begin to give us financial space after 2019.
Austerity is ending and the possibility of expansion is opening up.
This also means that there is scope for gradual but substantial tax relief for households and businesses.
Rest assured that part of that will also benefit your own businesses.
Tourism was a source of optimism for the future of the Greek economy in difficult times.
I am sure that in the years of recovery it can be the vehicle for its high and sustainable development.
So, let us create a high level of prosperity for the country and its citizens.
We can do it.
And now we know how to do it.
Thank you”
The full speech of the Prime Minister at SETE
Dear President of SETE,
Friends,
It is with great pleasure that I address today's greetings to SETE's annual meeting because I am given the opportunity to share positive news with you and to describe the optimistic situation that is shaped for the next day of the Greek economy and the country after an unjustifiably prolonged period of grievance .
To date, the tourism industry may have been the only one that has not only resisted the sweeping wave of the deep recession that hit us, but managed to grow. Surely you were the best example of what we can do even in difficult times. You supported employment when the general level of unemployment stood at 27% and you continued to invest in the country's positive outlook when others abandoned it.
Today, the situation is changing.
We promised a difficult but remedial path for the country and the economy, and three years later we are finally seeing that we are emerging into the clearing. We stopped the collapse, we reversed the downward trend of the Greek economy and we are moving ahead and planning for the next day. Now the whole economy is growing and that goes hand in hand with your dynamic example.
This year we will break the record for Greek tourism, with the forecasts talking about 32 million visitors. The best year in the history of Greek tourism.
Already according to recent data on tourist receipts, the incoming tourist traffic has increased by 12.8% compared to last year. I do not know whether anyone can belittle such a great success. Of course, you will tell me, some are trying to downplay the fact that after 8 whole years, this summer we are exiting the Memoranda, the record in tourism will not be belittled.
However, both events are of great importance, for the country, for the Greek economy, but also for the psychology of each individual citizen. For the 32 million visitors who will come to Greece this year, that is to say about 3 for each Greek, they should leave with the best impressions of our country and this is not only about the people in tourism but also about each of us individually.
And the benefits to the economy will not just be reaped by the people in tourism. This summer, therefore, we have many reasons to be happier and more prosperous. Because if one reason is our image and our good hospitality to the foreign visitors, the other is that we have succeeded, we endured and at last we are exiting the Memoranda.
In less than a month from today, we will have finished with the latest pending reviews of the Fourth Assessment and thus the completion of the obligations flowing from the Third and final programme.
We are all working hard for this, and in mid-June the latest bill on the last prerequisites will be ready for voting on. At the same time, by the end of June, the final, definitive decisions concerning the alleviation of the Greek debt will have been completed. So we expect a deal that is well-tailored in terms of its characteristics, to an ambitious perspective and tailored to the long-term needs of the Greek economy.
An agreement sufficient to convince the markets and the international community that Greece is returning dynamically to the global economic system. And above all an agreement worthy of the efforts of the Greek people after eight years of painful adjustment.
This is also the solution demanded by the criticality of the moment for the euro and for the whole European project, given the recent turbulence from the political crisis in Italy, which suggests that everyone ought not to be overwhelmed by the positive figures of the Greek economy, but should provide a solution that will guarantee the confidence of the markets in the Greek economy.
And it will finalize the Greek crisis, so that we all work hard to make it the end of the European crisis, that is to work to prevent the political crisis in Italy from becoming a new economic crisis in the eurozone.
And I believe that everyone will show the maturity required to avoid this. On the other hand, however, Europe must understand two important truths. One is that persistence in austerity for a long time, without horizons of hope, erodes the legitimacy of economic goals and causes division within societies.
And secondly, contempt for democracy raises dangerous but justified reactions from the people. Because it is equally dangerous and unacceptable for some people to shake their finger at the people and show them how to vote. And we should never forget that the path of European integration is based on the concept of the consensus of its peoples, and if it is withdrawn, we can find ourselves facing phenomena that are dangerous with negative consequences for all.
The times, therefore, require us to be very careful. At this difficult juncture, however, Greece is a positive news factor. It is no longer part of the problem but part of the solution.
After eight difficult years, the country has returned to a page of trust and trustworthiness in relation to both its partners and the markets. We have returned to positive growth rates, even at levels that have reached a decade high. Unemployment is declining at a steady pace, investment is similar to a decade high and the current account is in balance. To the latter specifically, it should be noted that your industry has contributed to the maximum extent.
We have made an unquestionable and consistent fiscal adjustment. We have implemented a demanding reform programme that has changed the image of the country both internally and abroad. This is clearly reflected in the indicators of the economic climate and business confidence, production indicators and investment orders.
This is also the image of the Greek economy abroad.
Our international firms are upgrading, markets are welcoming Greek bonds and are preparing our definitive return to the self-financing of our obligations, while international organizations and institutions in all tones are ratifying our reform effort and the serious work that has been done.
This strengthening of the Greek economy has been accompanied by the corresponding strengthening of our geopolitical position. It is a fact of international relations that when a country folds up economically, it reduces to a certain extent its geo-strategic influence or at least that is how it is perceived, and that has the consequence increased external challenges.
Without wild speeches and with proper preparation, we have set as our ultimate goal the reversal of our economy by the restoration of our prestige in the international political arena. We have deepened our strategic alliances, we took the initiative, and we are acting as a pillar of stability and conciliation in a region vulnerable to crises of instability.
The pursuit of a consensual solution to the issue of finding a commonly accepted name with the neighbouring country of FYROM is a good example in this direction. At the same time we are taking advantage of our geostrategic position as a gateway to Europe. We have a key role in the investment planning of large states and businesses in the energy and trade sectors, further enhancing our influence on the southeastern edge of the Mediterranean.
I am referring to the above because I know, and from the individual discussions we have had, that your industry has a vital interest in security issues. And one of the factors that contributed to having achieved successive tourism records over the last three years was the fact that our country remained a pillar of stability and security in a fragile broader region.
I want to assure you that we are constantly alert and always take careful steps to ensure the best of our country's position and interests, further strengthening the role and image as the most stable and safe country in our region.
Friends,
Allow me here to make some comments on the warning of some not to turn the Greek economy into a tourism monopoly. In the first place, this implies ignorance of the real situation and can only be understood as a bad joke.
This is why, as we have presented in our holistic development plan for the post-Memoranda era, Tourism is indeed one of the comparative advantages of the country, as is also shipping, culture, agriculture, industry, pharmaceuticals and research, ie human capital.
We call it holistic because for the first time it is not a development plan that promotes the distinct, independent growth of each sector as it has been so far, but instead creates the conditions for the cross-sectoral interdependence of the sub-sectors so that economic dynamism spreads inside the country and successively expands production at ever higher levels, while increasing added value and employment.
This is also the point of creating the Forum of Agricultural foodstuffs - Tourism and Industry.
We want an increasing number of tourists to generate demand for products of Greek origin from other branches of the Greek economy and for it not to flow abroad as demand for imported goods.
However the performance of Tourism is neither self-evident nor is it automatic. It is the result of systematic work, good cooperation and a combination of political actions, institutional interventions and development tools.
And let me, at this point, briefly mention some of them:
During the three years 2015-2018 we implemented a series of interventions such as:
• promoting a unique national brand and promoting new "island and mainland" destinations by targeting different markets,
• completing the Codification of Tourism Legislation over the past 100 years, now available on a digital platform,
• upgrading Education in Tourism with the re-opening of the Guides Schools and the modernization of the tourist schools,
• simplifying licensing procedures and business operations
• financing Small and Medium Entrepreneurship for new tourism projects and themed tourism through NSRF programs, with €230 million.
• Implementing OECD recommendations to turn Greece into a top tourist destination with themed tourism experiences throughout the year and across the country.
While for the two years 2018-2019 we are promoting a series of actions such as:
• Improving the competitive framework for attracting investment in the tourism sector by improving the siting, licencing, and tax incentives
• The design and development of a modern system of public tourism education and the linking of educational programmes to the labour market,
• Creating a digital ecosystem for Greek tourism in 4 strategic pillars:
1) the digital conversion of services to citizens - companies,
2) the digital upgrading of tourist education,
3) the integrated system for the collection and processing of information and
4) the use of new technologies to promote tourism.
At the same time,
• the modernization of public infrastructure in tourism, such as airports, harbours, marinas and tourist accomodation
• at last the regulating of Air BnB. The legal framework was completed in 2017 and the control mechanism comes into force in 2018
• Developing a very ambitious policy framework to promote the film industry in Greece, which is expected to have a multiplier effect on the advertising of the Greek tourist product.
Increased tourist traffic, however, creates the need for investment in tourism, small and large. And your industry, I believe, will play a leading role in curbing the terrible disintegration during the crisis. That is why we have set as a priority in the development law the support for as many projects as possible. It is striking that in the second phase of the bidding process that expires today, 7,300 completed proposals were submitted, with a total value of 2.3€ billion.
And I wish we were able to finance them all. However, the tourism industry, despite the need for large investments in buildings and other infrastructure, is mainly based on its human resources.
It is a sector of intensive labour. An abundance of specialisations combined with professionalism to provide the internationally recognized tourist services that we offer. In the past a lot of workers, it is true to say, fell victim to non-declared work and the illegal practices of certain businessmen operating with a short-sighted logic. We we took measures to crack down on the phenomenon, as much for the workers as for the reliable businessmen that face the illegal competition.
Today is the right time to put the working framework on a more correct footing and to look at the optimum level of the minimum wage. For some, this is a crime of high treason, but for us it is imperative, both morally and economicly. Because we believe that redistribution is the real driver of growth, and after a long period of austerity now that we are gradually moving into a better situation, it is fair that the world of work gets its share of the improving conditions.
But I insist that, from a purely economic point of view, the argument that competitiveness means low labour costs has proven to be wrong. Because it is a reality and it has been observed that the extent to which labour is flexible - and this is a tendency in world capitalism – then the efficiency of work is reduced. For the simple reason that employees do not feel committed to their job and do not care about the outcome of their work.
The Economy means above all community and mutual co-operation.
And you know this very well, especially you, the people of tourism, where the performance of human resources in your business plays a decisive role in the quality of the tourist product you offer. I therefore believe that improving earnings will stimulate both the optimism and the efficiency of the world of work.
Besides, the sizes of the economy we are all talking about are not just statistics that concern a few. Nor have the changes of adaptation happened in vain, rather all this concerns every citizen of the country and the collective effort we made for a better tomorrow.
I want to thank you personally for your efforts, your perseverance and your efficiency that has not only made your industry stand up to the crisis but also made it become even stronger.
Rightly, you are now nourishing the fruits of this dynamic growth in the industry, but you are also feeding a large part of the Greek economy.
I want to repeat to you that the continuing recovery of the Greek economy will quickly begin to give us financial space after 2019.
Austerity is ending and the possibility of expansion is opening up.
This also means that there is scope for gradual but substantial tax relief for households and businesses.
Rest assured that part of that will also benefit your own businesses.
Tourism was a source of optimism for the future of the Greek economy in difficult times.
I am sure that in the years of recovery it can be the vehicle for its high and sustainable development.
So, let us create a high level of prosperity for the country and its citizens.
We can do it.
And now we know how to do it.
Thank you”
EU Proposed Cohesion Policy 2021-2027 - Greece to benefit
According to the European Commission proposals published on Wednesday concerning the Cohesion Policy in the next long-term EU budget, Greece will receive 19.239€ billion (at 2018 prices) for the period 2021-2027.
A third of the EU’s spending is to be allocated to the "cohesion policy" which is designed to help reduce the gap between rich and poor regions of the bloc.
The impact of the economic crisis and the heavy weight Greece has borne regarding the migration crisis have meant the country will continue to receive support at a similar level in the next programming period despite the gap left by Brexit and the fact that the Cohesion Funds of the next decade will be reduced by about 10% compared to the previous period ( by a total of 373€ billion).
This, according to the Commission's country-specific proposals, marks a transfer of funds from the countries of Eastern Europe (Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, etc.) to the countries of the South (Greece, Spain, Italy). The decrease in funds to Hungary, the Czech Republic, Estonia and Lithuania is estimated at 24% and to Poland a 23%, while the increase to Greece is 8%, Italy 6.4% and Spain 4%.
The Commission is proposing a new methodology to distribute funds that takes into account unemployment levels and the reception of migrants, and not just economic output as previously.As the Vice-President of the Commission responsible for Employment, Development, Investment and Competitiveness, Jyrki Katainen said during a press conference in Strasbourg, the method of allocating funds has been slightly "modified" to reflect "better", setting GDP as a benchmark, the unemployment rate (especially young people), climate change and immigration.
Regional Policy Commissioner Korina Kretsu noted that over the last decade many EU Member States have seen "impressive" economic progress and the result is that they need "less support". Regarding the immigration criterion,she noted that regions with a large number of migrants logically have greater needs.
In general terms, the Commission is proposing that the new cohesion policy should now focus its resources on a "smarter" Europe through innovation, computerisation, support for small and medium-sized enterprises, a greener Europe, a more "interconnected" Europe, a more "social" Europe, which implements the European pillar of social rights, and a Europe closer to the citizens, which supports development strategies under local guidance and sustainable urban development across the EU.
The Commission will publish in the coming days and weeks other detailed proposals on future expenditure on security, research and other budget headings.
According to the European Commission proposals published on Wednesday concerning the Cohesion Policy in the next long-term EU budget, Greece will receive 19.239€ billion (at 2018 prices) for the period 2021-2027.
A third of the EU’s spending is to be allocated to the "cohesion policy" which is designed to help reduce the gap between rich and poor regions of the bloc.
The impact of the economic crisis and the heavy weight Greece has borne regarding the migration crisis have meant the country will continue to receive support at a similar level in the next programming period despite the gap left by Brexit and the fact that the Cohesion Funds of the next decade will be reduced by about 10% compared to the previous period ( by a total of 373€ billion).
This, according to the Commission's country-specific proposals, marks a transfer of funds from the countries of Eastern Europe (Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, etc.) to the countries of the South (Greece, Spain, Italy). The decrease in funds to Hungary, the Czech Republic, Estonia and Lithuania is estimated at 24% and to Poland a 23%, while the increase to Greece is 8%, Italy 6.4% and Spain 4%.
The Commission is proposing a new methodology to distribute funds that takes into account unemployment levels and the reception of migrants, and not just economic output as previously.As the Vice-President of the Commission responsible for Employment, Development, Investment and Competitiveness, Jyrki Katainen said during a press conference in Strasbourg, the method of allocating funds has been slightly "modified" to reflect "better", setting GDP as a benchmark, the unemployment rate (especially young people), climate change and immigration.
Regional Policy Commissioner Korina Kretsu noted that over the last decade many EU Member States have seen "impressive" economic progress and the result is that they need "less support". Regarding the immigration criterion,she noted that regions with a large number of migrants logically have greater needs.
In general terms, the Commission is proposing that the new cohesion policy should now focus its resources on a "smarter" Europe through innovation, computerisation, support for small and medium-sized enterprises, a greener Europe, a more "interconnected" Europe, a more "social" Europe, which implements the European pillar of social rights, and a Europe closer to the citizens, which supports development strategies under local guidance and sustainable urban development across the EU.
The Commission will publish in the coming days and weeks other detailed proposals on future expenditure on security, research and other budget headings.
PM Tsipras at the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises (SEB)
Addressing a general meeting of the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises (SEB) on Tuesday, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras linked the negotiations on the measures to ease Greece’s debt with the outcome of the Italian political crisis, and domestic political stability with a smooth exit from the bailout programme.
Under the burden of recent developments and the fluctuations in Greek bond prices, which indicate just how vulnerable Greece’s economy is, PM Tsipras stated, “It would be a mistake to think that at the end of the programme everyone will be queuing up to lend to us at rates similar to those of Germany.”
He added that while the Italian crisis is affecting all European markets, “the positive outcome of the Greek “adventure” is more necessary than ever for the entire eurozone,” before going on to ask Greece’s peers in the bloc to provide the right solution using the debt-easing agreement of last June as a basis.
"Together with the world of work, we are investing in the future of the country, we are providing support to its people’s plans for life and creativity," said Alexis Tsipras.
The SEB conference is "the last one to take place under the extraordinary circumstances imposed by the many years of crisis and the regime of the Memoranda, he said.
"At the same time it is the first conference that coincides with the definitive transition to a new normality and a new day for the country and its creative forces."
"We are managing to change decisively the country's image. Greece is not the country that is a systemic risk to the Eurozone.
"From being a pariah country Greece is becoming an example of political stability and recovery. "Greece from being part of the problem is becoming part of the solution.
"This is demonstrated by our impressive progress towards our definitive exit from Memoranda."
He also referred to the role of the country as a pillar of stability and security in both the Southeastern Mediterranean and the Balkans.
Speaking about the "difficult but necessary" negotiations with FYROM and the prospect of a solution, he stressed that " the Government has handled this negotiation and continues to handle it with a sense of responsibility and patriotism, but also with determination and faith in the need to find a solution."
"It is precisely our attitude that is shaping a new image for Greece internationally and is strengthening its role as a pillar of stability in an area that is being whirled around in a vortex of parallel crises. As is happening in Italy in these days, but also has been happening for some time in Turkey."
"Our country, our society, our economy has not only endured hardships. But today it is recovering dynamically."
"We are here today to plan the next day of our return to the economic realm, to correct the injustices of the crisis and to build the future we have a right to on the basis of fair and sustainable development."
"We are completing the third and final programme, having implemented a drastic programme of reforms and changes throughout the economic system, restoring the image of the Greek economy and of the country in general to the international realm."
"We are no longer considered a corrupt and inefficient economy where no one knows what to expect."
The Prime Minister stressed that the institutions and the OECD today unambiguously acknowledge this effort. "This data will also be our passport for the country's entry to the financial markets with the end of the programme in August 2018."
"The Eurostat data, which can not be disputed, is now verifying our own forecasts every year."
"And in the next few years, fiscal margins are being forecast, beyond the targets that we must continue to achieve in order to maintain confidence and credibility vis-à-vis both our partners and the markets.
"We will also make use of these surpluses with responsibility and planning, aiming simultaneously at two goals: the reduction of tax burdens by boosting growth rates while at the same time increasing employment."
He stressed that discussions on the final settlement of the Greek debt are in full swing. "We are pursuing a solution sustainable over time – a solution that leaves no room for doubt as to the prospects of our economy and one which will support its dynamic growth."
"It is now the turn of our partners to show confidence and recognition of our efforts in practice, the right solution that everyone expects to hear."
He said he was optimistic that there would be the best possible agreement in the interests of both Greece and the Eurozone, pointing out that after the latest developments ( ie Italy) "everyone understands that the decisions we come up with must meet the challenges and needs of the period "and must shield the Greek economy from turbulences that are not due to us but due to external factors.
"The elections will be on time. At the end of the Government's term of office. Let no one have any doubt about that."
"A prerequisite for achieving and finally closing this cycle of the crisis is political stability. It is precisely for this reason that there must be an end to the ongoing election talk that the opposition is feeding both gratuitously and pointlessly."
He announced that while resources are being reduced across Europe, the next period for Greece will see increased funding on NSRF programmes. He commented that this is practicable because "From a position where Greece was in the middle or last position in the ranking of absorption rates, we are now in first place."
"Together with the world of work we are investing in the future of the country, we are giving substance to our people’s plans for life and creativity." He noted that in order to do this, a new concept of development is needed, one which considers work to be a component of production rather than an element of consumption.
Tax Evasion Crack Down
Tax authorities suspended the licenses of businesses across Greece after audits showed blatant cases of tax evasion.
On Mykonos, authorities confiscated the licence and number plates of a vehicle of a business that was offering luxury transport services with a mini van, without being registered with the tax office.
In Naoussa, Paros, police closed down a famous restaurant for two days after audits showed that the owners failed to issue 34 receipts. Another Paros restaurant was shut down for seven days after committing the same offence for the second time.
In Aliveri, the owner of a restaurant had his licence suspended for 48 hours for failing to give a receipt for a €3,100 wedding party bill.
A potato packing plant in Achaia was found to have 29 tons of potatoes worth €11,500 in storage, without having any documentation.
Similarly, a lemon processing plant in the Achaia prefecture had 22 tons of lemons worth €11,000, also without documentation.
Addressing a general meeting of the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises (SEB) on Tuesday, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras linked the negotiations on the measures to ease Greece’s debt with the outcome of the Italian political crisis, and domestic political stability with a smooth exit from the bailout programme.
Under the burden of recent developments and the fluctuations in Greek bond prices, which indicate just how vulnerable Greece’s economy is, PM Tsipras stated, “It would be a mistake to think that at the end of the programme everyone will be queuing up to lend to us at rates similar to those of Germany.”
He added that while the Italian crisis is affecting all European markets, “the positive outcome of the Greek “adventure” is more necessary than ever for the entire eurozone,” before going on to ask Greece’s peers in the bloc to provide the right solution using the debt-easing agreement of last June as a basis.
"Together with the world of work, we are investing in the future of the country, we are providing support to its people’s plans for life and creativity," said Alexis Tsipras.
The SEB conference is "the last one to take place under the extraordinary circumstances imposed by the many years of crisis and the regime of the Memoranda, he said.
"At the same time it is the first conference that coincides with the definitive transition to a new normality and a new day for the country and its creative forces."
"We are managing to change decisively the country's image. Greece is not the country that is a systemic risk to the Eurozone.
"From being a pariah country Greece is becoming an example of political stability and recovery. "Greece from being part of the problem is becoming part of the solution.
"This is demonstrated by our impressive progress towards our definitive exit from Memoranda."
He also referred to the role of the country as a pillar of stability and security in both the Southeastern Mediterranean and the Balkans.
Speaking about the "difficult but necessary" negotiations with FYROM and the prospect of a solution, he stressed that " the Government has handled this negotiation and continues to handle it with a sense of responsibility and patriotism, but also with determination and faith in the need to find a solution."
"It is precisely our attitude that is shaping a new image for Greece internationally and is strengthening its role as a pillar of stability in an area that is being whirled around in a vortex of parallel crises. As is happening in Italy in these days, but also has been happening for some time in Turkey."
"Our country, our society, our economy has not only endured hardships. But today it is recovering dynamically."
"We are here today to plan the next day of our return to the economic realm, to correct the injustices of the crisis and to build the future we have a right to on the basis of fair and sustainable development."
"We are completing the third and final programme, having implemented a drastic programme of reforms and changes throughout the economic system, restoring the image of the Greek economy and of the country in general to the international realm."
"We are no longer considered a corrupt and inefficient economy where no one knows what to expect."
The Prime Minister stressed that the institutions and the OECD today unambiguously acknowledge this effort. "This data will also be our passport for the country's entry to the financial markets with the end of the programme in August 2018."
"The Eurostat data, which can not be disputed, is now verifying our own forecasts every year."
"And in the next few years, fiscal margins are being forecast, beyond the targets that we must continue to achieve in order to maintain confidence and credibility vis-à-vis both our partners and the markets.
"We will also make use of these surpluses with responsibility and planning, aiming simultaneously at two goals: the reduction of tax burdens by boosting growth rates while at the same time increasing employment."
He stressed that discussions on the final settlement of the Greek debt are in full swing. "We are pursuing a solution sustainable over time – a solution that leaves no room for doubt as to the prospects of our economy and one which will support its dynamic growth."
"It is now the turn of our partners to show confidence and recognition of our efforts in practice, the right solution that everyone expects to hear."
He said he was optimistic that there would be the best possible agreement in the interests of both Greece and the Eurozone, pointing out that after the latest developments ( ie Italy) "everyone understands that the decisions we come up with must meet the challenges and needs of the period "and must shield the Greek economy from turbulences that are not due to us but due to external factors.
"The elections will be on time. At the end of the Government's term of office. Let no one have any doubt about that."
"A prerequisite for achieving and finally closing this cycle of the crisis is political stability. It is precisely for this reason that there must be an end to the ongoing election talk that the opposition is feeding both gratuitously and pointlessly."
He announced that while resources are being reduced across Europe, the next period for Greece will see increased funding on NSRF programmes. He commented that this is practicable because "From a position where Greece was in the middle or last position in the ranking of absorption rates, we are now in first place."
"Together with the world of work we are investing in the future of the country, we are giving substance to our people’s plans for life and creativity." He noted that in order to do this, a new concept of development is needed, one which considers work to be a component of production rather than an element of consumption.
Tax Evasion Crack Down
Tax authorities suspended the licenses of businesses across Greece after audits showed blatant cases of tax evasion.
On Mykonos, authorities confiscated the licence and number plates of a vehicle of a business that was offering luxury transport services with a mini van, without being registered with the tax office.
In Naoussa, Paros, police closed down a famous restaurant for two days after audits showed that the owners failed to issue 34 receipts. Another Paros restaurant was shut down for seven days after committing the same offence for the second time.
In Aliveri, the owner of a restaurant had his licence suspended for 48 hours for failing to give a receipt for a €3,100 wedding party bill.
A potato packing plant in Achaia was found to have 29 tons of potatoes worth €11,500 in storage, without having any documentation.
Similarly, a lemon processing plant in the Achaia prefecture had 22 tons of lemons worth €11,000, also without documentation.
Crystal and clean waters in Sikinos - Aghios Georgios
"The plastic straw is something small and looks innocent"
The island of Sikinos is looking to be the first Greek island to eliminate the use of plastic straws this summer. Residents of the island have promised to replace plastic straws with reusable and biodegradable ones.
Plastic straws are said to be one of the common types of rubbish found on Greek beaches.
Aggeliki Kosmopoulou is executive director of the Laskaridi Foundation, the organisation behind the initiative. "The island of Sikinos will be the first to enter the programme "Sea Change" organised by the A. K. Laskaridis Foundation and eliminate the use of plastic straws this summer, in a bid to protect the marine environment in the Cyclades archipelago.
Amid a wider debate on the use of plastic, on an international scale and the minimisation of the use of super market plastic bags in Greece, Sikinos locals' decision and stance could be nothing else than an example to us all and a push for a plastic-free future.
The municipality and the island's residents have promised to replace plastic straws with reusable and biodegradable straws that will be provided by the Laskaridis Foundation.
''The plastic straw is something small and looks innocent. We use it for a short while, for a few minutes mainly for fun, to enjoy our drink or our coffee, but this remains in nature for 200 years and it doesn't break down," she says. "It stays there forever. And not only does it not decompose, but it breaks into very small pieces, that hurt or kill sea animals and ends up in our food through fish.''
She said that a report on how things have gone over the summer will be ready after the end of the season. "We will return and measure the results, clean the beaches again and carry out educational and citizen science programmes", she said.
"The island of Sikinos will be the first to enter the programme "Sea Change" organised by the A. K. Laskaridis Foundation and eliminate the use of plastic straws this summer, in a bid to protect the marine environment in the Cyclades archipelago.
Amid a wider debate on the use of plastic, on an international scale and the minimisation of the use of super market plastic bags in Greece, Sikinos locals' decision and stance could be nothing else than an example to us all and a push for a plastic-free future.
The Municipality and the island's residents have promised to replace plastic straws with reusable and biodegradable straws that will be provided by the Laskaridis Foundation."
More Greek islands will take part in the programme in the coming months - a programme that has been planned to last for five years.
It is estimated that Europeans produce around 25 million tonnes of plastic waste every year. And less than 30% is recycled. Each year at least eight million tonnes of plastic ends up in the sea. Plastic straws are the eleventh most common type of rubbish found in Greek waters. This data shows that reducing or even stopping completely the use of plastic straws would be an important step towards protecting marine life.
The island of Sikinos is looking to be the first Greek island to eliminate the use of plastic straws this summer. Residents of the island have promised to replace plastic straws with reusable and biodegradable ones.
Plastic straws are said to be one of the common types of rubbish found on Greek beaches.
Aggeliki Kosmopoulou is executive director of the Laskaridi Foundation, the organisation behind the initiative. "The island of Sikinos will be the first to enter the programme "Sea Change" organised by the A. K. Laskaridis Foundation and eliminate the use of plastic straws this summer, in a bid to protect the marine environment in the Cyclades archipelago.
Amid a wider debate on the use of plastic, on an international scale and the minimisation of the use of super market plastic bags in Greece, Sikinos locals' decision and stance could be nothing else than an example to us all and a push for a plastic-free future.
The municipality and the island's residents have promised to replace plastic straws with reusable and biodegradable straws that will be provided by the Laskaridis Foundation.
''The plastic straw is something small and looks innocent. We use it for a short while, for a few minutes mainly for fun, to enjoy our drink or our coffee, but this remains in nature for 200 years and it doesn't break down," she says. "It stays there forever. And not only does it not decompose, but it breaks into very small pieces, that hurt or kill sea animals and ends up in our food through fish.''
She said that a report on how things have gone over the summer will be ready after the end of the season. "We will return and measure the results, clean the beaches again and carry out educational and citizen science programmes", she said.
"The island of Sikinos will be the first to enter the programme "Sea Change" organised by the A. K. Laskaridis Foundation and eliminate the use of plastic straws this summer, in a bid to protect the marine environment in the Cyclades archipelago.
Amid a wider debate on the use of plastic, on an international scale and the minimisation of the use of super market plastic bags in Greece, Sikinos locals' decision and stance could be nothing else than an example to us all and a push for a plastic-free future.
The Municipality and the island's residents have promised to replace plastic straws with reusable and biodegradable straws that will be provided by the Laskaridis Foundation."
More Greek islands will take part in the programme in the coming months - a programme that has been planned to last for five years.
It is estimated that Europeans produce around 25 million tonnes of plastic waste every year. And less than 30% is recycled. Each year at least eight million tonnes of plastic ends up in the sea. Plastic straws are the eleventh most common type of rubbish found in Greek waters. This data shows that reducing or even stopping completely the use of plastic straws would be an important step towards protecting marine life.
Bailout Programme Closing
26.5.2018
The Greek government reached a staff-level agreement (SLA) with its lenders last weekend.
The initial agreement reached will have to be signed off by a meeting of Eurozone Finance Ministers on May 24th The current review was the fourth and final such process before the Greek bailout programme expires in August 2018.
A few issues remain undecided, mainly regarding fiscal policy and structural reforms. The International Monetary Fund said it will continue talks with the Greek Government over these issues, as well as with Greece’s European creditors over the need to grant the country substantial debt relief.
Greek Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos said he expected some news on debt relief measures by Wednesday or Thursday. He added that the 21st June Eurogroup meeting will discuss the post-bailout oversight arrangements that will be put in place for Greece.
The Finance Minister said: “We believe thorny issues were resolved in a satisfactory manner for the Greek side. Obviously on certain issues we had to ‘water down our wine', but in general I consider that discussion was very productive and substantive. I am mostly pleased.”
According to a European Commission statement, “…the Greek authorities aim to implement […] measures as swiftly as possible in advance of the Eurogroup of 21st June 2018. To this end, intensive exchanges between the Institutions and the Greek authorities will continue in the coming weeks”.
The Greek government had to make some compromises in order to reach an initial SLA with creditors. The two sides agreed on a package of reforms required for the successful completion of the 4th Assessment. Property tax reforms, measures to better manage arrears to the State, labour reforms and fiscal targets were agreed among other things.
"Because of the numbers, we have additional financial room for manoeuvre" - Finance Minister addresses Parliament
In the Plenary Debate in Parliament this week, Finance Minister, Euclid Tsakalotos announcing the technical agreement, said “We have a month on the prerequisites, the debt debate is continuing, it's almost over, and we know how the post-memorandum monitoring with Article 472 will operate.”
Minister Tsakalotos refused to be drawn by attacks from New Democracy leader Mr. Mitsotakis and Mrs. Gennimata of the Movement for Change because, he said, “the Greek people deserve better and want to know about the future: "Do we have the better strategy or do you? The challenge we have is to talk seriously about the future, and the stakes are too high, so we can only look back at who is the blame. There are constant developments. What interventions are we making and what are we going to do?"
He put on record evidence that all the indicators of the Greek economy are on the rise: "There is this trend and we have to talk about it. We do not say that no one is suffering but that is the real debate, to see the results."
The Finance Minister described the financial data he filed:
- There is a positive balance of recruitment-retirement in April, by 100,000 jobs (55% of them full-time jobs). This is the highest level for at least 17 years. There was a positive balance of 155,000 jobs in January-April.
- The rate of undeclared work declined steadily from 19.17% in 2014 to 12.58% in the first quarter of 2018.
- Net foreign direct investment in 2017 was 3.6€ billion, showing an increase of 27.6% compared to 2016.
- In the first quarter of 2018, 4,282 more companies were opened than were closed. New businesses increased by 17%, while businesses that ceased to operate declined by 44% compared to the first quarter of 2017.
- The total value of exports in the quarter increased to 13.6%; the trade deficit in the quarter fell to 17.9%.
- The index of business expectations for industry stood at 103.4 against 98.4 points last year.
- There is a rise in individual indicators in almost all sectors of the economy, but also in consumer confidence.
"Because of the numbers, we have additional financial space." He explained that one part of the increased resources would go to creating jobs and supporting retirement from now on, and there would be 100€ million a year extra for Health. "But because this does not exhaust the fiscal space, we could discuss further priorities here."
"The truth is that we know we're leaving the programme, so we have a development agenda. We are negotiating a strengthened monitoring arrangement rather than a precautionary line of credit, so there is no programme,no more prerequisite measures and no more financing."
He explained that the world of work was at the centre of development and called for the Movement for Change to answer the question of whether "the pie should first grow up and then share it" or whether "these two will go together." "It is an ideological confrontation," he said to Mrs Gennimata and added, "You have an answer when you say, we can side with New Democracy, or we can go with SYRIZA, that is, you are siding with these two opposite logics?"
He said that “it is true that the Development Plan has commitments". We do not want to present a report of ideas, get out of the Memorandum in August and the in October announce the increase in the minimum wage. We know what we want to do and we all want it, the Europeans, the Institutions, the markets. "The reason our own plan is different is because it is holistic. Because it creates for the first time institutions that have the capacity for collective thinking because things are connected with each other (how the infrastructure works etc.) and where it is necessary to direct finance."
Eldorado
Greece aims to resolve a long-standing standoff with Canada’s Eldorado Gold Corporation over its development plans in the coming weeks, the Energy Ministry said on Tuesday.
The differences between Eldorado and the Government over the mining company’s plans to produce gold and other metals in the northern Greek region of Halkidiki have dragged on for years, mainly over environmental regulations.
Eldorado blames Greece for long delays in issuing necessary permits, while the Government maintains that the company’s plan to build a metallurgical plant that will process the ores mined in Skouries and Olympiada inside the country is deficient. Eldorado last month received a positive ruling from arbitrators on its planned metallurgy plant in Greece but said it was still awaiting some permits for the project.
Energy Minister Giorgos Stathakis discussed the ruling with workers from Eldorado’s Greek Subsidiary on Tuesday.
“The main aim is to reach an agreement in the coming weeks within the spirit of the arbitration ruling,” the Energy Ministry quoted Mr. Stathakis as saying.
The Ministry did not specify what such an agreement will entail but said that the ruling meant that Greece had to make sure that Eldorado will produce pure gold, silver and zinc inside the country.
An Energy Ministry official said the arbitration panel ruled that Eldorado has not violated its contractual obligations so far. However, the Government wanted the company to make specific commitments, including a timetable for when it will submit pending reports on the metallurgy plant.
The initial agreement reached will have to be signed off by a meeting of Eurozone Finance Ministers on May 24th The current review was the fourth and final such process before the Greek bailout programme expires in August 2018.
A few issues remain undecided, mainly regarding fiscal policy and structural reforms. The International Monetary Fund said it will continue talks with the Greek Government over these issues, as well as with Greece’s European creditors over the need to grant the country substantial debt relief.
Greek Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos said he expected some news on debt relief measures by Wednesday or Thursday. He added that the 21st June Eurogroup meeting will discuss the post-bailout oversight arrangements that will be put in place for Greece.
The Finance Minister said: “We believe thorny issues were resolved in a satisfactory manner for the Greek side. Obviously on certain issues we had to ‘water down our wine', but in general I consider that discussion was very productive and substantive. I am mostly pleased.”
According to a European Commission statement, “…the Greek authorities aim to implement […] measures as swiftly as possible in advance of the Eurogroup of 21st June 2018. To this end, intensive exchanges between the Institutions and the Greek authorities will continue in the coming weeks”.
The Greek government had to make some compromises in order to reach an initial SLA with creditors. The two sides agreed on a package of reforms required for the successful completion of the 4th Assessment. Property tax reforms, measures to better manage arrears to the State, labour reforms and fiscal targets were agreed among other things.
"Because of the numbers, we have additional financial room for manoeuvre" - Finance Minister addresses Parliament
In the Plenary Debate in Parliament this week, Finance Minister, Euclid Tsakalotos announcing the technical agreement, said “We have a month on the prerequisites, the debt debate is continuing, it's almost over, and we know how the post-memorandum monitoring with Article 472 will operate.”
Minister Tsakalotos refused to be drawn by attacks from New Democracy leader Mr. Mitsotakis and Mrs. Gennimata of the Movement for Change because, he said, “the Greek people deserve better and want to know about the future: "Do we have the better strategy or do you? The challenge we have is to talk seriously about the future, and the stakes are too high, so we can only look back at who is the blame. There are constant developments. What interventions are we making and what are we going to do?"
He put on record evidence that all the indicators of the Greek economy are on the rise: "There is this trend and we have to talk about it. We do not say that no one is suffering but that is the real debate, to see the results."
The Finance Minister described the financial data he filed:
- There is a positive balance of recruitment-retirement in April, by 100,000 jobs (55% of them full-time jobs). This is the highest level for at least 17 years. There was a positive balance of 155,000 jobs in January-April.
- The rate of undeclared work declined steadily from 19.17% in 2014 to 12.58% in the first quarter of 2018.
- Net foreign direct investment in 2017 was 3.6€ billion, showing an increase of 27.6% compared to 2016.
- In the first quarter of 2018, 4,282 more companies were opened than were closed. New businesses increased by 17%, while businesses that ceased to operate declined by 44% compared to the first quarter of 2017.
- The total value of exports in the quarter increased to 13.6%; the trade deficit in the quarter fell to 17.9%.
- The index of business expectations for industry stood at 103.4 against 98.4 points last year.
- There is a rise in individual indicators in almost all sectors of the economy, but also in consumer confidence.
"Because of the numbers, we have additional financial space." He explained that one part of the increased resources would go to creating jobs and supporting retirement from now on, and there would be 100€ million a year extra for Health. "But because this does not exhaust the fiscal space, we could discuss further priorities here."
"The truth is that we know we're leaving the programme, so we have a development agenda. We are negotiating a strengthened monitoring arrangement rather than a precautionary line of credit, so there is no programme,no more prerequisite measures and no more financing."
He explained that the world of work was at the centre of development and called for the Movement for Change to answer the question of whether "the pie should first grow up and then share it" or whether "these two will go together." "It is an ideological confrontation," he said to Mrs Gennimata and added, "You have an answer when you say, we can side with New Democracy, or we can go with SYRIZA, that is, you are siding with these two opposite logics?"
He said that “it is true that the Development Plan has commitments". We do not want to present a report of ideas, get out of the Memorandum in August and the in October announce the increase in the minimum wage. We know what we want to do and we all want it, the Europeans, the Institutions, the markets. "The reason our own plan is different is because it is holistic. Because it creates for the first time institutions that have the capacity for collective thinking because things are connected with each other (how the infrastructure works etc.) and where it is necessary to direct finance."
Eldorado
Greece aims to resolve a long-standing standoff with Canada’s Eldorado Gold Corporation over its development plans in the coming weeks, the Energy Ministry said on Tuesday.
The differences between Eldorado and the Government over the mining company’s plans to produce gold and other metals in the northern Greek region of Halkidiki have dragged on for years, mainly over environmental regulations.
Eldorado blames Greece for long delays in issuing necessary permits, while the Government maintains that the company’s plan to build a metallurgical plant that will process the ores mined in Skouries and Olympiada inside the country is deficient. Eldorado last month received a positive ruling from arbitrators on its planned metallurgy plant in Greece but said it was still awaiting some permits for the project.
Energy Minister Giorgos Stathakis discussed the ruling with workers from Eldorado’s Greek Subsidiary on Tuesday.
“The main aim is to reach an agreement in the coming weeks within the spirit of the arbitration ruling,” the Energy Ministry quoted Mr. Stathakis as saying.
The Ministry did not specify what such an agreement will entail but said that the ruling meant that Greece had to make sure that Eldorado will produce pure gold, silver and zinc inside the country.
An Energy Ministry official said the arbitration panel ruled that Eldorado has not violated its contractual obligations so far. However, the Government wanted the company to make specific commitments, including a timetable for when it will submit pending reports on the metallurgy plant.
Health Scandals - "Getting to the root of the problem"
Over 85€ billion is the damage done to healthcare supplies in the public sector, according to Stavros Evangelatos, General Inspector of SEYP (Body of Health and Welfare Services Inspectors) in his submission to the Examination Board for health scandals. Mr. Evangelatos, who was appointed to this position by the Samaras Government in 2014, repeated many times: "Our principles coincide with those of the Ministry of Health for the "getting to the root of the problem". That's why we are saying it here today."
Among other things, the General Inspector of the SEYP reported cases such as:
- the setting of maximum prices by ministerial decision without reference to the competent ministry of health. SEYP has called for the ministerial decisions to be abolished but this has never been done ...
- offshore businesses "in Cyprus and elsewhere", which are set up solely to increase the import price to the detriment of the Greek state and the insurance funds.
- Greece purchased 500,000 doses of the Tamiflu antiviral drug and the 495,000 doses were allowed to expire! The cost was €10 million.
- supply of defibrillators and pacemakers from hospitals up to 2004 at prices much higher than those prevailing on the international market without any price research.
- at the University Hospital of Larissa in the period 2008-2009 there was a public loss of 6.8 million on contracts for the procurement and management of laparoscopic materials,
-at the University Hospital of Alexandroupolis from 2005 to 2009 there were competitions for supplies for health care with a loss of 974,000 euros.
-in the Kavala hospital between 2005 and 2008, a loss of 830,000 euros was caused by commissions for bone grafts, with direct commissions and without negotiation procedures.
- In Ippokrateio of Thessaloniki, a loss of €1 million was caused by non-contractual commissions at higher prices than conventional orthopedic and neurosurgical material.
-in Ippokratio of Thessaloniki, a loss of €2.1 million was caused in 2008-2009 in the neurosurgery clinic.
-in the Patras hospital in 2016, they were pricing a radiopharmaceutical at €2,200 insteadof the actual cost of €220. Mr.Evangelatos revealed that the same company for six years sold this particular radiopharmaceutical to the public Health Service for 1,000€ euros and while it sold it to the private sector for between 500€ and 600€!
Over 85€ billion is the damage done to healthcare supplies in the public sector, according to Stavros Evangelatos, General Inspector of SEYP (Body of Health and Welfare Services Inspectors) in his submission to the Examination Board for health scandals. Mr. Evangelatos, who was appointed to this position by the Samaras Government in 2014, repeated many times: "Our principles coincide with those of the Ministry of Health for the "getting to the root of the problem". That's why we are saying it here today."
Among other things, the General Inspector of the SEYP reported cases such as:
- the setting of maximum prices by ministerial decision without reference to the competent ministry of health. SEYP has called for the ministerial decisions to be abolished but this has never been done ...
- offshore businesses "in Cyprus and elsewhere", which are set up solely to increase the import price to the detriment of the Greek state and the insurance funds.
- Greece purchased 500,000 doses of the Tamiflu antiviral drug and the 495,000 doses were allowed to expire! The cost was €10 million.
- supply of defibrillators and pacemakers from hospitals up to 2004 at prices much higher than those prevailing on the international market without any price research.
- at the University Hospital of Larissa in the period 2008-2009 there was a public loss of 6.8 million on contracts for the procurement and management of laparoscopic materials,
-at the University Hospital of Alexandroupolis from 2005 to 2009 there were competitions for supplies for health care with a loss of 974,000 euros.
-in the Kavala hospital between 2005 and 2008, a loss of 830,000 euros was caused by commissions for bone grafts, with direct commissions and without negotiation procedures.
- In Ippokrateio of Thessaloniki, a loss of €1 million was caused by non-contractual commissions at higher prices than conventional orthopedic and neurosurgical material.
-in Ippokratio of Thessaloniki, a loss of €2.1 million was caused in 2008-2009 in the neurosurgery clinic.
-in the Patras hospital in 2016, they were pricing a radiopharmaceutical at €2,200 insteadof the actual cost of €220. Mr.Evangelatos revealed that the same company for six years sold this particular radiopharmaceutical to the public Health Service for 1,000€ euros and while it sold it to the private sector for between 500€ and 600€!
Mayor of Thessaloniki attacked
Last Sunday, during a commemoration of the World War I genocide of the Pontic Greeks, Yannis Voutaris, the 75-year-old Mayor of Thessaloniki was physically attacked by about a dozen people. He was pushed to the ground and kicked several times in the head, back and legs. He was briefly hospitalised.
On Wednesday a court in Thessaloniki found three people guilty of the attack. Two of the accused, aged 20, were given a 14-month and 21-month suspended prison sentence respectively, while a 36-year-old ethnic Greek from Georgia received a 14-month jail sentence, which he was allowed to buy out of for five euros per day, as he did not meet the conditions for a suspended sentence.
Reading out the sentences, the presiding judge said the incident was "an organized attack against the mayor," a position shared by the prosecutor.
Earlier, the three suspects said they had regretted their actions and apologized, claiming they had been carried away by the crowd. The man from Georgia even claimed he did not know who he was beating.
Subsequently an off-duty police officer was also identified and charged. The 44-year-old officer was identified by video footage. Reports say that in 2015 the police officer had failed psychological tests and had then been moved to a desk job. Video footage has helped to also identify two more suspects, a 43-year-old shop owner and a 57-year-old pensioner.
Thessaloniki Mayor Voutaris urged the authorities to find the instigators behind the “footsoldiers” who carried out such attacks. “The attack on me was an attack on each of you. Blatant violence threatens all those who fight to defend freedom of speech. I have tried to defend my freedom of speech with vigour to serve. That is why I was the target. With your support, I will continue to serve with even greater vigour and consistency.
"We all have a collective and individual obligation” not to allow the country to turn into a “jungle,” he said in a statement Thursday, adding that the plight of the people is being exploited by violent groups. “Their plan is to promote a very specific political, operational and communication model. That of fascism,” he said, adding that “we must name the organizers and instigators of these fascist plans and isolate them.”
Mayor Voutaris struck a defiant tone in a Twitter post. “As long as I am mayor, I will not allow Thessaloniki to go back to the time of darkness and scandal.”
His comment is seen as a criticism of the northern port city’s former regional governor, Panagiotis Psomiadis, who has been linked to a number of corruption and embezzlement cases, and who publicly accused the Mayor of “selling out Macedonia” just moments before he was assaulted at a ceremony marking the massacre of ethnic Greeks by Turkey.
Mayor Voutaris also posted a video of his speech to the Municipal Council on Monday, in which he said that he would persevere with his efforts to transform Thessaloniki into a “true metropolis of the Balkans.”
“We will not back down. We will not be intimidated, by anyone.
Last Sunday, during a commemoration of the World War I genocide of the Pontic Greeks, Yannis Voutaris, the 75-year-old Mayor of Thessaloniki was physically attacked by about a dozen people. He was pushed to the ground and kicked several times in the head, back and legs. He was briefly hospitalised.
On Wednesday a court in Thessaloniki found three people guilty of the attack. Two of the accused, aged 20, were given a 14-month and 21-month suspended prison sentence respectively, while a 36-year-old ethnic Greek from Georgia received a 14-month jail sentence, which he was allowed to buy out of for five euros per day, as he did not meet the conditions for a suspended sentence.
Reading out the sentences, the presiding judge said the incident was "an organized attack against the mayor," a position shared by the prosecutor.
Earlier, the three suspects said they had regretted their actions and apologized, claiming they had been carried away by the crowd. The man from Georgia even claimed he did not know who he was beating.
Subsequently an off-duty police officer was also identified and charged. The 44-year-old officer was identified by video footage. Reports say that in 2015 the police officer had failed psychological tests and had then been moved to a desk job. Video footage has helped to also identify two more suspects, a 43-year-old shop owner and a 57-year-old pensioner.
Thessaloniki Mayor Voutaris urged the authorities to find the instigators behind the “footsoldiers” who carried out such attacks. “The attack on me was an attack on each of you. Blatant violence threatens all those who fight to defend freedom of speech. I have tried to defend my freedom of speech with vigour to serve. That is why I was the target. With your support, I will continue to serve with even greater vigour and consistency.
"We all have a collective and individual obligation” not to allow the country to turn into a “jungle,” he said in a statement Thursday, adding that the plight of the people is being exploited by violent groups. “Their plan is to promote a very specific political, operational and communication model. That of fascism,” he said, adding that “we must name the organizers and instigators of these fascist plans and isolate them.”
Mayor Voutaris struck a defiant tone in a Twitter post. “As long as I am mayor, I will not allow Thessaloniki to go back to the time of darkness and scandal.”
His comment is seen as a criticism of the northern port city’s former regional governor, Panagiotis Psomiadis, who has been linked to a number of corruption and embezzlement cases, and who publicly accused the Mayor of “selling out Macedonia” just moments before he was assaulted at a ceremony marking the massacre of ethnic Greeks by Turkey.
Mayor Voutaris also posted a video of his speech to the Municipal Council on Monday, in which he said that he would persevere with his efforts to transform Thessaloniki into a “true metropolis of the Balkans.”
“We will not back down. We will not be intimidated, by anyone.
The Palestinian Question and Iran
Alexis Tsipras in Sofia
19.5.2018
The Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras spoke about the Palestinian Question and Iran at the EU leaders' dinner on the eve of the EU-Western Balkans summit in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Thursday.
“The position that Europe adopts cannot enter the logic of political blocs but must be based on principles and the European stance must be commonly agreed not only on the issue of Iran but also on other issues such as the Palestinian Question.”
The Prime Minister expressed his dismay and his clear opposition to the actions of Israel that led to the deaths of dozens of Palestinian protesters and undermined the prospect of a solution.
He underlined the importance of maintaining the EU's united stance in favour of a two-state solution, with guarantees for Israel's security, and of immediately re-launching substantive negotiations in that direction - a position that the Prime Minister spoke directly about to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at their recent meeting in Cyprus last week.
Alexis Tsipras added that although the role of the United States remains very essential to finding a solution, their move to unilaterally transfer their embassy to Jerusalem, before even proposing a comprehensive plan for peace, is at the expense of the solution and the situation on the ground. He stressed that the EU should play a key role in the resolution of the Palestinian conflict and take a strong stance.
In the discussion on the issue of Iran, he stressed that keeping the agreement on the Iranian nuclear programme in force is vital to ensuring stability in the Middle East region. He also pointed to the fact that stability in Iran is also of particular importance for the issue of managing migration. At the same time, he said that if the agreement collapses, the Iranian nuclear programme could be reactivated, and other countries in the region would be tempted to pursue nuclear activities with incalculable consequences for the security of the region.
Alexis Tsipras said that the European Union must come out with a single message, that it remains committed to the agreement, as Iran continues to comply with its commitments. At the same time, he stressed that the EU should put constant pressure on Iran to contribute to regional stability, and in particular to peace in Syria.
"Disproportionate reaction by Israel"
“With dismay, Athens is witnessing the massacre of dozens and the injuring of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza on the occasion of the provocative decision by Trump to transfer the US Embassy to Jerusalem seventy years after the expulsion of 700,000 Palestinians with the founding of the State of Israel in 1948 - a decision that unilaterally recognizes the occupied city as the capital of Israel. Condemning the violence of the Israeli troops, the Greek government calls for the resolution of disputes using the framework of UN resolutions.
The Government spokesman expressed the Government’s horror and revulsion, talking about a disproportionate reaction by Israel. He spoke about the dozens of deaths and thousands of injuries among the protesters in the Gaza Strip "which were caused by the Israeli army during the protests against the US decision to transfer their embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Mr Tzanakopoulos spoke of a "disproportionate reaction by Israel", stressing that it must be dealt with "with unity and determination by the entire international community". Referring to the US decision to transfer the embassy, he spoke of "unilateral actions that in no way contribute to resolving Israeli-Palestinian disputes, which must always be dealt with in the context of relevant UN resolutions". At the same time, he called on the EU, the Arab League and the UN to take immediate effective initiatives to reduce tension and return to the framework of international legality.
“The position that Europe adopts cannot enter the logic of political blocs but must be based on principles and the European stance must be commonly agreed not only on the issue of Iran but also on other issues such as the Palestinian Question.”
The Prime Minister expressed his dismay and his clear opposition to the actions of Israel that led to the deaths of dozens of Palestinian protesters and undermined the prospect of a solution.
He underlined the importance of maintaining the EU's united stance in favour of a two-state solution, with guarantees for Israel's security, and of immediately re-launching substantive negotiations in that direction - a position that the Prime Minister spoke directly about to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at their recent meeting in Cyprus last week.
Alexis Tsipras added that although the role of the United States remains very essential to finding a solution, their move to unilaterally transfer their embassy to Jerusalem, before even proposing a comprehensive plan for peace, is at the expense of the solution and the situation on the ground. He stressed that the EU should play a key role in the resolution of the Palestinian conflict and take a strong stance.
In the discussion on the issue of Iran, he stressed that keeping the agreement on the Iranian nuclear programme in force is vital to ensuring stability in the Middle East region. He also pointed to the fact that stability in Iran is also of particular importance for the issue of managing migration. At the same time, he said that if the agreement collapses, the Iranian nuclear programme could be reactivated, and other countries in the region would be tempted to pursue nuclear activities with incalculable consequences for the security of the region.
Alexis Tsipras said that the European Union must come out with a single message, that it remains committed to the agreement, as Iran continues to comply with its commitments. At the same time, he stressed that the EU should put constant pressure on Iran to contribute to regional stability, and in particular to peace in Syria.
"Disproportionate reaction by Israel"
“With dismay, Athens is witnessing the massacre of dozens and the injuring of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza on the occasion of the provocative decision by Trump to transfer the US Embassy to Jerusalem seventy years after the expulsion of 700,000 Palestinians with the founding of the State of Israel in 1948 - a decision that unilaterally recognizes the occupied city as the capital of Israel. Condemning the violence of the Israeli troops, the Greek government calls for the resolution of disputes using the framework of UN resolutions.
The Government spokesman expressed the Government’s horror and revulsion, talking about a disproportionate reaction by Israel. He spoke about the dozens of deaths and thousands of injuries among the protesters in the Gaza Strip "which were caused by the Israeli army during the protests against the US decision to transfer their embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Mr Tzanakopoulos spoke of a "disproportionate reaction by Israel", stressing that it must be dealt with "with unity and determination by the entire international community". Referring to the US decision to transfer the embassy, he spoke of "unilateral actions that in no way contribute to resolving Israeli-Palestinian disputes, which must always be dealt with in the context of relevant UN resolutions". At the same time, he called on the EU, the Arab League and the UN to take immediate effective initiatives to reduce tension and return to the framework of international legality.
The Sofia Declaration
Following the EU-Western Balkans summit in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Thursday 17 May 2018, EU leaders produced the Sofia declaration.
“We, the leaders of the European Union (EU) and of its Member States, in consultation with our Western Balkans partners, and in the presence of relevant regional stakeholders, today concluded the following:
The EU welcomes the shared commitment of the Western Balkans partners to European values and principles, and to the vision of a strong, stable and united Europe, underpinned by our historic, cultural and geographic ties and by our mutual political, security and economic interests.
Recalling the Thessaloniki Summit of 2003, the EU reaffirms its unequivocal support for the European orientation of the Western Balkans. Building on the progress achieved so far, the Western Balkans partners have recommitted to the European orientation as their firm strategic choice, to reinforcing their efforts and mutual support. The credibility of these efforts depends on clear public communication.
The EU is determined to strengthen and intensify its engagement at all levels to support the region's political, economic and social transformation, including through increased assistance based on tangible progress in the rule of law, as well as in socio-economic reforms, by the Western Balkans partners.
The EU welcomes the Western Balkans partners commitment to the primacy of democracy and the rule of law, especially the fight against corruption and organised crime, good governance, as well as respect for human rights and rights of persons belonging to minorities. Their effective implementation of reforms rests on these foundations. Civil society and an independent media play a crucial role in the process of democratisation.
The EU supports the Western Balkans partners pledge to continue to strengthen good neighbourly relations, regional stability and mutual cooperation. This includes in particular finding and implementing definitive, inclusive and binding solutions for their bilateral disputes rooted in the legacy of the past and devoting additional efforts to reconciliation.
Constructing a dense web of connections and opportunities within the region and with the EU is vital for bringing our citizens and economies closer together, and for enhancing political stability, economic prosperity, cultural and social development. Building on progress made, including through regional initiatives, we pledge to enhance substantially connectivity in all its dimensions: transport, energy, digital, economic and human.
The EU agrees to promote a market- and investment-friendly environment in the Western Balkans to move faster towards a digital economy and to sustainable and climate-friendly societies in line with the Paris agreement. Energy security will be prioritised, including through improved energy efficiency, better cross-border inter-connections, diversification of sources and routes, as well as a balanced energy mix better integrating renewable energy.
Special emphasis will be put toward creating further opportunities for young people, while ensuring that this contributes to the socio-economic development of the Western Balkans.
To that end, the EU welcomes the Western Balkans partners commitment, inter alia, to accelerate the implementation of the acquis under the Energy Community and Transport Community Treaties, to remove all administrative barriers at borders, to complete the Regional Electricity Market and to urgently implement the July 2017 Multiannual Action Plan for the Development of a Regional Economic Area. The EU will continue to support these efforts.
The EU and the Western Balkans partners share many security challenges that demand coordinated individual and collective action. When we work together, we are able to address these challenges effectively. Our cooperation in stemming illegal migration flows has demonstrated its value and will be developed further.
Countering terrorism and extremism, including its financing, radicalisation and the return of foreign terrorist fighters require our increased cooperation.
The EU and the Western Balkans partners acknowledge that results in fighting corruption and organised crime are essential for the region's political and socio-economic transformation and also for regional stability and security, which are in the best interest of their citizens. The EU welcomes their commitment to take resolute action, in cooperation with the EU and with each other, against human trafficking, drug cultivation, and smuggling of human beings, drugs and weapons.
The EU welcomes the contribution of the Western Balkans partners to its Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) in all its aspects and expects a progressive deepening of cooperation in this area, especially an enhanced level of alignment, notably on issues where major common interests are at stake.
Disinformation and other hybrid activities will be fought together through greater collaboration in resilience, cyber security and strategic communication.
To accelerate improvement in the lives of our citizens in the areas of connectivity and security in view of the European perspective of the Western Balkans, today, drawing on the relevant aspects of the Commission's Communication adopted on 6 February 2018, the EU launched a Sofia Priority Agenda for the EU and the Western Balkans, which is annexed to this Declaration.
The EU welcomes the intention of Croatia to host an EU-Western Balkans Summit during its Presidency in 2020.
We note that our Western Balkans Partners align themselves with the above points.”
As the Sofia Priority Agenda, it was agreed to
Following the EU-Western Balkans summit in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Thursday 17 May 2018, EU leaders produced the Sofia declaration.
“We, the leaders of the European Union (EU) and of its Member States, in consultation with our Western Balkans partners, and in the presence of relevant regional stakeholders, today concluded the following:
The EU welcomes the shared commitment of the Western Balkans partners to European values and principles, and to the vision of a strong, stable and united Europe, underpinned by our historic, cultural and geographic ties and by our mutual political, security and economic interests.
Recalling the Thessaloniki Summit of 2003, the EU reaffirms its unequivocal support for the European orientation of the Western Balkans. Building on the progress achieved so far, the Western Balkans partners have recommitted to the European orientation as their firm strategic choice, to reinforcing their efforts and mutual support. The credibility of these efforts depends on clear public communication.
The EU is determined to strengthen and intensify its engagement at all levels to support the region's political, economic and social transformation, including through increased assistance based on tangible progress in the rule of law, as well as in socio-economic reforms, by the Western Balkans partners.
The EU welcomes the Western Balkans partners commitment to the primacy of democracy and the rule of law, especially the fight against corruption and organised crime, good governance, as well as respect for human rights and rights of persons belonging to minorities. Their effective implementation of reforms rests on these foundations. Civil society and an independent media play a crucial role in the process of democratisation.
The EU supports the Western Balkans partners pledge to continue to strengthen good neighbourly relations, regional stability and mutual cooperation. This includes in particular finding and implementing definitive, inclusive and binding solutions for their bilateral disputes rooted in the legacy of the past and devoting additional efforts to reconciliation.
Constructing a dense web of connections and opportunities within the region and with the EU is vital for bringing our citizens and economies closer together, and for enhancing political stability, economic prosperity, cultural and social development. Building on progress made, including through regional initiatives, we pledge to enhance substantially connectivity in all its dimensions: transport, energy, digital, economic and human.
The EU agrees to promote a market- and investment-friendly environment in the Western Balkans to move faster towards a digital economy and to sustainable and climate-friendly societies in line with the Paris agreement. Energy security will be prioritised, including through improved energy efficiency, better cross-border inter-connections, diversification of sources and routes, as well as a balanced energy mix better integrating renewable energy.
Special emphasis will be put toward creating further opportunities for young people, while ensuring that this contributes to the socio-economic development of the Western Balkans.
To that end, the EU welcomes the Western Balkans partners commitment, inter alia, to accelerate the implementation of the acquis under the Energy Community and Transport Community Treaties, to remove all administrative barriers at borders, to complete the Regional Electricity Market and to urgently implement the July 2017 Multiannual Action Plan for the Development of a Regional Economic Area. The EU will continue to support these efforts.
The EU and the Western Balkans partners share many security challenges that demand coordinated individual and collective action. When we work together, we are able to address these challenges effectively. Our cooperation in stemming illegal migration flows has demonstrated its value and will be developed further.
Countering terrorism and extremism, including its financing, radicalisation and the return of foreign terrorist fighters require our increased cooperation.
The EU and the Western Balkans partners acknowledge that results in fighting corruption and organised crime are essential for the region's political and socio-economic transformation and also for regional stability and security, which are in the best interest of their citizens. The EU welcomes their commitment to take resolute action, in cooperation with the EU and with each other, against human trafficking, drug cultivation, and smuggling of human beings, drugs and weapons.
The EU welcomes the contribution of the Western Balkans partners to its Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) in all its aspects and expects a progressive deepening of cooperation in this area, especially an enhanced level of alignment, notably on issues where major common interests are at stake.
Disinformation and other hybrid activities will be fought together through greater collaboration in resilience, cyber security and strategic communication.
To accelerate improvement in the lives of our citizens in the areas of connectivity and security in view of the European perspective of the Western Balkans, today, drawing on the relevant aspects of the Commission's Communication adopted on 6 February 2018, the EU launched a Sofia Priority Agenda for the EU and the Western Balkans, which is annexed to this Declaration.
The EU welcomes the intention of Croatia to host an EU-Western Balkans Summit during its Presidency in 2020.
We note that our Western Balkans Partners align themselves with the above points.”
As the Sofia Priority Agenda, it was agreed to
- Strengthen support for the rule of law and good governance
- Enhance support for judicial reform and efforts to fight corruption and organised crime, including capacity building for corruption prevention
- Extend rule of law advisory missions with increased support from Member States and from the EU
- Enhance monitoring of reforms through more systematic, case-based peer-review missions
- Introduce trial monitoring in the field of serious corruption and organised crime
- Work towards better measurement of results in justice reform
- Roll out support for the Western Balkans through the European Endowment for Democracy in the area of independent and pluralistic media and civil so
- Increase support to capacity-building in the area of cyber-security and fight against cybercrime
- Enhance cooperation on migration and border management
- Further enhance cooperation between the liaison officers deployed by the EU (European Commission and the European Border and Coast Guard Agency), Member States and competent authorities of the Western Balkans
- Create an EU JHA inter-agency Task Force coordinated by the Commission deepen and expand substantial cooperation and dialogue on Common Foreign and Security Policy/Common Security and Defence Policy
- Further develop cooperation in activities related to hybrid threats, including by enhancing strategic communication Supporting socio-economic development and putting a special focus on youth
- Expand the Western Balkans Investment Framework to further attract and coordinate bilateral donors' and International Financing Institutions' investment
- Significantly boost the Western Balkans Investment Framework's provision of guarantees to crowd in private investment
- Enhance support to education, in particular launch a pilot project for mobility in vocational education and training
- Double Erasmus+ funding for the region, including establishment of a “Western Balkans Youth Lab” in 2018, providing space for innovative policy-making addressing the needs of young people, and tackling the brain drain
- Expand the scope and reach of the Regional Youth Cooperation Office, and introduce an intra-regional mobility scheme
- Ensure progress in the implementation of the Regional Economic Area, including stepping up work on recognition of qualifications, and progress on trade facilitation within the Western Balkans
- Progress of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia in their World Trade Organisation accession processes Increasing connectivity
- Launch a new package of connectivity projects (with significant EU grants as leverage) through the Western Balkans Investment Framework, including support to the Blue Highway and the Peace Highway (Nis-Pristina)
- Support increased take-up of opportunities under the current provisions of the Connecting Europe Facility in the Western Balkans
- Expand the EU Energy Union to the Western Balkans, focusing on energy security and diversification of sources and suppliers, including a strategy at regional level to benefit from renewables, notably hydropower
- Work to complete the Regional Electricity Market in the Western Balkans, and ensure that it is integrated into the EU Internal Electricity Market, including though the Central and SouthEastern European Connectivity (CESEC) initiative
- Further support the creation of a single regulatory space and effective energy market reform process under the Energy Community Treaty
- Sign a commitment/Memorandum of Understanding on the Bulgaria/Serbia gas interconnector
- Start the implementation of the Transport Community Treaty and full operation of its secretariat
- Sign the agreement on the Transport Community Treaty Headquarters (Belgrade)
- Endorse the Transport Ministerial Declaration from Ljubljana TEN-T Days, including the action plan for the priority border crossings list
- Endorse the Transport Ministerial Declaration on road safety from Ljubljana TEN-T Days and its Action Plan
- Support a new rail strategy to bring the Western Balkans into the main EU network and market
- Launch a Digital Agenda for the Western Balkans, including a roadmap to facilitate lowering the cost of mobile phone roaming
- Launch a substantial technical assistance package for the identification of potential digital investments (including broadband) through Western Balkans Investment Framework/Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance
- Support reconciliation and good neighbourly relations in the Western Balkans
- Support the fight against impunity through support to the Mechanism for the International Criminal Tribunals and to the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, through EULEX
- Open access to the EU’s Creative Europe Programme
- Promote deepening of links among civil societies of the Western Balkans, including through the support for the Western Balkans Fund projects.
"In the summer, Greece wants to stand on its own two feet again."
Speaking to the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos promised that the country will not need additional credits."We are finalizing the adjustment programme in August and we are not going to ask for a precautionary support line of credit. After August 2018 there will be no more credits to Greece from the ESM. In the summer, Greece wants to stand on its own two feet again."
" There will be a form of oversight, as is the case with any other country with a programme. For Greece, this oversight may be more detailed. Once we show how reliable we are, we will no longer be talking about the political goals and the tools that are needed, but only about such goals as the primary surplus target of 3.5% that Greece must achieve each year up to 2022."
"Financing Development"
Referring to the security pillow Greece is creating for every eventuality,he stressed: "In agreement with the IMF the pillow must cover the financing needs for one and a half to two years. We will not, however, have access to this money for public spending."
Regarding the 88 prerequisites, Euclid Tsakalotos stated that "the reform agenda is frontloaded and the most important reforms were at the beginning. Now it is about completing and improving reform steps that have already been taken, not fundamental political issues."
Asked how to achieve the goal of growth, the Finance Minister replied: "There are developmental reforms that have been completed, others are in the process of being implemented and others have to start, such as faster justice, more efficient public administration, combating bureaucracy and a better investment climate. It is also a matter of financing development, as mainstream banks are burdened with red loans. That is why we have a lot of ideas about a Greek public development bank, about how to make use of the European Investment Bank's money and how regional development funds will benefit not just infrastructure but also medium-sized businesses."
"Overall taxation is not too high"
"In order to achieve the primary surplus, out of necessity we put the burden on certain parts of society. Now, however, we are creating the fiscal space for reducing burdens on these sections of society. In general, however, taxation is not too high. Thanks to the 0.8% growth achieved by Greece, "there is now more room for reducing taxes."
Then, the Finance Minister promised that, while observing the existing rules, "efforts are being made to raise the minimum wage. If we exceed the budget targets in 2018 as well, we will again grant a social dividend."
Asked about the future of Greek debt, Euclid Tsakalotos replied: "It will be a test for all of us to see if the markets get the message that the Greek debt is viable. However, if we were to ask for a precautionary support line of credit, the country's creditworthiness would never be assessed objectively. For the debt, we have two goals: in the long run, the primary surplus should be close to 2%, our financing needs will not exceed 15% of GDP by 2030 and after that no more than 20%. This is how we ensure a definite framework for our finances and be in a position to determine what debt relief is required."
"I would like Greece to be treated as Germany was in 1952"
The Finance Minister also referred to the "French mechanism" he discussed with his counterparts from France and Germany, but also with the IMF: "Greece will initially receive some relief. If growth is at the levels predicted by the Europeans then everything is fine. But if growth rates are lower, as the IMF predicts, there will be a second round of debt relief."
Finally, asked whether he would be satisfied with a reduction in the nominal value of Greek debt, Minister Tsakalotos stressed: "I would like Greece to be treated like Germany in the 1952 London Agreement, which proved to be useful for its subsequent economic miracle. However, I am happy with what the Finance Ministers agreed in June 2017."
Speaking to the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos promised that the country will not need additional credits."We are finalizing the adjustment programme in August and we are not going to ask for a precautionary support line of credit. After August 2018 there will be no more credits to Greece from the ESM. In the summer, Greece wants to stand on its own two feet again."
" There will be a form of oversight, as is the case with any other country with a programme. For Greece, this oversight may be more detailed. Once we show how reliable we are, we will no longer be talking about the political goals and the tools that are needed, but only about such goals as the primary surplus target of 3.5% that Greece must achieve each year up to 2022."
"Financing Development"
Referring to the security pillow Greece is creating for every eventuality,he stressed: "In agreement with the IMF the pillow must cover the financing needs for one and a half to two years. We will not, however, have access to this money for public spending."
Regarding the 88 prerequisites, Euclid Tsakalotos stated that "the reform agenda is frontloaded and the most important reforms were at the beginning. Now it is about completing and improving reform steps that have already been taken, not fundamental political issues."
Asked how to achieve the goal of growth, the Finance Minister replied: "There are developmental reforms that have been completed, others are in the process of being implemented and others have to start, such as faster justice, more efficient public administration, combating bureaucracy and a better investment climate. It is also a matter of financing development, as mainstream banks are burdened with red loans. That is why we have a lot of ideas about a Greek public development bank, about how to make use of the European Investment Bank's money and how regional development funds will benefit not just infrastructure but also medium-sized businesses."
"Overall taxation is not too high"
"In order to achieve the primary surplus, out of necessity we put the burden on certain parts of society. Now, however, we are creating the fiscal space for reducing burdens on these sections of society. In general, however, taxation is not too high. Thanks to the 0.8% growth achieved by Greece, "there is now more room for reducing taxes."
Then, the Finance Minister promised that, while observing the existing rules, "efforts are being made to raise the minimum wage. If we exceed the budget targets in 2018 as well, we will again grant a social dividend."
Asked about the future of Greek debt, Euclid Tsakalotos replied: "It will be a test for all of us to see if the markets get the message that the Greek debt is viable. However, if we were to ask for a precautionary support line of credit, the country's creditworthiness would never be assessed objectively. For the debt, we have two goals: in the long run, the primary surplus should be close to 2%, our financing needs will not exceed 15% of GDP by 2030 and after that no more than 20%. This is how we ensure a definite framework for our finances and be in a position to determine what debt relief is required."
"I would like Greece to be treated as Germany was in 1952"
The Finance Minister also referred to the "French mechanism" he discussed with his counterparts from France and Germany, but also with the IMF: "Greece will initially receive some relief. If growth is at the levels predicted by the Europeans then everything is fine. But if growth rates are lower, as the IMF predicts, there will be a second round of debt relief."
Finally, asked whether he would be satisfied with a reduction in the nominal value of Greek debt, Minister Tsakalotos stressed: "I would like Greece to be treated like Germany in the 1952 London Agreement, which proved to be useful for its subsequent economic miracle. However, I am happy with what the Finance Ministers agreed in June 2017."
Young People at centre of the
National Development Strategy
12.5.2018
At the Governmental Council for Social Policy (KYSKOP), on Thursday, Minister of Economy and Development and the Deputy Prime Minister, Yiannis Dragasakis said: "At the Eurogroup on 27th April, the Finance Minister presented the country's Holistic Development Strategy. This strategy has to respond to multiple needs and priorities: on the one hand, the needs of Greek society and on the other hand, on the priorities set by the Institutions, Member States and markets at the particular time of us completing the Programme and leaving the Memorandum of Understanding."
"It includes most of the government's priorities in development and social policy and is accompanied by a detailed roadmap for implementation."
"This text, which was drafted in direct co-operation with the ministries, concentrates on previous developments and consultations on development strategy as well as on the significant experience of the Regional Development Conferences.
"Today's meeting is in this direction. In the near future we will continue with similar thematic meetings for the 4th Industrial Revolution, that is to say, the transition to the digital age and dealing with climate change".
Minister Dragasakis stressed that young people are central - to become the protagonists of the “next day” for the country. The Strategy has seven target pillars to strengthen the conditions for the independence and equality of young people:
- Affordable and quality education - training - apprenticeships
- Promoting young people's independence and facilitating their transition to adulthood
- Decent work and development of entrepreneurship
- Health, welfare and well-being
- Enhancing participation in democratic life
- Reduction of inequalities
- Cities that are friendly to young people and demographic renewal of the countryside
These target pillars are crossed by horizontal priorities for developing digital skills, taking part in cultural events and removing barriers to access and inclusion faced by specific population groups.
A General Secretariat for Youth will be set up in the Ministry of Education, Research and Religious Affairs as a body for the coordination, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the Strategy.
"It includes most of the government's priorities in development and social policy and is accompanied by a detailed roadmap for implementation."
"This text, which was drafted in direct co-operation with the ministries, concentrates on previous developments and consultations on development strategy as well as on the significant experience of the Regional Development Conferences.
"Today's meeting is in this direction. In the near future we will continue with similar thematic meetings for the 4th Industrial Revolution, that is to say, the transition to the digital age and dealing with climate change".
Minister Dragasakis stressed that young people are central - to become the protagonists of the “next day” for the country. The Strategy has seven target pillars to strengthen the conditions for the independence and equality of young people:
- Affordable and quality education - training - apprenticeships
- Promoting young people's independence and facilitating their transition to adulthood
- Decent work and development of entrepreneurship
- Health, welfare and well-being
- Enhancing participation in democratic life
- Reduction of inequalities
- Cities that are friendly to young people and demographic renewal of the countryside
These target pillars are crossed by horizontal priorities for developing digital skills, taking part in cultural events and removing barriers to access and inclusion faced by specific population groups.
A General Secretariat for Youth will be set up in the Ministry of Education, Research and Religious Affairs as a body for the coordination, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the Strategy.
“Transport Equivalence”
The philosophy of “transport equivalence” is that residents of island Greece should enjoy the same products and transport prices as residents through subsidising the cost.
The bill of the Ministry of Shipping for transport equivalence was introduced at the Legislative Preparatory Committee of the Parliament, and is expected to be launched on 1 July 2018 and fully operational on all islands as of 01/01/2019.
For example, if someone pays a ticket of 20€ for a bus trip to a mainland city and an islander to travel the same distance to the sea pays 25€ then they receive the extra 5€ that is the difference.
Transport equivalence is already in place in many European countries.
The distance of the islands from the "centre" continues to adversely affect the daily routine of the islanders. The small scale both in terms of size and population continues to limit the possibilities for large-scale productive activities.
The measure will be piloted on a broad basis and concerns the islands of the North and East Aegean, four islands of the Cyclades and three other islands.
In the first phase of the measure, which is just for the second half of 2018, it is estimated that approximately 60€ million will be required, while for 2019 the cost will be at least 150€ million.
Article 1 of the draft law makes it clear that the purpose of the proposed arrangements is to ensure citizens' equality in terms of the financial burden on the user applying the concept of Transport Equivalent to the cost of the passenger and the goods crossing a route by means of sea transport making them equivalent to the cost of the journey for the same distance on land.
According to Article 3, the measure is funded from the national or co-funded part of the public investment programme and is to be piloted in July 2018 in Agathonisi, Agios Efstratios, Agios Minas, Alimia, Anafi, Antipsara, Arki, Armatia, Astypalaia, Gouli, Donousa, Erkousa, Irakia, Kalymnos, Karpathos, Kasos, Kastelorizo, Chora, Koufonisia, Kos, Lesvos, Lipsi, Leros, Lesvos, Lemnos, Mathraki, Samos, Samothrace, Sharia, Strongyli, Symi, Syrna, Schinoussa, Telendos, Tsio, Pharmakonisi, ovens, Halki, Chios, Psara and Pserimos.
The General Secretariat for the Aegean and Island Policy has been given the responsibility to conclude agreements to implement the programme with municipalities and any other body deemed necessary in order to smoothly implement the project. Also, the subsidy resulting from the Traffic Transport Cost is tax-free.
According to article 4, those eligible to receive the subsidy are Greek citizens and foreigners residing in the islands (for the latter, a valid residence permit is required.
Regarding the application procedure, the online platform is already being processed and will soon be available online.
The philosophy of “transport equivalence” is that residents of island Greece should enjoy the same products and transport prices as residents through subsidising the cost.
The bill of the Ministry of Shipping for transport equivalence was introduced at the Legislative Preparatory Committee of the Parliament, and is expected to be launched on 1 July 2018 and fully operational on all islands as of 01/01/2019.
For example, if someone pays a ticket of 20€ for a bus trip to a mainland city and an islander to travel the same distance to the sea pays 25€ then they receive the extra 5€ that is the difference.
Transport equivalence is already in place in many European countries.
The distance of the islands from the "centre" continues to adversely affect the daily routine of the islanders. The small scale both in terms of size and population continues to limit the possibilities for large-scale productive activities.
The measure will be piloted on a broad basis and concerns the islands of the North and East Aegean, four islands of the Cyclades and three other islands.
In the first phase of the measure, which is just for the second half of 2018, it is estimated that approximately 60€ million will be required, while for 2019 the cost will be at least 150€ million.
Article 1 of the draft law makes it clear that the purpose of the proposed arrangements is to ensure citizens' equality in terms of the financial burden on the user applying the concept of Transport Equivalent to the cost of the passenger and the goods crossing a route by means of sea transport making them equivalent to the cost of the journey for the same distance on land.
According to Article 3, the measure is funded from the national or co-funded part of the public investment programme and is to be piloted in July 2018 in Agathonisi, Agios Efstratios, Agios Minas, Alimia, Anafi, Antipsara, Arki, Armatia, Astypalaia, Gouli, Donousa, Erkousa, Irakia, Kalymnos, Karpathos, Kasos, Kastelorizo, Chora, Koufonisia, Kos, Lesvos, Lipsi, Leros, Lesvos, Lemnos, Mathraki, Samos, Samothrace, Sharia, Strongyli, Symi, Syrna, Schinoussa, Telendos, Tsio, Pharmakonisi, ovens, Halki, Chios, Psara and Pserimos.
The General Secretariat for the Aegean and Island Policy has been given the responsibility to conclude agreements to implement the programme with municipalities and any other body deemed necessary in order to smoothly implement the project. Also, the subsidy resulting from the Traffic Transport Cost is tax-free.
According to article 4, those eligible to receive the subsidy are Greek citizens and foreigners residing in the islands (for the latter, a valid residence permit is required.
Regarding the application procedure, the online platform is already being processed and will soon be available online.
‘Let’s Do It Greece’
Last Sunday, people all around Greece joined together to work for a cleaner country and a cleaner planet. ‘Let’s Do It Greece’ is a volunteering campaign which is part of an international community, inspiring people to get active.
Stamatis Anastasis is a Greek civil engineer who just moved home from the U.K. - he has been part of the campaign since the very beginning.
In the southern suburbs of Athens, a group of friends in their 20s were all eager to volunteer and do something for the environmental issues their local community was facing.
After graduation from high school they decided it was time to do something bigger — that is when they discovered Estonia held a nationwide cleanup-day in 2008 under the name Let’s Do It.
Speaking to Greek Reporter newspaper, Stamatis Anastasis said: “For a group of 20-year-olds it was a huge challenge to go nationwide, but we felt the need to get together with people who believe in the same things.
“There are many people who think the same way about environmental issues and we shouldn’t be isolated - it’s important to get connected and make a change.”
The team introduced the event first time in 2012 and it has been held annually ever since. One day a year, volunteers all over the country go out and participate in environmentally-themed voluntary events in their local communities. These include cleanups, reforestation, painting and fixing public spaces, environmental education and waste management.
In the beginning the event consisted mostly of beach cleanups. Later on, many places also organized forest, mountain and underwater cleanups.
According to Mr. Anastasis, the events evolve every year — people start with beaches and slowly shift to other environmental issues.
A coordinating team of around 80 people all over Greece work to inspire and advise people to work in their local communities - students, professors, teachers, activists and others who share a concern about the state of the environment.
In 2018 over 1,430 events took place all over Greece, and an estimated one percent of the Greek population was working together. According to Mr. Anastasis, the team’s goal is to get five percent of the nation to volunteer by the 10th anniversary of Let’s Do It Greece in 2021.
This year the campaign was targeting the country’s youth, trying to engage as many young people as possible.
“We were in contact with students and universities all around Greece” Mr. Anastasis says. In 2018 Let’s Do It Greece also had seven ambassadors, all well-known Greek celebrities, such as singer Alkistis Protopsalti, TV host Doukissa Nomikou and Olympic athlete Lefteris Petrounias.
The campaign also has many sponsors, but Mr. Anastasis points out that they want to keep things as simple as possible:
“We try to stay zero-budget, and we don’t want to handle any money. In the past there has been dubious incidents with some organizations, so some people stay suspicious.
“We don’t want to take any money from our sponsors, so they participate in different ways: e.g. providing gloves and plastic bags to the volunteers or paying for our professional websites.”
Let’s Do It Greece is also a zero-print project for environmental reasons - they don’t want to print any material, but share it online.
The main goal of Let’s Do It Greece could be summarized in a simple thought: to make people aware that there are others like them.
“We want to show people that they are not alone in helping the environment - if we come together we can bring a big positive change to Greek society. Our motto is: ‘Be the change you are waiting for.’”
Let’s Do It is an international community, currently working in more than 120 countries around the world. He says: “It is one of the fastest growing civic movements of modern times, working for a cleaner planet. The issues we are facing, like the Great Pacific garbage patch, are not only problems for certain countries. We need to work on them together.”
World Cleanup Day will be held on September 15th in 2018. One hundred and fifty countries and millions of volunteers will participate to work for the environment for a day.
For more information about Let’s Do It campaigns worldwide, visit https://www.letsdoitworld.org/
Last Sunday, people all around Greece joined together to work for a cleaner country and a cleaner planet. ‘Let’s Do It Greece’ is a volunteering campaign which is part of an international community, inspiring people to get active.
Stamatis Anastasis is a Greek civil engineer who just moved home from the U.K. - he has been part of the campaign since the very beginning.
In the southern suburbs of Athens, a group of friends in their 20s were all eager to volunteer and do something for the environmental issues their local community was facing.
After graduation from high school they decided it was time to do something bigger — that is when they discovered Estonia held a nationwide cleanup-day in 2008 under the name Let’s Do It.
Speaking to Greek Reporter newspaper, Stamatis Anastasis said: “For a group of 20-year-olds it was a huge challenge to go nationwide, but we felt the need to get together with people who believe in the same things.
“There are many people who think the same way about environmental issues and we shouldn’t be isolated - it’s important to get connected and make a change.”
The team introduced the event first time in 2012 and it has been held annually ever since. One day a year, volunteers all over the country go out and participate in environmentally-themed voluntary events in their local communities. These include cleanups, reforestation, painting and fixing public spaces, environmental education and waste management.
In the beginning the event consisted mostly of beach cleanups. Later on, many places also organized forest, mountain and underwater cleanups.
According to Mr. Anastasis, the events evolve every year — people start with beaches and slowly shift to other environmental issues.
A coordinating team of around 80 people all over Greece work to inspire and advise people to work in their local communities - students, professors, teachers, activists and others who share a concern about the state of the environment.
In 2018 over 1,430 events took place all over Greece, and an estimated one percent of the Greek population was working together. According to Mr. Anastasis, the team’s goal is to get five percent of the nation to volunteer by the 10th anniversary of Let’s Do It Greece in 2021.
This year the campaign was targeting the country’s youth, trying to engage as many young people as possible.
“We were in contact with students and universities all around Greece” Mr. Anastasis says. In 2018 Let’s Do It Greece also had seven ambassadors, all well-known Greek celebrities, such as singer Alkistis Protopsalti, TV host Doukissa Nomikou and Olympic athlete Lefteris Petrounias.
The campaign also has many sponsors, but Mr. Anastasis points out that they want to keep things as simple as possible:
“We try to stay zero-budget, and we don’t want to handle any money. In the past there has been dubious incidents with some organizations, so some people stay suspicious.
“We don’t want to take any money from our sponsors, so they participate in different ways: e.g. providing gloves and plastic bags to the volunteers or paying for our professional websites.”
Let’s Do It Greece is also a zero-print project for environmental reasons - they don’t want to print any material, but share it online.
The main goal of Let’s Do It Greece could be summarized in a simple thought: to make people aware that there are others like them.
“We want to show people that they are not alone in helping the environment - if we come together we can bring a big positive change to Greek society. Our motto is: ‘Be the change you are waiting for.’”
Let’s Do It is an international community, currently working in more than 120 countries around the world. He says: “It is one of the fastest growing civic movements of modern times, working for a cleaner planet. The issues we are facing, like the Great Pacific garbage patch, are not only problems for certain countries. We need to work on them together.”
World Cleanup Day will be held on September 15th in 2018. One hundred and fifty countries and millions of volunteers will participate to work for the environment for a day.
For more information about Let’s Do It campaigns worldwide, visit https://www.letsdoitworld.org/
“Significant signs of economic recovery” - ELSTAT
There are significant signs of economic recovery in almost all data published by the Greek Statistical Authority (ELSTAT), sectoral surveys and measurements, and in general indicators that capture the state and dynamics of the country's real economy. Today there were more similar announcements about the course of the economy. The unemployment rate fell 1.8 percentage points in February and ELSTAT released further data showing a rise in industrial output in March, both on a monthly basis and on an annual one.
Greek unemployment steadily heads downwards below 20%. In February, it dropped to 20.8%, or 1.8 percentage points lower than 22.6% in the same month last year. Although February appeared to show a certain "resistance" to declining unemployment due to the fact that in January it stood at 20.7%, on the one hand the general tendency not only narrowly on the labour market, but also more generally in the economy, and on the other hand auspicious indications for important sectors of the national economy, and more importantly the field of tourism, allow for optimism; optimism about a rate of unemployment below 20%, for the first time since September 2011, by the end of 2018. In 2011, it stood at 19.1% but unexpectedly exceeded 20.1% translating to over 1 million unemployed people. Indeed, the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Labour Andreas Nefelidis was clear:
"We are racing towards an unemployment figure way below 20%. Numbers such as the Q1 hirings that equate to 768,435 people are impressive." According to the seasonally adjusted data of ELSTAT, the total of employed citizens stood at 3,735,098 in February, the figure of unemployed persons fell to 978,072 while the economically inactive population amounted to 3,277,165 people.
Meanwhile, industrial production rose on an annual and monthly basis in March, although it fell slightly in Q1 (0.6%) overall. According to ELSTAT, the March Industrial Production Index, compared with that of March 2017, showed an increase of 1.1%, compared to the February 2018 index, when it increased by 2.5%.
The average Industrial Production Index in January-March 2018, had fallen by 0.6% compared to the same period in 2017.
The annual increase of 1.1% in March was mainly due to a large increase of 15% of the Electricity Production Index. On the other hand, the manufacturing industries showed signs of improvement in the first quarter of this year when their output index rose by 1.7%.
Borrowing getting cheaper for Greece
Greece sold 1.138€ billion in an auction of three-month treasury bills on Wednesday, the Greek Public Debt Management Agency (PDMA) said.
Shut out of international markets since 2010, Greece is running a monthly treasury bill auction programme to cover maturing debts and meet its financing needs, in parallel to the bailout programme.
The 13-week treasury bills were sold at an interest rate of 0.59%, down from 0.79% in the previous similar auction last month, according to the PDMA statement.
The result reflects a positive climate in capital markets as regards Greek securities.
There are significant signs of economic recovery in almost all data published by the Greek Statistical Authority (ELSTAT), sectoral surveys and measurements, and in general indicators that capture the state and dynamics of the country's real economy. Today there were more similar announcements about the course of the economy. The unemployment rate fell 1.8 percentage points in February and ELSTAT released further data showing a rise in industrial output in March, both on a monthly basis and on an annual one.
Greek unemployment steadily heads downwards below 20%. In February, it dropped to 20.8%, or 1.8 percentage points lower than 22.6% in the same month last year. Although February appeared to show a certain "resistance" to declining unemployment due to the fact that in January it stood at 20.7%, on the one hand the general tendency not only narrowly on the labour market, but also more generally in the economy, and on the other hand auspicious indications for important sectors of the national economy, and more importantly the field of tourism, allow for optimism; optimism about a rate of unemployment below 20%, for the first time since September 2011, by the end of 2018. In 2011, it stood at 19.1% but unexpectedly exceeded 20.1% translating to over 1 million unemployed people. Indeed, the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Labour Andreas Nefelidis was clear:
"We are racing towards an unemployment figure way below 20%. Numbers such as the Q1 hirings that equate to 768,435 people are impressive." According to the seasonally adjusted data of ELSTAT, the total of employed citizens stood at 3,735,098 in February, the figure of unemployed persons fell to 978,072 while the economically inactive population amounted to 3,277,165 people.
Meanwhile, industrial production rose on an annual and monthly basis in March, although it fell slightly in Q1 (0.6%) overall. According to ELSTAT, the March Industrial Production Index, compared with that of March 2017, showed an increase of 1.1%, compared to the February 2018 index, when it increased by 2.5%.
The average Industrial Production Index in January-March 2018, had fallen by 0.6% compared to the same period in 2017.
The annual increase of 1.1% in March was mainly due to a large increase of 15% of the Electricity Production Index. On the other hand, the manufacturing industries showed signs of improvement in the first quarter of this year when their output index rose by 1.7%.
Borrowing getting cheaper for Greece
Greece sold 1.138€ billion in an auction of three-month treasury bills on Wednesday, the Greek Public Debt Management Agency (PDMA) said.
Shut out of international markets since 2010, Greece is running a monthly treasury bill auction programme to cover maturing debts and meet its financing needs, in parallel to the bailout programme.
The 13-week treasury bills were sold at an interest rate of 0.59%, down from 0.79% in the previous similar auction last month, according to the PDMA statement.
The result reflects a positive climate in capital markets as regards Greek securities.
"The Real Battle..."
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in Mytilene, Lesbos
5.5.2018
"With regard to the battle the real battle, the battle with the problems, the battle of the economy, the battle of unemployment, the battle of development - We will not tolerate the desecration of our flag by the political descendants of Nazism.
"Some people have been trying for several days now to prevent me from being here tonight. Some have sought to create a climate of terrorism,"Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said, beginning his speech at the 14th Regional Conference in Mytilene.
"Some have tried to exploit the sincere troubles of the island's inhabitants. But we have not done them the favour. We have not fled and we have not run away."
"Some have tried to exploit the real anxieties of the inhabitants of this historic island to sow polarization and hatred to serve their own purposes."
"When President Junker talks about a clear exit from the programme in the summer of 2018, when the OECD chief speaks of the great feat of the Greek people and of the country as a champion of reforms, what is the sense of wasting time and grey matter in arid controversy, just to make an impression?" "If the opposition wishes in order to impress people to convince us that the reality is different, because it does not match with its wishes, let it do it."
"I will not follow it. Shadow boxing in the trenches does not interest me."
"What concerns me is the battle, the real battle, the battle with the problems, the battle of the economy, the battle of unemployment, the battle of development, the battle of investment and innovation, the battle with the difficulties of dealing with the refugee crisis."
However many forces [the opposition] may rally, the established economic interests, the publishing groups and unofficial power centres, however much black propaganda and false news they manage to produce, the reality does not change, said the Prime Minister. "We will all be assessed, wrestling daily with unprecedented difficulties, with the economic crisis, the refugee crisis, the destabilization of our neighbourhood.
"We never wanted to have oligarchs, people of the dark and of the backrooms, publishers with vested interests, or entrepreneurs who feed off the state who think the country and the citizens owe them something – we never wanted them as our allies in this effort."
"The ally we want is the Greek people," he said, for whom "we wage the battle every day and we are succeeding despite the difficulties we face".
Referring to the refugee issue, the Prime Minister acknowledged the difficulties and shortcomings and said that "our goal is to deal as quickly and effectively as possible with the shortcomings. And to give citizens the sense of security they are entitled to."
"The main problem we have to deal with is speeding up asylum procedures. This means more employees at the First Reception and more operators in the examination of applications. A specific focus of the Refugee Committees on the islands is the need for more interpreters to facilitate the whole process.
We must address the problems that have arisen, which concern both local communities and refugees.
In this direction, the development programme focuses on infrastructure that will remain, as well as the allowances that will give some relief to the inhabitants of the islands that have borne the brunt of the refugee crisis.
Refugee-related infrastructure projects will be immediately implemented, such as the Moria sewerage system and the provision of compensation for the inhabitants of Moria in Lesvos and the village of Chalkios in Chios.
"At the same time, we will not tolerate the murderous, aggressive behaviour against the refugees, and phenomena such as that of last Sunday when just a few, fortunately - on the island, driven by dark far-right circles from outside the island, undertook to sully this island’s own history and to tarnish the flag of our homeland by organizing a murderous hate attack that put human lives in danger.
It was that flag of our homeland that our grandfathers and grandmothers of many people in Lesbos raised up, when they arrived, driven out by fire and destruction, on boats from Ayvalık, Smyrna and Cesme, to start their lives over, to stand again on their own two feet, to be reunited with their lost relatives. The flag of our homeland the men and women of EAM, who led the liberation of Lesbos from Nazism, raised back up in this place. The fighters of Lesbos who paid with their lives a heavy price for freedom and democracy.
We cannot and will not allow the political offspring of Nazism to despoil this flag, exploiting the fair – as I said before – anxieties of many residents of the island."
Positive Initiatives
The Prime Minister then went on to talk about positive initiatives being undertaken by the Government.
The “transport equivalent” would be piloted from 1 July 2018. Following submissions, he pledged to also consider the conditions for including fuel in that programme.
"Development opportunities that have been neglected in the past must now be implemented dynamically to increase production, employment and income altogether, along with care for the environment, infrastructure and social services. These should guide the direction of the interventions of both state and local government activities at the 1st and 2nd levels [Municipality and Region Ed]."
Regarding development, the Prime Minister stated that in the first cycle of the Development Law, nine proposals had been submitted to the Region of North Aegean, of which three concern hotel investment, with a total budget of 40€ million, three are in the field of agri-food and the other two are in the service sector.
Also, he reported, with the «Επιχειρούμε έξω» ["We Venture Outwards" Ed] programme, a 50€m budget from the NSRF, small and medium-sized enterprises are being supported to develop export activities. Already 11 businesses in the North Aegean Region have applied for funding of 455,000€.
With the "Research - I Create - I Innovate" programme, research and innovation are being enhanced and coupled with production. The programme finances small and medium enterprises to develop research in their field, as well as developing business partnerships with research institutions.
Within the framework of this programme, in the Region of North Aegean, 10 proposals are at the stage of being included, with a total budget of close to 2€ million.
Recognizing the challenges posed by island living and the extraordinary needs created by the increased refugee flows, the Ministry of the Economy created the Special Development Programmes of the South and North Aegean in 2017 to support our islands in a targeted manner.
In addition, the Special Development Programmes, funded from national resources, have been very successful:
-New Aegean Special Development Programme includes 44 projects with a total budget of 44€ million.
- In addition, 22 projects with a total budget of 22€ million which had been submitted to the North Aegean Special Development Programme have been included in other programmes.
In this way, infrastructure projects are being funded in all sectors - water, sanitation, ports and roads, culture and tourism, health and education, as well as interventions to boost entrepreneurship.
"These are critical infrastructures that enhance the development potential of the islands and improve the quality of life of the citizens."
Local Government
The Prime Minister about the support for the Municipalities describing how the Ministry of the Interior has created new financial tools:
The "Φιλόδημος" programme is a programme for granting investment loans from the Deposits and Loans Fund to Local Authorities of Grade A and Grade 2 and municipal enterprises for the construction of infrastructure and utilities. The budgets of the Municipalities are not burdened, as the loans are repaid through the Ministry of Interior, from the Public Investment Programme. Moreover, the Special Urban Development Programme aims to finance procurement, services and studies projects for municipalities throughout the country.
The programme's resources come from the Ministry of the Interior’s Public Investment budget.
The municipalities of the North Aegean Region have been granted from 2017 up to now a total of 7€ million. This money covers overdue liabilities, the prevention and management of natural disasters, tackling water scarcity, and the support of small island municipalities.
"Some people have been trying for several days now to prevent me from being here tonight. Some have sought to create a climate of terrorism,"Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said, beginning his speech at the 14th Regional Conference in Mytilene.
"Some have tried to exploit the sincere troubles of the island's inhabitants. But we have not done them the favour. We have not fled and we have not run away."
"Some have tried to exploit the real anxieties of the inhabitants of this historic island to sow polarization and hatred to serve their own purposes."
"When President Junker talks about a clear exit from the programme in the summer of 2018, when the OECD chief speaks of the great feat of the Greek people and of the country as a champion of reforms, what is the sense of wasting time and grey matter in arid controversy, just to make an impression?" "If the opposition wishes in order to impress people to convince us that the reality is different, because it does not match with its wishes, let it do it."
"I will not follow it. Shadow boxing in the trenches does not interest me."
"What concerns me is the battle, the real battle, the battle with the problems, the battle of the economy, the battle of unemployment, the battle of development, the battle of investment and innovation, the battle with the difficulties of dealing with the refugee crisis."
However many forces [the opposition] may rally, the established economic interests, the publishing groups and unofficial power centres, however much black propaganda and false news they manage to produce, the reality does not change, said the Prime Minister. "We will all be assessed, wrestling daily with unprecedented difficulties, with the economic crisis, the refugee crisis, the destabilization of our neighbourhood.
"We never wanted to have oligarchs, people of the dark and of the backrooms, publishers with vested interests, or entrepreneurs who feed off the state who think the country and the citizens owe them something – we never wanted them as our allies in this effort."
"The ally we want is the Greek people," he said, for whom "we wage the battle every day and we are succeeding despite the difficulties we face".
Referring to the refugee issue, the Prime Minister acknowledged the difficulties and shortcomings and said that "our goal is to deal as quickly and effectively as possible with the shortcomings. And to give citizens the sense of security they are entitled to."
"The main problem we have to deal with is speeding up asylum procedures. This means more employees at the First Reception and more operators in the examination of applications. A specific focus of the Refugee Committees on the islands is the need for more interpreters to facilitate the whole process.
We must address the problems that have arisen, which concern both local communities and refugees.
In this direction, the development programme focuses on infrastructure that will remain, as well as the allowances that will give some relief to the inhabitants of the islands that have borne the brunt of the refugee crisis.
Refugee-related infrastructure projects will be immediately implemented, such as the Moria sewerage system and the provision of compensation for the inhabitants of Moria in Lesvos and the village of Chalkios in Chios.
"At the same time, we will not tolerate the murderous, aggressive behaviour against the refugees, and phenomena such as that of last Sunday when just a few, fortunately - on the island, driven by dark far-right circles from outside the island, undertook to sully this island’s own history and to tarnish the flag of our homeland by organizing a murderous hate attack that put human lives in danger.
It was that flag of our homeland that our grandfathers and grandmothers of many people in Lesbos raised up, when they arrived, driven out by fire and destruction, on boats from Ayvalık, Smyrna and Cesme, to start their lives over, to stand again on their own two feet, to be reunited with their lost relatives. The flag of our homeland the men and women of EAM, who led the liberation of Lesbos from Nazism, raised back up in this place. The fighters of Lesbos who paid with their lives a heavy price for freedom and democracy.
We cannot and will not allow the political offspring of Nazism to despoil this flag, exploiting the fair – as I said before – anxieties of many residents of the island."
Positive Initiatives
The Prime Minister then went on to talk about positive initiatives being undertaken by the Government.
The “transport equivalent” would be piloted from 1 July 2018. Following submissions, he pledged to also consider the conditions for including fuel in that programme.
"Development opportunities that have been neglected in the past must now be implemented dynamically to increase production, employment and income altogether, along with care for the environment, infrastructure and social services. These should guide the direction of the interventions of both state and local government activities at the 1st and 2nd levels [Municipality and Region Ed]."
Regarding development, the Prime Minister stated that in the first cycle of the Development Law, nine proposals had been submitted to the Region of North Aegean, of which three concern hotel investment, with a total budget of 40€ million, three are in the field of agri-food and the other two are in the service sector.
Also, he reported, with the «Επιχειρούμε έξω» ["We Venture Outwards" Ed] programme, a 50€m budget from the NSRF, small and medium-sized enterprises are being supported to develop export activities. Already 11 businesses in the North Aegean Region have applied for funding of 455,000€.
With the "Research - I Create - I Innovate" programme, research and innovation are being enhanced and coupled with production. The programme finances small and medium enterprises to develop research in their field, as well as developing business partnerships with research institutions.
Within the framework of this programme, in the Region of North Aegean, 10 proposals are at the stage of being included, with a total budget of close to 2€ million.
Recognizing the challenges posed by island living and the extraordinary needs created by the increased refugee flows, the Ministry of the Economy created the Special Development Programmes of the South and North Aegean in 2017 to support our islands in a targeted manner.
In addition, the Special Development Programmes, funded from national resources, have been very successful:
-New Aegean Special Development Programme includes 44 projects with a total budget of 44€ million.
- In addition, 22 projects with a total budget of 22€ million which had been submitted to the North Aegean Special Development Programme have been included in other programmes.
In this way, infrastructure projects are being funded in all sectors - water, sanitation, ports and roads, culture and tourism, health and education, as well as interventions to boost entrepreneurship.
"These are critical infrastructures that enhance the development potential of the islands and improve the quality of life of the citizens."
Local Government
The Prime Minister about the support for the Municipalities describing how the Ministry of the Interior has created new financial tools:
The "Φιλόδημος" programme is a programme for granting investment loans from the Deposits and Loans Fund to Local Authorities of Grade A and Grade 2 and municipal enterprises for the construction of infrastructure and utilities. The budgets of the Municipalities are not burdened, as the loans are repaid through the Ministry of Interior, from the Public Investment Programme. Moreover, the Special Urban Development Programme aims to finance procurement, services and studies projects for municipalities throughout the country.
The programme's resources come from the Ministry of the Interior’s Public Investment budget.
The municipalities of the North Aegean Region have been granted from 2017 up to now a total of 7€ million. This money covers overdue liabilities, the prevention and management of natural disasters, tackling water scarcity, and the support of small island municipalities.
OECD Report Positive for Greece
"After three years of systematic effort, Greece has achieved it. A historical cycle is completed. We are leaving behind the crisis, the sicknesses of the past, the suffocating stewardship and the coercion that went with it. We are passing into a new era, "Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said, commenting on the joint statements with the Secretary-General of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Angel Guria.
"Greece has become a champion of reform, not only in Europe and the Eurozone, but also among the OECD countries over the last three years. Reforms are fair but many of them necessary, as they open up a very important prospect for the development of the economy, for the establishment of a fairer prospect of growth for the Greek economy in the coming years," said PM Tsipras.
"The OECD report notes the impressive extent and depth of the reforms that have been implemented in recent years. It records an improved competition and business environment, increasing public sector efficiency and upgrading social structures."
"Greece is following an upward course of economic growth; unemployment is gradually declining, exports and investments are rising, expectations are showing positive signs and, above all, there now exists an integrated national development plan, this time of our own making."
"The Greek economy does not need any additional burden of measures, apart from the planned continuation of reforms, it needs the easing of austerity to create room for further growth."
"Greece's efforts have been justified," Secretary General Angel Guria said, citing the data of the OECD’s Economic Survey of Greece 2018, which he handed over to Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.
"The foundations for sustainable and equitable growth have been laid, and especially over the long term," said Mr. Gouria and he congratulated PM Tsipras, saying: "Congratulations, Prime Minister, you brought Greece back from the brink of the cliff."
He recalled that there was once a debate about "Grexit", and now there is talk only about Greece's "Exit" from the Memoranda.
"After three years of systematic effort, Greece has achieved it. A historical cycle is completed. We are leaving behind the crisis, the sicknesses of the past, the suffocating stewardship and the coercion that went with it. We are passing into a new era, "Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said, commenting on the joint statements with the Secretary-General of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Angel Guria.
"Greece has become a champion of reform, not only in Europe and the Eurozone, but also among the OECD countries over the last three years. Reforms are fair but many of them necessary, as they open up a very important prospect for the development of the economy, for the establishment of a fairer prospect of growth for the Greek economy in the coming years," said PM Tsipras.
"The OECD report notes the impressive extent and depth of the reforms that have been implemented in recent years. It records an improved competition and business environment, increasing public sector efficiency and upgrading social structures."
"Greece is following an upward course of economic growth; unemployment is gradually declining, exports and investments are rising, expectations are showing positive signs and, above all, there now exists an integrated national development plan, this time of our own making."
"The Greek economy does not need any additional burden of measures, apart from the planned continuation of reforms, it needs the easing of austerity to create room for further growth."
"Greece's efforts have been justified," Secretary General Angel Guria said, citing the data of the OECD’s Economic Survey of Greece 2018, which he handed over to Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.
"The foundations for sustainable and equitable growth have been laid, and especially over the long term," said Mr. Gouria and he congratulated PM Tsipras, saying: "Congratulations, Prime Minister, you brought Greece back from the brink of the cliff."
He recalled that there was once a debate about "Grexit", and now there is talk only about Greece's "Exit" from the Memoranda.
The development model of post-Memoranda Greece presented by Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos
The creation of a new - triple - identity for the Greek state, as socially sensitive, fairer and at the same time more productive, is the aim of the development plan presented by the Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos to his Eurozone counterparts at the Eurogroup in Sofia.
To achieve this goal, the authors of the Plan list a number of tools. These include the phasing-in of the minimum wage, the resumption of collective bargaining, the strengthening of social protection and employment, the establishment of a development bank and the consolidation of a more friendly investment environment.
Apart from these tools, the development plan also describes the whole "philosophy" that will underpin the productive and competitive orientation of the Greek economy, identifying to that end 11 specific areas that will support this objective. These sectors are Transport, Logistics, Energy, Agricultural Food, Manufacturing, Shipping, Medicines, Health, Environment, Tourism and Culture.
More specifically, the triple "identity" that it is intended should be created will provide for:
1. A Socially sensitive state
The plan points out that GDP cumulatively lost 25% of its value since 2008, unemployment has risen - especially young people - while one third of Greeks live on the brink of poverty and social exclusion. For this reason, it describes a series of relief measures, such as a Solidarity Allowance, Family Support Centres, Maternity Protection, measures for vulnerable groups (Roma, the elderly, the homeless), computerisation of the social protection mechanism among others.
2. A fairer State
"Fair development" is a central aim of the government. In the broad sense, in the context of the restoration of justice, the main injustices which it is undertaking to remove in the post-Memoranda Greece concern the loss of working people’s employees' incomes. Thus the plan refers to the restoration of collective bargaining in the labour market and the gradual increase of the minimum wage.
In the narrow sense of the rule of law, the plan describes the speeding up of Justice, which will include the use of digital technology to free Justice from the current red tape.
3. A more productive and investment-friendly state
Simplification - transparency - efficiency - speed are seen as the "quadruple pillars of success" to create a more productive and more investment-friendly state. To achieve this goal, one-stop shops will be created to allow the establishment of a business within 24 hours in conjunction with Taxis [the Tax Office Ed] and ΓΕΜΗ [The General Commercial Register Ed], less bureaucracy, a reduction in tax burdens, tackling smuggling and tax evasion.
Closing the informal Eurogroup meeting in Sofia, Claus Regling said: "The goal since the beginning of ESM programmes in Greece is the return of growth to the country, so that sometime they can repay the loans granted to it." He welcomed the Greek proposals for growth.
The creation of a new - triple - identity for the Greek state, as socially sensitive, fairer and at the same time more productive, is the aim of the development plan presented by the Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos to his Eurozone counterparts at the Eurogroup in Sofia.
To achieve this goal, the authors of the Plan list a number of tools. These include the phasing-in of the minimum wage, the resumption of collective bargaining, the strengthening of social protection and employment, the establishment of a development bank and the consolidation of a more friendly investment environment.
Apart from these tools, the development plan also describes the whole "philosophy" that will underpin the productive and competitive orientation of the Greek economy, identifying to that end 11 specific areas that will support this objective. These sectors are Transport, Logistics, Energy, Agricultural Food, Manufacturing, Shipping, Medicines, Health, Environment, Tourism and Culture.
More specifically, the triple "identity" that it is intended should be created will provide for:
1. A Socially sensitive state
The plan points out that GDP cumulatively lost 25% of its value since 2008, unemployment has risen - especially young people - while one third of Greeks live on the brink of poverty and social exclusion. For this reason, it describes a series of relief measures, such as a Solidarity Allowance, Family Support Centres, Maternity Protection, measures for vulnerable groups (Roma, the elderly, the homeless), computerisation of the social protection mechanism among others.
2. A fairer State
"Fair development" is a central aim of the government. In the broad sense, in the context of the restoration of justice, the main injustices which it is undertaking to remove in the post-Memoranda Greece concern the loss of working people’s employees' incomes. Thus the plan refers to the restoration of collective bargaining in the labour market and the gradual increase of the minimum wage.
In the narrow sense of the rule of law, the plan describes the speeding up of Justice, which will include the use of digital technology to free Justice from the current red tape.
3. A more productive and investment-friendly state
Simplification - transparency - efficiency - speed are seen as the "quadruple pillars of success" to create a more productive and more investment-friendly state. To achieve this goal, one-stop shops will be created to allow the establishment of a business within 24 hours in conjunction with Taxis [the Tax Office Ed] and ΓΕΜΗ [The General Commercial Register Ed], less bureaucracy, a reduction in tax burdens, tackling smuggling and tax evasion.
Closing the informal Eurogroup meeting in Sofia, Claus Regling said: "The goal since the beginning of ESM programmes in Greece is the return of growth to the country, so that sometime they can repay the loans granted to it." He welcomed the Greek proposals for growth.
"Cleisthenes 1" Out for Consultation
The strengthening of the collective processes, through which communities can be restored, so that they will now have an important role to play in the management of local affairs, is the objective of the government bill presented by the Ministry of the Interior under the name "Cleisthenes I", and out for consultation on Monday.
Among other things, it includes the introduction of simple proportional representation and the extension of local referenda to the Regions. At the same time, the term of office of elected organs of Government returns to four years and elections will be held on the second Sunday of October, starting in 2019. The second round for the election of Mayors and Regional Governors will take place on the third Sunday of the same month. Those elected will take office on 1 January 2020.
With "Cleisthenes I", local and municipal departments are renamed “κοινότητες” / communities regardless of their population. In the Bill, the categories of communities are modified by raising the population base from 300 to 500 inhabitants. Thus, a community with 500 inhabitants elects a single representative while communities with a population of 501 to 2,000 elect three representatives, communities with a population of 2,001 to 10,000 elect five representatives, communities with a population from 10,001 to 50,000 elect eleven members elected, and communities of 50,001 inhabitants and above elect 15 community representatives.
The election of a single representative of a community of up to 500 residents will be made with a single ballot paper, while in communities of more than 500 residents the election will take place on the basis of combinations where 40% of the candidates must be women. Through "Cleisthenes I", the President of the community will assume stronger powers than the old municipality, since they will decide on the allocation of the community’s share of resources, which is determined out of the central local government resources allocated by the state to the municipalities.
"Cleisthenes I" describes the 11 criteria for the allocation of central local government resources, ie the state funding to the municipalities, criteria which take into account the length of the water supply and drainage networks, the length and the usage of the road network, its inclusion in the corresponding category of municipalities according to "Kallikrates", the level of social services provided, the ability to raise local resources, population fluctuations according to the seasons and demographic trends, climatic conditions and the special environment characteristics, the level of its basic infrastructure (ports, transport, school and sports infrastructure, etc.), the unemployment rate, the area of the community and the percentage of GDP produced by the municipality as a percentage of the country's GDP.
As regards its commercial services, which are financed by municipal taxes, these also include the “green” services, which under “Kallikratis” were financed by state resources.
The Ministry of the Interior proposes six categories of municipalities, modifying the previous categorization. In particular, the municipalities of the Attica Region apart from the Regional Entity of the Islands and also the municipalities of Thessaloniki are defined as “Metropolitan”. The municipalities are divided into large entities with a population of over 25,000 inhabitants, middle geographical entities with a population of 10,000 to 25,000 inhabitants, large and medium-sized islands with a population of over 3,500 inhabitants and small islands of up to 3,500 inhabitants.
Simple Proportional Representation
For the election of municipal councils and regional councils in the elections of 2019, simple proportional representation will be applied. Thus, it is stipulated that the distribution of seats to the combinations will be based on the election count on the first Sunday. The electoral count will result from the number of valid ballots received by the combinations and will share out the seats of the municipal and regional council. In the event that no majority emerges for the appointment of a mayor or a regional governor, the election process shall be repeated on the following Sunday between the two top combinations. In the drawing up of the voting lists for the Regions, the number of candidate regional governors must correspond to the number of regional entities.
Local Referenda
"Cleisthenes I" introduces the concept of a local referendum, which does not only concern municipalities but also the regions. A local referendum may be held at any time except for the Government and European Parliament pre-election periods. A decision by 2/3 of the municipal or regional council, or a request by 10% of the registered electorate of the municipality or region is required. In the public debate on the subject of the referendum, everyone can participate apart from local agencies and political parties.
In Cleisthenes I, the institution of Decentralized Management is renamed as an "independent OTA [Local Government Ed] service" and what changes is that it will be able to control the assignment of projects, services, studies and supplies when the price exceeds 120,000€ including VAT. To enhance the developmental character of municipalities, they can participate in legal entities that manage or supply alternative energy sources or provide services of general interest or which use public assets.
In an effort to avoid the multiplicity of regulations that afflicts Local Government, Minister of the Interior Panos Skourletis through the "Cleisthenes I" is promoting the creation of mixed interministerial committees to redefine the responsibilities and procedures between state, municipalities and regions.
The strengthening of the collective processes, through which communities can be restored, so that they will now have an important role to play in the management of local affairs, is the objective of the government bill presented by the Ministry of the Interior under the name "Cleisthenes I", and out for consultation on Monday.
Among other things, it includes the introduction of simple proportional representation and the extension of local referenda to the Regions. At the same time, the term of office of elected organs of Government returns to four years and elections will be held on the second Sunday of October, starting in 2019. The second round for the election of Mayors and Regional Governors will take place on the third Sunday of the same month. Those elected will take office on 1 January 2020.
With "Cleisthenes I", local and municipal departments are renamed “κοινότητες” / communities regardless of their population. In the Bill, the categories of communities are modified by raising the population base from 300 to 500 inhabitants. Thus, a community with 500 inhabitants elects a single representative while communities with a population of 501 to 2,000 elect three representatives, communities with a population of 2,001 to 10,000 elect five representatives, communities with a population from 10,001 to 50,000 elect eleven members elected, and communities of 50,001 inhabitants and above elect 15 community representatives.
The election of a single representative of a community of up to 500 residents will be made with a single ballot paper, while in communities of more than 500 residents the election will take place on the basis of combinations where 40% of the candidates must be women. Through "Cleisthenes I", the President of the community will assume stronger powers than the old municipality, since they will decide on the allocation of the community’s share of resources, which is determined out of the central local government resources allocated by the state to the municipalities.
"Cleisthenes I" describes the 11 criteria for the allocation of central local government resources, ie the state funding to the municipalities, criteria which take into account the length of the water supply and drainage networks, the length and the usage of the road network, its inclusion in the corresponding category of municipalities according to "Kallikrates", the level of social services provided, the ability to raise local resources, population fluctuations according to the seasons and demographic trends, climatic conditions and the special environment characteristics, the level of its basic infrastructure (ports, transport, school and sports infrastructure, etc.), the unemployment rate, the area of the community and the percentage of GDP produced by the municipality as a percentage of the country's GDP.
As regards its commercial services, which are financed by municipal taxes, these also include the “green” services, which under “Kallikratis” were financed by state resources.
The Ministry of the Interior proposes six categories of municipalities, modifying the previous categorization. In particular, the municipalities of the Attica Region apart from the Regional Entity of the Islands and also the municipalities of Thessaloniki are defined as “Metropolitan”. The municipalities are divided into large entities with a population of over 25,000 inhabitants, middle geographical entities with a population of 10,000 to 25,000 inhabitants, large and medium-sized islands with a population of over 3,500 inhabitants and small islands of up to 3,500 inhabitants.
Simple Proportional Representation
For the election of municipal councils and regional councils in the elections of 2019, simple proportional representation will be applied. Thus, it is stipulated that the distribution of seats to the combinations will be based on the election count on the first Sunday. The electoral count will result from the number of valid ballots received by the combinations and will share out the seats of the municipal and regional council. In the event that no majority emerges for the appointment of a mayor or a regional governor, the election process shall be repeated on the following Sunday between the two top combinations. In the drawing up of the voting lists for the Regions, the number of candidate regional governors must correspond to the number of regional entities.
Local Referenda
"Cleisthenes I" introduces the concept of a local referendum, which does not only concern municipalities but also the regions. A local referendum may be held at any time except for the Government and European Parliament pre-election periods. A decision by 2/3 of the municipal or regional council, or a request by 10% of the registered electorate of the municipality or region is required. In the public debate on the subject of the referendum, everyone can participate apart from local agencies and political parties.
In Cleisthenes I, the institution of Decentralized Management is renamed as an "independent OTA [Local Government Ed] service" and what changes is that it will be able to control the assignment of projects, services, studies and supplies when the price exceeds 120,000€ including VAT. To enhance the developmental character of municipalities, they can participate in legal entities that manage or supply alternative energy sources or provide services of general interest or which use public assets.
In an effort to avoid the multiplicity of regulations that afflicts Local Government, Minister of the Interior Panos Skourletis through the "Cleisthenes I" is promoting the creation of mixed interministerial committees to redefine the responsibilities and procedures between state, municipalities and regions.
Ferry services, which will bring together all Ionian islands for the first time, began on Wednesday, May 2nd and were inaugurated by the passenger ship "High Speed Azimut Joy Cruises"
The efforts of the Regional Governor of the Ionian Islands, Theodoros Galiatsatos, have come to fruition to initiate the first coastal connection of the Ionian Islands in the spring of 2018, as announced by the Minister of Shipping and Island Policy, Panagiotis Kourouplis during his speech at the Ionian Islands Regional Development Conference.
The ferry services, which will bring together all the Ionian Islands for the first time, began on Wednesday, May 2nd and will be enacted by the passenger ship "High Speed Azimut Joy Cruises".
"That the coastal connection starts on 2 May is an important fact because it reflects the efforts made at all levels by the Minister of Shipping and Island Policy, P. Kourouplis and the Deputy Minister, N. Santorini. This development is only positive and was one of the announcements and commitments of the Ionian Islands Regional Development Conference, which gave its seal of approval to the efforts of the Region of the Ionian Islands and which were listened to by the Government," the Regional Governor of the Ionian Islands Theodoros Galiatsatos said.
The ferry line will connect Corfu to Paxos, Lefkada, Paxetos Ithaca, Sami Kefalonia and Zakynthos every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, while the ferry line starting from Zakynthos with its final destination Corfu will run each Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
"We are delighted that this unifying line, the line of cohesion for the Ionian Sea, after many decades is to operate from May 2 until the end of October. We hope that it will be able to fulfill its purpose of enabling communications among the inhabitants of our islands, from one island to another and of the visitors to the islands during the tourist season. Our goal is at the end of this period to evaluate the results of the first implementation and to repeat it in the next period, with upgraded services that will strengthen the cohesion of the Ionian Islands and of course the local economy," the Regional Governor said.
The efforts of the Regional Governor of the Ionian Islands, Theodoros Galiatsatos, have come to fruition to initiate the first coastal connection of the Ionian Islands in the spring of 2018, as announced by the Minister of Shipping and Island Policy, Panagiotis Kourouplis during his speech at the Ionian Islands Regional Development Conference.
The ferry services, which will bring together all the Ionian Islands for the first time, began on Wednesday, May 2nd and will be enacted by the passenger ship "High Speed Azimut Joy Cruises".
"That the coastal connection starts on 2 May is an important fact because it reflects the efforts made at all levels by the Minister of Shipping and Island Policy, P. Kourouplis and the Deputy Minister, N. Santorini. This development is only positive and was one of the announcements and commitments of the Ionian Islands Regional Development Conference, which gave its seal of approval to the efforts of the Region of the Ionian Islands and which were listened to by the Government," the Regional Governor of the Ionian Islands Theodoros Galiatsatos said.
The ferry line will connect Corfu to Paxos, Lefkada, Paxetos Ithaca, Sami Kefalonia and Zakynthos every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, while the ferry line starting from Zakynthos with its final destination Corfu will run each Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
"We are delighted that this unifying line, the line of cohesion for the Ionian Sea, after many decades is to operate from May 2 until the end of October. We hope that it will be able to fulfill its purpose of enabling communications among the inhabitants of our islands, from one island to another and of the visitors to the islands during the tourist season. Our goal is at the end of this period to evaluate the results of the first implementation and to repeat it in the next period, with upgraded services that will strengthen the cohesion of the Ionian Islands and of course the local economy," the Regional Governor said.
Greece approves F-16 fighter jet upgrade deal with the United States
The Government Council for Foreign Affairs and Defence [KYSEA], chaired by Alexis Tsipras, on Saturday approved a deal with the United States of America to upgrade 85 of its F-16 fighter jets at a cost of about 1.2€ billion.
Greece, which will exit its third international bailout in August but will still have to attain primary budget surpluses in the medium term, has said the deal should not worry its EU lenders.
Defence spending has been reduced during Greece’s seven-year debt crisis.
Greece spends about 2% of its GDP - about 3.5€ billion - on defence, more than the EU’s average.
The Government Council for Foreign Affairs and Defence [KYSEA], chaired by Alexis Tsipras, on Saturday approved a deal with the United States of America to upgrade 85 of its F-16 fighter jets at a cost of about 1.2€ billion.
Greece, which will exit its third international bailout in August but will still have to attain primary budget surpluses in the medium term, has said the deal should not worry its EU lenders.
Defence spending has been reduced during Greece’s seven-year debt crisis.
Greece spends about 2% of its GDP - about 3.5€ billion - on defence, more than the EU’s average.
EU Commission President
Jean-Claude Juncker in Athens
28.4.2018
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker met in Athens on Thursday.
Following that meeting, the President of the European Commission praised the results of the country's efforts in the economy by talking about its "excellent" performance, which, as Alexis Tsipras noted, is "our passport for a clean exit [from the Programme Ed]".
The Greek Prime Minister spoke of a stable framework of recurring fiscal outcomes of the Greek economy, pointing out that Greece has achieved the highest primary surplus this year in Europe. "These [outcomes Ed] have restored the country's credibility and have pre-empted the achievement of the targets for the coming years and especially for 2018 and 2019." He noted that "what is needed is not to add new austerity measures, but perhaps instead to remove some, giving more momentum to growth".
"After eight years there is no reason for Greece not to return to the status of all the other countries of the Eurozone ... The astonishing the financial performance of the economy is the passport."
He said mistakes had been made in the past - not on the part of the Commission - and it had turned out over the last two years that the demands had been excessive, and there had been a failure in the predictions of some of the Institutions about the “measures” required for the achievement of the objectives. "Now, calmly, not only do we not have to follow their advice for more austerity, but we need to see how we can ease the economy from unbearable taxation in order to accelerate growth. I believe that in this objective we are on the same page as our European partners."
"Before the end of summer Greece will become a normal country"
Jean-Claude Juncker noted the "deep and solid friendship" that links him to Greece and the Greek people. "We managed to find ourselves in a very prosperous perspective because before the end of summer Greece will become a country as normal as the rest of the Eurozone," he said, adding: "On August 20th, it will be the end of the third and final support programme of the Memorandum for Greece."
He stressed that with regard to the economy, the news is good and the prospects are positive.
"We should focus on the issue of debt reduction and I would like all states to respect the obligations they have undertaken," the EU Commission President said.
"Greece's performance is excellent and the first results we have before us: Growth has returned to Greece and Europe, in general, unemployment has dropped significantly and Greece has been able to reduce 15.1% of the fiscal deficit recorded at the end of 2009, and now has turned it into a surplus."
Alexis Tsipras made it clear: "Restoring normality means recovering our sovereignty within the Eurozone. It does not mean, however, that we are going back to the past. It does not mean that we will repeat the mistakes and behaviours that contributed to the crisis." He stressed that in this direction, structural reforms in the public sector, in tax authorities, in the Judiciary, not only would not be overturned but should be deepened.
"Our efforts to heal the wounds of the crisis and to fight injustices and inequalities must also be intensified. He also emphasized that "what the country needs is a stable prospect of fair and sustainable development".
"We are developing our own development strategy and we are discussing it with our partners: A new powerful, socially just and sustainable production and development model." The foundation of this, he said, is human capital: working conditions, the institutional framework of industrial relations, but also its crucial role in productive reconstruction and the formation of an outward-looking, technologically advanced and internationally competitive economy.
"The next day of Greece will be part of the next day of the Eurozone and the EU as a whole. Now that the Eurozone is recovering, we must shield it against the possibility of a future crisis. The cycle of inertia in Europe must be closed. The shift to the far-right and the rise of populism threaten it. For that, Eurozone reform must be the first step towards reuniting the European project with the peoples of Europe."
"For us, reforming the Eurozone means strengthening its social and democratic characteristics. It means convergence and consistency. It means growth in place of austerity. It also means a new institutional architecture that will replace transnational institutions with supranational institutions."
"We need a Eurozone budget as an automatic stabilizer, focusing on combating unemployment. We also need to Europeanise the crisis management institution. A European Monetary Fund, as a lender of last resort for the Eurozone member states."
Following that meeting, the President of the European Commission praised the results of the country's efforts in the economy by talking about its "excellent" performance, which, as Alexis Tsipras noted, is "our passport for a clean exit [from the Programme Ed]".
The Greek Prime Minister spoke of a stable framework of recurring fiscal outcomes of the Greek economy, pointing out that Greece has achieved the highest primary surplus this year in Europe. "These [outcomes Ed] have restored the country's credibility and have pre-empted the achievement of the targets for the coming years and especially for 2018 and 2019." He noted that "what is needed is not to add new austerity measures, but perhaps instead to remove some, giving more momentum to growth".
"After eight years there is no reason for Greece not to return to the status of all the other countries of the Eurozone ... The astonishing the financial performance of the economy is the passport."
He said mistakes had been made in the past - not on the part of the Commission - and it had turned out over the last two years that the demands had been excessive, and there had been a failure in the predictions of some of the Institutions about the “measures” required for the achievement of the objectives. "Now, calmly, not only do we not have to follow their advice for more austerity, but we need to see how we can ease the economy from unbearable taxation in order to accelerate growth. I believe that in this objective we are on the same page as our European partners."
"Before the end of summer Greece will become a normal country"
Jean-Claude Juncker noted the "deep and solid friendship" that links him to Greece and the Greek people. "We managed to find ourselves in a very prosperous perspective because before the end of summer Greece will become a country as normal as the rest of the Eurozone," he said, adding: "On August 20th, it will be the end of the third and final support programme of the Memorandum for Greece."
He stressed that with regard to the economy, the news is good and the prospects are positive.
"We should focus on the issue of debt reduction and I would like all states to respect the obligations they have undertaken," the EU Commission President said.
"Greece's performance is excellent and the first results we have before us: Growth has returned to Greece and Europe, in general, unemployment has dropped significantly and Greece has been able to reduce 15.1% of the fiscal deficit recorded at the end of 2009, and now has turned it into a surplus."
Alexis Tsipras made it clear: "Restoring normality means recovering our sovereignty within the Eurozone. It does not mean, however, that we are going back to the past. It does not mean that we will repeat the mistakes and behaviours that contributed to the crisis." He stressed that in this direction, structural reforms in the public sector, in tax authorities, in the Judiciary, not only would not be overturned but should be deepened.
"Our efforts to heal the wounds of the crisis and to fight injustices and inequalities must also be intensified. He also emphasized that "what the country needs is a stable prospect of fair and sustainable development".
"We are developing our own development strategy and we are discussing it with our partners: A new powerful, socially just and sustainable production and development model." The foundation of this, he said, is human capital: working conditions, the institutional framework of industrial relations, but also its crucial role in productive reconstruction and the formation of an outward-looking, technologically advanced and internationally competitive economy.
"The next day of Greece will be part of the next day of the Eurozone and the EU as a whole. Now that the Eurozone is recovering, we must shield it against the possibility of a future crisis. The cycle of inertia in Europe must be closed. The shift to the far-right and the rise of populism threaten it. For that, Eurozone reform must be the first step towards reuniting the European project with the peoples of Europe."
"For us, reforming the Eurozone means strengthening its social and democratic characteristics. It means convergence and consistency. It means growth in place of austerity. It also means a new institutional architecture that will replace transnational institutions with supranational institutions."
"We need a Eurozone budget as an automatic stabilizer, focusing on combating unemployment. We also need to Europeanise the crisis management institution. A European Monetary Fund, as a lender of last resort for the Eurozone member states."
"Our region is experiencing a period of multiple challenges but also important opportunities"
On Tuesday in Bucharest, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, Bulgarian Prime Minister Bouko Borisov, Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila, and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, met in preparation for the European Union-Western Balkans summit, to be held in Sofia on May 17th.
"The summit between Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia and Romania is gradually becoming an institution as an important diplomatic framework for cooperation in the Balkans," PM Alexis Tsipras said at a joint press conference.
"This summit promotes peace, stability, security, co-development and respect for international law."
"Our region is experiencing a period of multiple challenges but also important opportunities. Our initiatives are geared towards cooperation and coordination between our countries, European integration and the European perspective of the Western Balkans."
"We are here to face the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities." The Prime Minister went on to say that it is extremely important that the four-party co-operation has the aim of defining developments in the region based on the peoples' priorities rather than on the targets and the agendas of third parties.
He expressed his agreement with the European perspective of the Balkans, stressing the need to build a European vision "always on condition of the criteria set by the European Union" for reforms and ensuring good neighbourliness.
He announced that the next session will take place in Thessaloniki at the end of June with the participation of the Transport and Infrastructure Ministers.
Referring to the interconnectivity - by rail, road and digital - of the Balkans, the Prime Minister noted the interconnection of the ports of the north Mediterranean Sea and the Danube as important elements of the specific projects, as well as the rail link between Thessaloniki, Sofia and Bucharest, which will also increase tourist flows, and also the interconnection of Thessaloniki with Belgrade, stressing that they are projects that can inspire and show the cooperation of the countries.
On Tuesday in Bucharest, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, Bulgarian Prime Minister Bouko Borisov, Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila, and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, met in preparation for the European Union-Western Balkans summit, to be held in Sofia on May 17th.
"The summit between Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia and Romania is gradually becoming an institution as an important diplomatic framework for cooperation in the Balkans," PM Alexis Tsipras said at a joint press conference.
"This summit promotes peace, stability, security, co-development and respect for international law."
"Our region is experiencing a period of multiple challenges but also important opportunities. Our initiatives are geared towards cooperation and coordination between our countries, European integration and the European perspective of the Western Balkans."
"We are here to face the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities." The Prime Minister went on to say that it is extremely important that the four-party co-operation has the aim of defining developments in the region based on the peoples' priorities rather than on the targets and the agendas of third parties.
He expressed his agreement with the European perspective of the Balkans, stressing the need to build a European vision "always on condition of the criteria set by the European Union" for reforms and ensuring good neighbourliness.
He announced that the next session will take place in Thessaloniki at the end of June with the participation of the Transport and Infrastructure Ministers.
Referring to the interconnectivity - by rail, road and digital - of the Balkans, the Prime Minister noted the interconnection of the ports of the north Mediterranean Sea and the Danube as important elements of the specific projects, as well as the rail link between Thessaloniki, Sofia and Bucharest, which will also increase tourist flows, and also the interconnection of Thessaloniki with Belgrade, stressing that they are projects that can inspire and show the cooperation of the countries.
Euclid Tsakalotos in Washington
IMF Managing Director, Christine Lagarde, and Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos discussed debt relief for Greece and speeding up reforms in a meeting on the sidelines of the Fund’s Spring Meeting in Washington on Saturday.
“I had a productive meeting today with Greece’s Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos and his team,” MD Lagarde said in an official statement after the meeting.
“We discussed the importance of bringing discussions on debt to an early conclusion and accelerating the implementation of programme policies, both of which are critical for boosting economic prospects and making IMF financing available.”
On Greece’s side, Finance Ministry officials expressed optimism that a comprehensive deal will be achieved by June 21, when the eurozone's finance ministers will meet.
Ministry sources confirmed there are still “open issues” that concern the remaining “prior actions” of the country’s Fourth Assessment and the disagreement between the Eurozone and the IMF on debt relief. The sources said implementation of the prior actions is “on track” adding that even on those where there are some “technical difficulties," efforts are being made to “unblock” them.
These issues are expected to be the focus of the next visit of the institutions’ mission chiefs to Athens in mid-May, aiming to reach a staff level agreement.
IMF Managing Director, Christine Lagarde, and Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos discussed debt relief for Greece and speeding up reforms in a meeting on the sidelines of the Fund’s Spring Meeting in Washington on Saturday.
“I had a productive meeting today with Greece’s Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos and his team,” MD Lagarde said in an official statement after the meeting.
“We discussed the importance of bringing discussions on debt to an early conclusion and accelerating the implementation of programme policies, both of which are critical for boosting economic prospects and making IMF financing available.”
On Greece’s side, Finance Ministry officials expressed optimism that a comprehensive deal will be achieved by June 21, when the eurozone's finance ministers will meet.
Ministry sources confirmed there are still “open issues” that concern the remaining “prior actions” of the country’s Fourth Assessment and the disagreement between the Eurozone and the IMF on debt relief. The sources said implementation of the prior actions is “on track” adding that even on those where there are some “technical difficulties," efforts are being made to “unblock” them.
These issues are expected to be the focus of the next visit of the institutions’ mission chiefs to Athens in mid-May, aiming to reach a staff level agreement.
"We achieved things where the others have failed"
On Monday Alexis Tsipras addressed the SYRIZA Parliamentary Group. He described the government's difficulties from the very first moment of taking over the country's governance - both at the level of lenders and at the level of internal political controversy – up until this moment when Greece, after 8 years, is putting forward its own development plan.
He sent out a message of optimism but also one which is target-driven.
"We achieved things where the others have failed," he said, pointing out that the government achieved the double goal - economic recovery beginning to take place in the country and at the same time measures being taken in support of society.
The Prime Minister also drew the clearest lines between the Government, which is strengthening the welfare state and protecting the world of work, and the system of vested interests and fake news, putting the New Democracy President in the frame and the press groups that serve him.
Alexis Tsipras made extensive reference to the fight against corruption, stressing that the government would win it, just as it has also won the battle on the front of the economy.
"We are managing to succeed where three governments of New Democracy and PASOK failed. We managed to successfully complete the [bailout Ed] Programme, to get the Greek economy back on track and to reopen access of Greek bonds to the money markets after eight years."
Nothing was a given, Alexis Tsipras said, "neither was the successful completion a self-evident development. Nor the recovery of the economy. Nor the recovery of access to the money markets".
"However, we have the last critical measures ahead of us and we must not lose sight of our goal. These developments have an historical significance since they allow the country to return to a regime of normality.
"We will not have solved all the problems and we will remain compelled to meet our fiscal goals in order to service the debt with which the careless management of previous governments bankrupted the country and which they loaded onto the backs of the Greek people. However, it is completely different to have a basic control over your European obligations from having to govern in partnership with the Troika. "
He called on his MPs to "remember how difficult it has been to solve the equation, on the one hand, to fulfill the commitments to the lenders and on the other, to not break the bonds of trust with the social forces that supported us and which we want to represent."
"We are managing, for the most part, to stop the society’s movement towards the cliff and misery," the Prime Minister said, referring to the country's economic recovery and "the measures to support for the excluded, the working people, the unemployed, for those who really have need of us."
"Slowly, after eight years of difficulties and pessimism, citizens are finding "the way, diffidently and sensibly, to be optimistic again." "They are again finding the way to have expectations. And that's our success."
The fundamental principles of the Strategic Plan
Alexis Tsipras said that the country's strategic plan, which will be presented to the next Eurogroup on 27th April, is operating within the framework of the country's commitments, nevertheless it has the imprint of the Government of the Left. The principles as described by the Prime Minister include:
- Economic growth that is not based on the crushing labour but on increasing labour productivity through investment in new technologies and innovation.
- Strengthening our position in the global value chain with a focus on producing quality and competitive products.
- Strengthening the most dynamic sectors of the Greek economy: Transport and logistics, energy, agriculture and manufacturing, infrastructure and the digital economy and tourism, which continues to be the driving force behind growth.
Moreover, the plan provides for:
- Restoring institutions to regulate the labour market, as well as strengthening workers' collective bodies through the restoration of collective bargaining, without which the institutional conditions for the collective organization of workers are lacking.
- Building for the first time in Greece a strong social state and a provident, contributory and effective welfare state that can guarantee the dignity and prosperity of the entire population.
"With these priorities, then, we approach the final negotiation for the completion and the clean exit from the programme. With a realistic, I believe, horizon of the Eurogroup on June 21st."
On Monday Alexis Tsipras addressed the SYRIZA Parliamentary Group. He described the government's difficulties from the very first moment of taking over the country's governance - both at the level of lenders and at the level of internal political controversy – up until this moment when Greece, after 8 years, is putting forward its own development plan.
He sent out a message of optimism but also one which is target-driven.
"We achieved things where the others have failed," he said, pointing out that the government achieved the double goal - economic recovery beginning to take place in the country and at the same time measures being taken in support of society.
The Prime Minister also drew the clearest lines between the Government, which is strengthening the welfare state and protecting the world of work, and the system of vested interests and fake news, putting the New Democracy President in the frame and the press groups that serve him.
Alexis Tsipras made extensive reference to the fight against corruption, stressing that the government would win it, just as it has also won the battle on the front of the economy.
"We are managing to succeed where three governments of New Democracy and PASOK failed. We managed to successfully complete the [bailout Ed] Programme, to get the Greek economy back on track and to reopen access of Greek bonds to the money markets after eight years."
Nothing was a given, Alexis Tsipras said, "neither was the successful completion a self-evident development. Nor the recovery of the economy. Nor the recovery of access to the money markets".
"However, we have the last critical measures ahead of us and we must not lose sight of our goal. These developments have an historical significance since they allow the country to return to a regime of normality.
"We will not have solved all the problems and we will remain compelled to meet our fiscal goals in order to service the debt with which the careless management of previous governments bankrupted the country and which they loaded onto the backs of the Greek people. However, it is completely different to have a basic control over your European obligations from having to govern in partnership with the Troika. "
He called on his MPs to "remember how difficult it has been to solve the equation, on the one hand, to fulfill the commitments to the lenders and on the other, to not break the bonds of trust with the social forces that supported us and which we want to represent."
"We are managing, for the most part, to stop the society’s movement towards the cliff and misery," the Prime Minister said, referring to the country's economic recovery and "the measures to support for the excluded, the working people, the unemployed, for those who really have need of us."
"Slowly, after eight years of difficulties and pessimism, citizens are finding "the way, diffidently and sensibly, to be optimistic again." "They are again finding the way to have expectations. And that's our success."
The fundamental principles of the Strategic Plan
Alexis Tsipras said that the country's strategic plan, which will be presented to the next Eurogroup on 27th April, is operating within the framework of the country's commitments, nevertheless it has the imprint of the Government of the Left. The principles as described by the Prime Minister include:
- Economic growth that is not based on the crushing labour but on increasing labour productivity through investment in new technologies and innovation.
- Strengthening our position in the global value chain with a focus on producing quality and competitive products.
- Strengthening the most dynamic sectors of the Greek economy: Transport and logistics, energy, agriculture and manufacturing, infrastructure and the digital economy and tourism, which continues to be the driving force behind growth.
Moreover, the plan provides for:
- Restoring institutions to regulate the labour market, as well as strengthening workers' collective bodies through the restoration of collective bargaining, without which the institutional conditions for the collective organization of workers are lacking.
- Building for the first time in Greece a strong social state and a provident, contributory and effective welfare state that can guarantee the dignity and prosperity of the entire population.
"With these priorities, then, we approach the final negotiation for the completion and the clean exit from the programme. With a realistic, I believe, horizon of the Eurogroup on June 21st."
Water Matters
A meeting that took place in Chania last week to address the issue of drοught on the island expressed concern over the lack of water in the coming summer season.
The head of the Department of Water of the Decentralized Administration of Crete, Marinos Kritsotakis, said that “with proper management there will be no particular problems”.
In the meeting it was stressed that there must be an operational management plan and preventive measures must be applied, in view of data sent in from the end of February by all the island’s agencies related to water management.
On the basis of the data presented during the meeting by Mr. Kritsotakis, since September 2017 up until now, in Crete 3.8 billion cubic metres of rainwater fell on the island.
The last drought was in 1989-1990, when 4.1 billion cubic metres of water fell on Crete. In 2003, a season considered particularly wet, authorities measured 12 billion cubic metres of rainwater falling on the island. The average annual rainfall on the island over the last 40 years is 7.6 billion cubic metres.
In order to address the situation, and in order to avoid problems in the summer season, preventive measures are proposed, such as accelerating hydraulic projects, monitoring networks, locating and fixing leaks, searching for alternative water supplies, reducing waste, informing users about groundwater and surface water levels and reducing the cultivation of plants that require a lot of water.
A meeting that took place in Chania last week to address the issue of drοught on the island expressed concern over the lack of water in the coming summer season.
The head of the Department of Water of the Decentralized Administration of Crete, Marinos Kritsotakis, said that “with proper management there will be no particular problems”.
In the meeting it was stressed that there must be an operational management plan and preventive measures must be applied, in view of data sent in from the end of February by all the island’s agencies related to water management.
On the basis of the data presented during the meeting by Mr. Kritsotakis, since September 2017 up until now, in Crete 3.8 billion cubic metres of rainwater fell on the island.
The last drought was in 1989-1990, when 4.1 billion cubic metres of water fell on Crete. In 2003, a season considered particularly wet, authorities measured 12 billion cubic metres of rainwater falling on the island. The average annual rainfall on the island over the last 40 years is 7.6 billion cubic metres.
In order to address the situation, and in order to avoid problems in the summer season, preventive measures are proposed, such as accelerating hydraulic projects, monitoring networks, locating and fixing leaks, searching for alternative water supplies, reducing waste, informing users about groundwater and surface water levels and reducing the cultivation of plants that require a lot of water.
The 13th South Aegean Regional Development Conference
21.04.2018
From the platform of the 13th Regional Development Conference held in Rhodes, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras spoke about the end of the Memorandum adventure, stressing that the exit from the Memoranda will be clear. H once again excluded the possibility of any need for a contingency credit line, pointing out yet another wrongful assertion by New Democracy. He also took the opportunity to send a clear signal to Turkey that Greece is not a threat, nor was it afraid of anyone.
"A turning of the page for the country after a long period of stewardship and harsh budget constraints," he said, pointing out that "the surrender of sovereignty in economic planning is definitely ending with the completion of the Fourth Assessment in a few days." "Where others failed, we are succeeding."
Referring to the line of credit, he repeated that it was not an option for the next day of the country's emergence from the programme. "There will be no new onerous commitments for the country and the people, as some are reckoning on - and they have not even hidden it with their constant statements."
"Some may be a little embarrassed by this development." "Not because they really believe that this country must always be under the condition of conditionality and harsh stewardship, or that they consider the line of credit to be more effective, but because they needed to be able to shout out that the country is not coming out of the crisis, cannot recover and improve."
He stressed the constant gainsaying of New Democracy."No one is listening to them anymore." "They themselves predicted in 2015 that we would return to the drachma; in 2016 they themselves predicted that the first Assessments would not be concluded and that the economy would collapse, and in 2017 they themselves predicted that the “Cutter” [The Automatic Budgetary Adjustment Mechanism insisted upon by the Insitutions in case of missed financial targets. Ed] would be activated." For 2018 they predicted that we will not have a clean exit from the Memoranda but a credit line instead, which, according to the Prime Minister, is simply a new Memorandum.
"Unfortunately for them, and fortunately for the country, they have failed in all their negative predictions." "No one is listening to them anymore apart from the support that the main opposition enjoys from the majority of the mass media.
"The vast majority of the Greek people are not stuck in a rut, irrespective of their ideological position, not only are they tired of the moaning and groaning, but they also want at last to look at the possibilities and prospects of this country with greater optimism." "Let us build tomorrow not with the materials of yesterday, but by exploiting the productive potential of each region individually, let us put the country back on a stable path of growth and revival."
He made specific reference to the development policy that Greece is shaping autonomously, talking about a plan based on the needs of the country without third-party suggestions, stressing that the economy is walking on its own feet again.
"Our own future in our own hands." "The new development policy will have rules, it will be fair and will work not just for the powerful but will support rather than undermine the social state and the real economy. "Not only to bring numbers to growth, no matter how big that growth will be, but for it to be fair."
"The plan will support the real economy, small and medium-sized enterprises, workers, professionals, scientists," he said, and stressed that it would ensure a fair redistribution of the wealth produced, "as in any normal European country."
He announced legislation for “transport equivalence”, the implementation of which will begin on 1 July 2018 for a series of islands, including all of the eastern Aegean - Kos, Patmos, Astypalaia, Kalymnos, Karpathos, Kasos, Leros, Nisyros, Symi, Tilos and Kastellorizo - and also a number of smaller islands, such as the small Cyclades.
"Directly through a legislative initiative that is already prepared, a symbolic and historical commitment will be implemented, the implementation of the “transport equivalence” in the Greek islands". "This has been made possible because at the centre of our logic always lies the question of social justice and the creation of the conditions for development for the whole of society,so that all citizens, regardless of where they live, have equal opportunities and equal possibilities for travel."
"This measure will cover most, if not all, of the inhabitants of the isolated islands and will give a stimulus to businesses struggling to survive."
He also noted that the Government is working on institutional support for life in the islands. In this context, he stressed that the prospect of extending the “life in the islands” clause to all the parliamentary bills being put forward was being explored, while pointing out that a special reference to island policies would be included in the debate on the constitutional revision.
At the same time, he spoke about the bid by Greece for the creation of an island cohesion and development fund for the period 2021-2027, as well as a commitment to a programme of innovative projects in the islands. Typical examples are the establishment of the Research Institute of Island Policy, for which the signing of the relevant Presidential Decree is pending, as well as the establishment of a Maritime Trade Academy in Kalymnos.
From the Conference, PM Tsipras sent a clear message to Turkey: "Greece is not threatening anyone, nor is it afraid of anyone. It defends its territorial integrity and has strong deterrent power, but also strong foundations and alliances in the international community.
"Greece can defend its sovereign rights from border to border of the country those borders are fixed by international treaties. We do not negotiate, we do not haggle, we do not concede even a sliver of land. "
Economic Development in the Greek Islands
Speaking at the Conference, early last week, Deputy Finance Minister Alexis Charitsis said
"Special Development Plans for the North and South Aegean are already underway, amounting to 102€ million, through which more than 100 projects are being implemented, while additional interventions of 77€ million are being funded by other programmes run by the Ministry. At the same time, our country is pushing for more European resources to be directed to the islands and for targeted policies to be developed at European level to strengthen them.
"Due to their geographical location and their particular social and economic characteristics, the Aegean islands face increased challenges that require special care on the part of the state. As the Finance Ministry, we are implementing a comprehensive plan to support the islands, providing substantial funding and specialized technical support."
Projects in all sectors - water and sanitation, ports and roads, culture and tourism, health and education as well as strengthening local entrepreneurship. There is at least one project on each island, all of which were proposed locally and selected on the basis of their degree of readiness and their usefulness to local communities. For the first time, small islands such as Agathonisi, Ai Stratis, Kasos, are receiving funding at such a level.
Island life, however, is not just an issue in Greece, it concerns the whole of Europe, as the increased flows of refugees of recent years have reminded us. The very critical debate currently taking place in the EU on the future of the Cohesion Policy (NSRF) after 2020 is a dynamic engagement, in addition to increasing the budget, and widening the criteria to the allocation of resources. One of these criteria must be island living. We are calling for more European resources to be directed to the islands and to develop targeted policies at European level to strengthen them.
So we get to the development conference that is being held today in Rhodes, not to make announcements but to continue the very important work that has already begun. To intensify our cooperation with local actors in the design and implementation of new projects that upgrade the island's development prospects and improve the lives of islanders."
"A turning of the page for the country after a long period of stewardship and harsh budget constraints," he said, pointing out that "the surrender of sovereignty in economic planning is definitely ending with the completion of the Fourth Assessment in a few days." "Where others failed, we are succeeding."
Referring to the line of credit, he repeated that it was not an option for the next day of the country's emergence from the programme. "There will be no new onerous commitments for the country and the people, as some are reckoning on - and they have not even hidden it with their constant statements."
"Some may be a little embarrassed by this development." "Not because they really believe that this country must always be under the condition of conditionality and harsh stewardship, or that they consider the line of credit to be more effective, but because they needed to be able to shout out that the country is not coming out of the crisis, cannot recover and improve."
He stressed the constant gainsaying of New Democracy."No one is listening to them anymore." "They themselves predicted in 2015 that we would return to the drachma; in 2016 they themselves predicted that the first Assessments would not be concluded and that the economy would collapse, and in 2017 they themselves predicted that the “Cutter” [The Automatic Budgetary Adjustment Mechanism insisted upon by the Insitutions in case of missed financial targets. Ed] would be activated." For 2018 they predicted that we will not have a clean exit from the Memoranda but a credit line instead, which, according to the Prime Minister, is simply a new Memorandum.
"Unfortunately for them, and fortunately for the country, they have failed in all their negative predictions." "No one is listening to them anymore apart from the support that the main opposition enjoys from the majority of the mass media.
"The vast majority of the Greek people are not stuck in a rut, irrespective of their ideological position, not only are they tired of the moaning and groaning, but they also want at last to look at the possibilities and prospects of this country with greater optimism." "Let us build tomorrow not with the materials of yesterday, but by exploiting the productive potential of each region individually, let us put the country back on a stable path of growth and revival."
He made specific reference to the development policy that Greece is shaping autonomously, talking about a plan based on the needs of the country without third-party suggestions, stressing that the economy is walking on its own feet again.
"Our own future in our own hands." "The new development policy will have rules, it will be fair and will work not just for the powerful but will support rather than undermine the social state and the real economy. "Not only to bring numbers to growth, no matter how big that growth will be, but for it to be fair."
"The plan will support the real economy, small and medium-sized enterprises, workers, professionals, scientists," he said, and stressed that it would ensure a fair redistribution of the wealth produced, "as in any normal European country."
He announced legislation for “transport equivalence”, the implementation of which will begin on 1 July 2018 for a series of islands, including all of the eastern Aegean - Kos, Patmos, Astypalaia, Kalymnos, Karpathos, Kasos, Leros, Nisyros, Symi, Tilos and Kastellorizo - and also a number of smaller islands, such as the small Cyclades.
"Directly through a legislative initiative that is already prepared, a symbolic and historical commitment will be implemented, the implementation of the “transport equivalence” in the Greek islands". "This has been made possible because at the centre of our logic always lies the question of social justice and the creation of the conditions for development for the whole of society,so that all citizens, regardless of where they live, have equal opportunities and equal possibilities for travel."
"This measure will cover most, if not all, of the inhabitants of the isolated islands and will give a stimulus to businesses struggling to survive."
He also noted that the Government is working on institutional support for life in the islands. In this context, he stressed that the prospect of extending the “life in the islands” clause to all the parliamentary bills being put forward was being explored, while pointing out that a special reference to island policies would be included in the debate on the constitutional revision.
At the same time, he spoke about the bid by Greece for the creation of an island cohesion and development fund for the period 2021-2027, as well as a commitment to a programme of innovative projects in the islands. Typical examples are the establishment of the Research Institute of Island Policy, for which the signing of the relevant Presidential Decree is pending, as well as the establishment of a Maritime Trade Academy in Kalymnos.
From the Conference, PM Tsipras sent a clear message to Turkey: "Greece is not threatening anyone, nor is it afraid of anyone. It defends its territorial integrity and has strong deterrent power, but also strong foundations and alliances in the international community.
"Greece can defend its sovereign rights from border to border of the country those borders are fixed by international treaties. We do not negotiate, we do not haggle, we do not concede even a sliver of land. "
Economic Development in the Greek Islands
Speaking at the Conference, early last week, Deputy Finance Minister Alexis Charitsis said
"Special Development Plans for the North and South Aegean are already underway, amounting to 102€ million, through which more than 100 projects are being implemented, while additional interventions of 77€ million are being funded by other programmes run by the Ministry. At the same time, our country is pushing for more European resources to be directed to the islands and for targeted policies to be developed at European level to strengthen them.
"Due to their geographical location and their particular social and economic characteristics, the Aegean islands face increased challenges that require special care on the part of the state. As the Finance Ministry, we are implementing a comprehensive plan to support the islands, providing substantial funding and specialized technical support."
Projects in all sectors - water and sanitation, ports and roads, culture and tourism, health and education as well as strengthening local entrepreneurship. There is at least one project on each island, all of which were proposed locally and selected on the basis of their degree of readiness and their usefulness to local communities. For the first time, small islands such as Agathonisi, Ai Stratis, Kasos, are receiving funding at such a level.
Island life, however, is not just an issue in Greece, it concerns the whole of Europe, as the increased flows of refugees of recent years have reminded us. The very critical debate currently taking place in the EU on the future of the Cohesion Policy (NSRF) after 2020 is a dynamic engagement, in addition to increasing the budget, and widening the criteria to the allocation of resources. One of these criteria must be island living. We are calling for more European resources to be directed to the islands and to develop targeted policies at European level to strengthen them.
So we get to the development conference that is being held today in Rhodes, not to make announcements but to continue the very important work that has already begun. To intensify our cooperation with local actors in the design and implementation of new projects that upgrade the island's development prospects and improve the lives of islanders."
IMF Discusses Greece
The IMF is no longer demanding further spending cuts from Greece, said Christine Lagarde and stressed that the Fund would be involved in the Greek programme with its own terms. Referring to the sacrifices of the Greek people, she acknowledged that important financial results have been produced.
The message that markets have welcomed progress in the Greek economy, as reflected in lower Greek borrowing costs, was sent by the IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde, clarifying that the Fund is no longer demanding more spending cuts from Greece .
"The Greek people have spent eight years of very difficult politics, which have certainly improved the financial position (Greece). We need indicators. When looking at the 10-year Greek bond, it was yesterday under 4%, which is clearly an indication that markets will eventually finance Greece, because this is the ultimate progress, public funding being replaced by private funding. Thus, markets look on the situation in Greece much more favourably than before."
On Wednesday, the IMF's World Economic Outlook report, released as part of the IMF and World Bank Spring Summit in Washington, predicts for the Greek economy 2% growth in 2018 compared to a previous forecast of 2.6% and a fall in unemployment to 19.8% this year ( down from 20.7%). For 2019, it predicts growth of 1.8% and a fall in unemployment to 18% .
The Fund's report presented by Chief Economist, Maurice Obstfeld, reads that Greece’s economy grew by 1.4% in 2017, raising its long-term growth level ( by 2023) to 1.9%, that is almost double the IMF’s previous estimate (in October 2017 it estimated a 1% growth of the GDP for 2021). This is a particularly important development in view of the fact that one of the key disagreements between Europe and the IMF was the long-term growth prospects of the Greek economy, which played a crucial role in its analysis of the sustainability of the national debt. At the same time, the IMF predicts a faster decline in unemployment than its estimates six months ago.
The report records a revision of unemployment data, as the IMF predicts a faster reduction than it had foreseen last October. According to the report, in 2017 unemployment fell by 0.8% more than the initial projections, as it stands at 21.5% and not at 22.3% which was its earlier estimate. For the current year, the report places the unemployment rate at 19.8% against the previous projection of 20.7%. Finally, for 2019, the IMF predicts an even greater fall in unemployment, now estimated to reach 18%.
The IMF is revising its growth forecasts as it estimates that Greek economy grew by 1.4% in 2017, when it predicted growth of 1.8% in October. In addition, a 0.6% deviation for the year 2018 is recorded, after the IMF revised its 2.6% estimate for the first half of the year, and now places growth at 2%. For 2019, it predicts a decline in growth as compared to 2018 as it finds it at 1.8%.
The IMF has included these growth forecasts in all its analyses since 2015 to date on the sustainability of Greek debt. For its part, the European Commission appears more optimistic and estimates that Greece will grow by 2.5% in 2019. This deviation is important because it shows that the IMF and the EU Institutions are not using the same figures in the discussions about the debt.
On Friday, a government official told Reuters that Greece achieved a primary surplus that exceeded 3.5% of GDP in 2017, exceeding the target set under the financial adjustment programme for a third consecutive year. This was due to increased social security contributions and income tax and VAT receipts.
Based on guidelines of its bailout programme, Greece’s targets were to achieve a primary surplus of 1.75% in 2017 and 3.5% this year and next.
The IMF is no longer demanding further spending cuts from Greece, said Christine Lagarde and stressed that the Fund would be involved in the Greek programme with its own terms. Referring to the sacrifices of the Greek people, she acknowledged that important financial results have been produced.
The message that markets have welcomed progress in the Greek economy, as reflected in lower Greek borrowing costs, was sent by the IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde, clarifying that the Fund is no longer demanding more spending cuts from Greece .
"The Greek people have spent eight years of very difficult politics, which have certainly improved the financial position (Greece). We need indicators. When looking at the 10-year Greek bond, it was yesterday under 4%, which is clearly an indication that markets will eventually finance Greece, because this is the ultimate progress, public funding being replaced by private funding. Thus, markets look on the situation in Greece much more favourably than before."
On Wednesday, the IMF's World Economic Outlook report, released as part of the IMF and World Bank Spring Summit in Washington, predicts for the Greek economy 2% growth in 2018 compared to a previous forecast of 2.6% and a fall in unemployment to 19.8% this year ( down from 20.7%). For 2019, it predicts growth of 1.8% and a fall in unemployment to 18% .
The Fund's report presented by Chief Economist, Maurice Obstfeld, reads that Greece’s economy grew by 1.4% in 2017, raising its long-term growth level ( by 2023) to 1.9%, that is almost double the IMF’s previous estimate (in October 2017 it estimated a 1% growth of the GDP for 2021). This is a particularly important development in view of the fact that one of the key disagreements between Europe and the IMF was the long-term growth prospects of the Greek economy, which played a crucial role in its analysis of the sustainability of the national debt. At the same time, the IMF predicts a faster decline in unemployment than its estimates six months ago.
The report records a revision of unemployment data, as the IMF predicts a faster reduction than it had foreseen last October. According to the report, in 2017 unemployment fell by 0.8% more than the initial projections, as it stands at 21.5% and not at 22.3% which was its earlier estimate. For the current year, the report places the unemployment rate at 19.8% against the previous projection of 20.7%. Finally, for 2019, the IMF predicts an even greater fall in unemployment, now estimated to reach 18%.
The IMF is revising its growth forecasts as it estimates that Greek economy grew by 1.4% in 2017, when it predicted growth of 1.8% in October. In addition, a 0.6% deviation for the year 2018 is recorded, after the IMF revised its 2.6% estimate for the first half of the year, and now places growth at 2%. For 2019, it predicts a decline in growth as compared to 2018 as it finds it at 1.8%.
The IMF has included these growth forecasts in all its analyses since 2015 to date on the sustainability of Greek debt. For its part, the European Commission appears more optimistic and estimates that Greece will grow by 2.5% in 2019. This deviation is important because it shows that the IMF and the EU Institutions are not using the same figures in the discussions about the debt.
On Friday, a government official told Reuters that Greece achieved a primary surplus that exceeded 3.5% of GDP in 2017, exceeding the target set under the financial adjustment programme for a third consecutive year. This was due to increased social security contributions and income tax and VAT receipts.
Based on guidelines of its bailout programme, Greece’s targets were to achieve a primary surplus of 1.75% in 2017 and 3.5% this year and next.
NOVARTIS – cases referred to the Courts
The parliamentary committee that was investigating charges that 10 politicians of previous administrations had been bribed by Novartis pharmaceuticals decided on Tuesday that it is not competent to deal with such matters as investigating charges of bribery and money laundering
Now the case will go to the Attorney’s office.
President of the Special Preliminary Examining Committee, Thodoris Dritsas said "This decision, which recognizes the competence of the mainstream Judiciary, is in accordance with the Constitution and laws and is the only one that provides the opportunity for light to be shed on the case. That is to say for the evidence to be examined and evaluated thoroughly. The potential responsibility of Parliament itself under Article 86 of the Constitution [on Ministers' Responsibility Ed.]would lead to there being a limitation of liability for all actions [being investigated Ed]. That is to say, to a blackout and to indiscriminate impunity."
Mr. Dritsas also called on opposition politicians who walked out of the whole procedure to present their own positions.
The parliamentary committee that was investigating charges that 10 politicians of previous administrations had been bribed by Novartis pharmaceuticals decided on Tuesday that it is not competent to deal with such matters as investigating charges of bribery and money laundering
Now the case will go to the Attorney’s office.
President of the Special Preliminary Examining Committee, Thodoris Dritsas said "This decision, which recognizes the competence of the mainstream Judiciary, is in accordance with the Constitution and laws and is the only one that provides the opportunity for light to be shed on the case. That is to say for the evidence to be examined and evaluated thoroughly. The potential responsibility of Parliament itself under Article 86 of the Constitution [on Ministers' Responsibility Ed.]would lead to there being a limitation of liability for all actions [being investigated Ed]. That is to say, to a blackout and to indiscriminate impunity."
Mr. Dritsas also called on opposition politicians who walked out of the whole procedure to present their own positions.
The Apokoronas Environment Group writes:
Hello everyone. Here is a reminder of the nation-wide clean-up campaign two weeks from today. This is joint venture supported by the Municipality of Apokoronas and the Apokoronas Environment Group. We hope that as many of you as possible will be able to take part. Details are repeated below. Thank you.
Let’s do it Greece!
Sunday, April 29th
This April 29 is not a simple Sunday! It is a day devoted to the love of volunteering and the environment.
With the main slogan "Become the Change You Want", volunteers from all over Greece will be co-ordinated at Let's do it Greece 2018, the Greatest Simultaneous Environmental Action of the country.
Volunteer groups, environmental organizations, clubs, municipalities, regions, institutions and citizens are co-ordinating to care and shape squares, parks, neighbourhoods, rivers, beaches, lakes, seas, mountains, forests, while students will take care of their school environment from a week full of Volunteerism, with a peak on Sunday April 29!
After last year's success with the participation of 1% of the Greek population, this year's goal is to involve over 150,000 volunteers with over 2,000 actions across the country! This year's theme is "Volunteering and Youth", with students, students and young people in our country playing a leading role.
IF YOU ONLY DO ONE THING FOR THE ENVIRONMENT THIS YEAR, LET IT BE THIS!!
The Apokoronas Environment Group is happy to promote this year’s effort:
WHAT? The plan is to clean up the tracks/footpaths that form the routes for the Koiliaris Run (see more below) in time for this year’s run.
WHEN? Sunday 29th April 2018, starting at 10am.
WHERE? The meeting point for all volunteers is the Plateia (Square) in Neo Horio
PLAN? The organisers will divide the volunteers into 3 groups. One will stay in Neo Horio, one will go to Stylos and the 3rd group will go to Armenoi.
WHAT DO WE NEED? The municipality will provide plastic refuse sacks and gloves. Take a good supply of water and perhaps a fruit bar or something similar with you.
Please do what you can to support this event. Every little helps! Thank you.
IF YOU ONLY DO ONE THING FOR THE ENVIRONMENT THIS YEAR, LET IT BE THIS!!
Hello everyone. Here is a reminder of the nation-wide clean-up campaign two weeks from today. This is joint venture supported by the Municipality of Apokoronas and the Apokoronas Environment Group. We hope that as many of you as possible will be able to take part. Details are repeated below. Thank you.
Let’s do it Greece!
Sunday, April 29th
This April 29 is not a simple Sunday! It is a day devoted to the love of volunteering and the environment.
With the main slogan "Become the Change You Want", volunteers from all over Greece will be co-ordinated at Let's do it Greece 2018, the Greatest Simultaneous Environmental Action of the country.
Volunteer groups, environmental organizations, clubs, municipalities, regions, institutions and citizens are co-ordinating to care and shape squares, parks, neighbourhoods, rivers, beaches, lakes, seas, mountains, forests, while students will take care of their school environment from a week full of Volunteerism, with a peak on Sunday April 29!
After last year's success with the participation of 1% of the Greek population, this year's goal is to involve over 150,000 volunteers with over 2,000 actions across the country! This year's theme is "Volunteering and Youth", with students, students and young people in our country playing a leading role.
IF YOU ONLY DO ONE THING FOR THE ENVIRONMENT THIS YEAR, LET IT BE THIS!!
The Apokoronas Environment Group is happy to promote this year’s effort:
WHAT? The plan is to clean up the tracks/footpaths that form the routes for the Koiliaris Run (see more below) in time for this year’s run.
WHEN? Sunday 29th April 2018, starting at 10am.
WHERE? The meeting point for all volunteers is the Plateia (Square) in Neo Horio
PLAN? The organisers will divide the volunteers into 3 groups. One will stay in Neo Horio, one will go to Stylos and the 3rd group will go to Armenoi.
WHAT DO WE NEED? The municipality will provide plastic refuse sacks and gloves. Take a good supply of water and perhaps a fruit bar or something similar with you.
Please do what you can to support this event. Every little helps! Thank you.
IF YOU ONLY DO ONE THING FOR THE ENVIRONMENT THIS YEAR, LET IT BE THIS!!
Syria
14.04.2018
On Friday, speaking with the French President Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said that Greek Armed Forces would not participate in a possible military operation in Syria. He condemned the use of chemical weapons, stressing that decisive initiatives from the European Union were needed, and emphasising the need to work towards a peaceful solution based on Sweden's proposal.
On Thursday, Sweden proposed a United Nations Security Council resolution requesting U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to send a high-level disarmament team to Syria to address “all outstanding issues on the use of chemical weapons once and for all.”
The 15-member council had failed on Tuesday to approve three draft resolutions on chemical weapons attacks in Syria. Russia vetoed a U.S. text, while two Russian-drafted resolutions failed to get a minimum nine votes to pass.
On Thursday, Sweden proposed a United Nations Security Council resolution requesting U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to send a high-level disarmament team to Syria to address “all outstanding issues on the use of chemical weapons once and for all.”
The 15-member council had failed on Tuesday to approve three draft resolutions on chemical weapons attacks in Syria. Russia vetoed a U.S. text, while two Russian-drafted resolutions failed to get a minimum nine votes to pass.
Final Steps to conclude the Bailout Programme
Greece presented its draft development plan to its EU creditors to be implemented after the end of the current bailout programme in August.
Deputy Finance Minister Giorgos Chouliarakis briefed Eurozone officials about the plan at the Eurogroup Working Group (EWG) held in Brussels on Thursday. The development plan includes specific measures and sets targets for attracting investment, reducing taxes, reducing ‘bad’ loans and modernizing the public administration.It also contains targets for reducing unemployment and boosting productivity and exports.
The plan is important because it will be taken into account in the analysis of the sustainability of the Greek debt. EU Commissioner Pierre Moscovici said that it will be an important test for the country’s credibility in the debate on the post-memorandum era.
Official Government spokesman Mr Tzanakopoulos said the development plan refers to the country's fiscal path from 2019 onwards. Responding to the suggestion of the possibility of postponing or freezing the reduction in pensions from 1.1.2019, he said that "everything depends on the financial results." "Financially, the Greek economy has overperformed," he explained, "which is due to the much better revenue streams, particularly with regard to the national insurance funds", expressing the view that this will be taken into account by the partners in the debate on the long-term development strategy.
"And in 2017 we are exceeding the targets," he said, pointing out that several of the Institutions have sometimes underestimated the effect of the “measures”. "We expect all these results to be taken into account as a whole by the Institutions."
Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos will present the final draft to the Eurogroup meeting on April 27, in Sofia, for final agreement.
Regarding the Fourth Assessment, the EWG highlighted the need for the “prior actions” to be completed by the end of April to conclude the Assessment by June at the latest. The Assessment is linked to a significant loan tranche of €11.7 billion which must be disbursed before the end of the programme on August 20th 2018.
On debt relief, the EWG examined the French proposal linking debt repayment to economic growth. Debt relief measures will be affected by fiscal data to be released by Eurostat on 23 April.
Meanwhile, the IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington DC on April 20-22 are expected to discuss the issue of Greek debt relief.
The IMF has said it will activate a stand-by arrangement with Greece if the country’s European partners can demonstrate the sustainability of its debt.
Heads of the Institutions’ missions are expected to return to Athens early in May, to complete the Fourth Assessment. Unfulfilled prior actions at the time, including energy plans and privatization, will be given until June to be completed.
Greece presented its draft development plan to its EU creditors to be implemented after the end of the current bailout programme in August.
Deputy Finance Minister Giorgos Chouliarakis briefed Eurozone officials about the plan at the Eurogroup Working Group (EWG) held in Brussels on Thursday. The development plan includes specific measures and sets targets for attracting investment, reducing taxes, reducing ‘bad’ loans and modernizing the public administration.It also contains targets for reducing unemployment and boosting productivity and exports.
The plan is important because it will be taken into account in the analysis of the sustainability of the Greek debt. EU Commissioner Pierre Moscovici said that it will be an important test for the country’s credibility in the debate on the post-memorandum era.
Official Government spokesman Mr Tzanakopoulos said the development plan refers to the country's fiscal path from 2019 onwards. Responding to the suggestion of the possibility of postponing or freezing the reduction in pensions from 1.1.2019, he said that "everything depends on the financial results." "Financially, the Greek economy has overperformed," he explained, "which is due to the much better revenue streams, particularly with regard to the national insurance funds", expressing the view that this will be taken into account by the partners in the debate on the long-term development strategy.
"And in 2017 we are exceeding the targets," he said, pointing out that several of the Institutions have sometimes underestimated the effect of the “measures”. "We expect all these results to be taken into account as a whole by the Institutions."
Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos will present the final draft to the Eurogroup meeting on April 27, in Sofia, for final agreement.
Regarding the Fourth Assessment, the EWG highlighted the need for the “prior actions” to be completed by the end of April to conclude the Assessment by June at the latest. The Assessment is linked to a significant loan tranche of €11.7 billion which must be disbursed before the end of the programme on August 20th 2018.
On debt relief, the EWG examined the French proposal linking debt repayment to economic growth. Debt relief measures will be affected by fiscal data to be released by Eurostat on 23 April.
Meanwhile, the IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington DC on April 20-22 are expected to discuss the issue of Greek debt relief.
The IMF has said it will activate a stand-by arrangement with Greece if the country’s European partners can demonstrate the sustainability of its debt.
Heads of the Institutions’ missions are expected to return to Athens early in May, to complete the Fourth Assessment. Unfulfilled prior actions at the time, including energy plans and privatization, will be given until June to be completed.
Unemployment eases
The Greek unemployment rate eased to 20.6% in January from 20.8% in December 2017 the Hellenic Statistical Authority said on Thursday.
The number of unemployed people in the country totaled 977,222 in January, down by 126,430 compared with January 2017 (a decline of 11.5%) and down by 10,167 compared with December 2017 (a decline of 1%). The number of employed people totaled 3,755,427, up by 98,712 compared with January 2017 (an increase of 2.7%) but down 12,443 from December 2017.
The unemployment rate among women was 25.6% in January, down from 27.6% in January 2017, while among men it fell to 16.7% from 19.6%.
The 15-24 age group recorded the highest unemployment rate (42.3% in January 2018 from 47.1% in January 2017), followed by the 25-34 age group (26% down from 29.4%), the 35-44 age group (19% from 20.1%), the 45-54 age group (16.5% from 18.1%), the 55-64 age group (16.5% from 19.9%) and the 65-74 age group (7.1% down from 13.9%).
Regionally, Epirus-Western Macedonia recorded the highest unemployment rate (26.2% in January 2018 from 27.4% in January 2017), followed by Peloponnese-Western Greece-Ionian Islands (21.7% from 23.2%), Attica (21% from 22.5%, Macedonia-Thrace (20.2% from 23.5%), Aegean (19.8% from 18.9%), Thessaly-Central Greece (18.6% from 23.6%) and Crete (16.4% from 22.1%).
Other Financial Indicators
Greece generated 812.5€ million in an auction of treasury bills on Wednesday, according to the Public Debt Management Agency (PDMA).
Greece is conducting sales of treasury bills as a way of financing the country alongside bailout monies.
On Tuesday it was reported that Greece’s growth was the lowest among eurozone countries for 2017, with a GDP rise of just 1.4% while the eurozone average was 2.3%, according to European Central Bank figures.
At the same time, Greece showed a 1.1% decline in government spending, while the average in the euro area was a 1.2% increase.
The Greek unemployment rate eased to 20.6% in January from 20.8% in December 2017 the Hellenic Statistical Authority said on Thursday.
The number of unemployed people in the country totaled 977,222 in January, down by 126,430 compared with January 2017 (a decline of 11.5%) and down by 10,167 compared with December 2017 (a decline of 1%). The number of employed people totaled 3,755,427, up by 98,712 compared with January 2017 (an increase of 2.7%) but down 12,443 from December 2017.
The unemployment rate among women was 25.6% in January, down from 27.6% in January 2017, while among men it fell to 16.7% from 19.6%.
The 15-24 age group recorded the highest unemployment rate (42.3% in January 2018 from 47.1% in January 2017), followed by the 25-34 age group (26% down from 29.4%), the 35-44 age group (19% from 20.1%), the 45-54 age group (16.5% from 18.1%), the 55-64 age group (16.5% from 19.9%) and the 65-74 age group (7.1% down from 13.9%).
Regionally, Epirus-Western Macedonia recorded the highest unemployment rate (26.2% in January 2018 from 27.4% in January 2017), followed by Peloponnese-Western Greece-Ionian Islands (21.7% from 23.2%), Attica (21% from 22.5%, Macedonia-Thrace (20.2% from 23.5%), Aegean (19.8% from 18.9%), Thessaly-Central Greece (18.6% from 23.6%) and Crete (16.4% from 22.1%).
Other Financial Indicators
Greece generated 812.5€ million in an auction of treasury bills on Wednesday, according to the Public Debt Management Agency (PDMA).
Greece is conducting sales of treasury bills as a way of financing the country alongside bailout monies.
On Tuesday it was reported that Greece’s growth was the lowest among eurozone countries for 2017, with a GDP rise of just 1.4% while the eurozone average was 2.3%, according to European Central Bank figures.
At the same time, Greece showed a 1.1% decline in government spending, while the average in the euro area was a 1.2% increase.
The 12th Regional Conference on the Reconstruction of the Productive Capacity of Eastern Attica
7.4.2018
The 12th Regional Conference on the Reconstruction of the Productive Capacity of Eastern Attica took place last week in Lavrio.
The Regional Governor of Attica, Dimitris Duros highlighted during his opening address the region's main problems such as anarchic and arbitrary construction, the lack of basic liquid and solid waste management facilities, and the great urban pressure experienced by Eastern Attica in recent decades, with serious consequences for the natural environment and the quality of life of the residents.
"Our need for sewerage networks is not up for discussion. Our need for flood defence infrastructure is not negotiable. The creation of a network of social services for our fellow citizens is not negotiable. Seeking to improve their everyday lives is not negotiable. We are obdurate in the defence of the public interest, our fight against corruption and bureaucracy is not negotiable."
Regarding solid waste management, projects of municipal waste treatment plants and bio-waste are being brought forward. The Government's goal is to deal with all outstanding issues of wastewater management in eastern Attica.
In addition, the consequences of the forest fires that have occurred repeatedly in Eastern Attica in recent years were highlighted, with human lives and property being endangered alongside the enormous destruction of the natural environment. In this context, the posting of forest maps was highlighted, while the law on residential density was announced. "With the ratification of forest maps in 2019, forestry and the environment will be fully mapped out in Eastern Attica, so that the area will no longer be linked in everyone’s minds with the arbitrary destruction of the forest."
The Prime Minister began his opening speech by referring to the regional development conferences themselves, which "are proving to be an institution".
“In order to draw up a national development plan, the Government chose not to do it behind closed doors in offices but to start from the "bottom" with the Regions.” He compared this joint effort with the climate of sterile, miserable, unnecessary political confrontation.
“The upgrading of the urban environment is our priority and it is being implemented throughout the country. It is necessary to adapt the role of the Ports of Rafina and Lavrio directly, with emphasis on passenger transport and the creation of a cruise-ship landing point.
“The bidding for the Rafinas intersection at the junction of Marathon Avenue with Rafina will be held this year by the Ministry of Infrastructure. The project, with a budget of 7€ million, is funded by the Public Investment Programme.
“It is also planned to implement roundabouts in 8 places funded by the Region.
At the same time we are promoting the studies of a series of flood defence projects in Kalyvia and Kouvaras, Marathon, Nea Makri and Rafina.
Visits to archaeological sites in Eastern Attica have increased between 2015 and 2017 by 30,000. While the income from these visits increased by 600,000€.
A large number of works are under way in the area of Tatoi, the archaeological sites of Vravrona and Sounion, the Museum of Vravrona, Amphiaraio and Byzantine and post-Byzantine monuments. Work is now completed at the museums of Marathon and Sounion.
In East Attica, 15 tourism investments have been submitted for authorization, of which 6 are hotels. While within the first cycle of the Development Law, 4 hotel investment proposals amounting to 2.8€ million have been submitted.
“In the health sector, a huge effort is being made to upgrade the structures: In March 2018, 208 doctors were working in the Health Centres of Eastern Attica, compared to 105 in December 2015. And 277 other staff up from 224 in 2015.
The Prime Minister Alexis Tzipras spoke again to close the Conference. He used his speech to summarise the conclusions of the two days’ work during which environmental issues, rural development, self-government, energy and spatial planning issues, interventions in the welfare state, public infrastructure, transport networks and ports were discussed.
He referred to Greece’s conviction by the European Court of Justice in 2015 for the lack of wastewater infrastructure in Markopoulo, N. Makris, Koropi, and Rafina-Artemida. To date, tax-payers have paid about 25€ million in fines.
"Today we are launching interventions and activating the tools needed to create a framework for balanced and sustainable development in Eastern Attica - a pillar of the local economy."
"Three major investment plans have been announced over the past few days: Deutsche Telekom will create a fiber optic network worth 2€ billion, a 400€ million fund in cooperation with the United Arab Emirates and a 600€ million European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
These create a stable climate that is completely different from the conditions prevailing in the country since 2010. Positive projections are boosted. Growth, international credibility, all economic indicators will improve continuously over the coming years."
"It is now that we have to plan on a solid basis the next day for the country." Alexis Tsipras said in concluding the work of the conference.
" The economy is outperforming its targets and the objectives of the Programme have been met. "In a few months, in the summer, we also come out formally, clearly and definitively, from the Memoranda that have struck us for eight years," stressed Mr. Tsipras.
The Regional Governor of Attica, Dimitris Duros highlighted during his opening address the region's main problems such as anarchic and arbitrary construction, the lack of basic liquid and solid waste management facilities, and the great urban pressure experienced by Eastern Attica in recent decades, with serious consequences for the natural environment and the quality of life of the residents.
"Our need for sewerage networks is not up for discussion. Our need for flood defence infrastructure is not negotiable. The creation of a network of social services for our fellow citizens is not negotiable. Seeking to improve their everyday lives is not negotiable. We are obdurate in the defence of the public interest, our fight against corruption and bureaucracy is not negotiable."
Regarding solid waste management, projects of municipal waste treatment plants and bio-waste are being brought forward. The Government's goal is to deal with all outstanding issues of wastewater management in eastern Attica.
In addition, the consequences of the forest fires that have occurred repeatedly in Eastern Attica in recent years were highlighted, with human lives and property being endangered alongside the enormous destruction of the natural environment. In this context, the posting of forest maps was highlighted, while the law on residential density was announced. "With the ratification of forest maps in 2019, forestry and the environment will be fully mapped out in Eastern Attica, so that the area will no longer be linked in everyone’s minds with the arbitrary destruction of the forest."
The Prime Minister began his opening speech by referring to the regional development conferences themselves, which "are proving to be an institution".
“In order to draw up a national development plan, the Government chose not to do it behind closed doors in offices but to start from the "bottom" with the Regions.” He compared this joint effort with the climate of sterile, miserable, unnecessary political confrontation.
“The upgrading of the urban environment is our priority and it is being implemented throughout the country. It is necessary to adapt the role of the Ports of Rafina and Lavrio directly, with emphasis on passenger transport and the creation of a cruise-ship landing point.
“The bidding for the Rafinas intersection at the junction of Marathon Avenue with Rafina will be held this year by the Ministry of Infrastructure. The project, with a budget of 7€ million, is funded by the Public Investment Programme.
“It is also planned to implement roundabouts in 8 places funded by the Region.
At the same time we are promoting the studies of a series of flood defence projects in Kalyvia and Kouvaras, Marathon, Nea Makri and Rafina.
Visits to archaeological sites in Eastern Attica have increased between 2015 and 2017 by 30,000. While the income from these visits increased by 600,000€.
A large number of works are under way in the area of Tatoi, the archaeological sites of Vravrona and Sounion, the Museum of Vravrona, Amphiaraio and Byzantine and post-Byzantine monuments. Work is now completed at the museums of Marathon and Sounion.
In East Attica, 15 tourism investments have been submitted for authorization, of which 6 are hotels. While within the first cycle of the Development Law, 4 hotel investment proposals amounting to 2.8€ million have been submitted.
“In the health sector, a huge effort is being made to upgrade the structures: In March 2018, 208 doctors were working in the Health Centres of Eastern Attica, compared to 105 in December 2015. And 277 other staff up from 224 in 2015.
The Prime Minister Alexis Tzipras spoke again to close the Conference. He used his speech to summarise the conclusions of the two days’ work during which environmental issues, rural development, self-government, energy and spatial planning issues, interventions in the welfare state, public infrastructure, transport networks and ports were discussed.
He referred to Greece’s conviction by the European Court of Justice in 2015 for the lack of wastewater infrastructure in Markopoulo, N. Makris, Koropi, and Rafina-Artemida. To date, tax-payers have paid about 25€ million in fines.
"Today we are launching interventions and activating the tools needed to create a framework for balanced and sustainable development in Eastern Attica - a pillar of the local economy."
"Three major investment plans have been announced over the past few days: Deutsche Telekom will create a fiber optic network worth 2€ billion, a 400€ million fund in cooperation with the United Arab Emirates and a 600€ million European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
These create a stable climate that is completely different from the conditions prevailing in the country since 2010. Positive projections are boosted. Growth, international credibility, all economic indicators will improve continuously over the coming years."
"It is now that we have to plan on a solid basis the next day for the country." Alexis Tsipras said in concluding the work of the conference.
" The economy is outperforming its targets and the objectives of the Programme have been met. "In a few months, in the summer, we also come out formally, clearly and definitively, from the Memoranda that have struck us for eight years," stressed Mr. Tsipras.
Latest Economic Data: Primary Surplus Target Exceeded
In terms of completing the Fourth Assessment, Greece’s Primary Surplus is close to 4.5% against a target of 1.75% and, together with the Government’s Development Plan, that is expected to be the Government's "line of defence" vis a vis the IMF. The Government will present the evidence of exceeding the Primary Surplus targets as proof that the “measures” already taken are more than are necessary. It expects to not only counteract IMF pressure to reduce tax allowances but also to bring in, through the Development Plan, a series of social measures.
Approval of the 2017 financial figures submitted by Greece to Eurostat is due to be made on 23rd April.
The International Monetary Fund is expected to finalize its position as to whether to seek the application of the reduced tax-free allowance a year earlier (from 2019), along with a reduction in pensions. However, the strengthening of the Greek economy is reflected in almost all indicators.
With regard to the course of the Fourth Assessment, of the 88 “prerequisite measures” 12 have already been completed.
After Easter the Government expects to complete the remaining 76 without delay. The IMF’s intentions are expected to emerge during its spring session, which takes place on 16-22 April in Washington.
2017 was the best year in a decade for foreign investment, said Government Spokesman
Dimitris Tzanakopoulos, reaching 4€ billion.
Three major investment plans were announced in the last few days, further indicating the positive prospects for the Greek economy.
1. Deutsche Telecom's 2€ billion investment over the next four years in the Greece for the development of fibre networks and 5G.
2. The creation of a fund totalling €400m to be set up by the Ministry of Development and Economy’s New Economy Development Fund [TANEO - a company developing venture capital funds aimed at small and medium-sized enterprises Ed] and the Mubadala Investment Company - the Sovereign Investment Fund of the United Arab Emirates.
3. An investment of €600 million, just for 2018, by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the extension until 2025 of Greece’s partnership with the Bank.
DEBT RELIEF
After Orthodox Easter, the alternative debt relief scenarios under consideration will be discussed and this time the official German reaction will be presented.
On the Thursday after Easter, on April 12th , an EWG (EuroWorking Group) meeting will be held with the first item on the agenda to be what is to happen with the Greek debt. The German side also now seems to agree that some restructuring should go ahead with the end of the Programme
The Task Force set up by the Eurogroup specifically on Greek debt will present the background and the alternative debt relief scenarios as well as the link between debt repayment and growth in line with the so-called "French key".
According to information, some of the loans will be extended and interest rates will be fixed at a level below 2%.
The IMF is expected to clarify its position at its spring meeting on 20-22 April, when the Fund’s Council will be asked to approve the return of the IMF to the Greek Programme on the basis of Eurostat’s final data on the real trajectory of the Greek economy. In any case, the catalyst will be the degree of acceptance of the debt solution, which will be supported by European lenders, and will have to include not only medium-term but also long-term debt relief measures.
Shortly after the middle of the month, Eurostat's closing results for 2017 will be published, which are expected to be very favourable now, since the Primary Surplus of the previous year exceeded 4% of GDP, ie. more than double the Programme’s target of a surplus of 1.75% of GDP.
In terms of completing the Fourth Assessment, Greece’s Primary Surplus is close to 4.5% against a target of 1.75% and, together with the Government’s Development Plan, that is expected to be the Government's "line of defence" vis a vis the IMF. The Government will present the evidence of exceeding the Primary Surplus targets as proof that the “measures” already taken are more than are necessary. It expects to not only counteract IMF pressure to reduce tax allowances but also to bring in, through the Development Plan, a series of social measures.
Approval of the 2017 financial figures submitted by Greece to Eurostat is due to be made on 23rd April.
The International Monetary Fund is expected to finalize its position as to whether to seek the application of the reduced tax-free allowance a year earlier (from 2019), along with a reduction in pensions. However, the strengthening of the Greek economy is reflected in almost all indicators.
With regard to the course of the Fourth Assessment, of the 88 “prerequisite measures” 12 have already been completed.
After Easter the Government expects to complete the remaining 76 without delay. The IMF’s intentions are expected to emerge during its spring session, which takes place on 16-22 April in Washington.
2017 was the best year in a decade for foreign investment, said Government Spokesman
Dimitris Tzanakopoulos, reaching 4€ billion.
Three major investment plans were announced in the last few days, further indicating the positive prospects for the Greek economy.
1. Deutsche Telecom's 2€ billion investment over the next four years in the Greece for the development of fibre networks and 5G.
2. The creation of a fund totalling €400m to be set up by the Ministry of Development and Economy’s New Economy Development Fund [TANEO - a company developing venture capital funds aimed at small and medium-sized enterprises Ed] and the Mubadala Investment Company - the Sovereign Investment Fund of the United Arab Emirates.
3. An investment of €600 million, just for 2018, by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the extension until 2025 of Greece’s partnership with the Bank.
DEBT RELIEF
After Orthodox Easter, the alternative debt relief scenarios under consideration will be discussed and this time the official German reaction will be presented.
On the Thursday after Easter, on April 12th , an EWG (EuroWorking Group) meeting will be held with the first item on the agenda to be what is to happen with the Greek debt. The German side also now seems to agree that some restructuring should go ahead with the end of the Programme
The Task Force set up by the Eurogroup specifically on Greek debt will present the background and the alternative debt relief scenarios as well as the link between debt repayment and growth in line with the so-called "French key".
According to information, some of the loans will be extended and interest rates will be fixed at a level below 2%.
The IMF is expected to clarify its position at its spring meeting on 20-22 April, when the Fund’s Council will be asked to approve the return of the IMF to the Greek Programme on the basis of Eurostat’s final data on the real trajectory of the Greek economy. In any case, the catalyst will be the degree of acceptance of the debt solution, which will be supported by European lenders, and will have to include not only medium-term but also long-term debt relief measures.
Shortly after the middle of the month, Eurostat's closing results for 2017 will be published, which are expected to be very favourable now, since the Primary Surplus of the previous year exceeded 4% of GDP, ie. more than double the Programme’s target of a surplus of 1.75% of GDP.
CORRUPTION: Siemens Bribery Case at Appeal
In July last year Tasos Mandelis, a former PASOK Transport Minister, was found guilty of money laundering in the Siemens bribery case, and was given an eight-year suspended sentence.
Judges had ruled that Mr. Mandelis had received 230,000€ as a bribe for a contract signed with the Hellenic Telecommunications Organization (OTE) in 1997 when he was a Minister in the PASOK Government.
Siemens Hellas former executive Ilias Georgiou had also been found guilty of money laundering and bribery. Mr.Mandelis’ associate Aristidis Mantas was found guilty of providing assistance in money laundering.
Mr. Georgiou faced a 12-year suspended sentence while Mr. Mandelis received eight years.
The case is now in the Athens Appeal Court.
The Chief Prosecutor in the Five-Member Court of Appeal maintained that the court should not accept the contention of the accused former Minister that the money in question, which had been transferred to a Swiss bank account in the name “ROCOS”, was a pre-election donation by the German company. The Prosecutor pointed out that the money was not spent on the election but on the family expenses of his son, Mr Mandelis.
The Prosecutor said: "Both deposits occurred outside of the pre-election campaign. And in any case both were illegal, because it is forbidden for companies participating in tendering for contracts with the State to make such donations. The money found in the Minister's bank account was twice as much as the total election spending outlay provided for by the relevant Ministry of the Interior decision in the case of a candidate Athens District Β'." The Prosecutor also said that the money was deposited in a secret bank account in Switzerland and so he wondered "why the account was secret and not in his own name? Why want money from strangers? And what if it was money for the Camorra and the Mafia?" He summed up by saying,"Mr.Mandelis' action was neither moral nor legal".
Allegations that Greek politicians and political parties received bribes during successive administrations to grant German industrial giant Siemens lucrative contracts in the run-up to the 2004 Olympics, have dominated local media for years.
In July last year Tasos Mandelis, a former PASOK Transport Minister, was found guilty of money laundering in the Siemens bribery case, and was given an eight-year suspended sentence.
Judges had ruled that Mr. Mandelis had received 230,000€ as a bribe for a contract signed with the Hellenic Telecommunications Organization (OTE) in 1997 when he was a Minister in the PASOK Government.
Siemens Hellas former executive Ilias Georgiou had also been found guilty of money laundering and bribery. Mr.Mandelis’ associate Aristidis Mantas was found guilty of providing assistance in money laundering.
Mr. Georgiou faced a 12-year suspended sentence while Mr. Mandelis received eight years.
The case is now in the Athens Appeal Court.
The Chief Prosecutor in the Five-Member Court of Appeal maintained that the court should not accept the contention of the accused former Minister that the money in question, which had been transferred to a Swiss bank account in the name “ROCOS”, was a pre-election donation by the German company. The Prosecutor pointed out that the money was not spent on the election but on the family expenses of his son, Mr Mandelis.
The Prosecutor said: "Both deposits occurred outside of the pre-election campaign. And in any case both were illegal, because it is forbidden for companies participating in tendering for contracts with the State to make such donations. The money found in the Minister's bank account was twice as much as the total election spending outlay provided for by the relevant Ministry of the Interior decision in the case of a candidate Athens District Β'." The Prosecutor also said that the money was deposited in a secret bank account in Switzerland and so he wondered "why the account was secret and not in his own name? Why want money from strangers? And what if it was money for the Camorra and the Mafia?" He summed up by saying,"Mr.Mandelis' action was neither moral nor legal".
Allegations that Greek politicians and political parties received bribes during successive administrations to grant German industrial giant Siemens lucrative contracts in the run-up to the 2004 Olympics, have dominated local media for years.
"Our basic tool for
“the next day” is
the National Development Strategy"
31.3.2018
"Our basic tool for “the next day” is the National Development Strategy," said Alexis Tsipras, noting that this is a "complete strategic plan that no one will build for us and no one will impose on us, but it will be a product of our own design and choice".
To the discussions taking place at the Regional Conferences, "the Government is coming without preconceptions, without asking for anyone’s political credentials and without pushing any other agenda beyond common work and consultation on the productive reconstruction of each region," he said, speaking at the Regional Conference on the Reconstruction of Production of Central Macedonia.
He said the aim was a productive discussion, to find solutions together. "It would be desirable for all of us to reach such terms of mutual understanding both in the country's Parliament and on the central political scene."
He noted as a positive fact that these conferences "coincide with the completion of the Programme and, after 8 years, the long-desired exit of the country from the Stewardship". He stressed that "Today we can be more optimistic, because the economy is reaching the goals and the completion of the 4th Assessment, which, combined with the debt relief processes, will pave the way for a definite and clear exit from the adventure of the Memoranda." He underlined that "The road from here on is open. 2018 will be better than 2017 and 2019 even better than 2018".
He pointed out, however, that "it is not a forgone conclusion that we will succeed. Our basic tool for "the next day" is the National Development Strategy."
It is based on three pillars.
-The first is fiscal and macroeconomic stability. So that the country can ensure its autonomous course.
-The second pillar is supporting work, tackling unemployment and upgrading and broadening the welfare state.
-Finally, the third pillar is the change in the country's productive model.
"So we are planning the next day, we are planning the return of the country and the society to normality and growth, but far away from the pathogens and distortions of the past due to the old regime of clientelism and vested interests, which undermined the country's path of development and eventually led to bankruptcy."
He said that he was impressed by the way in which Mr. Mitsotakis "chose to attack the procedures to remove political party interests from the Public Administration". This is "a huge intervention, a great reform with which we are proceeding in complete agreement with the Institutions that are praising the Greek Government because it is the first time in the modern history of the Greek State that the initiative has been taken to get grips with the mentality that the state is the booty of the governing political party."
He called on the New Democracy President to explain more clearly his positions on redundancies in the public sector and his position on moving to private insurance. "That", he commented," if ever applied, would immediately put the viability of the insurance system at risk along with citizens' insurance rights and would lead to hundreds of insured people being on starvation pensions without health care."
"It is up to us to not let Greece turn backwards. Those who threw the country onto the rocks still seem to have a plan to return us to the harsh, indiscriminate, class choices that, on the pretext of the crisis, they were happy to implement during the great plunder 2010-2014."
He stressed that the "next day" Greece must find itself and will find itself free of neo-liberal dogmatism. Free from the logic of Social Darwinism and from a political system steeped in clientelist relationships, corruption and vested interests."
He noted that it is a key priority and commitment to the citizens "not only to extricate the country from the Memoranda, but to do our part to bring in a clean-up and justice." He made it clear that "we will not go back in any way and for anybody, how ever much pressure and how ever many threats we receive." "All cases will be investigated by the Judiciary, which is now left alone to concentrate on taking decisions according to the law, concerning everyone irrespective of how "high" they are."
Referring to the words of the Regional Governor of Central Macedonia earlier on the issue of the country's differences with FYROM, Alexis Tsipras stressed that "Central Macedonia and Thessaloniki in particular, wanting to be the pole and pillar of development, can only benefit from the resolution of our dispute with our Northern Neighbours."
He clarified that "this does not mean that we are going into a negotiation to achieve just any solution. We are negotiating with a sense of national responsibility and with the aim of achieving a solution that will safeguard our history and our heritage and at the same time put an end to irredentism from the other side."
"We have set the bar high in the negotiation. We want a solution that will last for all time, not a solution that runs the risk of collapsing very soon, so we have also made it a prerequisite, among other things, that the Neighbours’ Constitution is changed."
"We will do not what is defined by party political interest but what is defined by the national interest," the Prime Minister said, and called on the other side to step up to the situation, because for them it is a matter of existential importance "and I hope they will understand it and have the strength to take the difficult decisions that are, however, necessary."
To the discussions taking place at the Regional Conferences, "the Government is coming without preconceptions, without asking for anyone’s political credentials and without pushing any other agenda beyond common work and consultation on the productive reconstruction of each region," he said, speaking at the Regional Conference on the Reconstruction of Production of Central Macedonia.
He said the aim was a productive discussion, to find solutions together. "It would be desirable for all of us to reach such terms of mutual understanding both in the country's Parliament and on the central political scene."
He noted as a positive fact that these conferences "coincide with the completion of the Programme and, after 8 years, the long-desired exit of the country from the Stewardship". He stressed that "Today we can be more optimistic, because the economy is reaching the goals and the completion of the 4th Assessment, which, combined with the debt relief processes, will pave the way for a definite and clear exit from the adventure of the Memoranda." He underlined that "The road from here on is open. 2018 will be better than 2017 and 2019 even better than 2018".
He pointed out, however, that "it is not a forgone conclusion that we will succeed. Our basic tool for "the next day" is the National Development Strategy."
It is based on three pillars.
-The first is fiscal and macroeconomic stability. So that the country can ensure its autonomous course.
-The second pillar is supporting work, tackling unemployment and upgrading and broadening the welfare state.
-Finally, the third pillar is the change in the country's productive model.
"So we are planning the next day, we are planning the return of the country and the society to normality and growth, but far away from the pathogens and distortions of the past due to the old regime of clientelism and vested interests, which undermined the country's path of development and eventually led to bankruptcy."
He said that he was impressed by the way in which Mr. Mitsotakis "chose to attack the procedures to remove political party interests from the Public Administration". This is "a huge intervention, a great reform with which we are proceeding in complete agreement with the Institutions that are praising the Greek Government because it is the first time in the modern history of the Greek State that the initiative has been taken to get grips with the mentality that the state is the booty of the governing political party."
He called on the New Democracy President to explain more clearly his positions on redundancies in the public sector and his position on moving to private insurance. "That", he commented," if ever applied, would immediately put the viability of the insurance system at risk along with citizens' insurance rights and would lead to hundreds of insured people being on starvation pensions without health care."
"It is up to us to not let Greece turn backwards. Those who threw the country onto the rocks still seem to have a plan to return us to the harsh, indiscriminate, class choices that, on the pretext of the crisis, they were happy to implement during the great plunder 2010-2014."
He stressed that the "next day" Greece must find itself and will find itself free of neo-liberal dogmatism. Free from the logic of Social Darwinism and from a political system steeped in clientelist relationships, corruption and vested interests."
He noted that it is a key priority and commitment to the citizens "not only to extricate the country from the Memoranda, but to do our part to bring in a clean-up and justice." He made it clear that "we will not go back in any way and for anybody, how ever much pressure and how ever many threats we receive." "All cases will be investigated by the Judiciary, which is now left alone to concentrate on taking decisions according to the law, concerning everyone irrespective of how "high" they are."
Referring to the words of the Regional Governor of Central Macedonia earlier on the issue of the country's differences with FYROM, Alexis Tsipras stressed that "Central Macedonia and Thessaloniki in particular, wanting to be the pole and pillar of development, can only benefit from the resolution of our dispute with our Northern Neighbours."
He clarified that "this does not mean that we are going into a negotiation to achieve just any solution. We are negotiating with a sense of national responsibility and with the aim of achieving a solution that will safeguard our history and our heritage and at the same time put an end to irredentism from the other side."
"We have set the bar high in the negotiation. We want a solution that will last for all time, not a solution that runs the risk of collapsing very soon, so we have also made it a prerequisite, among other things, that the Neighbours’ Constitution is changed."
"We will do not what is defined by party political interest but what is defined by the national interest," the Prime Minister said, and called on the other side to step up to the situation, because for them it is a matter of existential importance "and I hope they will understand it and have the strength to take the difficult decisions that are, however, necessary."
GREEK INDEPENDENCE DAY 25th March : The Prime Minister’s Message
Greece is a country that seeks solidarity and peaceful co-existence with its neighbours, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Sunday on the occasion of Greece’s War of Independence celebration.
The Prime Minister was on the island of Psara from where he addressed the nation on Greece’s Independence Day from Ottoman rule.
“Greece is a pole of stability and guarantor of the stability and the safety in the region and cannot allow anyone to play games that set this stability at risk.”
“Greece is a country with strong defences, not to threaten but to safeguard the peace and stability in the region, to serve the principle of good neighbourly relations.”
“Our thoughts are with the Greek servicemen that are currently detained in Edirne and we are doing whatever is necessary to bring them back to Greece soon”.
“The next page of our history belongs to a Greece free from the wounds of the economic crisis and the suffocating supervision that we experienced over the last 8 years, a period that comes to an end in a few months” he said adding that “now is the moment that we must build the future of our country on solid foundations.”
“Greece is facing the future with optimism and is standing up as a modern, European and democratic country with social justice, equality and total respect to the freedoms of the individual.”
Greece is a country that seeks solidarity and peaceful co-existence with its neighbours, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Sunday on the occasion of Greece’s War of Independence celebration.
The Prime Minister was on the island of Psara from where he addressed the nation on Greece’s Independence Day from Ottoman rule.
“Greece is a pole of stability and guarantor of the stability and the safety in the region and cannot allow anyone to play games that set this stability at risk.”
“Greece is a country with strong defences, not to threaten but to safeguard the peace and stability in the region, to serve the principle of good neighbourly relations.”
“Our thoughts are with the Greek servicemen that are currently detained in Edirne and we are doing whatever is necessary to bring them back to Greece soon”.
“The next page of our history belongs to a Greece free from the wounds of the economic crisis and the suffocating supervision that we experienced over the last 8 years, a period that comes to an end in a few months” he said adding that “now is the moment that we must build the future of our country on solid foundations.”
“Greece is facing the future with optimism and is standing up as a modern, European and democratic country with social justice, equality and total respect to the freedoms of the individual.”
THE ECONOMY
On Tuesday, the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) approved the disbursement of a 5.7€ billion bailout loan sub-tranche to Greece.
The Finance Ministry plans to use the funds to repay debt (3.3€ billion) and State arrears (500€ million), as well as build a cash buffer that will help the country achieve a "clean exit" from its bailout programme in August 2018.
A further 1€ billion will be released in April, providing that State arrears have been cleared as agreed with international creditors; and the electronic auctioning of foreclosed properties continues smoothly.
The decision follows the Greek Government’s completion of all prior actions and the subsequent approval of the Supplemental Memorandum of Understanding by the ESM Board of Governors.
ESM Managing Director Klaus Regling said: "Today's decision by the ESM Board of Directors acknowledges the hard work by the Greek Government and Greek people in completing an extensive set of reforms. These include important actions in the field of privatisation, public revenue collection, tax policy and resolution of non-performing loans (NPLs). The fourth and final review of the programme has already started and I am confident that Greece is on track to successfully exit the ESM programme in August 2018, provided that the remaining reforms are implemented by the Greek Government".
The conclusion of the 4th Assessment of the bailout programme is now expected to be discussed during a July Eurogroup meeting.
On Tuesday, the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) approved the disbursement of a 5.7€ billion bailout loan sub-tranche to Greece.
The Finance Ministry plans to use the funds to repay debt (3.3€ billion) and State arrears (500€ million), as well as build a cash buffer that will help the country achieve a "clean exit" from its bailout programme in August 2018.
A further 1€ billion will be released in April, providing that State arrears have been cleared as agreed with international creditors; and the electronic auctioning of foreclosed properties continues smoothly.
The decision follows the Greek Government’s completion of all prior actions and the subsequent approval of the Supplemental Memorandum of Understanding by the ESM Board of Governors.
ESM Managing Director Klaus Regling said: "Today's decision by the ESM Board of Directors acknowledges the hard work by the Greek Government and Greek people in completing an extensive set of reforms. These include important actions in the field of privatisation, public revenue collection, tax policy and resolution of non-performing loans (NPLs). The fourth and final review of the programme has already started and I am confident that Greece is on track to successfully exit the ESM programme in August 2018, provided that the remaining reforms are implemented by the Greek Government".
The conclusion of the 4th Assessment of the bailout programme is now expected to be discussed during a July Eurogroup meeting.
From left, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker meeting at the EU-Turkey summit, in Varna, Bulgaria, on Monday.
GREECE-TURKEY Relations: The EU Response
From left, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker prepare for a photo prior to a meeting at the EU-Turkey summit, in Varna, Bulgaria, on Monday.
European leaders urged Turkey to comply with international laws and EU standards if the country wants to continue on a path to EU membership in the future.
The EU-Turkey leaders’ meeting took place on 26th March at the Evksinograd residence in Varna, Bulgaria and brought together Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, Boyko Borissov, Prime Minister of Bulgaria, and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of Turkey.
The working dinner assesed matters of mutual interest and recent developments in Turkey, including the country’s illegal actions in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea and its involvement in Syria.
At their last EU summit on 22-23 March, EU leaders had called on Turkey to respect Cyprus’ sovereign rights to explore and exploit its natural resources, in line with EU and international law.
In this meeting they also recalled Turkey’s obligation to respect international law and good neighbourly relations, and normalize relations with all EU member states including the Republic of Cyprus.
The European Union also expressed its grave concern over the continued detention of two Greek soldiers and EU citizens in Turkey.
European Council President Tusk’s full statement:
Let me first of all thank Prime Minister Borissov for hosting us . Today’s EU-Turkey meeting reaffirms the importance both sides give to our relationship.
At our meeting in Brussels last year we agreed to intensify our dialogue at different levels. Since then a number of high level meetings have taken place between the EU and Turkey. This evening we took stock of where things stand and set out some parameters for the future.
On migration and support for refugees, the EU and Turkey remain very close partners. I would like to express our appreciation for the impressive work Turkey has been doing, and to sincerely thank Turkey and the Turkish people for hosting more than 3 million Syrian refugees these past years. The EU has lent substantial support to improve the lives of these refugees, and this evening we reaffirmed the European Union’s unwavering commitment to continue this support.
As an EU candidate country, Turkey has committed to developing and upholding the highest standards of democracy. We understand Turkey’s need to deal effectively with its security after the attempted coup and the terrorist attacks it has suffered. But we are concerned that some of the methods used undermine fundamental freedoms and the rule of law in Turkey. We encourage Turkey to work with the Council of Europe, of which Turkey has been a member longer than most EU Member States. The EU also stands ready to assist.
Good bilateral relations with EU Member States are also an important commitment within the accession process. We welcome positive progress in recent months with some of our Member States, but still have serious concerns about inter alia recent Turkish actions in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea as well as the detention of EU citizens. The European Union stands united behind the Republic of Cyprus regarding its right to explore and exploit its natural resources in its Exclusive Economic Zone. This is also important in view of our shared objective for the successful reunification of Cyprus for the benefit of both populations on the island, for Turkey, the European Union and for EU-Turkey relations.
We also had a discussion this evening on working together in the field of counter-terrorism. We want to expand our cooperation with regard to Foreign Terrorist Fighters; another area where we share important security interests.
We also expressed our concern with Turkey’s actions in Syria, in particular the situation in Afrin. Escalating violence and displacement in an already tragic and volatile situation must be avoided. And we recalled Turkey’s responsibility to ensure the protection of civilians and the delivery of humanitarian assistance to all those in need.
Let me end by thanking President Erdoğan for coming to Varna. Our meeting today demonstrated that while our relationship is going through difficult times, in areas where we do cooperate, we cooperate well. We reconfirm our readiness to keep up the dialogue and consultations and to work together to overcome current difficulties with a view to unleashing the potential of our partnership. I remain fully committed to assisting in this process. Thank you!
President of the European Commission Jean Claude Juncker called on the Turkish President to release the two Greek soldiers "before Orthodox Easter", while at the same time saying that "the issues of Greece and Cyprus will determine to a significant extent the relations between the EU and Turkey."
However, the meeting and the joint statements of the four made it clear that the EU-Turkey relationship remains difficult and Donald Tusk and Jean Claude Juncker admitted that the two sides did not reach "solid solutions".
Turkish President Erdogan reacted in equally tough language, accusing Europe of siding with the Greeks and Cypriots. "The language used at the conclusion of the Turkish summit on Thursday evening is the most aggressive and sharp in the history of Euro-Turkish relations," commented a European official.
From left, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker prepare for a photo prior to a meeting at the EU-Turkey summit, in Varna, Bulgaria, on Monday.
European leaders urged Turkey to comply with international laws and EU standards if the country wants to continue on a path to EU membership in the future.
The EU-Turkey leaders’ meeting took place on 26th March at the Evksinograd residence in Varna, Bulgaria and brought together Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, Boyko Borissov, Prime Minister of Bulgaria, and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of Turkey.
The working dinner assesed matters of mutual interest and recent developments in Turkey, including the country’s illegal actions in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea and its involvement in Syria.
At their last EU summit on 22-23 March, EU leaders had called on Turkey to respect Cyprus’ sovereign rights to explore and exploit its natural resources, in line with EU and international law.
In this meeting they also recalled Turkey’s obligation to respect international law and good neighbourly relations, and normalize relations with all EU member states including the Republic of Cyprus.
The European Union also expressed its grave concern over the continued detention of two Greek soldiers and EU citizens in Turkey.
European Council President Tusk’s full statement:
Let me first of all thank Prime Minister Borissov for hosting us . Today’s EU-Turkey meeting reaffirms the importance both sides give to our relationship.
At our meeting in Brussels last year we agreed to intensify our dialogue at different levels. Since then a number of high level meetings have taken place between the EU and Turkey. This evening we took stock of where things stand and set out some parameters for the future.
On migration and support for refugees, the EU and Turkey remain very close partners. I would like to express our appreciation for the impressive work Turkey has been doing, and to sincerely thank Turkey and the Turkish people for hosting more than 3 million Syrian refugees these past years. The EU has lent substantial support to improve the lives of these refugees, and this evening we reaffirmed the European Union’s unwavering commitment to continue this support.
As an EU candidate country, Turkey has committed to developing and upholding the highest standards of democracy. We understand Turkey’s need to deal effectively with its security after the attempted coup and the terrorist attacks it has suffered. But we are concerned that some of the methods used undermine fundamental freedoms and the rule of law in Turkey. We encourage Turkey to work with the Council of Europe, of which Turkey has been a member longer than most EU Member States. The EU also stands ready to assist.
Good bilateral relations with EU Member States are also an important commitment within the accession process. We welcome positive progress in recent months with some of our Member States, but still have serious concerns about inter alia recent Turkish actions in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea as well as the detention of EU citizens. The European Union stands united behind the Republic of Cyprus regarding its right to explore and exploit its natural resources in its Exclusive Economic Zone. This is also important in view of our shared objective for the successful reunification of Cyprus for the benefit of both populations on the island, for Turkey, the European Union and for EU-Turkey relations.
We also had a discussion this evening on working together in the field of counter-terrorism. We want to expand our cooperation with regard to Foreign Terrorist Fighters; another area where we share important security interests.
We also expressed our concern with Turkey’s actions in Syria, in particular the situation in Afrin. Escalating violence and displacement in an already tragic and volatile situation must be avoided. And we recalled Turkey’s responsibility to ensure the protection of civilians and the delivery of humanitarian assistance to all those in need.
Let me end by thanking President Erdoğan for coming to Varna. Our meeting today demonstrated that while our relationship is going through difficult times, in areas where we do cooperate, we cooperate well. We reconfirm our readiness to keep up the dialogue and consultations and to work together to overcome current difficulties with a view to unleashing the potential of our partnership. I remain fully committed to assisting in this process. Thank you!
President of the European Commission Jean Claude Juncker called on the Turkish President to release the two Greek soldiers "before Orthodox Easter", while at the same time saying that "the issues of Greece and Cyprus will determine to a significant extent the relations between the EU and Turkey."
However, the meeting and the joint statements of the four made it clear that the EU-Turkey relationship remains difficult and Donald Tusk and Jean Claude Juncker admitted that the two sides did not reach "solid solutions".
Turkish President Erdogan reacted in equally tough language, accusing Europe of siding with the Greeks and Cypriots. "The language used at the conclusion of the Turkish summit on Thursday evening is the most aggressive and sharp in the history of Euro-Turkish relations," commented a European official.
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS
The proposed changes in the teaching of Religions "shake the religious Christian consciousness to its foundation" and change the Orthodox character of the state. That was the decision of the majority of the Judges of the Supreme Court.
This report came from the SYRIZA Press Office.
In the end, does the legal judgement, the judicial interpretation of the Law, or does it not reflect the mark of our time?
The reflection on the rationale of the judicial judgments comes forcefully to centre stage after both the acquittal of Metropolitan Ambrosios by the One-Member Magistrate’s Court of Aigion on the charge of public incitement to violence or hatred on the basis on the anti-racist laws and after the decision of the majority of the Supreme Court, which considered unconstitutional the changes in the curriculum of Religious Lessons by Minister Nikos Filis.
As can be seen from the specific judgments, the interpretation of the law does not go hand in hand with the needs of modern times. On the contrary, their thinking seems to be in line with the perceptions of an anachronistic and obscurantist bloc in the Church, which makes it even more imperative for us to talk openly about the forthcoming revision of the Constitutional and the relationship between the State and the Church. It is imperative for us to reconsider basic concepts, such as neutrality, freedom of conscience, and religious freedom.
The changes in the teaching of Religions "shake the religious Christian consciousness to its foundation" and changes the Orthodox character of the state. That was what was decided by the majority of the Judges of the Supreme Court, accepting the appeal of Metropolitan Piraeus Seraphim of the Holy Metropolis of Piraeus, the Centre of Patristic Studies, and parents. Yet another proof that the Judiciary often supports the Church's interventions in education and beyond. Besides, the Piraeus Metropolitan's appeal against the Cohabitation Agreement, the complaint against the producers of the "Corpus Cristi" show, and his rhetoric on homosexuality, which he had equated with paedophilia and bestiality cannot be seen as chance events…
The rationale behind the decision on the changes in the teaching of Religions is that they are contrary to constitutional provisions and to the European Convention on Human Rights. According to the majority of the Judges, "the orthodox Christian conscience of the disciples in the mainstream religion of the Eastern Orthodox Church of Christ" is being undermined (...) and that "the contested decision should be concerned exclusively with Orthodox Christian students and should be designed towards the consolidation and continuation of the Orthodox Christian consciousness."
They underline that the programmes of study are deficient in the content of Orthodox Christian teaching, as there is no reference to the Holy Unity and Indivisible Trinity which all Greek constitutions refer to in their headings and that, in the Third Grade of Primary School, Jesus Christ is presented as a stranger, as an expected Messiah, as a teacher who all admire, as a dear friend, not as the saviour of the world.
The Minority of the Supreme Court: “The lesson does not have the character of a catechism”
The thinking of the five judges of the minority is following a totally different logic. They argue in favour of constitutionality, noting that "the contested activity (...) serves the purpose of providing a state religious education which is pluralist and evaluatively neutral, adequately presenting the teaching of Orthodoxy as provided by the Constitution and the provisions of the international conventions. It follows that the opposing pleas in law, which are based on a misinterpretation of the relevant provisions, must be dismissed as unfounded, while the further challenge to the substantive judgment and to the pedagogical choices of the administration is inadmissible and goes beyond judicial review, which in this case is borderline".
As they point out, the Constitution and the international conventions "do not in any way oblige the legislator to give Religious Lessons a confessional or catechistic character, since this would amount not to the "development"of religious consciousness in the above-mentioned sense, but to the "imposition" of religious consciousness with a specific content . The five judges who were in the Minority are Vice-President Spyridoula Chrysikopoulou and State Judges Ioannis Mantzouranis, Theodoros Aravanis, Michalis Pikramenos and Anastasia-Maria Papadimitriou.
Education Minister Kostas Gavroglou said “We are continuing our work. We will not succumb to obscurantism”. "Obscurantism has many social and political expressions. The objective of all this is to prevent the Government from proceeding with reforms of issues that involve an illness from which we have suffered for so many years,"said the Minister of Education, stressing that the Government will not succumb to threats and blackmail. Asked about possible changes to Religious Lessons this year, he explained that the Supreme Court’s decision concerns the previous year and does not play any role in the way of teaching this year. At the same time, he also referred to the effort to modernize other school lessons, such as History.
Invited to comment on the decision of the Supreme Court, Archbishop Ieronymos simply stated that the Church and the State would continue their cooperation. "We always respect court rulings. This issue will continue. We have agreed with the Ministry that the Church and the State should continue their co-operation so that this will eventually become a course-book."
The proposed changes in the teaching of Religions "shake the religious Christian consciousness to its foundation" and change the Orthodox character of the state. That was the decision of the majority of the Judges of the Supreme Court.
This report came from the SYRIZA Press Office.
In the end, does the legal judgement, the judicial interpretation of the Law, or does it not reflect the mark of our time?
The reflection on the rationale of the judicial judgments comes forcefully to centre stage after both the acquittal of Metropolitan Ambrosios by the One-Member Magistrate’s Court of Aigion on the charge of public incitement to violence or hatred on the basis on the anti-racist laws and after the decision of the majority of the Supreme Court, which considered unconstitutional the changes in the curriculum of Religious Lessons by Minister Nikos Filis.
As can be seen from the specific judgments, the interpretation of the law does not go hand in hand with the needs of modern times. On the contrary, their thinking seems to be in line with the perceptions of an anachronistic and obscurantist bloc in the Church, which makes it even more imperative for us to talk openly about the forthcoming revision of the Constitutional and the relationship between the State and the Church. It is imperative for us to reconsider basic concepts, such as neutrality, freedom of conscience, and religious freedom.
The changes in the teaching of Religions "shake the religious Christian consciousness to its foundation" and changes the Orthodox character of the state. That was what was decided by the majority of the Judges of the Supreme Court, accepting the appeal of Metropolitan Piraeus Seraphim of the Holy Metropolis of Piraeus, the Centre of Patristic Studies, and parents. Yet another proof that the Judiciary often supports the Church's interventions in education and beyond. Besides, the Piraeus Metropolitan's appeal against the Cohabitation Agreement, the complaint against the producers of the "Corpus Cristi" show, and his rhetoric on homosexuality, which he had equated with paedophilia and bestiality cannot be seen as chance events…
The rationale behind the decision on the changes in the teaching of Religions is that they are contrary to constitutional provisions and to the European Convention on Human Rights. According to the majority of the Judges, "the orthodox Christian conscience of the disciples in the mainstream religion of the Eastern Orthodox Church of Christ" is being undermined (...) and that "the contested decision should be concerned exclusively with Orthodox Christian students and should be designed towards the consolidation and continuation of the Orthodox Christian consciousness."
They underline that the programmes of study are deficient in the content of Orthodox Christian teaching, as there is no reference to the Holy Unity and Indivisible Trinity which all Greek constitutions refer to in their headings and that, in the Third Grade of Primary School, Jesus Christ is presented as a stranger, as an expected Messiah, as a teacher who all admire, as a dear friend, not as the saviour of the world.
The Minority of the Supreme Court: “The lesson does not have the character of a catechism”
The thinking of the five judges of the minority is following a totally different logic. They argue in favour of constitutionality, noting that "the contested activity (...) serves the purpose of providing a state religious education which is pluralist and evaluatively neutral, adequately presenting the teaching of Orthodoxy as provided by the Constitution and the provisions of the international conventions. It follows that the opposing pleas in law, which are based on a misinterpretation of the relevant provisions, must be dismissed as unfounded, while the further challenge to the substantive judgment and to the pedagogical choices of the administration is inadmissible and goes beyond judicial review, which in this case is borderline".
As they point out, the Constitution and the international conventions "do not in any way oblige the legislator to give Religious Lessons a confessional or catechistic character, since this would amount not to the "development"of religious consciousness in the above-mentioned sense, but to the "imposition" of religious consciousness with a specific content . The five judges who were in the Minority are Vice-President Spyridoula Chrysikopoulou and State Judges Ioannis Mantzouranis, Theodoros Aravanis, Michalis Pikramenos and Anastasia-Maria Papadimitriou.
Education Minister Kostas Gavroglou said “We are continuing our work. We will not succumb to obscurantism”. "Obscurantism has many social and political expressions. The objective of all this is to prevent the Government from proceeding with reforms of issues that involve an illness from which we have suffered for so many years,"said the Minister of Education, stressing that the Government will not succumb to threats and blackmail. Asked about possible changes to Religious Lessons this year, he explained that the Supreme Court’s decision concerns the previous year and does not play any role in the way of teaching this year. At the same time, he also referred to the effort to modernize other school lessons, such as History.
Invited to comment on the decision of the Supreme Court, Archbishop Ieronymos simply stated that the Church and the State would continue their cooperation. "We always respect court rulings. This issue will continue. We have agreed with the Ministry that the Church and the State should continue their co-operation so that this will eventually become a course-book."
Bishop Ambrosios to face re-trial
A Greek Orthodox bishop is facing a re-trial over comments in which he allegedly incited violence against gay people, after government officials criticized his initial acquittal.
A Greek court had acquitted Metropolitan Bishop Ambrosios of Kalavryta of a charged brought against him by nine gay men over comments in a 2015 blog post in which he directed the Greek faithful to “spit on them,” referring to gay people. Opposition parties united with the Government in criticism of the acquittal, and a senior prosecutor filed an appeal against the ruling on Monday.
Justice Minister Stavros Kontonis also requested transcripts of Kalavryta’s initial trial to check to see if their were any errors in the process which would justify a re-trial. If convicted of incitement of violence against gay people, Bishop Ambrosios could face a fine of up to 20,000€ and a maximum of three years in prison.
Bishop Ambrosios railed in the 2015 blog post against a Greek politician who he said openly supported homosexuality.
“Homosexuality is a diversion from the Laws of Nature! It is a social felony! It is a sin! Those who either experience it or support it are not normal people! It’s a scum of society,” a translation of Ambrosios’ blog post read (emphasis his).
Bishop Ambrosios directed his readers later in the post to remember the words of Lech Walesa, with regard to how they should treat those who support homosexuality and atheism.
“Hey, then, these scoundrels, spit on them! Discard them! Blacken(sic) them! They are not people! They are abodes of nature! Mental and spiritual suffering(sic)! They are people with mental disorders(sic),” he quoted Lech Walesa as saying.
Bishop Ambrosios is known for taking strong public stances against homosexuality and transgenderism and leading churches in opposition against legislation favouring LGBT individuals. He directed churches in his diocese to protest against the passing of a law in October of 2017 that allowed Greek citizens to identify as whichever gender they choose.
“It is an outrageous inspiration for someone to change his gender in a few minutes, with a simple declaration, so contrary to what God has gifted people with … whoever has ‘gender dysphoria’ is mentally ill,” a statement approved by the orthodox leaders of Kalavryta read concerning the law.
A Greek Orthodox bishop is facing a re-trial over comments in which he allegedly incited violence against gay people, after government officials criticized his initial acquittal.
A Greek court had acquitted Metropolitan Bishop Ambrosios of Kalavryta of a charged brought against him by nine gay men over comments in a 2015 blog post in which he directed the Greek faithful to “spit on them,” referring to gay people. Opposition parties united with the Government in criticism of the acquittal, and a senior prosecutor filed an appeal against the ruling on Monday.
Justice Minister Stavros Kontonis also requested transcripts of Kalavryta’s initial trial to check to see if their were any errors in the process which would justify a re-trial. If convicted of incitement of violence against gay people, Bishop Ambrosios could face a fine of up to 20,000€ and a maximum of three years in prison.
Bishop Ambrosios railed in the 2015 blog post against a Greek politician who he said openly supported homosexuality.
“Homosexuality is a diversion from the Laws of Nature! It is a social felony! It is a sin! Those who either experience it or support it are not normal people! It’s a scum of society,” a translation of Ambrosios’ blog post read (emphasis his).
Bishop Ambrosios directed his readers later in the post to remember the words of Lech Walesa, with regard to how they should treat those who support homosexuality and atheism.
“Hey, then, these scoundrels, spit on them! Discard them! Blacken(sic) them! They are not people! They are abodes of nature! Mental and spiritual suffering(sic)! They are people with mental disorders(sic),” he quoted Lech Walesa as saying.
Bishop Ambrosios is known for taking strong public stances against homosexuality and transgenderism and leading churches in opposition against legislation favouring LGBT individuals. He directed churches in his diocese to protest against the passing of a law in October of 2017 that allowed Greek citizens to identify as whichever gender they choose.
“It is an outrageous inspiration for someone to change his gender in a few minutes, with a simple declaration, so contrary to what God has gifted people with … whoever has ‘gender dysphoria’ is mentally ill,” a statement approved by the orthodox leaders of Kalavryta read concerning the law.
PLASTIC BAG PRODUCTION PLUMMETS
Greek plastic bag industries are reporting an annual decline in output by 80% in the first quarter of the year as a result of the environmental tax plastic bags introduced from January 1st 2018.
Supermarkets and other retail outlets charge between four and nine euro cents per plastic bag, including value-added tax and depending on their size.
Ioannis Kaselimis, a representative of the Association of Hellenic Plastic Industries (SVPE) said that after the harmonization of the national legislation with the European Union directives, the industries that continue to produce plastic bags do so only when they have a specific delivery date for their orders.
While there is no environmental tax imposed on thicker plastic bags for which retailers are allowed to charge what they like, their orders are not enough to offset the losses from the dramatic decline in the production of the conventional, thin plastic bags. According to plastic industry insiders, it is only medium-sized supermarket chains that have shown an increase in orders for the thicker bags.
Greek plastic bag industries are reporting an annual decline in output by 80% in the first quarter of the year as a result of the environmental tax plastic bags introduced from January 1st 2018.
Supermarkets and other retail outlets charge between four and nine euro cents per plastic bag, including value-added tax and depending on their size.
Ioannis Kaselimis, a representative of the Association of Hellenic Plastic Industries (SVPE) said that after the harmonization of the national legislation with the European Union directives, the industries that continue to produce plastic bags do so only when they have a specific delivery date for their orders.
While there is no environmental tax imposed on thicker plastic bags for which retailers are allowed to charge what they like, their orders are not enough to offset the losses from the dramatic decline in the production of the conventional, thin plastic bags. According to plastic industry insiders, it is only medium-sized supermarket chains that have shown an increase in orders for the thicker bags.
European Union condemns Turkish "unlawful acts"
24.03.2018
For the first time, the European Council at the end of its meeting included in its final text a strong condemnation of Turkey's unlawful acts in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean. The text expressed a clear position of support for both Greece and Cyprus over Turkey's provocation and the demand for immediate release of the two Greek soldiers.
Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias said in a statement after the Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels: "The European partners show their solidarity and sympathy. As you know, Chancellor Merkel has already intervened with Mr Erdogan himself. I hope and I want to believe that this will have a positive outcome in the sense that Turkey will not seek and will not continue to use an everyday event on the border between the two states as a weapon,"the Greek minister said.
There was also a commitment from European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council President Donald Tusk to raise the issue of two Greek soldiers with Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan at the Varna Summit on Monday 26th March. Both demanded clear guarantees on the part of Turkey about respecting the sovereign rights of Greece and the return of the two Greek soldiers.
Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias said in a statement after the Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels: "The European partners show their solidarity and sympathy. As you know, Chancellor Merkel has already intervened with Mr Erdogan himself. I hope and I want to believe that this will have a positive outcome in the sense that Turkey will not seek and will not continue to use an everyday event on the border between the two states as a weapon,"the Greek minister said.
There was also a commitment from European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council President Donald Tusk to raise the issue of two Greek soldiers with Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan at the Varna Summit on Monday 26th March. Both demanded clear guarantees on the part of Turkey about respecting the sovereign rights of Greece and the return of the two Greek soldiers.
Novartis Scandal
New Democracy and all the opposition parties halted their participation in the Parliamentary Commission of Preliminary Inquiry into the Novartis scandal, maintaining that the protected witnesses should be summoned to the Commission and that the case file should not be sent to the Judiciary for it to continue the investigation.
The Prime Minister's press office released this statement:
"New Democracy, under the weight of the storm of revelations that are part of in the Novartis investigation, takes to its feet out of the Parliamentary Commission of Preliminary Inquiry, since it understands that its line of defence is collapsing and the band is tightening for all those who want to protect themselves from the consequences of the law.
"The planned and premeditated withdrawal of New Democracy and those who followed it, is another move of cheap diversion with the aim of causing a sensation and covering up the unprecedented scandal
"The disorderly and unexpected flight of New Democracy from the constitutionally mandated procedure of the Commission comes after its failure to create unnecessary delay and procrastinations that could jeopardize the very elucidation of the case itself.
Whatever New Democracy and its President Mr. Mitsotakis concocts, one thing is certain: The investigation of the case will proceed with respect for the constitutional and procedural rules so that those responsible are brought before the competent courts and are held accountable for the abuse of power and the squandering of public money."
The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention
In his submission to the Parliamentary Commission of Preliminary Inquiry into the scandals in the health sector, the Deputy Health Minister Pavlos Polakis revealed that 230€ million is missing from the funds of the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention [ΚΕΕΛΠΝΟ]. This amount has been going missing since 2007, he said.
The data was revealed in the last 10 days when the Health Ministry managed to collect together all the balance sheets.
"ΚΕΕΛΠΝΟ received 750€ million and spent 522€ million. The cash balance of the ΚΕΕΛΠΝΟ accounts, which strangely enough are many in number, is 3,173,703€. Where is the rest? This requires immediate investigation by prosecutors. Where is the rest? Where did it go? Where are the 230€ million. I have learned that, particularly in recent years because in 2011 the chartered auditors stopped going, 2012, 2013 and 2014 are a black hole."
The Deputy Health Minister also made the accusation that supplies and services were paid for twice, when he spoke about a "gang" within ΚΕΕΛΠΝΟ.
New Democracy and all the opposition parties halted their participation in the Parliamentary Commission of Preliminary Inquiry into the Novartis scandal, maintaining that the protected witnesses should be summoned to the Commission and that the case file should not be sent to the Judiciary for it to continue the investigation.
The Prime Minister's press office released this statement:
"New Democracy, under the weight of the storm of revelations that are part of in the Novartis investigation, takes to its feet out of the Parliamentary Commission of Preliminary Inquiry, since it understands that its line of defence is collapsing and the band is tightening for all those who want to protect themselves from the consequences of the law.
"The planned and premeditated withdrawal of New Democracy and those who followed it, is another move of cheap diversion with the aim of causing a sensation and covering up the unprecedented scandal
"The disorderly and unexpected flight of New Democracy from the constitutionally mandated procedure of the Commission comes after its failure to create unnecessary delay and procrastinations that could jeopardize the very elucidation of the case itself.
Whatever New Democracy and its President Mr. Mitsotakis concocts, one thing is certain: The investigation of the case will proceed with respect for the constitutional and procedural rules so that those responsible are brought before the competent courts and are held accountable for the abuse of power and the squandering of public money."
The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention
In his submission to the Parliamentary Commission of Preliminary Inquiry into the scandals in the health sector, the Deputy Health Minister Pavlos Polakis revealed that 230€ million is missing from the funds of the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention [ΚΕΕΛΠΝΟ]. This amount has been going missing since 2007, he said.
The data was revealed in the last 10 days when the Health Ministry managed to collect together all the balance sheets.
"ΚΕΕΛΠΝΟ received 750€ million and spent 522€ million. The cash balance of the ΚΕΕΛΠΝΟ accounts, which strangely enough are many in number, is 3,173,703€. Where is the rest? This requires immediate investigation by prosecutors. Where is the rest? Where did it go? Where are the 230€ million. I have learned that, particularly in recent years because in 2011 the chartered auditors stopped going, 2012, 2013 and 2014 are a black hole."
The Deputy Health Minister also made the accusation that supplies and services were paid for twice, when he spoke about a "gang" within ΚΕΕΛΠΝΟ.
Electricity Connection in Cyclades
On Monday, on Syros, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras formally launched the power interconnection of a group of Cyclades islands – including Syros, Tinos, Paros and Ios – with Greece’s mainland grid, a linkup he described as "a project of historic significance."
PM Tsipras argued that linking the electricity networks via underwater cables will save money in energy production, ensure the sufficiency of supply to those islands, and have a favourable environmental footprint. Myconos is next in line.
The project, valued at 245€ million, will be funded by Greek national funds, EU funding, and European Investment Bank funds, and the annual benefit is projected at 80€ million, according to Government figures.
PM Tsipras said his Government had managed to launch a project that was for years mired in bureaucratic delays and which will offer the Cycladic islands an important push toward development, in an environmentally proper framework.
The project will significantly reduce the subsidies paid by all consumers – the so-called Social Benefits Services charge on bills nationwide - for the electrification of the islands.
The connection will provide adequate electricity to the popular Cycladic islands during the peak tourist summer months, while phasing out costly local plants.
“The Cycladic interconnection is a very important transmission project for the Greek electricity transmission system from both the technical and economic point of view. It is the first of its kind in terms of the number of the interconnected islands, the length and depth of the submarine cables, the technologies utilised and the transfer capacity required. The project is under construction and refers to the connection of the islands of Andros, Tinos, Syros, Mykonos, Paros and Naxos to the mainland at Lavrion in order to ensure the secure and reliable supply of the islands; it will also allow the gradual dismantling of the existing local power plants in the long-term. The project offers high economic benefits as it allows the substitution of expensive electricity produced by the local power plants by significantly cheaper electricity transferred from the mainland,” according to a study by HRO-Cigre, the International Council for Large Electric-Power Systems.
On Monday, on Syros, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras formally launched the power interconnection of a group of Cyclades islands – including Syros, Tinos, Paros and Ios – with Greece’s mainland grid, a linkup he described as "a project of historic significance."
PM Tsipras argued that linking the electricity networks via underwater cables will save money in energy production, ensure the sufficiency of supply to those islands, and have a favourable environmental footprint. Myconos is next in line.
The project, valued at 245€ million, will be funded by Greek national funds, EU funding, and European Investment Bank funds, and the annual benefit is projected at 80€ million, according to Government figures.
PM Tsipras said his Government had managed to launch a project that was for years mired in bureaucratic delays and which will offer the Cycladic islands an important push toward development, in an environmentally proper framework.
The project will significantly reduce the subsidies paid by all consumers – the so-called Social Benefits Services charge on bills nationwide - for the electrification of the islands.
The connection will provide adequate electricity to the popular Cycladic islands during the peak tourist summer months, while phasing out costly local plants.
“The Cycladic interconnection is a very important transmission project for the Greek electricity transmission system from both the technical and economic point of view. It is the first of its kind in terms of the number of the interconnected islands, the length and depth of the submarine cables, the technologies utilised and the transfer capacity required. The project is under construction and refers to the connection of the islands of Andros, Tinos, Syros, Mykonos, Paros and Naxos to the mainland at Lavrion in order to ensure the secure and reliable supply of the islands; it will also allow the gradual dismantling of the existing local power plants in the long-term. The project offers high economic benefits as it allows the substitution of expensive electricity produced by the local power plants by significantly cheaper electricity transferred from the mainland,” according to a study by HRO-Cigre, the International Council for Large Electric-Power Systems.
The Government's Development Plan
The outline of the Government's Development Plan is expected to be officially presented to the Eurogroup on April 27th 2018, said Deputy Minister of Economy and Development and Development Coordinator Alexis Haritsis.
In an interview with euro2day, he stressed that "we must overcome past policies and practices that have harmed the country's economy," adding that "we must not go back to obsolete models and practices of the past."
As he notes, developing the development strategy is an open consultation of bodies, society and parties. It is already being discussed at the Regional Conferences and will be submitted to Parliament House. "With the end of the Programme, the economy is moving into a new phase, where the biggest challenge is to design sustainable and equitable development."
He acknowledged the impact of the crisis and the destruction of the Greek economy, but noted that the inflow of €4 billion in foreign direct investment in 2017 will bring the country to pre-crisis levels. "Obviously not enough. However, it is an indication that the country is returning as an investment destination," he said.
The Deputy Minister of the Economy says investors are interested in knowing the country's development plan, something that was missing in previous years.
The Development Plan
Government sources said the Plan will simultaneously address four audiences (the Institutions, the markets, creditor states and Greek society) and will reflect the Ggovernment's willingness to ensure fiscal stability and to pursue structural reforms at state level and in the economy.
A strong social pillar with interventions in support of labour and the welfare state will send the message that the country is turning the page after the expiration of the Memoranda. This will create a sense of hope and perspective in society, and will contain specific targets for the reduction of unemployment.
The main focus of the strategy is human capital as a means for the gradual upgrading of the Greek economy in the production of increased value-added products and services, in the direction of the fourth industrial revolution and generally its transformation into an advanced knowledge economy.
Challenges
Key challenges are to strengthen the productive potential of the Greek economy, to increase employment, with particular emphasis on the integration of human resources - especially those with special expertise - into the economy, the reversal of the Greek migration trend, especially of scientific personnel, stopping the further reduction of the country's population, the improvement of social and regional cohesion, the reduction of poverty and environmental sustainability. These challenges, if properly planned for, constitute a fully coherent rectifying set of national-social and environmental interventions for the future of the country and include:
1. Orientation towards a new production model by (a) enhancing the technological content of products and services; (b) switching to internationally marketable products and products of higher added value; and (c) the effective integration of skilled human resources;
2. Enhanced business visibility
3. Strengthened domestic production potential through the creation of integrated value chains
4. Strengthened business networks and clusters of businesses
5. Strengthened industry and manufacturing
Foreign investment
Key instruments for achieving the strategy objectives to be included in the Development Plan are:
- structural reforms to improve the economic environment
- increasing investment, including Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)
- improving adequacy of the financial system
- implementing actions to tackle unemployment
- developing Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) by making more effective use of public property
- developing the social economy
- upgrading Public Administration and Education
- integrated development planning, coherent coordination, effective implementation, ongoing
monitoring and evaluation in the context of a fully upgraded and reformed effective state.
The outline of the Government's Development Plan is expected to be officially presented to the Eurogroup on April 27th 2018, said Deputy Minister of Economy and Development and Development Coordinator Alexis Haritsis.
In an interview with euro2day, he stressed that "we must overcome past policies and practices that have harmed the country's economy," adding that "we must not go back to obsolete models and practices of the past."
As he notes, developing the development strategy is an open consultation of bodies, society and parties. It is already being discussed at the Regional Conferences and will be submitted to Parliament House. "With the end of the Programme, the economy is moving into a new phase, where the biggest challenge is to design sustainable and equitable development."
He acknowledged the impact of the crisis and the destruction of the Greek economy, but noted that the inflow of €4 billion in foreign direct investment in 2017 will bring the country to pre-crisis levels. "Obviously not enough. However, it is an indication that the country is returning as an investment destination," he said.
The Deputy Minister of the Economy says investors are interested in knowing the country's development plan, something that was missing in previous years.
The Development Plan
Government sources said the Plan will simultaneously address four audiences (the Institutions, the markets, creditor states and Greek society) and will reflect the Ggovernment's willingness to ensure fiscal stability and to pursue structural reforms at state level and in the economy.
A strong social pillar with interventions in support of labour and the welfare state will send the message that the country is turning the page after the expiration of the Memoranda. This will create a sense of hope and perspective in society, and will contain specific targets for the reduction of unemployment.
The main focus of the strategy is human capital as a means for the gradual upgrading of the Greek economy in the production of increased value-added products and services, in the direction of the fourth industrial revolution and generally its transformation into an advanced knowledge economy.
Challenges
Key challenges are to strengthen the productive potential of the Greek economy, to increase employment, with particular emphasis on the integration of human resources - especially those with special expertise - into the economy, the reversal of the Greek migration trend, especially of scientific personnel, stopping the further reduction of the country's population, the improvement of social and regional cohesion, the reduction of poverty and environmental sustainability. These challenges, if properly planned for, constitute a fully coherent rectifying set of national-social and environmental interventions for the future of the country and include:
1. Orientation towards a new production model by (a) enhancing the technological content of products and services; (b) switching to internationally marketable products and products of higher added value; and (c) the effective integration of skilled human resources;
2. Enhanced business visibility
3. Strengthened domestic production potential through the creation of integrated value chains
4. Strengthened business networks and clusters of businesses
5. Strengthened industry and manufacturing
Foreign investment
Key instruments for achieving the strategy objectives to be included in the Development Plan are:
- structural reforms to improve the economic environment
- increasing investment, including Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)
- improving adequacy of the financial system
- implementing actions to tackle unemployment
- developing Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) by making more effective use of public property
- developing the social economy
- upgrading Public Administration and Education
- integrated development planning, coherent coordination, effective implementation, ongoing
monitoring and evaluation in the context of a fully upgraded and reformed effective state.
Highways - EU co-financed public-private partnerships (PPPs) under scrutiny
In its report, the European Court of Auditors identified significant problems with the EU co-financed public-private partnerships (PPPs) for three Greek motorways in the period 2000-2014.
Cost per kilometre increased by up to 69% from the original budget, at the same time there was a 55% reduction in the scope of projects. There was inadequate preparation of projects by public sector partners and, above all, contracts were signed with private contractors before major problems had been resolved.
The report concerns EU-funded PPP projects in the EU for the period 2000-2014 and looked at data from 12 projects in 4 Member States [Greece, France, Ireland and Spain], which accounted for 70% of the total infrastructure expenditure at European level.
Greece was by far the largest recipient of EU contributions for PPP projects, having received 59% of the EU-wide total, or 3.3€ billion euro.
"Public-Private Partnerships have multiple weaknesses and limited benefits," the Report said. "They can not be considered as an economically viable option for the construction of public infrastructure projects."
Overall, the European auditors found that while PPPs enabled public authorities to conclude large-scale infrastructure contracts through a single procedure, this increased the risk of insufficient competition and thus weakened the negotiating position of the contracting authorities.
At a press conference in Brussels, Mr Oskar Herics, Member of the European Court of Auditors and responsible for the report, said "For the completion of the five motorways audited in Greece and Spain, additional public funds of almost 1.5€ billions were expended. About 30% of these funds (€422 million) came from the EU ".
In addition, Mr Herics pointed to problems in the legal regulatory framework, which only applies in Greece to projects valued at less than €500 million, which effectively exempts major infrastructure projects such as the three motorways.
In its report, the European Court of Auditors identified significant problems with the EU co-financed public-private partnerships (PPPs) for three Greek motorways in the period 2000-2014.
Cost per kilometre increased by up to 69% from the original budget, at the same time there was a 55% reduction in the scope of projects. There was inadequate preparation of projects by public sector partners and, above all, contracts were signed with private contractors before major problems had been resolved.
The report concerns EU-funded PPP projects in the EU for the period 2000-2014 and looked at data from 12 projects in 4 Member States [Greece, France, Ireland and Spain], which accounted for 70% of the total infrastructure expenditure at European level.
Greece was by far the largest recipient of EU contributions for PPP projects, having received 59% of the EU-wide total, or 3.3€ billion euro.
"Public-Private Partnerships have multiple weaknesses and limited benefits," the Report said. "They can not be considered as an economically viable option for the construction of public infrastructure projects."
Overall, the European auditors found that while PPPs enabled public authorities to conclude large-scale infrastructure contracts through a single procedure, this increased the risk of insufficient competition and thus weakened the negotiating position of the contracting authorities.
At a press conference in Brussels, Mr Oskar Herics, Member of the European Court of Auditors and responsible for the report, said "For the completion of the five motorways audited in Greece and Spain, additional public funds of almost 1.5€ billions were expended. About 30% of these funds (€422 million) came from the EU ".
In addition, Mr Herics pointed to problems in the legal regulatory framework, which only applies in Greece to projects valued at less than €500 million, which effectively exempts major infrastructure projects such as the three motorways.
A court in Aigion on Friday acquitted Amvrosios, Bishop of Aigialeia and Kalavryta, on charges of hate speech and incitement to violence against homosexuals.
A court in Aigion on Friday acquitted Amvrosios, Bishop of Aigialeia and Kalavryta, on charges of hate speech and incitement to violence against homosexuals.
The charges were prompted by an internet posting in 2015, when Greece’s Parliament was in the process of granting legal status to same-sex unions.
In 2015 Amvrosios had written on his blog that the faithful “should spit on the gays”, calling homosexuals “abominations of nature.” In the blog the Bishop had posted a picture from the Gay Pride Parade showing a gay man dressed as a priest. “If I had a gun and the law would allow it, I would use it to get it over with.”
On January 16, 2016, nine citizens filed a lawsuit against the Bishop for public incitement to violence or hatred under Article 1 of Act 4285/2014 on combating racism but also for abuse of ecclesiastical office in accordance with Article 196 of the Penal Code, by which “a religious officer who in the practice of his work or publicly and in his capacity causes or excites citizens to anger against state authority or other citizens is punished by imprisonment for up to three years.”
Among other things, Metropolitan Amvrosios of Kalavryta wrote: “Do not go near them! Do not listen to them! Do not trust them! They are the damned members of society! It is impermissible for some disgraced members of society to defend publicly the passions that touch their souls…Spit on those disgraced people, renounce them! They are monstrosities of nature! They are psychically and spiritually unwell! They are people with a mental disturbance…They are three times worse, and more dangerous, than those who live in mental asylums.”
In a tense hearing lasting nearly nine hours, leading Greek human-rights campaigners and academics gave evidence for the prosecution. Nikos Alivizatos, a constitutional-law professor, said the bishop’s vocabulary was “the language of Hitler...[the language] we encounter in a regime of ayatollahs...” He said the bishop had brought embarrassment to Greece with his extreme positions, for example by saying that non-religious marriage was the moral equivalent of prostitution. Leading gay-rights activists testified that the bishop’s attack had compounded their feelings of insecurity and social exclusion.
The bishop himself seemed little concerned by perceptions of bigotry or intemperance. At one point during the hearing he said: “Spitting on them is the least of it, if I had a gun and I was permitted by the law, I would use it and we would finish things off.” He described fellow bishops who had spoken in somewhat more charitable terms about gay people as “betrayers of Orthodoxy”.
But the bishop’s defence team insisted that comments by their client that seemed to attack gay people were in fact directed at the politicians who were voting for civil partnerships.
This line of argument was accepted, and a representative of the state prosecution service urged acquittal. That recommendation was followed.
According to PatrasTimes news website reporting from the court, the Bishop claimed that “no one spat on anyone and no one attacked anyone because I said it. I should not be accused.”
“God despises all those people,” Amvrosios said about homosexuals in his reply in court.
"The acquittal of Amvrosios, the Metropolitan of Aegialia and Kalavryta, by the Court of Aigion confirms that the policy of discrimination is alive and well in the field of Justice," the press office of SYRIZA said in a statement.
And, the statement went on, "Why was it that not only was he acquitted for the remarks he used against homosexuals, which constitutes a provocative violation of the anti-racist law on public incitement to violence or hatred, but also why did the Court tolerate the repeated preaching of hatred, not even giving consideration to the Metropolitan's own confession that he would want to use not only verbal but also physical violence."
"No ordinary citizen would enjoy such immunity from justice," the official SYRIZA statement said, adding: "Once again, it is confirmed that when prejudices and hatred are dressed in a religious mantle, the mixture becomes so explosive that Justice must stand up."
Justice Minister Stavros Kontonis on Monday requested the minutes of the trial, which include the rationale of the decision of the Unified Elementary Court of Aigion to acquit Ambrosios. for the Metropolitan of Kalavrita and Aegialia.
In a radio interview for Athens 9,84, Minister Kontonis said "Reasonable questions are being raised on the basis of journalistic information and reporting, so tomorrow I will ask for the minutes of the trial, including the rationale for the decision to find out exactly what happened and how the Court ended up in this crisis."
"Justice is the supreme protector and guardian of human rights. However, if there are mistakes in this case we will see and in any case we will weigh the data. In addition, court rulings are known to be checked by the competent judicial authorities."
A court in Aigion on Friday acquitted Amvrosios, Bishop of Aigialeia and Kalavryta, on charges of hate speech and incitement to violence against homosexuals.
The charges were prompted by an internet posting in 2015, when Greece’s Parliament was in the process of granting legal status to same-sex unions.
In 2015 Amvrosios had written on his blog that the faithful “should spit on the gays”, calling homosexuals “abominations of nature.” In the blog the Bishop had posted a picture from the Gay Pride Parade showing a gay man dressed as a priest. “If I had a gun and the law would allow it, I would use it to get it over with.”
On January 16, 2016, nine citizens filed a lawsuit against the Bishop for public incitement to violence or hatred under Article 1 of Act 4285/2014 on combating racism but also for abuse of ecclesiastical office in accordance with Article 196 of the Penal Code, by which “a religious officer who in the practice of his work or publicly and in his capacity causes or excites citizens to anger against state authority or other citizens is punished by imprisonment for up to three years.”
Among other things, Metropolitan Amvrosios of Kalavryta wrote: “Do not go near them! Do not listen to them! Do not trust them! They are the damned members of society! It is impermissible for some disgraced members of society to defend publicly the passions that touch their souls…Spit on those disgraced people, renounce them! They are monstrosities of nature! They are psychically and spiritually unwell! They are people with a mental disturbance…They are three times worse, and more dangerous, than those who live in mental asylums.”
In a tense hearing lasting nearly nine hours, leading Greek human-rights campaigners and academics gave evidence for the prosecution. Nikos Alivizatos, a constitutional-law professor, said the bishop’s vocabulary was “the language of Hitler...[the language] we encounter in a regime of ayatollahs...” He said the bishop had brought embarrassment to Greece with his extreme positions, for example by saying that non-religious marriage was the moral equivalent of prostitution. Leading gay-rights activists testified that the bishop’s attack had compounded their feelings of insecurity and social exclusion.
The bishop himself seemed little concerned by perceptions of bigotry or intemperance. At one point during the hearing he said: “Spitting on them is the least of it, if I had a gun and I was permitted by the law, I would use it and we would finish things off.” He described fellow bishops who had spoken in somewhat more charitable terms about gay people as “betrayers of Orthodoxy”.
But the bishop’s defence team insisted that comments by their client that seemed to attack gay people were in fact directed at the politicians who were voting for civil partnerships.
This line of argument was accepted, and a representative of the state prosecution service urged acquittal. That recommendation was followed.
According to PatrasTimes news website reporting from the court, the Bishop claimed that “no one spat on anyone and no one attacked anyone because I said it. I should not be accused.”
“God despises all those people,” Amvrosios said about homosexuals in his reply in court.
"The acquittal of Amvrosios, the Metropolitan of Aegialia and Kalavryta, by the Court of Aigion confirms that the policy of discrimination is alive and well in the field of Justice," the press office of SYRIZA said in a statement.
And, the statement went on, "Why was it that not only was he acquitted for the remarks he used against homosexuals, which constitutes a provocative violation of the anti-racist law on public incitement to violence or hatred, but also why did the Court tolerate the repeated preaching of hatred, not even giving consideration to the Metropolitan's own confession that he would want to use not only verbal but also physical violence."
"No ordinary citizen would enjoy such immunity from justice," the official SYRIZA statement said, adding: "Once again, it is confirmed that when prejudices and hatred are dressed in a religious mantle, the mixture becomes so explosive that Justice must stand up."
Justice Minister Stavros Kontonis on Monday requested the minutes of the trial, which include the rationale of the decision of the Unified Elementary Court of Aigion to acquit Ambrosios. for the Metropolitan of Kalavrita and Aegialia.
In a radio interview for Athens 9,84, Minister Kontonis said "Reasonable questions are being raised on the basis of journalistic information and reporting, so tomorrow I will ask for the minutes of the trial, including the rationale for the decision to find out exactly what happened and how the Court ended up in this crisis."
"Justice is the supreme protector and guardian of human rights. However, if there are mistakes in this case we will see and in any case we will weigh the data. In addition, court rulings are known to be checked by the competent judicial authorities."
Greece - Turkey
Tensions Rising
17.3.2018
Protesters have taken to the streets of northern Greece demanding the release of two Greek soldiers detained by Turkey, amid rising tensions between the two countries.
Sgt. Dimitris Kouklatzis, 27, and Lt. Angelos Mitretodis, 25, were seized 11 days ago after allegedly being found in a “forbidden military zone” deep in Turkish territory. The soldiers say they inadvertently strayed across the frontier in bad weather.
Turkey’s state-owned Anadolu news agency said the soldiers were detained on grounds of attempted military espionage and entering a prohibited military zone. Another news agency, DHA, said the court ruled that data on their phones was to be investigated.
The incident took place during a normal patrol in the forest area of Kastanies at Evros.
The soldiers told the court that they found themselves on the Turkish side after following footprints in the snow and that they meant to send the images they took on their phones to senior officers, the news agency said.
“Yesterday’s incident was the result of a mistake. The two Greek officers diverged from their route because of the bad weather in the area, and found themselves, I repeat, by mistake, in Turkish territory,” Mr.Tzanakopoulos said. “We are in consultation with Turkish authorities for a prompt resolution of the matter.” “Legal processes in Turkey will be put in motion swiftly and we expect the return of the two Greeks to our country”.
Defence Minister Kammenos said the arrests had aggravated already strained ties between the neighbouring countries. Tensions between Greece and Turkey, NATO allies but regional rivals, had reached the point where the two nations were “very close to a fatal accident”, the Minister told the French daily Libération at the weekend, referring to repeated air and sea violations of Greek territory by Turkish forces.
In comments to the German newspaper Die Zeit, Turkey’s Foreign Minister, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, said the Turkish Judiciary was still trying to establish whether the soldiers entered Turkey deliberately, confirming fears that the two soldiers could be charged with espionage.
“They crossed the border illegally and it is up to the prosecutors and judges to discover what is behind this case. Did it happen inadvertently or was it deliberate? They want to be sure,” Minister Çavuşoğlu said when asked when the men would be released.
The Greek Government raised the case with NATO and the United Nations last week, asking both to intervene. Internationalising the case further, Minister Kammenos told his Romanian counterpart during his visit to Bucharest that Greece was seeking support for the “immediate release of the NATO, European and Greek servicemen.”
At a meeting in Brussels, Defence Minister Kammenos told NATO Defence Ministers that the arrest of the two Greek soldiers was also a problem for the European Union and NATO.
“Turkey is a member of NATO and an ally of Greece in NATO, and such incidents are solved peacefully via talks between the two armed forces.” “Turkey should observe procedures prescribed by international law, and not turn a routine incident into a big political and legal issue.”
He suggested the refusal of a Turkish court to release the pair could damage the country’s standing within both the European Union and NATO.
Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister, Bekir Bozdag said that prosecutors wanted the two soldiers detained for attempted military espionage as well as entering a forbidden military zone. The Judge, however, ordered their arrest only on the second charge.
Federica Mogherini, the EU foreign affairs and security chief, said the EU continued to advise Turkey to show "good neighborly relations" and hoped for a "swift and positive outcome" to the incident.
In context
Cross-border infractions are apparently common and Greece is concerned that Turkey on this occasion has deliberately sought to raise the stakes in what would ordinarily be a routine affair resolved at officer level.
It has been suggested that the two soldiers were deliberately snatched in a tit-for-tat move sparked by anger over Greece’s refusal to extradite eight Turkish officers who sought political asylum after the failed coup attempt against the President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in July 2016.
Greece’s Supreme Court has rejected the extradition request, saying the eight, who remain in detention, would not be given a fair trial in a country that has become increasingly autocratic since the failed coup attempt.
Turkish diplomats have vehemently denied this suggestion. Minister Çavuşoğlu rebuffed any suggestion that Turkey wanted to exchange the Greeks for the eight officers. “We do not want such a bargain,” he told Die Zeit.
Tensions have risen markedly not only along the land border between Greece and Turkey but in the Aegean Sea and off the coast of Cyprus, where Turkey has threatened to use military force in a dispute over the divided island’s right to explore for oil and gas reserves.
In February a Turkish vessel rammed a Greek coastguard ship as both patrolled the waters off the disputed islet of Imia. In the current climate, officials fear such incidents – and the concomitant risk of an accident – are on the increase.
The mood in Turkey appears to have become increasingly fractious ahead of presidential and parliamentary elections next year. With the country in a state of emergency since the coup, President Erdoğan and his AKP party have sought to use nationalist fervour, forming an alliance with the nationalist opposition MHP party, in an attempt to secure greater power.
The two NATO partners have teetered on the brink of war in 1974, 1987 and 1996 over long-running disputes on ethnically divided Cyprus, mineral rights in the Aegean Sea and sovereignty over uninhabited islets in that sea.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan sparked serious concerns in Greece when he said last December during a visit to Athens that the terms of the Lausanne Treaty, which set out Turkey’s borders in 1923, needed “revision.” Turkish Opposition leaders later that month tried to take advantage of the rising Turkish nationalist sentiment by demanding Turkey reclaim 18 Aegean islands “occupied” by Greece.
“Greece wants friendship and good neighbourliness with Turkey but it should be based on Ankara’s respect for international treaties,” Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos said on Wednesday.
“Any contestation of the borders, the territorial integrity and the sovereignty of Greece comprises a contestation of the borders, territorial integrity and sovereignty of the European Union.”
He warned Turkey to respect borders and all international laws, the Lausanne Treaty, the Treaty of Paris and the Law of the Sea.
“This is the sole basis on which Greece can build its friendship with Turkey,” he underlined.
Turkey’s state-owned Anadolu news agency said the soldiers were detained on grounds of attempted military espionage and entering a prohibited military zone. Another news agency, DHA, said the court ruled that data on their phones was to be investigated.
The incident took place during a normal patrol in the forest area of Kastanies at Evros.
The soldiers told the court that they found themselves on the Turkish side after following footprints in the snow and that they meant to send the images they took on their phones to senior officers, the news agency said.
“Yesterday’s incident was the result of a mistake. The two Greek officers diverged from their route because of the bad weather in the area, and found themselves, I repeat, by mistake, in Turkish territory,” Mr.Tzanakopoulos said. “We are in consultation with Turkish authorities for a prompt resolution of the matter.” “Legal processes in Turkey will be put in motion swiftly and we expect the return of the two Greeks to our country”.
Defence Minister Kammenos said the arrests had aggravated already strained ties between the neighbouring countries. Tensions between Greece and Turkey, NATO allies but regional rivals, had reached the point where the two nations were “very close to a fatal accident”, the Minister told the French daily Libération at the weekend, referring to repeated air and sea violations of Greek territory by Turkish forces.
In comments to the German newspaper Die Zeit, Turkey’s Foreign Minister, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, said the Turkish Judiciary was still trying to establish whether the soldiers entered Turkey deliberately, confirming fears that the two soldiers could be charged with espionage.
“They crossed the border illegally and it is up to the prosecutors and judges to discover what is behind this case. Did it happen inadvertently or was it deliberate? They want to be sure,” Minister Çavuşoğlu said when asked when the men would be released.
The Greek Government raised the case with NATO and the United Nations last week, asking both to intervene. Internationalising the case further, Minister Kammenos told his Romanian counterpart during his visit to Bucharest that Greece was seeking support for the “immediate release of the NATO, European and Greek servicemen.”
At a meeting in Brussels, Defence Minister Kammenos told NATO Defence Ministers that the arrest of the two Greek soldiers was also a problem for the European Union and NATO.
“Turkey is a member of NATO and an ally of Greece in NATO, and such incidents are solved peacefully via talks between the two armed forces.” “Turkey should observe procedures prescribed by international law, and not turn a routine incident into a big political and legal issue.”
He suggested the refusal of a Turkish court to release the pair could damage the country’s standing within both the European Union and NATO.
Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister, Bekir Bozdag said that prosecutors wanted the two soldiers detained for attempted military espionage as well as entering a forbidden military zone. The Judge, however, ordered their arrest only on the second charge.
Federica Mogherini, the EU foreign affairs and security chief, said the EU continued to advise Turkey to show "good neighborly relations" and hoped for a "swift and positive outcome" to the incident.
In context
Cross-border infractions are apparently common and Greece is concerned that Turkey on this occasion has deliberately sought to raise the stakes in what would ordinarily be a routine affair resolved at officer level.
It has been suggested that the two soldiers were deliberately snatched in a tit-for-tat move sparked by anger over Greece’s refusal to extradite eight Turkish officers who sought political asylum after the failed coup attempt against the President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in July 2016.
Greece’s Supreme Court has rejected the extradition request, saying the eight, who remain in detention, would not be given a fair trial in a country that has become increasingly autocratic since the failed coup attempt.
Turkish diplomats have vehemently denied this suggestion. Minister Çavuşoğlu rebuffed any suggestion that Turkey wanted to exchange the Greeks for the eight officers. “We do not want such a bargain,” he told Die Zeit.
Tensions have risen markedly not only along the land border between Greece and Turkey but in the Aegean Sea and off the coast of Cyprus, where Turkey has threatened to use military force in a dispute over the divided island’s right to explore for oil and gas reserves.
In February a Turkish vessel rammed a Greek coastguard ship as both patrolled the waters off the disputed islet of Imia. In the current climate, officials fear such incidents – and the concomitant risk of an accident – are on the increase.
The mood in Turkey appears to have become increasingly fractious ahead of presidential and parliamentary elections next year. With the country in a state of emergency since the coup, President Erdoğan and his AKP party have sought to use nationalist fervour, forming an alliance with the nationalist opposition MHP party, in an attempt to secure greater power.
The two NATO partners have teetered on the brink of war in 1974, 1987 and 1996 over long-running disputes on ethnically divided Cyprus, mineral rights in the Aegean Sea and sovereignty over uninhabited islets in that sea.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan sparked serious concerns in Greece when he said last December during a visit to Athens that the terms of the Lausanne Treaty, which set out Turkey’s borders in 1923, needed “revision.” Turkish Opposition leaders later that month tried to take advantage of the rising Turkish nationalist sentiment by demanding Turkey reclaim 18 Aegean islands “occupied” by Greece.
“Greece wants friendship and good neighbourliness with Turkey but it should be based on Ankara’s respect for international treaties,” Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos said on Wednesday.
“Any contestation of the borders, the territorial integrity and the sovereignty of Greece comprises a contestation of the borders, territorial integrity and sovereignty of the European Union.”
He warned Turkey to respect borders and all international laws, the Lausanne Treaty, the Treaty of Paris and the Law of the Sea.
“This is the sole basis on which Greece can build its friendship with Turkey,” he underlined.
The Greek Economy
According to the Greek Foundation for Economic and Industrial Research (IOBE), in February, there was further improvement in industrial business expectations. This development also confirms the overall improvement in the economic climate, the Institute notes, as a number of sectors show moderate optimism. And it is linked to the positive growth rates recorded in the economy since 2017.
The Business Indices Index for Industry is set at much higher levels in February than in the first month of the new year, at 103.1 (98.5) points, up from 91.8 per cent in the previous year. This is the highest performance since September 2007.
For industry, the strengthening of the international environment is favouring export firms and cascades out to related industries. It is a feature of the current economic climate that the overwhelming majority of countries in the world are in a development phase, a phenomenon also referred to as "synchronized global growth". Enhanced demand and the continuous recovery of international trade is a common denominator among the faster growth of developing economies, and it also favours Greece’s domestic industry.
Exports of Industrial Products showed an increase of 9.8% in January-November 2017, reaching a value of 11.1€ billion, up from 10.1€ billion for the same period in 2016. This increase is explained by the increase in international demand for Industrial Goods Classified as Raw Materials by 16.9%, with a value of 4.2€ billion, as well as for Chemical and Related Products up by 11.7%, with exports reaching 2.8€ billion in 2017. Exports of Various Industrial Goods advanced by 7.4%, reaching 1.85€ billion in the first eleven months of 2017.
Greece at the Financial Markets
Greece raised 812.5€ million through an auction of 52-week treasury bills on Wednesday, the first such sale after eight years, the Greek Public Debt Management Agency (PDMA) announced.
The bids submitted were 3.18 times more than the asked sum and the interest rate of the issue was set at 1.25% percent, according to an e-mailed press release.
The last time Greece issued one-year treasury bills was in April 2010.
In the past eight years, as the country has been shut out of international markets, the PDMA has been selling three-month and six-month treasury bills each month to cover maturing debts to meet its financing needs, in parallel with the Greek bailout programmes.
Greece is expected to fully return to the markets in 2018 when the current third bailout programme expires this summer.
The State Budget
Greece’s state budget showed a Primary Surplus of over 2.7€ billion in the January-February period, the Finance Ministry said on Wednesday.
This is up from a budget target for the Primary Surplus of 1.3€ billion and a Primary Surplus of 2.1€ billion in the corresponding period last year.
The state budget showed a surplus of 1.5€ billion in the first two months of the year, from a surplus of 434€ million in the same period last year and a budget target for a surplus of 98€ million.
Net revenue amounted to 8.9€ billion in the two-month period, up 14.5% from targets, while regular budget net revenue totalled 8.307€ billion, up 9.0% from targets.
Tax returns totaled 719€ million, up 110€ million from budget targets, while Public Investment Programme revenue amounted to 669€ million, up 452€ million from targets.
State budget spending amounted to 7.433€ billion in the January-February period, down 310€ million from targets.
Regular budget spending amounted to 7.246€ billion, down 112€ million from targets and down 476€ million compared with the same period in 2017.
Public Investment Programme spending totalled 187€ million in the two-month period, down 198€ million from targets.
In February, net revenue was 4.223€ billion, up 275€ million from monthly targets, while regular budget net revenue was 4.159€ billion, up 322€ million from targets (boosted by the collection of an annual dividend worth 614.2€ million from the Bank of Greece, up 214.2€ million from targets).
The Public Investment Programme totaled 64€ million in February, down 47€ million from targets, while tax returns totaled 394€ million, up 116€ million from monthly targets.
State budget spending was 4.257€ billion in February, down 95€ million from monthly targets, while regular budget spending was 4.154€ billion, up 11€ million from targets.
Public Investment Programme spending was 104€ million, down 106€ million from monthly targets.
According to the Greek Foundation for Economic and Industrial Research (IOBE), in February, there was further improvement in industrial business expectations. This development also confirms the overall improvement in the economic climate, the Institute notes, as a number of sectors show moderate optimism. And it is linked to the positive growth rates recorded in the economy since 2017.
The Business Indices Index for Industry is set at much higher levels in February than in the first month of the new year, at 103.1 (98.5) points, up from 91.8 per cent in the previous year. This is the highest performance since September 2007.
For industry, the strengthening of the international environment is favouring export firms and cascades out to related industries. It is a feature of the current economic climate that the overwhelming majority of countries in the world are in a development phase, a phenomenon also referred to as "synchronized global growth". Enhanced demand and the continuous recovery of international trade is a common denominator among the faster growth of developing economies, and it also favours Greece’s domestic industry.
Exports of Industrial Products showed an increase of 9.8% in January-November 2017, reaching a value of 11.1€ billion, up from 10.1€ billion for the same period in 2016. This increase is explained by the increase in international demand for Industrial Goods Classified as Raw Materials by 16.9%, with a value of 4.2€ billion, as well as for Chemical and Related Products up by 11.7%, with exports reaching 2.8€ billion in 2017. Exports of Various Industrial Goods advanced by 7.4%, reaching 1.85€ billion in the first eleven months of 2017.
Greece at the Financial Markets
Greece raised 812.5€ million through an auction of 52-week treasury bills on Wednesday, the first such sale after eight years, the Greek Public Debt Management Agency (PDMA) announced.
The bids submitted were 3.18 times more than the asked sum and the interest rate of the issue was set at 1.25% percent, according to an e-mailed press release.
The last time Greece issued one-year treasury bills was in April 2010.
In the past eight years, as the country has been shut out of international markets, the PDMA has been selling three-month and six-month treasury bills each month to cover maturing debts to meet its financing needs, in parallel with the Greek bailout programmes.
Greece is expected to fully return to the markets in 2018 when the current third bailout programme expires this summer.
The State Budget
Greece’s state budget showed a Primary Surplus of over 2.7€ billion in the January-February period, the Finance Ministry said on Wednesday.
This is up from a budget target for the Primary Surplus of 1.3€ billion and a Primary Surplus of 2.1€ billion in the corresponding period last year.
The state budget showed a surplus of 1.5€ billion in the first two months of the year, from a surplus of 434€ million in the same period last year and a budget target for a surplus of 98€ million.
Net revenue amounted to 8.9€ billion in the two-month period, up 14.5% from targets, while regular budget net revenue totalled 8.307€ billion, up 9.0% from targets.
Tax returns totaled 719€ million, up 110€ million from budget targets, while Public Investment Programme revenue amounted to 669€ million, up 452€ million from targets.
State budget spending amounted to 7.433€ billion in the January-February period, down 310€ million from targets.
Regular budget spending amounted to 7.246€ billion, down 112€ million from targets and down 476€ million compared with the same period in 2017.
Public Investment Programme spending totalled 187€ million in the two-month period, down 198€ million from targets.
In February, net revenue was 4.223€ billion, up 275€ million from monthly targets, while regular budget net revenue was 4.159€ billion, up 322€ million from targets (boosted by the collection of an annual dividend worth 614.2€ million from the Bank of Greece, up 214.2€ million from targets).
The Public Investment Programme totaled 64€ million in February, down 47€ million from targets, while tax returns totaled 394€ million, up 116€ million from monthly targets.
State budget spending was 4.257€ billion in February, down 95€ million from monthly targets, while regular budget spending was 4.154€ billion, up 11€ million from targets.
Public Investment Programme spending was 104€ million, down 106€ million from monthly targets.
Romania, Bulgaria and Greece Support Balkan Gas Hub Project and will work for the European Integration of the Western Balkans
Last Monday (March 12th) the Foreign Ministers of Bulgaria, Romania and Greece issued a joint declaration expressing support for the construction of the Balkan Gas Hub and for the European integration of the Western Balkans. The declaration was adopted during the Bucharest meeting of the three top diplomats: Ekaterina Zaharieva of Bulgaria, Nikos Kotzias of Greece and Teodor Melescanu of Romania, said the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry press office.
It was the 10th edition of the meeting in this format.
The declaration says that the three countries will cooperate in the development of the Balkan gas hub, which is expected to improve security of supplies and diversify the gas routes and sources.
The three ministers also pledged support for the construction of the Bulgaria-Romania and Bulgaria-Greece gas interconnectors.
Bulgarian FM Ekaterina Zaharieva is quoted as saying that she is happy to have received support from her Greek and Romanian counterparts for the European perspectives of the Western Balkan countries. "I am sure that the Balkans will remain a key priority during the Romanian Presidency of the EU Council."
The three Ministers reconfirmed their conviction that the enlargement of the EU is a key factor of stability and prosperity in the region. They expect that all six countries in the Western Balkans will make headway on their European road during the coming years.
They said that the putting forward and applying fair criteria, and the objective assessment of the progress made, are important principles in the enlargement policy.
Ekaterina Zaharieva pointed out that the Sofia Forum in May will be the first EU summit meeting about the Western Balkans for 15 years. "I hope we are not going to wait another 15 years for the next meeting, and instead make these regular meetings," she added.
The Romanian and the Greek Foreign Ministers commended Bulgaria for promoting the region. Romanian FM Teodor Melescanu said his country would continue to do the same during its EU Presidency.
The three Ministers also expressed support for the Eastern Partnership countries.
They said that admitting Sofia and Bucharest to the Schengen Agreement will improve EU security and enhance the efforts against illegal migration, human trafficking and terrorism.
Last Monday (March 12th) the Foreign Ministers of Bulgaria, Romania and Greece issued a joint declaration expressing support for the construction of the Balkan Gas Hub and for the European integration of the Western Balkans. The declaration was adopted during the Bucharest meeting of the three top diplomats: Ekaterina Zaharieva of Bulgaria, Nikos Kotzias of Greece and Teodor Melescanu of Romania, said the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry press office.
It was the 10th edition of the meeting in this format.
The declaration says that the three countries will cooperate in the development of the Balkan gas hub, which is expected to improve security of supplies and diversify the gas routes and sources.
The three ministers also pledged support for the construction of the Bulgaria-Romania and Bulgaria-Greece gas interconnectors.
Bulgarian FM Ekaterina Zaharieva is quoted as saying that she is happy to have received support from her Greek and Romanian counterparts for the European perspectives of the Western Balkan countries. "I am sure that the Balkans will remain a key priority during the Romanian Presidency of the EU Council."
The three Ministers reconfirmed their conviction that the enlargement of the EU is a key factor of stability and prosperity in the region. They expect that all six countries in the Western Balkans will make headway on their European road during the coming years.
They said that the putting forward and applying fair criteria, and the objective assessment of the progress made, are important principles in the enlargement policy.
Ekaterina Zaharieva pointed out that the Sofia Forum in May will be the first EU summit meeting about the Western Balkans for 15 years. "I hope we are not going to wait another 15 years for the next meeting, and instead make these regular meetings," she added.
The Romanian and the Greek Foreign Ministers commended Bulgaria for promoting the region. Romanian FM Teodor Melescanu said his country would continue to do the same during its EU Presidency.
The three Ministers also expressed support for the Eastern Partnership countries.
They said that admitting Sofia and Bucharest to the Schengen Agreement will improve EU security and enhance the efforts against illegal migration, human trafficking and terrorism.
NOVARTIS : Questions needing answers
Three letters written by Novartis executives were received at then Prime Minister Antonis Samaras's office.
The existence of a handwritten letter by Antonis Samaras to Novartis is reportedly revealed by the protected witness “Aikaterini Kelesi” in her new testimony to the Corruption Prosecutor. The new dossier contains
- three Novartis letters to the then Prime Minister, Antonis Samaras, relating to their cooperation on the implementation of the Memorandum and pharmaceutical expenditure.
- a deposition by the protected witness “Aikaterini Kelessi”, stating that there was a handwritten note by Antonis Samaras to Konstantinos Frouzis, the former vice-president of Novartis, which he received at their meeting at the Maximos Mansion. The note bears the official names of the Prime Minister and the name and phone number of the former Minister Christos Staikouras. This note was kept by Mr. Frouzis.
- CD with 165 files from Novartis employees’ computers.
All data has been forwarded to the office of the Parliamentary Special Preliminary Examination Committee into Novartis.
"Both the heavily exposed former Prime Minister and New Democracy must finally give convincing answers instead of trying the intelligence of citizens."
"Every day the Special Review Panel on the Novartis case continues its work, new revealing data see the light of publicity by breaking down the theories of New Democracy and those alleged to be involved in the plot," noted government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos during his regular updating of political commentators.
"And every day, the reasons why New Democracy did not vote for the proposal to set up the Parliamentary Special Preliminary Examination Committee into Novartis are now becoming more and more clear."
"They are constantly trying to pre-empt the scandal. Because they are not interested in the investigation but only the cover-up."
"Instead, New Democracy, its associates and Mr Samaras, insist on the intimidation and harassment of protected witnesses"
"But they have to answer clearly and without wriggling, both to the Commission and to the Greek citizens:
- Do they deny the authenticity of Antonis Samaras' note to Mr Frouzis?
- Why did Mr Samaras refer Vice-President Novartis to the then political head of the State Treasury, who is also responsible for any State approvals?
- How is it that while Mr. Samaras claimed in Parliament during his speech that he had never met with Mr Frouzis privately, how did the latter get the note referring to Christos Staikouras?"
Three letters written by Novartis executives were received at then Prime Minister Antonis Samaras's office.
The existence of a handwritten letter by Antonis Samaras to Novartis is reportedly revealed by the protected witness “Aikaterini Kelesi” in her new testimony to the Corruption Prosecutor. The new dossier contains
- three Novartis letters to the then Prime Minister, Antonis Samaras, relating to their cooperation on the implementation of the Memorandum and pharmaceutical expenditure.
- a deposition by the protected witness “Aikaterini Kelessi”, stating that there was a handwritten note by Antonis Samaras to Konstantinos Frouzis, the former vice-president of Novartis, which he received at their meeting at the Maximos Mansion. The note bears the official names of the Prime Minister and the name and phone number of the former Minister Christos Staikouras. This note was kept by Mr. Frouzis.
- CD with 165 files from Novartis employees’ computers.
All data has been forwarded to the office of the Parliamentary Special Preliminary Examination Committee into Novartis.
"Both the heavily exposed former Prime Minister and New Democracy must finally give convincing answers instead of trying the intelligence of citizens."
"Every day the Special Review Panel on the Novartis case continues its work, new revealing data see the light of publicity by breaking down the theories of New Democracy and those alleged to be involved in the plot," noted government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos during his regular updating of political commentators.
"And every day, the reasons why New Democracy did not vote for the proposal to set up the Parliamentary Special Preliminary Examination Committee into Novartis are now becoming more and more clear."
"They are constantly trying to pre-empt the scandal. Because they are not interested in the investigation but only the cover-up."
"Instead, New Democracy, its associates and Mr Samaras, insist on the intimidation and harassment of protected witnesses"
"But they have to answer clearly and without wriggling, both to the Commission and to the Greek citizens:
- Do they deny the authenticity of Antonis Samaras' note to Mr Frouzis?
- Why did Mr Samaras refer Vice-President Novartis to the then political head of the State Treasury, who is also responsible for any State approvals?
- How is it that while Mr. Samaras claimed in Parliament during his speech that he had never met with Mr Frouzis privately, how did the latter get the note referring to Christos Staikouras?"
PLASTIC POLLUTION
Thirty volunteers from Plastic Free Greece recently went to Kavouri beach near Athens to clear away plastic rubbish which had been allowed to accumulate, raising questions of the local authorities.
Organizers had put out an appeal on Facebook for people, particularly children, to join their effort in keeping the sands clean,.
Plastic Free Greece says consumers in the country used a total of 4.3 billion plastic bags in 2016, which averages to about 400 bags for every man, woman and child. Only a tiny fraction of bags get recycled.
The environmental group also launched an app in November 2017 which lets people know when a beach cleaning event is taking place in their area.
We have shared Plastic Free Greece’s video of the event on the gefyra/the bridge Facebook Page
Thirty volunteers from Plastic Free Greece recently went to Kavouri beach near Athens to clear away plastic rubbish which had been allowed to accumulate, raising questions of the local authorities.
Organizers had put out an appeal on Facebook for people, particularly children, to join their effort in keeping the sands clean,.
Plastic Free Greece says consumers in the country used a total of 4.3 billion plastic bags in 2016, which averages to about 400 bags for every man, woman and child. Only a tiny fraction of bags get recycled.
The environmental group also launched an app in November 2017 which lets people know when a beach cleaning event is taking place in their area.
We have shared Plastic Free Greece’s video of the event on the gefyra/the bridge Facebook Page
"A spectacular change of image in the Greek economy"
Alexis Tsipras at Delphi
10.3.2018
The Prime Minister, speaking at the Delphi Economic Forum, emphasised that unemployment has receded by 7 percentage points in 3 years while maintaining a steady tendency to decrease.
"With the end of the Programme, debt relief will be the culmination of a difficult but well-planned, successful effort."
He spoke of a "spectacular change of image" in the Greek economy.
"The Greece of recession returned in 2017 to growth, and at a dynamic rate which is estimated to exceed 2% steadily this year and for the following years."
"The country that had become synonymous with chronic fiscal derailment in the summer emerged from the excessive deficit Procedure and from 2016 onwards is achieving high primary surpluses every year, much higher than the targets of the Programme."
"In the months following we have taken the responsibility to present an integrated development plan for the "Next Day" in which the objectives are specified along with specific actions at the sectoral and regional level."
Referring to the work that has been achieved in the ten regional development conferences to date, the PM stressed that "growth is not ordered up using theoretical diagrams from on high, nor is it announced with proclamations, rather it requires work, a plan, persistence, consultation with interested parties and an effort to synthesise views and proposals that are specific and workable, to demonstrate the competitive advantages of each area separately."
"Today Greece is a country friendlier and more credible to entrepreneurship and investment." He stressed that it is a country "less bureaucratic, with a modern tax system, uniform and honest rules of competition, but also with very much strengthened social structures for all citizens. This is something that is recognised by our European partners and internationally by analysts, international organisations, credit ratings firms and investors."
"Greece is now included in the investment planning of states and large multinational corporations and it would not be an exaggeration to repeat that we are as they say in the vernacular of markets and investors: "The next big Thing" on the global investment map."
In the front of his mind, he said, are the "brain drain" and youth unemployment. "We have tried to provide answers by strengthening training and reintegration programmes in the workforce and by providing tax incentives, and providing an increase in resources for research and technology."
"We are at the critical point of our effort, that is to say, at the point where the finishing tape is visible and what is needed is to prepare the next day for the country." "Fair growth is the historical unfinished business that we must fulfill."
"With the end of the Programme, debt relief will be the culmination of a difficult but well-planned, successful effort."
He spoke of a "spectacular change of image" in the Greek economy.
"The Greece of recession returned in 2017 to growth, and at a dynamic rate which is estimated to exceed 2% steadily this year and for the following years."
"The country that had become synonymous with chronic fiscal derailment in the summer emerged from the excessive deficit Procedure and from 2016 onwards is achieving high primary surpluses every year, much higher than the targets of the Programme."
"In the months following we have taken the responsibility to present an integrated development plan for the "Next Day" in which the objectives are specified along with specific actions at the sectoral and regional level."
Referring to the work that has been achieved in the ten regional development conferences to date, the PM stressed that "growth is not ordered up using theoretical diagrams from on high, nor is it announced with proclamations, rather it requires work, a plan, persistence, consultation with interested parties and an effort to synthesise views and proposals that are specific and workable, to demonstrate the competitive advantages of each area separately."
"Today Greece is a country friendlier and more credible to entrepreneurship and investment." He stressed that it is a country "less bureaucratic, with a modern tax system, uniform and honest rules of competition, but also with very much strengthened social structures for all citizens. This is something that is recognised by our European partners and internationally by analysts, international organisations, credit ratings firms and investors."
"Greece is now included in the investment planning of states and large multinational corporations and it would not be an exaggeration to repeat that we are as they say in the vernacular of markets and investors: "The next big Thing" on the global investment map."
In the front of his mind, he said, are the "brain drain" and youth unemployment. "We have tried to provide answers by strengthening training and reintegration programmes in the workforce and by providing tax incentives, and providing an increase in resources for research and technology."
"We are at the critical point of our effort, that is to say, at the point where the finishing tape is visible and what is needed is to prepare the next day for the country." "Fair growth is the historical unfinished business that we must fulfill."
FYROM Name Issue: PM Zaev proposes International treaty
"Any change in the legal system of "Macedonia" is not a permanent guarantee for Greece, because, whatever is changed can be changed back."
Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev repeated his assessment that changing the constitution of his country is not a permanent guarantee for Greece. He proposed, as a sustainable solution to the issue of the name, the signing and ratification of an international agreement, instead of changing his country’s Constitution. "It is very important to use a system that the whole world knows and that is the well-known international practice for resolving such disputes -international agreements, ratified by parliaments, UN resolutions -and then the solution will remain forever. I am convinced that with such approaches, taking care about what is important for the citizens of Greece and "Macedonia", we can find a solution to the dispute we have with Greece." "We should not stipulate red lines if we want to find a solution. We must take care of each other to safeguard the dignity of both peoples, of the two countries and of the two nations and, in any case, to protect what the emotion signifies and the issue of identity. Identity is an emotional thing, no one can negotiate and haggle about it. I believe that, in this spirit, by carefully approaching the partners with whom we are negotiating, we will find a solution."
Finally, Zoran Zaev stressed that with the renaming of the Skopje Airport and the highway that starts from the Macedonian border with Serbia and ends at the border with Greece, his country is closing the chapters referring to any irredentist claims.
"Any change in the legal system of "Macedonia" is not a permanent guarantee for Greece, because, whatever is changed can be changed back."
Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev repeated his assessment that changing the constitution of his country is not a permanent guarantee for Greece. He proposed, as a sustainable solution to the issue of the name, the signing and ratification of an international agreement, instead of changing his country’s Constitution. "It is very important to use a system that the whole world knows and that is the well-known international practice for resolving such disputes -international agreements, ratified by parliaments, UN resolutions -and then the solution will remain forever. I am convinced that with such approaches, taking care about what is important for the citizens of Greece and "Macedonia", we can find a solution to the dispute we have with Greece." "We should not stipulate red lines if we want to find a solution. We must take care of each other to safeguard the dignity of both peoples, of the two countries and of the two nations and, in any case, to protect what the emotion signifies and the issue of identity. Identity is an emotional thing, no one can negotiate and haggle about it. I believe that, in this spirit, by carefully approaching the partners with whom we are negotiating, we will find a solution."
Finally, Zoran Zaev stressed that with the renaming of the Skopje Airport and the highway that starts from the Macedonian border with Serbia and ends at the border with Greece, his country is closing the chapters referring to any irredentist claims.
Chinese Investment in Greece – a cause for concern?
Unlike many in Europe, China saw the Greek economic crisis of the past decade not as a disaster but as an opportunity.
Since 2008, Chinese business leaders have signed infrastructure and business deals worth nearly $9 billion - equivalent to about 5% of Greek GDP - involving ports, telecommunications companies, energy facilities, real estate and tourism, according to the American Enterprise Institute.
For many, it is a case study of how Chinese investment dollars lead to political payoffs. As Greek political leaders found themselves at loggerheads with principal members of the European Union - notably Germany - over an imposed policy of harsh austerity, China offered an economic lifeline. In return, Greece is becoming considered a leading voice inside the EU promoting a softer line on China’s political failings and offering a warmer welcome to Chinese investments.
“The Greek economy is thirsty for investments, and the presence of Chinese companies is important and we welcome it,” Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said last September at the Thessaloniki International Trade Fair that featured China as the “Honoured Guest”.
Chinese officials are seen to have openly played on the tensions between Greece and its fellow EU states. The state-controlled Chinese news site Global Times noted in an editorial that “in contrast to the EU, which has treated Athens as a delinquent borrower, China designates the country as a ‘trusted partner.’”
China Ocean Shipping Co., or COSCO, a state-owned company, purchased a majority stake in the port of Piraeus from the Greek Government in 2016 for $456 million - the largest Chinese investment in Greece to date. The port is now a major node in China’s $1 trillion Belt and Road initiative, a system of trade routes and infrastructure projects that follow the old Silk Road and maritime passages through the Indian Ocean and Suez Canal.
There is concern about Chinese influence and Chinese-style management in a southern European country, where management traditionally respects labour rights and workplace conditions.
When a COSCO subsidiary purchased two piers at Piraeus in 2009, workers lost overtime and faced pay cuts of 30%.
“This deal must not make the port into a Chinese colony,” said Giorgos Gogos, Secretary of the Piraeus Dockworkers Union. “It’s important to secure good labour conditions and make sure the state actually profits from the investment.”
Chinese money is raising political questions about Beijing’s influence in Greece and its long-term ambitions for countries all along Europe’s eastern flank.
In June 2017, the Greek Government surprised European leaders by blocking an EU statement at the U.N. Summit critical of China’s human rights record. A year earlier, Greece, Croatia and Hungary - where Chinese investments are also extensive - opposed a joint EU statement on China’s military expansion in the South China Sea. Without the required consensus, the EU statement was blocked.
“China is using Greece to get a strong foothold in the European Union,” said Michael Tsinisizelis, a Professor of International and European studies at the University of Athens.
Greece is in line for membership of China’s Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. In November, the Government sent a delegation to the so-called 16+1 annual summit of China with 16 Eastern and Central European nations. Greece and China last May signed a three-year action plan to guide investment and trade deals. In December, French President Emmanuel Macron delivered an ardent speech under the Acropolis, where he expressed concern about Greek and European economic weaknesses that China could target and prevent the EU from speaking about global issues with a united voice.
“Our European sovereignty is what will enable us to be digital champions, build a strong economy, and make us an economic power in this changing world and not be subjected to the law of the fittest - the Americans and, soon, the Chinese — but our own law,” he said.
China is now the EU’s second-biggest trading partner after the USA. In 2016, China spent $40 billion compared with $23 billion in the previous year.
While COSCO is expanding at Piraeus, among the world’s fastest-growing ports, the EU is looking to closely regulate foreign investments in European strategic assets, including ports.
“There is a general uneasiness in the EU concerning Chinese investments,” said Polyxeni Davarinou, a researcher at the Institute of International Economic Relations in Athens. “The EU wants to have better control. At the same time, though, Greece and Eastern European countries really need these Chinese investments.”
She said Greece and Europe have the power to contain Chinese influence if leaders enact bold rules to monitor foreign investment. “There are voices in Europe that believe Greece is too close to China, and that is because we’ve given them reasons to see it that way,” she said. “Engulfed by its economic woes and disenchantment with the EU, Greece has welcomed. Greece’s problem is how to develop a clear and steady strategy.”
The survey by the Institute of International Economic Relations noted that Greece is still emerging from a period when it could hardly afford to be choosy about who invested in its beleaguered domestic economy.
“It is an indisputable fact that, trapped in its severe fiscal and economic predicament, Greece is not in a position to discourage foreign investment from any legitimate source,” the report concluded. “In fact, a certain diversification of foreign investment from countries outside the EU is even welcome.”
In Piraeus, meanwhile, cranes are offloading shipping containers from huge cargo ships around the clock. COSCO is planning to invest an extra $372 million to build three five-star hotels and a new dock that can accommodate 14 cruise ships.
Unlike many in Europe, China saw the Greek economic crisis of the past decade not as a disaster but as an opportunity.
Since 2008, Chinese business leaders have signed infrastructure and business deals worth nearly $9 billion - equivalent to about 5% of Greek GDP - involving ports, telecommunications companies, energy facilities, real estate and tourism, according to the American Enterprise Institute.
For many, it is a case study of how Chinese investment dollars lead to political payoffs. As Greek political leaders found themselves at loggerheads with principal members of the European Union - notably Germany - over an imposed policy of harsh austerity, China offered an economic lifeline. In return, Greece is becoming considered a leading voice inside the EU promoting a softer line on China’s political failings and offering a warmer welcome to Chinese investments.
“The Greek economy is thirsty for investments, and the presence of Chinese companies is important and we welcome it,” Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said last September at the Thessaloniki International Trade Fair that featured China as the “Honoured Guest”.
Chinese officials are seen to have openly played on the tensions between Greece and its fellow EU states. The state-controlled Chinese news site Global Times noted in an editorial that “in contrast to the EU, which has treated Athens as a delinquent borrower, China designates the country as a ‘trusted partner.’”
China Ocean Shipping Co., or COSCO, a state-owned company, purchased a majority stake in the port of Piraeus from the Greek Government in 2016 for $456 million - the largest Chinese investment in Greece to date. The port is now a major node in China’s $1 trillion Belt and Road initiative, a system of trade routes and infrastructure projects that follow the old Silk Road and maritime passages through the Indian Ocean and Suez Canal.
There is concern about Chinese influence and Chinese-style management in a southern European country, where management traditionally respects labour rights and workplace conditions.
When a COSCO subsidiary purchased two piers at Piraeus in 2009, workers lost overtime and faced pay cuts of 30%.
“This deal must not make the port into a Chinese colony,” said Giorgos Gogos, Secretary of the Piraeus Dockworkers Union. “It’s important to secure good labour conditions and make sure the state actually profits from the investment.”
Chinese money is raising political questions about Beijing’s influence in Greece and its long-term ambitions for countries all along Europe’s eastern flank.
In June 2017, the Greek Government surprised European leaders by blocking an EU statement at the U.N. Summit critical of China’s human rights record. A year earlier, Greece, Croatia and Hungary - where Chinese investments are also extensive - opposed a joint EU statement on China’s military expansion in the South China Sea. Without the required consensus, the EU statement was blocked.
“China is using Greece to get a strong foothold in the European Union,” said Michael Tsinisizelis, a Professor of International and European studies at the University of Athens.
Greece is in line for membership of China’s Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. In November, the Government sent a delegation to the so-called 16+1 annual summit of China with 16 Eastern and Central European nations. Greece and China last May signed a three-year action plan to guide investment and trade deals. In December, French President Emmanuel Macron delivered an ardent speech under the Acropolis, where he expressed concern about Greek and European economic weaknesses that China could target and prevent the EU from speaking about global issues with a united voice.
“Our European sovereignty is what will enable us to be digital champions, build a strong economy, and make us an economic power in this changing world and not be subjected to the law of the fittest - the Americans and, soon, the Chinese — but our own law,” he said.
China is now the EU’s second-biggest trading partner after the USA. In 2016, China spent $40 billion compared with $23 billion in the previous year.
While COSCO is expanding at Piraeus, among the world’s fastest-growing ports, the EU is looking to closely regulate foreign investments in European strategic assets, including ports.
“There is a general uneasiness in the EU concerning Chinese investments,” said Polyxeni Davarinou, a researcher at the Institute of International Economic Relations in Athens. “The EU wants to have better control. At the same time, though, Greece and Eastern European countries really need these Chinese investments.”
She said Greece and Europe have the power to contain Chinese influence if leaders enact bold rules to monitor foreign investment. “There are voices in Europe that believe Greece is too close to China, and that is because we’ve given them reasons to see it that way,” she said. “Engulfed by its economic woes and disenchantment with the EU, Greece has welcomed. Greece’s problem is how to develop a clear and steady strategy.”
The survey by the Institute of International Economic Relations noted that Greece is still emerging from a period when it could hardly afford to be choosy about who invested in its beleaguered domestic economy.
“It is an indisputable fact that, trapped in its severe fiscal and economic predicament, Greece is not in a position to discourage foreign investment from any legitimate source,” the report concluded. “In fact, a certain diversification of foreign investment from countries outside the EU is even welcome.”
In Piraeus, meanwhile, cranes are offloading shipping containers from huge cargo ships around the clock. COSCO is planning to invest an extra $372 million to build three five-star hotels and a new dock that can accommodate 14 cruise ships.
Euro Working Group confirms success of Third Assessment
The Euro Working Group of eurozone finance ministry officials on Friday approved Greece’s fulfillment of all of the prior actions associated with the Third Assessment, paving the way for the disbursement of the 5.7€ billion subtanche.
According to the compliance report which was sent to the EWG on Friday, “The Greek authorities have completed all milestones in the supplementary memorandum that were necessary for the disbursement of the fourth installment from the programme of the European Stability Mechanism [ESM].”
The report added that both pending prior actions – the issue of the presidential decree regarding the development of the old Athens airport plot at Elliniko and the expansion of online auctions – are now considered fulfilled.
“The ESM Board of Governors is expected to approve the disbursement of the fourth installment of the program following the completion of the national parliamentary procedures,” Eurogroup President Mario Centeno said. “This will pave the way for the release of the first subtranche in the second half of March.”
Friday’s Euro Working Group also touched on the issue of easing Greece’s debt. The Finance Ministry stated that “the discussion that has been under way for a month at staff level regarding the parameters of the medium-term measures for the debt has made significant progress.”
Mr. Centeno said: “We have now entered the final round of the Greek programme. The fourth and final Assessment is starting and with it the technical preparation for possible new measures for the easing of the debt.”
The Euro Working Group of eurozone finance ministry officials on Friday approved Greece’s fulfillment of all of the prior actions associated with the Third Assessment, paving the way for the disbursement of the 5.7€ billion subtanche.
According to the compliance report which was sent to the EWG on Friday, “The Greek authorities have completed all milestones in the supplementary memorandum that were necessary for the disbursement of the fourth installment from the programme of the European Stability Mechanism [ESM].”
The report added that both pending prior actions – the issue of the presidential decree regarding the development of the old Athens airport plot at Elliniko and the expansion of online auctions – are now considered fulfilled.
“The ESM Board of Governors is expected to approve the disbursement of the fourth installment of the program following the completion of the national parliamentary procedures,” Eurogroup President Mario Centeno said. “This will pave the way for the release of the first subtranche in the second half of March.”
Friday’s Euro Working Group also touched on the issue of easing Greece’s debt. The Finance Ministry stated that “the discussion that has been under way for a month at staff level regarding the parameters of the medium-term measures for the debt has made significant progress.”
Mr. Centeno said: “We have now entered the final round of the Greek programme. The fourth and final Assessment is starting and with it the technical preparation for possible new measures for the easing of the debt.”
"We are finished with the shadows"
"Greece is not going to just sigh about the suitcases, handbags, and “dark” accounts. The Government, and I personally, will persevere to the end: light everywhere, light on all!", underlined Alexis Tsipras in an exclusive statement in the newspaper «Εφημερίδα των Συντακτών».
"Suitcases to state officials and political parties, over the period 2003-2007, as revealed by the German Judiciary, are another link in the chain of corruption, with which the old political system had bound Greece. New Democracy and PASOK circles literally divided up amongst themselves the shirt off the Greek people’s back, over many years before they led us to the crisis and the Memoranda.
Today there is no room for doubt, after the armaments, Siemens, Novartis, and the kickbacks over the Metro, that the tentacles of a gang of corruption had spread to the highest state and political level. That the kickbacks, preset in fact as percentages, for years lay behind many of the projects and commissions of the Greek State. That corruption had become the norm in the relations between the state and large corporations. That black money circulated in suitcases, bags, and secret accounts, to reach the pockets of state and political officials, even parties of power, which operated like a mafia.
"This situation also explains the reactions of some representatives of this old and corrupt political system, following revelations in the Novartis scandal under investigation.
"Lawsuits against prosecutors, lawsuits against witnesses, lawsuits against Ministers, even against the Prime Minister, Civil War rhetoric and allegations of collusion. It is simply a reaction again in gang terms, which aims to intimidate the Judiciary, the Government and the witnesses to keep their activities in the shadows. With the shadows, however, we are done," the Prime Minister stressed. "In this way let the culprits speak about their activities, let the innocent be rid of any shadow of suspicion, and let the shaken trust of the Greek people in those it chose to govern be restored."
Novartis: Parliament’s Special Preliminary Examination Committee
Theodoros Dritsas (SYRIZA) was elected Chairman, while G. Lazaridis (ANEL) was elected Vice-Chairman and Panagiota Kozompoli (SYRIZA) Secretary of Parliament’s Special Preliminary Examination Committee in the Novartis scandal.
The Committee will have all the powers of the Public Prosecutor when is starts a preliminary examination.
The Committee has 21 members. SYRIZA has 10 members, New Democracy has 5 members and the other parties will each have one representative.
"Greece is not going to just sigh about the suitcases, handbags, and “dark” accounts. The Government, and I personally, will persevere to the end: light everywhere, light on all!", underlined Alexis Tsipras in an exclusive statement in the newspaper «Εφημερίδα των Συντακτών».
"Suitcases to state officials and political parties, over the period 2003-2007, as revealed by the German Judiciary, are another link in the chain of corruption, with which the old political system had bound Greece. New Democracy and PASOK circles literally divided up amongst themselves the shirt off the Greek people’s back, over many years before they led us to the crisis and the Memoranda.
Today there is no room for doubt, after the armaments, Siemens, Novartis, and the kickbacks over the Metro, that the tentacles of a gang of corruption had spread to the highest state and political level. That the kickbacks, preset in fact as percentages, for years lay behind many of the projects and commissions of the Greek State. That corruption had become the norm in the relations between the state and large corporations. That black money circulated in suitcases, bags, and secret accounts, to reach the pockets of state and political officials, even parties of power, which operated like a mafia.
"This situation also explains the reactions of some representatives of this old and corrupt political system, following revelations in the Novartis scandal under investigation.
"Lawsuits against prosecutors, lawsuits against witnesses, lawsuits against Ministers, even against the Prime Minister, Civil War rhetoric and allegations of collusion. It is simply a reaction again in gang terms, which aims to intimidate the Judiciary, the Government and the witnesses to keep their activities in the shadows. With the shadows, however, we are done," the Prime Minister stressed. "In this way let the culprits speak about their activities, let the innocent be rid of any shadow of suspicion, and let the shaken trust of the Greek people in those it chose to govern be restored."
Novartis: Parliament’s Special Preliminary Examination Committee
Theodoros Dritsas (SYRIZA) was elected Chairman, while G. Lazaridis (ANEL) was elected Vice-Chairman and Panagiota Kozompoli (SYRIZA) Secretary of Parliament’s Special Preliminary Examination Committee in the Novartis scandal.
The Committee will have all the powers of the Public Prosecutor when is starts a preliminary examination.
The Committee has 21 members. SYRIZA has 10 members, New Democracy has 5 members and the other parties will each have one representative.
"Tomorrow is not going to come on its own; only with work, prudence, consensus, unity, teamwork and solidarity can we win it."
Alexis Tsipras in the Peloponnese
3.3.2018
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in Tripolis, speaking at the 10th Regional Conference on the Reconstruction of the Productive Capacity of the Peloponnese said:
"Tomorrow is not going to come on its own; only with work, prudence, consensus, unity, teamwork and solidarity can we win it."
He noted that it is now clear to us all that "when certain big interests, which are intertwined with parts of the political establishment and a spoilt elite, is given space to bloodsuck public revenues and engage in speculation in all areas of social life, even including the Health of the Greek people, with medications, then we are not dealing with some partisan cabal, political rematch, or personal vengeance.
"We have to deal with a carcinoma, which if not eradicated permanently, will infect society and stand in the way of every step towards development."
"This Government will not in any way, not for any reason, compromise with any deviation from morality, the value of which stipulates that above everything else are the the interests of the people and the country, the public interest.
"That is why, as far as we are concerned, it is the case that we will never, under any circumstances or for any reason, accept the equating of the ethical with the legal. For us what is done legally is not automatically also inscribed into our own values, into our own ethics."
"Some have the sensitivity to resign over 23,000€ [see Ministers Resign item below Ed]while others are “doing a Chinese” [idiom for pretending not to understand Ed] over 23€ billion, because that is how much the medicine jamboree cost the Public Health Service. Let some resign and let others say that they have no responsibility.
"But so be it. This difference demonstrates in practice that we are not all the same, which is why it is right that the criteria by which the people judge us are not the same."
"We have definitely crossed the border from hemorrhaging economicly and socially to sustainable development, to the robust process of progress.
"Greece will not return to a regime of Siemens, Novartis, unsupportable loans, and of scandals. We will never go back there."
Speaking about the Primary Sector, PM Tsipras said that the Government has made efforts to support agricultural production, especially small and medium-sized farmers with these main objectives: sustainability of the Primary Sector, transparency and consistency in the payment of support grants, orientation towards exports, development of technologically and environmentally advanced technologies, and the elimination of bad practices.
He said that the NSRF [The EU National Strategic Reference Framework Ed] programmes which provide for specific export-oriented support could be utilised. The formulation of a single label for Greek Agricultural food products is also being promoted.
He noted that a budget of 235€ million had been assigned and is being used in projects and investments in the Peloponnese Region. With the addition of 118€ million from the LEADER Programme for the setting up of new tourism enterprises and from small public works, funding is approaching 353€ million.
As far as the dominant problem of waste management is concerned, PM Tsipras announced that through the Public Investment Programme there will be direct funding for Sites of Uncontrolled Waste Disposal in the Region, for which the country continues to pay fines to the European Union. He noted that the Joint Public-Privation Collaboration of the Peloponnese [ΣΔΙΤ] is now ready to proceed, following the Government's intervention, in order to provide a solution compatible with European recycling standards and the overall national planning and priorities the Government has set for recycling and re-use.
On the power sector, he said: "The Government's basic principle is to safeguard the financial viability of the ΔΕΗ and jobs and labour relations, as well as to minimise the problems arising from moving into the future.
"The relevant agreement being implemented by the Government is clearly better than the one provided by the law about a "small ΔΕΗ" that obliged the company to transfer 22% of its total capacity and part of its clientele. With the new agreement, only 21.4% of the lignite capacity, which accounts for 9% of the total, will be surrendered.
"The protection of labour rights is part of the agreement" and, he said, that the Government has worked intensively on this, in close consultation with the ΔΕΗ, in order not to lose a single job and for there to be no reduction in labour rights, no retreat on industrial relations, after the transition to the new situation.
He said that the legislation of the Environmental Household Tariff for the support of areas that are environmentally degraded by the operation of lignite stations and mines, such as the Municipality of Megalopolis, will lead to reductions of up to 30% in Electricity bills.
Speaking about infrastructure, PM Tsipras said that in two and a half years the Government has done what had not been done in a decade and has launched development projects of strategic importance.
He mentioned, among other things, the full completion of the two major road contracts: “Moreas Motorway”, from Corinth to Tripoli and Kalamata and the branch that goes to Sparta, as well as the “Olympia Road”, from Corinth to Patras. Projects with a final cost to the Treasury, for both motorways, of 520€ million.
"Tomorrow is not going to come on its own; only with work, prudence, consensus, unity, teamwork and solidarity can we win it."
He noted that it is now clear to us all that "when certain big interests, which are intertwined with parts of the political establishment and a spoilt elite, is given space to bloodsuck public revenues and engage in speculation in all areas of social life, even including the Health of the Greek people, with medications, then we are not dealing with some partisan cabal, political rematch, or personal vengeance.
"We have to deal with a carcinoma, which if not eradicated permanently, will infect society and stand in the way of every step towards development."
"This Government will not in any way, not for any reason, compromise with any deviation from morality, the value of which stipulates that above everything else are the the interests of the people and the country, the public interest.
"That is why, as far as we are concerned, it is the case that we will never, under any circumstances or for any reason, accept the equating of the ethical with the legal. For us what is done legally is not automatically also inscribed into our own values, into our own ethics."
"Some have the sensitivity to resign over 23,000€ [see Ministers Resign item below Ed]while others are “doing a Chinese” [idiom for pretending not to understand Ed] over 23€ billion, because that is how much the medicine jamboree cost the Public Health Service. Let some resign and let others say that they have no responsibility.
"But so be it. This difference demonstrates in practice that we are not all the same, which is why it is right that the criteria by which the people judge us are not the same."
"We have definitely crossed the border from hemorrhaging economicly and socially to sustainable development, to the robust process of progress.
"Greece will not return to a regime of Siemens, Novartis, unsupportable loans, and of scandals. We will never go back there."
Speaking about the Primary Sector, PM Tsipras said that the Government has made efforts to support agricultural production, especially small and medium-sized farmers with these main objectives: sustainability of the Primary Sector, transparency and consistency in the payment of support grants, orientation towards exports, development of technologically and environmentally advanced technologies, and the elimination of bad practices.
He said that the NSRF [The EU National Strategic Reference Framework Ed] programmes which provide for specific export-oriented support could be utilised. The formulation of a single label for Greek Agricultural food products is also being promoted.
He noted that a budget of 235€ million had been assigned and is being used in projects and investments in the Peloponnese Region. With the addition of 118€ million from the LEADER Programme for the setting up of new tourism enterprises and from small public works, funding is approaching 353€ million.
As far as the dominant problem of waste management is concerned, PM Tsipras announced that through the Public Investment Programme there will be direct funding for Sites of Uncontrolled Waste Disposal in the Region, for which the country continues to pay fines to the European Union. He noted that the Joint Public-Privation Collaboration of the Peloponnese [ΣΔΙΤ] is now ready to proceed, following the Government's intervention, in order to provide a solution compatible with European recycling standards and the overall national planning and priorities the Government has set for recycling and re-use.
On the power sector, he said: "The Government's basic principle is to safeguard the financial viability of the ΔΕΗ and jobs and labour relations, as well as to minimise the problems arising from moving into the future.
"The relevant agreement being implemented by the Government is clearly better than the one provided by the law about a "small ΔΕΗ" that obliged the company to transfer 22% of its total capacity and part of its clientele. With the new agreement, only 21.4% of the lignite capacity, which accounts for 9% of the total, will be surrendered.
"The protection of labour rights is part of the agreement" and, he said, that the Government has worked intensively on this, in close consultation with the ΔΕΗ, in order not to lose a single job and for there to be no reduction in labour rights, no retreat on industrial relations, after the transition to the new situation.
He said that the legislation of the Environmental Household Tariff for the support of areas that are environmentally degraded by the operation of lignite stations and mines, such as the Municipality of Megalopolis, will lead to reductions of up to 30% in Electricity bills.
Speaking about infrastructure, PM Tsipras said that in two and a half years the Government has done what had not been done in a decade and has launched development projects of strategic importance.
He mentioned, among other things, the full completion of the two major road contracts: “Moreas Motorway”, from Corinth to Tripoli and Kalamata and the branch that goes to Sparta, as well as the “Olympia Road”, from Corinth to Patras. Projects with a final cost to the Treasury, for both motorways, of 520€ million.
Working to conclude the Fourth Assessment
The Institutions were positive following initial talks held in Athens this week, with sources revealing that the negotiations will continue in coming weeks.
The Greek Government is committed to implementing all agreed actions towards concluding the Fourth Assessment of the bailout programme without delay. This is the final assessment before the expiry of the Programme in August.
The representatives of the Institutions will return after the Easter holidays. In the next phase, the two sides will also discuss Greece’s post-bailout development programme and debt relief.
It is hoped to have tied up loose ends by the 21st June Eurogroup meeting. The Fourth Assessment requires the implementation of 88 prior actions in total.
Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos stated that the majority of the pending issues are of a technical nature.
Latest Opinion Polls
Opinion polls published over the last few days put New Democracy, ahead of SYRIZA. However, the results of the two latest polls show a radically different margin between the two parties.
Specifically, the poll of Metron Analysis for “To Vima” newspaper puts New Democracy in a 9.7 percentage point lead over SYRIZA, posting 34.9% in voting preferences versus SYRIZA’s 25.2%. The neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party is in third place with 9.4%, while Movement of Change - the new centre-left party established via an alliance between PASOK, To Potami and other parties – came in at 8.4%. The Greek Communist Party (KKE) takes 7% and the Union of Centrists is on 3%. No other party is shown above the 3% threshold needed for entry to parliament, including SYRIZA’s junior coalition partner in government, AN-EL (the Independent Greeks).
However, a poll by “Alco” published by Ethnos newspaper places New Democracy’s lead much lower, at 4.9 percentage points. The voting intention results of Alco’s poll put New Democracy on 21.4% with SYRIZA on 16.5%, followed by Golden Dawn on 6.9%, Movement of Change on 6.2% and the KKE on 5%. All other parties fell below the 3% threshold.
The “Alco” poll is seen by analysts to be politically significant in terms of findings concerning the Novartis scandal, with ten senior Greek politicians being accused of taking bribes. The poll shows 66% of Greeks believe the Novartis case is a “real scandal” and 54% call for all the accused politicians to resign.
Ministers Resign
Economy Minister Dimitris Papadimitriou resigned hours after his wife, Deputy Minister for Social Solidarity Rania Antonopoulou, stepped down on Monday afternoon following revelations that she received 23,000€ in state rent subsidies for their apartment in the Athens neighbourhood of Kolonaki.
Mr. Papadimitriou’s decision to step down was, like his wife’s, prompted by reactions to an article on Friday in Eleftheros Typos newspaper, which revealed that Rania Antonopoulou had been receiving 1,000€ a month from the state as a rent subsidy for her apartment. She received the subsidy legally but there was public outrage that a Minister, whose income declarations point to considerable personal wealth, should receive such benefits.
She said she had not intended to provoke public sentiment but had been entitled to the subsidy and had applied for it, receiving 23,000€ over two years. She said she would return the money to state coffers. The Government announced her resignation later on Monday.
Opposition New Democracy chief Kyriakos Mitsotakis denounced the Government, saying it took “three whole days of intense reaction” before PM Tsipras demanded her resignation.
Greek Olive Oil Recognised
Thirteen Greek extra virgin olive oils (EVOO) received awards among the most highly acclaimed olive oils in the world following their success in international olive oil competitions in 2017.
According to Greek Liquid Gold website, the EVOO World Ranking (EVOOWR) 2017, “is part of the World Ranking of WAWWJ (World Association of Journalists and Writers of Wines, Liquors and others).” It recognizes the extra virgin olive oils that won the most prizes in the 30 international olive oil competitions held last year.
In 2017, according to EVOOWR, “Greece won 213 awards in 13 contests” and obtained 13 “EVOO of the Year” distinctions.
The Koroneiki variety received the most distinctions, while a number of flavoured olive oils were also awarded.
The 13 Greek olive oils that received awards are:
The Institutions were positive following initial talks held in Athens this week, with sources revealing that the negotiations will continue in coming weeks.
The Greek Government is committed to implementing all agreed actions towards concluding the Fourth Assessment of the bailout programme without delay. This is the final assessment before the expiry of the Programme in August.
The representatives of the Institutions will return after the Easter holidays. In the next phase, the two sides will also discuss Greece’s post-bailout development programme and debt relief.
It is hoped to have tied up loose ends by the 21st June Eurogroup meeting. The Fourth Assessment requires the implementation of 88 prior actions in total.
Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos stated that the majority of the pending issues are of a technical nature.
Latest Opinion Polls
Opinion polls published over the last few days put New Democracy, ahead of SYRIZA. However, the results of the two latest polls show a radically different margin between the two parties.
Specifically, the poll of Metron Analysis for “To Vima” newspaper puts New Democracy in a 9.7 percentage point lead over SYRIZA, posting 34.9% in voting preferences versus SYRIZA’s 25.2%. The neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party is in third place with 9.4%, while Movement of Change - the new centre-left party established via an alliance between PASOK, To Potami and other parties – came in at 8.4%. The Greek Communist Party (KKE) takes 7% and the Union of Centrists is on 3%. No other party is shown above the 3% threshold needed for entry to parliament, including SYRIZA’s junior coalition partner in government, AN-EL (the Independent Greeks).
However, a poll by “Alco” published by Ethnos newspaper places New Democracy’s lead much lower, at 4.9 percentage points. The voting intention results of Alco’s poll put New Democracy on 21.4% with SYRIZA on 16.5%, followed by Golden Dawn on 6.9%, Movement of Change on 6.2% and the KKE on 5%. All other parties fell below the 3% threshold.
The “Alco” poll is seen by analysts to be politically significant in terms of findings concerning the Novartis scandal, with ten senior Greek politicians being accused of taking bribes. The poll shows 66% of Greeks believe the Novartis case is a “real scandal” and 54% call for all the accused politicians to resign.
Ministers Resign
Economy Minister Dimitris Papadimitriou resigned hours after his wife, Deputy Minister for Social Solidarity Rania Antonopoulou, stepped down on Monday afternoon following revelations that she received 23,000€ in state rent subsidies for their apartment in the Athens neighbourhood of Kolonaki.
Mr. Papadimitriou’s decision to step down was, like his wife’s, prompted by reactions to an article on Friday in Eleftheros Typos newspaper, which revealed that Rania Antonopoulou had been receiving 1,000€ a month from the state as a rent subsidy for her apartment. She received the subsidy legally but there was public outrage that a Minister, whose income declarations point to considerable personal wealth, should receive such benefits.
She said she had not intended to provoke public sentiment but had been entitled to the subsidy and had applied for it, receiving 23,000€ over two years. She said she would return the money to state coffers. The Government announced her resignation later on Monday.
Opposition New Democracy chief Kyriakos Mitsotakis denounced the Government, saying it took “three whole days of intense reaction” before PM Tsipras demanded her resignation.
Greek Olive Oil Recognised
Thirteen Greek extra virgin olive oils (EVOO) received awards among the most highly acclaimed olive oils in the world following their success in international olive oil competitions in 2017.
According to Greek Liquid Gold website, the EVOO World Ranking (EVOOWR) 2017, “is part of the World Ranking of WAWWJ (World Association of Journalists and Writers of Wines, Liquors and others).” It recognizes the extra virgin olive oils that won the most prizes in the 30 international olive oil competitions held last year.
In 2017, according to EVOOWR, “Greece won 213 awards in 13 contests” and obtained 13 “EVOO of the Year” distinctions.
The Koroneiki variety received the most distinctions, while a number of flavoured olive oils were also awarded.
The 13 Greek olive oils that received awards are:
- Jordan Olivenoel GMBH / Jordan Olivenoel Natives Bio / Blend
- LIÁ Cultivators / LIÁ Premium / Koroneiki
- Hellenic Agricultural Enterprises Ltd / ACAIA / Kolovi
- Friedrich Bläuel & Co Ltd / Mani Bläuel Greek Organic / Koroneiki
- Greka Icons S.A. / Navarino Icons Koroneiki / Koroneiki
- Oliorama & Co GP / Oliorama Exclusive Bio PGI Olympia / Koroneiki
- Kidonakis Bros / Oleum Crete Bio / Koroneiki
- Olympus Olive Oil / Olympus Olive Oil / Koroneiki
- Ellindor Private Company / Ellindor / Koroneiki
- Terra Creta S.A. / Terra Creta Estate Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil / Koroneiki
- Olympian Green International S.A. / Olympian Green Oly Oil Traditional / Koroneiki
- Osis – G. Koropoulis & Sia E.E. / Maleas / Koroneiki
- Gaea Products S.A. / Gaea Estate Vranas / Blend
Kostis Palamas (January 13, 1859 - February 27, 1943
One of the greatest Greek poets of modern literature was also one of the most inspiring figures of Hellenism, as the works of Kostis Palamas became beacons of the newly independent Greek State.
Born in Patras on January 13, 1859, Palamas lived long enough to see Greece occupied by the Germans, as he died on February 27, 1943.
Palamas’ enormous poetic work is imbued with history, Hellenism and the formation of the “Great Idea” for his homeland, while at the same time it dealt with everyday people and their feelings. He was named Greece’s National Poet.
The poet’s lyricism and word-making skills were remarkable. But as well as being an exemplary poet, Palamas was known for his work as a literature critic, a literary writer and a literary philosopher.
Palamas lost both his parents at an early age. In 1864, his mother Penelope died during a premature birth, while less than a year later, his father Michael passed away as well. The six-year old Kostis was taken in by his uncle, Dimitrios Palamas and moved to his house in Mesolonghi. The young boy stayed there from 1867 until 1875. He started writing poems and literature as early as high school.
As soon as he finished high school, in 1876, he moved to Athens, where he enrolled in the Law School at Athens University. His studies, however, did not last long, as the heart of young Palamas belonged to poetry and literature. He started working as a journalist to make a living using different aliases and wrote feverishly.
Palamas soon stood out from his colleagues. He became the founder of the “New Athenian School” in poetry and in 1886 he published his first poem collection, “Songs of My Fatherland”.
In 1887 he married to Maria Valvi, with whom he had three children: Nafsika, Leandros and Alkis. His youngest son, Alkis, died at the age of five and the poet was lost in grief. In memory of Alkis, he wrote “Tomb” (1898), a magnificent elegy.
In 1879 he was appointed secretary of the University of Athens and, until his resignation in 1928 as Secretary-General, he won many honorary distinctions, the most important being that of Academy Member in 1926.
In 1924, the French Government honoured Palamas with the “Legion of Honour” title. In 1929 he was appointed President of the Academy of Sciences. Early in 1933, he was honoured with the “Goethe” medal by the German Ambassador to Athens. He was declared the Interim President of the newly established section of the International Writers’ Union. In 1934, the Spanish Government honoured him with the “Del la plaque del l’Ordre de la Republique” medal and a year later with the Medal of the Milanese Library of Congress.
In 1936, Palamas celebrated his fifty-year contribution to Greek poetry and literature. He received the title of Dean of the Royal Order for his contribution in the “Letters and Art” of the Ministry of Education. In 1937 his statue was raised in Messolonghi.
On February 9, 1943, his life partner Maria passed away. A few days later, on February 27, 1943 Palamas died. At his funeral, about 100,000 Greeks paid their respects to the “National Poet” in front of the amazed eyes of their German occupiers. Renowned poet Aggelos wrote and recited the poem “Palamas” for the funeral service.
One of the greatest Greek poets of modern literature was also one of the most inspiring figures of Hellenism, as the works of Kostis Palamas became beacons of the newly independent Greek State.
Born in Patras on January 13, 1859, Palamas lived long enough to see Greece occupied by the Germans, as he died on February 27, 1943.
Palamas’ enormous poetic work is imbued with history, Hellenism and the formation of the “Great Idea” for his homeland, while at the same time it dealt with everyday people and their feelings. He was named Greece’s National Poet.
The poet’s lyricism and word-making skills were remarkable. But as well as being an exemplary poet, Palamas was known for his work as a literature critic, a literary writer and a literary philosopher.
Palamas lost both his parents at an early age. In 1864, his mother Penelope died during a premature birth, while less than a year later, his father Michael passed away as well. The six-year old Kostis was taken in by his uncle, Dimitrios Palamas and moved to his house in Mesolonghi. The young boy stayed there from 1867 until 1875. He started writing poems and literature as early as high school.
As soon as he finished high school, in 1876, he moved to Athens, where he enrolled in the Law School at Athens University. His studies, however, did not last long, as the heart of young Palamas belonged to poetry and literature. He started working as a journalist to make a living using different aliases and wrote feverishly.
Palamas soon stood out from his colleagues. He became the founder of the “New Athenian School” in poetry and in 1886 he published his first poem collection, “Songs of My Fatherland”.
In 1887 he married to Maria Valvi, with whom he had three children: Nafsika, Leandros and Alkis. His youngest son, Alkis, died at the age of five and the poet was lost in grief. In memory of Alkis, he wrote “Tomb” (1898), a magnificent elegy.
In 1879 he was appointed secretary of the University of Athens and, until his resignation in 1928 as Secretary-General, he won many honorary distinctions, the most important being that of Academy Member in 1926.
In 1924, the French Government honoured Palamas with the “Legion of Honour” title. In 1929 he was appointed President of the Academy of Sciences. Early in 1933, he was honoured with the “Goethe” medal by the German Ambassador to Athens. He was declared the Interim President of the newly established section of the International Writers’ Union. In 1934, the Spanish Government honoured him with the “Del la plaque del l’Ordre de la Republique” medal and a year later with the Medal of the Milanese Library of Congress.
In 1936, Palamas celebrated his fifty-year contribution to Greek poetry and literature. He received the title of Dean of the Royal Order for his contribution in the “Letters and Art” of the Ministry of Education. In 1937 his statue was raised in Messolonghi.
On February 9, 1943, his life partner Maria passed away. A few days later, on February 27, 1943 Palamas died. At his funeral, about 100,000 Greeks paid their respects to the “National Poet” in front of the amazed eyes of their German occupiers. Renowned poet Aggelos wrote and recited the poem “Palamas” for the funeral service.
Novartis :
Parliamentary Committee to investigate the 10
24.2.2018
On Thursday, following a marathon 20-hour session, the Greek Parliament decided to establish a special committee that will investigate the role of politicians in the alleged Novartis scandal.
Ten high-ranking politicians, all belonging to the opposition parties of New Democracy and PASOK feature in the case file and will be investigated as to whether they took bribes from the Swiss Pharmaceutical Company Novartis. Among them are former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, Bank of Greece Governor Yannis Stournaras and the EU’s Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos.
Under Greek law, Parliament must first investigate the allegations which include bribery, breach of duty, and possibly money laundering against MPs before they can be stripped of their immunity and prosecuted by judicial authorities.
All the politicians have denied the allegations claiming that it is a Government fabrication against its political rivals. Some of them have also sued the protected witnesses and prosecutors, as well as Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras. Former PM Samaras has filed a lawsuit accusing witnesses of slander, prosecutors of breach of duty and PM Tsipras and “a Minister” of morally assisting them.
Mr. Venizelos, former leader of PASOK, has also filed a lawsuit against one of the witnesses, requesting that his identity be revealed for credibility checks. He called the case “the biggest and sloppiest plot” in decades.
The witnesses’ names have not been disclosed. They are protected from prosecution, court officials said on Tuesday.
Deputy Justice Minister Dimitris Papaggelopoulos accused the opposition parties of trying to intimidate prosecutors and judges by accusing them of participating in the Government’s machinations and procedural wrongdoings.
The Novartis investigation was launched in mid-December 2016 gathering evidence of bribery of thousands of state officials and doctors in order to obtain for Novartis preferential treatment in the market.
The Greek probe followed a two-year investigation conducted by USA authorities into the methods Novartis allegedly used to win dominance in the market.
Ten high-ranking politicians, all belonging to the opposition parties of New Democracy and PASOK feature in the case file and will be investigated as to whether they took bribes from the Swiss Pharmaceutical Company Novartis. Among them are former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, Bank of Greece Governor Yannis Stournaras and the EU’s Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos.
Under Greek law, Parliament must first investigate the allegations which include bribery, breach of duty, and possibly money laundering against MPs before they can be stripped of their immunity and prosecuted by judicial authorities.
All the politicians have denied the allegations claiming that it is a Government fabrication against its political rivals. Some of them have also sued the protected witnesses and prosecutors, as well as Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras. Former PM Samaras has filed a lawsuit accusing witnesses of slander, prosecutors of breach of duty and PM Tsipras and “a Minister” of morally assisting them.
Mr. Venizelos, former leader of PASOK, has also filed a lawsuit against one of the witnesses, requesting that his identity be revealed for credibility checks. He called the case “the biggest and sloppiest plot” in decades.
The witnesses’ names have not been disclosed. They are protected from prosecution, court officials said on Tuesday.
Deputy Justice Minister Dimitris Papaggelopoulos accused the opposition parties of trying to intimidate prosecutors and judges by accusing them of participating in the Government’s machinations and procedural wrongdoings.
The Novartis investigation was launched in mid-December 2016 gathering evidence of bribery of thousands of state officials and doctors in order to obtain for Novartis preferential treatment in the market.
The Greek probe followed a two-year investigation conducted by USA authorities into the methods Novartis allegedly used to win dominance in the market.
In his contribution to the Parliamentary debate, PM Tsipras emphasised that the investigation will go ahead and justice will be done. New Democracy abstained from the vote.
“How did this [scandal] happen? Was it a natural phenomenon? Who is to blame for this?” Alexis Tsipras wondered. “We will not cover up [the scandal],” he said during the debate. “The Greek people must learn who turned pain and illness into a means of enrichment.”
“For this scandal of mismanagement that caused huge damage to the Greek state, is there political responsibility?” he asked, adding that it is impossible for such a huge scandal to have taken place without the political leadership being aware of it.
“We won’t ignore the Greek people’s mandate,” Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said before the vote. “We won’t help cover up or bury one of the biggest scandals in modern Greek history.”
The case has hit a nerve in Greece, slowly emerging from the debt crisis that many blamed on a corrupt political elite and a spendthrift state that ran up huge deficits. Greece was forced to slash healthcare spending to shore up its finances. It is estimated that Greece has lost more than €3 billion due to the scandal.
Meanwhile, Prosecutors already have a new list with the names of about 300 public and private doctors who are being investigated for taking bribes from the pharmaceutical industry with amounts ranging from 1,000€ to 5,000€. The list, concerning bribes during January 2016-January 2017, is included in material confiscated by prosecutors in their raid on the offices of Novartis. The new list of 300 doctors comes to be added to the nearly 4,000, against whom the prosecutor's office is expected soon to initiate criminal proceedings, as this strand of the investigation, involving bribes, has almost been completed.
At the same time, the corruption prosecutors are preparing a new round of protected witnesses’ depositions on other aspects of the pharmaceutical industry case.
The Prosecutor's investigation has focused on that part of the case concerning the offence of money laundering. In this context, the prosecution has submitted dozens of requests for legal assistance to Switzerland and Cyprus, seeking information not only on Novartis’ corporate accounts, called "Feeders", but also on several companies that are involved and may have been used as "vehicles" for "laundering" sums of money earmarked for bribes.
Background
Greece’s spending on pharmaceuticals from 2000 to 2009 increased by 385% - an annual rate of increase averaging 20%, when the corresponding annual increase in OECD countries was just 3.5%.
Insurance Funds were plundered in the same period, as doctors, contracted to the public health system, prescribed three times more than the average in other OECD countries.
At the same time, the Insurance Funds were called upon to pay the lion's share of the total health expenditure. The private sector contributed in total just 2.3% in the same period. The facts confirmed by the investigation into the period in question are as follows:
1. With regard to pharmaceutical expenditure from 2000 to 2009 in Greece, there was an increase of around 385% i.e. an average rate of increase of 19.6%, unlike the OECD countries, where it reached 3.5%. Also during the same period the consumption of medicines produced here in Greece came close to 15% of total consumption compared to 56% in Portugal and 70% in Austria (i.e. countries with approximately the same population).
2. Due to the large number of contracts doctors had with insurance funds, three times more prescriptions were written in Greece compared to the OECD countries.
3. The most recent OECD data shows total health spending in 2009 in Greece amounted to 9.6% of GDP, slightly above the average percentage of OECD countries (9.5%). The highest percentage was recorded in the USA (17.4% of GDP) followed by Holland (12%), France (11.8%) and Germany (11.5%). Greece is classified below the average of OECD countries in terms of per capita health expenditure.
4. From 2000 to 2009 there was an increase in per capita health expenditure at a rate of 6.9%, when in OECD countries this figure did not exceed 4% on average.
“How did this [scandal] happen? Was it a natural phenomenon? Who is to blame for this?” Alexis Tsipras wondered. “We will not cover up [the scandal],” he said during the debate. “The Greek people must learn who turned pain and illness into a means of enrichment.”
“For this scandal of mismanagement that caused huge damage to the Greek state, is there political responsibility?” he asked, adding that it is impossible for such a huge scandal to have taken place without the political leadership being aware of it.
“We won’t ignore the Greek people’s mandate,” Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said before the vote. “We won’t help cover up or bury one of the biggest scandals in modern Greek history.”
The case has hit a nerve in Greece, slowly emerging from the debt crisis that many blamed on a corrupt political elite and a spendthrift state that ran up huge deficits. Greece was forced to slash healthcare spending to shore up its finances. It is estimated that Greece has lost more than €3 billion due to the scandal.
Meanwhile, Prosecutors already have a new list with the names of about 300 public and private doctors who are being investigated for taking bribes from the pharmaceutical industry with amounts ranging from 1,000€ to 5,000€. The list, concerning bribes during January 2016-January 2017, is included in material confiscated by prosecutors in their raid on the offices of Novartis. The new list of 300 doctors comes to be added to the nearly 4,000, against whom the prosecutor's office is expected soon to initiate criminal proceedings, as this strand of the investigation, involving bribes, has almost been completed.
At the same time, the corruption prosecutors are preparing a new round of protected witnesses’ depositions on other aspects of the pharmaceutical industry case.
The Prosecutor's investigation has focused on that part of the case concerning the offence of money laundering. In this context, the prosecution has submitted dozens of requests for legal assistance to Switzerland and Cyprus, seeking information not only on Novartis’ corporate accounts, called "Feeders", but also on several companies that are involved and may have been used as "vehicles" for "laundering" sums of money earmarked for bribes.
Background
Greece’s spending on pharmaceuticals from 2000 to 2009 increased by 385% - an annual rate of increase averaging 20%, when the corresponding annual increase in OECD countries was just 3.5%.
Insurance Funds were plundered in the same period, as doctors, contracted to the public health system, prescribed three times more than the average in other OECD countries.
At the same time, the Insurance Funds were called upon to pay the lion's share of the total health expenditure. The private sector contributed in total just 2.3% in the same period. The facts confirmed by the investigation into the period in question are as follows:
1. With regard to pharmaceutical expenditure from 2000 to 2009 in Greece, there was an increase of around 385% i.e. an average rate of increase of 19.6%, unlike the OECD countries, where it reached 3.5%. Also during the same period the consumption of medicines produced here in Greece came close to 15% of total consumption compared to 56% in Portugal and 70% in Austria (i.e. countries with approximately the same population).
2. Due to the large number of contracts doctors had with insurance funds, three times more prescriptions were written in Greece compared to the OECD countries.
3. The most recent OECD data shows total health spending in 2009 in Greece amounted to 9.6% of GDP, slightly above the average percentage of OECD countries (9.5%). The highest percentage was recorded in the USA (17.4% of GDP) followed by Holland (12%), France (11.8%) and Germany (11.5%). Greece is classified below the average of OECD countries in terms of per capita health expenditure.
4. From 2000 to 2009 there was an increase in per capita health expenditure at a rate of 6.9%, when in OECD countries this figure did not exceed 4% on average.
Fitch upgrades Greece's credit rating
The Fitch Ratings Agency on Friday upgraded Greece's sovereign debt grade, citing budget surpluses, greater political stability and the growing economy.
The Ratings Agency raised the debt rating one notch to 'B' from 'B-,' leaving the country in the "highly speculative" category but with a positive outlook.
The decision followed a similar move last month by S&P Global Ratings, which said the long-suffering economy's improving fiscal situation was coinciding with growing employment.
Also the Eurozone is expected to provide "substantial debt relief" this year, Fitch said.
"The concessional nature of Greece's public debt implies that debt servicing costs are low despite the high stock of public debt," Fitch said in announcing its decision.
The agency noted that Greece saw three straight quarters of GDP growth for the first time in 11 years, causing per capita incomes to rise as well, while political risks have receded.
"Between 2015 and 2017, the Greek Government has adopted “painful measures” under the bailout programme. Greece has also recorded rising budget surpluses and while the banking sector remains weak, banks have committed to plans to reduce their non-performing exposures by the end of next year."
More Paradise Papers
The Greek interest of the new leak concerns, among others, entrepreneurs, shipowners, media owners and politicians
The website of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists has moved on to a fresh leak of thousands of names of people on the lists of the “Paradise Papers”of interest to Greece. The list includes 2,594 entries originating from corporate registries in Malta.
The new leak concerns, among others, entrepreneurs, shipowners, media owners and politicians. The first leak only included 235 names of Greeks.
It should be noted, of course, that this leak does not automatically mean illegality. The Paradise Papers simply demonstrate that the ways in which companies, but also individuals, avoid taxes using artificial structures, are, if executed correctly, legal.
It also shows, however, the methodical way in which an international system of legal tax avoidance was set up, which thousands of people used, and not only in Greece.
So the question that arises again is whether a legal process of avoiding the taxation of wealth within the country, contributing substantially to its economy, is an ethical or patriotic act.
At the same time, the revelations of the lists gives the State the tool and the obligation to make in- depth checks on where the wealth of the elites of our country is going.
The Fitch Ratings Agency on Friday upgraded Greece's sovereign debt grade, citing budget surpluses, greater political stability and the growing economy.
The Ratings Agency raised the debt rating one notch to 'B' from 'B-,' leaving the country in the "highly speculative" category but with a positive outlook.
The decision followed a similar move last month by S&P Global Ratings, which said the long-suffering economy's improving fiscal situation was coinciding with growing employment.
Also the Eurozone is expected to provide "substantial debt relief" this year, Fitch said.
"The concessional nature of Greece's public debt implies that debt servicing costs are low despite the high stock of public debt," Fitch said in announcing its decision.
The agency noted that Greece saw three straight quarters of GDP growth for the first time in 11 years, causing per capita incomes to rise as well, while political risks have receded.
"Between 2015 and 2017, the Greek Government has adopted “painful measures” under the bailout programme. Greece has also recorded rising budget surpluses and while the banking sector remains weak, banks have committed to plans to reduce their non-performing exposures by the end of next year."
More Paradise Papers
The Greek interest of the new leak concerns, among others, entrepreneurs, shipowners, media owners and politicians
The website of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists has moved on to a fresh leak of thousands of names of people on the lists of the “Paradise Papers”of interest to Greece. The list includes 2,594 entries originating from corporate registries in Malta.
The new leak concerns, among others, entrepreneurs, shipowners, media owners and politicians. The first leak only included 235 names of Greeks.
It should be noted, of course, that this leak does not automatically mean illegality. The Paradise Papers simply demonstrate that the ways in which companies, but also individuals, avoid taxes using artificial structures, are, if executed correctly, legal.
It also shows, however, the methodical way in which an international system of legal tax avoidance was set up, which thousands of people used, and not only in Greece.
So the question that arises again is whether a legal process of avoiding the taxation of wealth within the country, contributing substantially to its economy, is an ethical or patriotic act.
At the same time, the revelations of the lists gives the State the tool and the obligation to make in- depth checks on where the wealth of the elites of our country is going.
NOVARTIS SCANDAL: Government seeks a Parliamentary Enquiry
17.2.2018
The Government has proposed that a parliamentary inquiry be set up to investigate the allegations that two former Prime Ministers and eight former Ministers accepted bribes from Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis.
On Monday, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras announced the Government’s intention to ask for a preliminary judicial inquiry into the claims made by three protected witnesses. He said it was the only “institutional path” available to the government. “The case file has to be examined and it has to be established whether there are satisfactory indications that offences have been committed.”
He rejected criticism by the opposition that his government has orchestrated a judicial "witch hunt" against political opponents. He also said his government will not succumb to the attack by the opposition and "vested interests", as he said, adding that the independent justice system is responsible for the investigation.
“Responsibility, democratic consistency, constitutional loyalty, courage and political determination are now being tested,” he said.
“The Government has the responsibility to stop the waste of state funds and shed light to corruption cases.
He also stressed the importance of respecting the law and the regulations now more than ever with “sobriety, calmness and absolute commitment to the discovery and revelation of the truth”. “Our aim is the truth and nothing but the truth.”
He suggested that the purchase of overpriced medicines by previous Governments had cost the country 23€ billion and that had played a key part in forcing Greece to require a bailout in 2010. According to first estimates, the overpricing of medicines in the 2000-2010 period cost as much as €23 billion. “It is equivalent to one Memorandum. More than 10% of GDP.” “If that 23€ billion had remained in the public coffers, perhaps we would have avoided the adventure we have been on since 2010.”
PM Tsipras also insisted that his Government would seek damages from Novartis, which has vowed to investigate the graft claims. He contrasted this approach with the decision by the then New Democracy-led Government in 2012 to seek an out-of-court settlement with Siemens following the cash-for-contracts scandal involving the German engineering firm.
The parliamentary inquiry requested by the Government is to examine whether there were cases of giving or accepting bribes and if any money laundering took place. The view among MPs is that the parliamentary committee will complete its work swiftly and refer the matter back to the justice system, which will have to decide whether further action should be taken against any of the accused.
Protected Witnesses
"I personally am convinced that the only way to avoid the sense of "omertà", that is to say to avoid the cover-up and the use of the law concerning the liability of Ministers was for the case to have protected witnesses" emphasized Health Minister Xanthos.
He went on to explain that the international dimension of the issue "makes the theory of frame-up ridiculous". No scandal of this magnitude in the world has been investigated without the mechanism of protected witnesses and he adds that "it is foolish and hypocritical to say that the “hoods” must go. The allegations are serious, and refer to high level political figures and state officials, which is why witnesses must be protected.
He noted that the aim of the Government is neither the revenge against its political opponents nor the distraction from the problems of society, but the ensuring of an environment for a thorough investigation and the establishing of responsibility when cases of corruption in public life arise. "However, the most important, taking into account the evidence from the scrutiny of the cases, is that interventions in the legal hardening are taken forward so that these phenomena are not perpetuated."
"Here we have a “party”, proven, over a period of time and known to all. No one disputes this. Until now there was no political will for this “party” to be investigated. And just on the basis of the fact that there was a “party”, the political responsibilities are self-evident. Now, from the case file it is clearly demonstrated that there was an organised system of exercising influence by interested parties and of corruption in the field of medicine. Whether one or the other person made the contribution attributed to them by the witnesses, that remains to be decided by the courts. We do not want either collective guilt or collective acquittal. When someone in his term of office, either with omissions and errors or with conscious involvement and self-interested behaviour covers up such a large party, it means negating their political role."
“A Sordid Conspiracy”
Former Greek Prime Minister, Antonis Samaras, filed a lawsuit on Thursday against Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, Deputy Justice Minister Dimitris Papangelopoulos, Judicial Officers and the protected witnesses who testified in the Novartis scandal.
Mr. Samaras accused PM Tsipras of being personally responsible for a “sordid conspiracy” that was being set up, while noting that this was “cobbled together so badly that it is collapsing on its own.” The charges mentioned in the lawsuit included abuse of power, breach of jurisdiction and confidentiality, while allegations against the witnesses concern the charges of slander and perjury.
Mr. Samaras explained that he decided to sue Alexis Tsipras because he has “set up a defamatory conspiracy” using the Novartis case. He also argued that conspiracy was put in motion publicly by the Government, just one day after the big rally in Syntagma square to protest the Government’s handling of the talks to resolve the FYROM name dispute, implying that the sole motivation of the Government was to take attention away from this sensitive issue.
Moreover, he further accused the government of lying and defaming its political rivals, while using divisive tactics. The former premier added that he also filed the lawsuit in order to prevent any future government from resorting to the tactic of “using perjurers to destroy political opponents”.
Responding to Mr. Samaras’ lawsuit, the Prime Minister’s Press Office issued a brief statement: “We are looking forward to reading the new conspiracy theory of Mr. Samaras, who is suffering from a permanent state of “persecution mania”. Yet, the only thing that is “persecuting” him is his past. We recommend that he files a lawsuit against it too”.
On Monday, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras announced the Government’s intention to ask for a preliminary judicial inquiry into the claims made by three protected witnesses. He said it was the only “institutional path” available to the government. “The case file has to be examined and it has to be established whether there are satisfactory indications that offences have been committed.”
He rejected criticism by the opposition that his government has orchestrated a judicial "witch hunt" against political opponents. He also said his government will not succumb to the attack by the opposition and "vested interests", as he said, adding that the independent justice system is responsible for the investigation.
“Responsibility, democratic consistency, constitutional loyalty, courage and political determination are now being tested,” he said.
“The Government has the responsibility to stop the waste of state funds and shed light to corruption cases.
He also stressed the importance of respecting the law and the regulations now more than ever with “sobriety, calmness and absolute commitment to the discovery and revelation of the truth”. “Our aim is the truth and nothing but the truth.”
He suggested that the purchase of overpriced medicines by previous Governments had cost the country 23€ billion and that had played a key part in forcing Greece to require a bailout in 2010. According to first estimates, the overpricing of medicines in the 2000-2010 period cost as much as €23 billion. “It is equivalent to one Memorandum. More than 10% of GDP.” “If that 23€ billion had remained in the public coffers, perhaps we would have avoided the adventure we have been on since 2010.”
PM Tsipras also insisted that his Government would seek damages from Novartis, which has vowed to investigate the graft claims. He contrasted this approach with the decision by the then New Democracy-led Government in 2012 to seek an out-of-court settlement with Siemens following the cash-for-contracts scandal involving the German engineering firm.
The parliamentary inquiry requested by the Government is to examine whether there were cases of giving or accepting bribes and if any money laundering took place. The view among MPs is that the parliamentary committee will complete its work swiftly and refer the matter back to the justice system, which will have to decide whether further action should be taken against any of the accused.
Protected Witnesses
"I personally am convinced that the only way to avoid the sense of "omertà", that is to say to avoid the cover-up and the use of the law concerning the liability of Ministers was for the case to have protected witnesses" emphasized Health Minister Xanthos.
He went on to explain that the international dimension of the issue "makes the theory of frame-up ridiculous". No scandal of this magnitude in the world has been investigated without the mechanism of protected witnesses and he adds that "it is foolish and hypocritical to say that the “hoods” must go. The allegations are serious, and refer to high level political figures and state officials, which is why witnesses must be protected.
He noted that the aim of the Government is neither the revenge against its political opponents nor the distraction from the problems of society, but the ensuring of an environment for a thorough investigation and the establishing of responsibility when cases of corruption in public life arise. "However, the most important, taking into account the evidence from the scrutiny of the cases, is that interventions in the legal hardening are taken forward so that these phenomena are not perpetuated."
"Here we have a “party”, proven, over a period of time and known to all. No one disputes this. Until now there was no political will for this “party” to be investigated. And just on the basis of the fact that there was a “party”, the political responsibilities are self-evident. Now, from the case file it is clearly demonstrated that there was an organised system of exercising influence by interested parties and of corruption in the field of medicine. Whether one or the other person made the contribution attributed to them by the witnesses, that remains to be decided by the courts. We do not want either collective guilt or collective acquittal. When someone in his term of office, either with omissions and errors or with conscious involvement and self-interested behaviour covers up such a large party, it means negating their political role."
“A Sordid Conspiracy”
Former Greek Prime Minister, Antonis Samaras, filed a lawsuit on Thursday against Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, Deputy Justice Minister Dimitris Papangelopoulos, Judicial Officers and the protected witnesses who testified in the Novartis scandal.
Mr. Samaras accused PM Tsipras of being personally responsible for a “sordid conspiracy” that was being set up, while noting that this was “cobbled together so badly that it is collapsing on its own.” The charges mentioned in the lawsuit included abuse of power, breach of jurisdiction and confidentiality, while allegations against the witnesses concern the charges of slander and perjury.
Mr. Samaras explained that he decided to sue Alexis Tsipras because he has “set up a defamatory conspiracy” using the Novartis case. He also argued that conspiracy was put in motion publicly by the Government, just one day after the big rally in Syntagma square to protest the Government’s handling of the talks to resolve the FYROM name dispute, implying that the sole motivation of the Government was to take attention away from this sensitive issue.
Moreover, he further accused the government of lying and defaming its political rivals, while using divisive tactics. The former premier added that he also filed the lawsuit in order to prevent any future government from resorting to the tactic of “using perjurers to destroy political opponents”.
Responding to Mr. Samaras’ lawsuit, the Prime Minister’s Press Office issued a brief statement: “We are looking forward to reading the new conspiracy theory of Mr. Samaras, who is suffering from a permanent state of “persecution mania”. Yet, the only thing that is “persecuting” him is his past. We recommend that he files a lawsuit against it too”.
The FYROM Name Issue
PM Tsipras referred to the negotiations and said Greece is not being called on “to give up something achieved by previous governments, but to take something back”.
He explained that “the neighbours [Skopje] must be persuaded to stop using the term ‘Macedonia’. That country’s designation must make clear that it has nothing to do in historical or geographical terms with the Greek Macedonia. “They must be persuaded to give back names and symbols that do not belong to them.” He said negotiations would not be easy, but said they were the only way.
Meanwhile in Skopje…
Skopje Mayor Petre Shilegov has said Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) are showing a willingness to resolve their decades-old name dispute.
In an interview with Greek Sunday newspaper Documento, Mayor Shilegov said: “When you want to solve a problem, you solve it. When you don’t, you don’t […] We want to solve problems, not create them.”
Asked whether he agrees with a statement made decades ago by late FYROM President Kiro Gligorov, that FYROM nationals are Slavs and have no connection to Alexander the Great, Mayor Shilegov agreed.
“Alexander the Great was never a part of our official history. It was introduced into our history in the last 10 years.
“Basically, when you talk about such nationalities, states and peoples, you are referring to the last 300 years, while Alexander the Great was 2,300 years ago. I prefer to see him more as the leader who civilized the whole world,” he said.
The Mayor, who is also vice-president of the ruling Social Democratic Union (SDSM), said FYROM had already made constitutional amendments in 1992 and there are no articles in the current document concealing wider irredentist territorial claims.
“We changed our Constitution on this issue in 1992. There is no article in our constitution that claims such a thing in relation to any country.
“In fact, there is an article that says that we don’t have any territorial claims towards neighbouring countries. Therefore this should not constitute a threat to anyone in Greece,” he said.
PM Tsipras referred to the negotiations and said Greece is not being called on “to give up something achieved by previous governments, but to take something back”.
He explained that “the neighbours [Skopje] must be persuaded to stop using the term ‘Macedonia’. That country’s designation must make clear that it has nothing to do in historical or geographical terms with the Greek Macedonia. “They must be persuaded to give back names and symbols that do not belong to them.” He said negotiations would not be easy, but said they were the only way.
Meanwhile in Skopje…
Skopje Mayor Petre Shilegov has said Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) are showing a willingness to resolve their decades-old name dispute.
In an interview with Greek Sunday newspaper Documento, Mayor Shilegov said: “When you want to solve a problem, you solve it. When you don’t, you don’t […] We want to solve problems, not create them.”
Asked whether he agrees with a statement made decades ago by late FYROM President Kiro Gligorov, that FYROM nationals are Slavs and have no connection to Alexander the Great, Mayor Shilegov agreed.
“Alexander the Great was never a part of our official history. It was introduced into our history in the last 10 years.
“Basically, when you talk about such nationalities, states and peoples, you are referring to the last 300 years, while Alexander the Great was 2,300 years ago. I prefer to see him more as the leader who civilized the whole world,” he said.
The Mayor, who is also vice-president of the ruling Social Democratic Union (SDSM), said FYROM had already made constitutional amendments in 1992 and there are no articles in the current document concealing wider irredentist territorial claims.
“We changed our Constitution on this issue in 1992. There is no article in our constitution that claims such a thing in relation to any country.
“In fact, there is an article that says that we don’t have any territorial claims towards neighbouring countries. Therefore this should not constitute a threat to anyone in Greece,” he said.
The Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia: Those “threatening” Articles
Coincidentally …..
“Greece will not tolerate any challenges to its territorial integrity”, stated PM Tsipras following Monday’s collision between Turkish and Greek coastguard vessels close to the disputed islet of Imia in the Aegean Sea.
Seeking international support, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras underlined that Greece’s border was also that of the 28-nation European Union. “Our message, now, tomorrow and always, is clear ... Greece will not allow, accept or tolerate any challenge to its territorial integrity and its sovereign rights,” he said. “Greece is not a country which plays games.” “Challenges and aggressive rhetoric against the sovereign rights of an EU member state are against the EU in its entirety.”
In Brussels, Greek Defence Minister Panos Kammenos briefed U.S. Defence Secretary Jim Mattis and NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Turkey’s “provocative behaviour”. “I had the opportunity to show them material of proof that dismisses Turkish claims that (the incident at Imia) was an accident,” Minister Kammenos said in a statement. “Turkey is provoking and violating Greek and EU waters, it proceeds with acts that violate any notion of maritime law and is coming close to (causing) an ‘accident’ in the Aegean. It has full responsibility.”
Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Wednesday."We explicitly expressed to him [Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras] that staying away from tensions will be better, with regards to relations between the two countries." "It is not only Turkey that should be careful in avoiding such violations; at the same time, actors in the field from Greece should be more careful and act in accordance with the law and stay away from disputed areas," he said.
Yigit Bulut, the chief advisor to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told Turkey’s TRT TV channel that he is “in no doubt” that the USA has a plan to make Greece attack Turkey while its military is engaged in Syria. Turkey’s response, he said, will be tough, adding that Greece is no match for Turkey’s might. It would be like a "fly picking a fight with a giant," he said and warned that terrible consequences would follow for Greece. "We will break the arms and legs of any officers, of the prime minister or of any minister who dares to step onto Imia in the Aegean," Mr. Bulut said,
Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has described the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia as “our brothers” and insisted Ankara would always stand by Skopje.
The Turkish leader said any insistence by Greece that FYROM change its name before joining NATO was “unfair” and said Athens was in the wrong over the long-running name dispute.
“For us Ankara and Skopje have no differences and we will not leave our brothers alone and we will always be with them,” Erdogan said.
During his visit to Turkey earlier this week, FYROM Prime Minister Zoran Zaev issued an invitation to Turkey to invest in Macedonia "without taxes for 10 years".
PM Zaev met with his Turkish counterpart and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and said "Turkey is not just supporting us. It is a partner who respects our perspectives, especially our NATO membership," while expressing his gratitude to Ankara for its friendly attitude.
Turkey's President Erdogan supported the "good neighbourly policies followed by Macedonia" and its efforts to resolve the dispute with Greece on the name issue.
Coincidentally …..
“Greece will not tolerate any challenges to its territorial integrity”, stated PM Tsipras following Monday’s collision between Turkish and Greek coastguard vessels close to the disputed islet of Imia in the Aegean Sea.
Seeking international support, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras underlined that Greece’s border was also that of the 28-nation European Union. “Our message, now, tomorrow and always, is clear ... Greece will not allow, accept or tolerate any challenge to its territorial integrity and its sovereign rights,” he said. “Greece is not a country which plays games.” “Challenges and aggressive rhetoric against the sovereign rights of an EU member state are against the EU in its entirety.”
In Brussels, Greek Defence Minister Panos Kammenos briefed U.S. Defence Secretary Jim Mattis and NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Turkey’s “provocative behaviour”. “I had the opportunity to show them material of proof that dismisses Turkish claims that (the incident at Imia) was an accident,” Minister Kammenos said in a statement. “Turkey is provoking and violating Greek and EU waters, it proceeds with acts that violate any notion of maritime law and is coming close to (causing) an ‘accident’ in the Aegean. It has full responsibility.”
Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Wednesday."We explicitly expressed to him [Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras] that staying away from tensions will be better, with regards to relations between the two countries." "It is not only Turkey that should be careful in avoiding such violations; at the same time, actors in the field from Greece should be more careful and act in accordance with the law and stay away from disputed areas," he said.
Yigit Bulut, the chief advisor to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told Turkey’s TRT TV channel that he is “in no doubt” that the USA has a plan to make Greece attack Turkey while its military is engaged in Syria. Turkey’s response, he said, will be tough, adding that Greece is no match for Turkey’s might. It would be like a "fly picking a fight with a giant," he said and warned that terrible consequences would follow for Greece. "We will break the arms and legs of any officers, of the prime minister or of any minister who dares to step onto Imia in the Aegean," Mr. Bulut said,
Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has described the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia as “our brothers” and insisted Ankara would always stand by Skopje.
The Turkish leader said any insistence by Greece that FYROM change its name before joining NATO was “unfair” and said Athens was in the wrong over the long-running name dispute.
“For us Ankara and Skopje have no differences and we will not leave our brothers alone and we will always be with them,” Erdogan said.
During his visit to Turkey earlier this week, FYROM Prime Minister Zoran Zaev issued an invitation to Turkey to invest in Macedonia "without taxes for 10 years".
PM Zaev met with his Turkish counterpart and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and said "Turkey is not just supporting us. It is a partner who respects our perspectives, especially our NATO membership," while expressing his gratitude to Ankara for its friendly attitude.
Turkey's President Erdogan supported the "good neighbourly policies followed by Macedonia" and its efforts to resolve the dispute with Greece on the name issue.
Bailout Programme – the final straight
The Government's negotiations with the Institutions are entering the final straight by the end of this month, leading to the country's exit from the programme in August this year. On 26th February the Heads of the Institutions’ teams (Peter Dolman of the IMF, Declan Costello from the European Commission, Francesco Drudi of the European Central Bank and Nikola Tziamaroli of the European Stability Mechanism are expected in Athens.
This visit will be short and the discussions will be the agenda and the timing of subsequent contacts, as well as the implementation of some of the most important prerequisites. It is planned for the Team Leaders to return after Easter for the final negotiations, included in which will be the details of “Greek Programme” that will be implemented after the Memorandum, the arrangements for the debt, and the kind of post-programme oversight -without a precautionary credit line.
Government sources reported that the "Greek Programme" will be of about 5 years’ duration, with two main strands: Development including the Welfare State and a Plan for the Debt.
The Development Part will include:
• Support priorities by sector (e.g. energy, the complete food chain etc.)
• The Support Plan for small and medium-sized enterprises
• Identifying and resolving problems in key areas (e.g. dealing with bureaucracy, quicker administration of Justice, "red" loans, etc.)
• The programming of grants.
The Social Arm will set goals for strengthening the Welfare State (e.g. hospital staffing, benefits, raising the minimum wage).
The final exit from the programme will be accompanied by some kind of supervision, which, among other things, will focus on:
• The implementation of some "end pieces" of the current agreement, such as the completion of the privatisation programme.
• The commitment that there will not be changes made to what has been implemented (e.g. the tax collecting mechanism will remain independent)
• The commitments that major reforms in areas that are considered important (e.g. Justice, public administration, etc.) will continue.
The Plan for the Debt
With the IMF's attitude currently an "unknown x" and a new report expected from the Fund on the sustainability of the debt, Greece and its European partners are in agreement that the settlement on the debt should be based on the so-called "French model" and consists of the following: on the one hand, linking ,on an annual basis, debt repayment to the growth of the Greek economy, until 75% of the Public Debt has been repaid. For example, if there are periods of stagnation in the economy, the amounts required for debt repayment will decrease. And, on the other hand, the debt relief is on condition that the agreed reforms are implemented.
Government officials stated that by the Eurogroup in June (or shortly thereafter) agreement will have concluded with the Institutions on all the above. At the same time, however, in the coming months until the deadline the remaining 88 prerequisites must have been implemented.
Government officilas said that on the list of prerequisites there are five "snags", which, however, can be easily resolved.
In May to June the discussion about public finances will take place (the already enacted measures on pensions and tax allowances for 2019 and 2020, as well as the countermeasures). The Greek side has as its "ace in the hole" the very high Primary Surplus for this year, which is estimated at 4% of GDP (or 2.9% of GDP after subtracting the social dividend and "security cushion"). However, up until now the IMF has systematically made much lower estimates.
Among the other "thorns" are the changes to the Property Tax [ΕΝΦΙΑ] after the reshaping of objective values, the revision of the "Katseli Law" (Government wants greater protection for borrowers), the promotion of "hot" privatisations mainly in the energy sector and the reform of disability allowances.
Talking about Greece’s exit from the Bailout Programme, Alexis Tsipras said “We are on the final stretch of the negotiations to exit the supervision in summer of 2018,” adding that the Greek economy has turned a page. “The conditions were never better for tapping into the markets.” Greece in the last week raised billions of euros with the sale of seven-year bonds.
The Government's negotiations with the Institutions are entering the final straight by the end of this month, leading to the country's exit from the programme in August this year. On 26th February the Heads of the Institutions’ teams (Peter Dolman of the IMF, Declan Costello from the European Commission, Francesco Drudi of the European Central Bank and Nikola Tziamaroli of the European Stability Mechanism are expected in Athens.
This visit will be short and the discussions will be the agenda and the timing of subsequent contacts, as well as the implementation of some of the most important prerequisites. It is planned for the Team Leaders to return after Easter for the final negotiations, included in which will be the details of “Greek Programme” that will be implemented after the Memorandum, the arrangements for the debt, and the kind of post-programme oversight -without a precautionary credit line.
Government sources reported that the "Greek Programme" will be of about 5 years’ duration, with two main strands: Development including the Welfare State and a Plan for the Debt.
The Development Part will include:
• Support priorities by sector (e.g. energy, the complete food chain etc.)
• The Support Plan for small and medium-sized enterprises
• Identifying and resolving problems in key areas (e.g. dealing with bureaucracy, quicker administration of Justice, "red" loans, etc.)
• The programming of grants.
The Social Arm will set goals for strengthening the Welfare State (e.g. hospital staffing, benefits, raising the minimum wage).
The final exit from the programme will be accompanied by some kind of supervision, which, among other things, will focus on:
• The implementation of some "end pieces" of the current agreement, such as the completion of the privatisation programme.
• The commitment that there will not be changes made to what has been implemented (e.g. the tax collecting mechanism will remain independent)
• The commitments that major reforms in areas that are considered important (e.g. Justice, public administration, etc.) will continue.
The Plan for the Debt
With the IMF's attitude currently an "unknown x" and a new report expected from the Fund on the sustainability of the debt, Greece and its European partners are in agreement that the settlement on the debt should be based on the so-called "French model" and consists of the following: on the one hand, linking ,on an annual basis, debt repayment to the growth of the Greek economy, until 75% of the Public Debt has been repaid. For example, if there are periods of stagnation in the economy, the amounts required for debt repayment will decrease. And, on the other hand, the debt relief is on condition that the agreed reforms are implemented.
Government officials stated that by the Eurogroup in June (or shortly thereafter) agreement will have concluded with the Institutions on all the above. At the same time, however, in the coming months until the deadline the remaining 88 prerequisites must have been implemented.
Government officilas said that on the list of prerequisites there are five "snags", which, however, can be easily resolved.
In May to June the discussion about public finances will take place (the already enacted measures on pensions and tax allowances for 2019 and 2020, as well as the countermeasures). The Greek side has as its "ace in the hole" the very high Primary Surplus for this year, which is estimated at 4% of GDP (or 2.9% of GDP after subtracting the social dividend and "security cushion"). However, up until now the IMF has systematically made much lower estimates.
Among the other "thorns" are the changes to the Property Tax [ΕΝΦΙΑ] after the reshaping of objective values, the revision of the "Katseli Law" (Government wants greater protection for borrowers), the promotion of "hot" privatisations mainly in the energy sector and the reform of disability allowances.
Talking about Greece’s exit from the Bailout Programme, Alexis Tsipras said “We are on the final stretch of the negotiations to exit the supervision in summer of 2018,” adding that the Greek economy has turned a page. “The conditions were never better for tapping into the markets.” Greece in the last week raised billions of euros with the sale of seven-year bonds.
The "Macedonian Question" :
Latest Developments
10.02.2018
According to the police estimate, approximately 140,000 demonstrators, clearly less than expected, participated in the rally on the “Macedonian Question” which took place in Syntagma Square last Sunday.
Following the Government Cabinet meeting in Skopje on Monday, the Prime Minister of FYROM, Zoran Zaev said that the name of the largest airport in the country, “Alexander the Great” has been changed to “Skopje’s International Airport”, while the highway along Corridor 10 has been re-named “Highway of Friendship”. According to him, this is a big step to confirm relations of friendship and trust with Greece.
“For the sake of the ongoing process of talks with Greece, I do not want to make any further comments, but we’re acting very cautiously”, he said, adding that he’s optimistic on finding a solution.
“It looks very difficult, but we have never expected it to be easy. As a government, we are committed in finding a solution for this problem”, PM Zaev said.
The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs said through an official announcement, that the fYROM decision regarding the name change of the national airport in Skopje and the national highway which leads to the border with Greece is a positive one.
"We welcome today's decision by the government of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to rename Skopje's national airport to 'International Airport of Skopje' and their main highway to "Highway of Friendship'."
It is an important development towards fighting irredentism and we hope that it will signal the opening of a new chapter in the relations between the two countries", the Foreign Ministry's announcement reads.
PM Tsipras : "The need for a new patriotism"
From the platform of the 9th Regional Development Conference in Patras, Alexis Tsipras delivered a clear message. He underlined the need for a new patriotism in contrast to those "who made patriotism a flag of convenience for them to serve the most narrow-minded self-interest."
"If the homeland needs something today, now, from all of us, up to and including the last Greek, it is a modern, resolute, unyielding patriotism. A patriotism that responds to difficult times, not with inflammatory rhetoric, but in terms of everyday virtue", in contrast to the flag waiving expressed by Antonis Samaras and the extreme wing of New Democracy
"There can be no patriotism in the Panama Papers, in off shore activity,in greasing palms, in serving vested interests, in defrauding the State, in the misappropriation of public funds, in pay-offs and corruption", characterising as "criminally disingenuous" those politicians who on the one hand engage "in a competition of patriotism and on the other consider it legal and ethical for their names to be registered on the tax evasion lists. Or denouncing as political persecution the reporting of their names in criminal proceedings.
"Patriotism is not a show and rhetoric nor is it standing to attention at the raising of the flag", it is the practice of everyday virtue, and above all of honesty - in every action, every movement, every initiative, especially by those who the people appoint to manage the country's fortunes. But also by each of us individually."
Athens Rally: "No use of the name Macedonia"
According to the police estimate, approximately 140,000 demonstrators, clearly less than expected, participated in the rally on the “Macedonian Question” which took place in Syntagma Square last Sunday. According to the police, 283 buses arrived in Attica for the event, of which 189 came through the Afidnes toll station and 94 through the toll station of Eleusis.
Many Greeks object to the country of the same name calling itself Macedonia, saying it implies a territorial claim on Greece's northern Macedonia region.
Organisers of Sunday's protest estimated that 1.5 million people had attended but the police said turnout was less than one tenth of that.
At the rally Mikis Theodorakis said "We appeal to Members of Parliament to call for a debate on the issue in Parliament and to mobilize on this issue of national importance." "Only we Greeks can give or refuse to give to the people of Skopje the right to appropriate, in the future by means of the name “Macedonia”, an integral part of Hellenism".
"I believe absolutely, we must face up to this huge problem united like a fist."
Mr.Theodorakis then said that Skopje is misrepresenting history : "It is not possible for us to agree with this falsification of history. Then we would become complicit with the forces that are openly targetting our territorial integrity."
"Macedonia is and was a unity, is and will always be Greek. Long live the Greek people," he ended by saying.
The Metropolitan of Syros, Dorotheos, read the message from the Holy Synod.
"The Church of Greece supports every expression of righteous defence of Macedonia. I cannot accept the term "Macedonia" or any derivative as a component of another name. It is a sacred responsibility of the Church to minister to the unity of all Greeks without discrimination. Let us make this rally today a message of national unity. Macedonia is in the hearts of all Greeks."
George Patoulis, President of KEDE [The Central Union of the Municipalities of Greece Ed]: "We will not tolerate the sell off of our history. Macedonia is Greek. Local Government is at the forefront of the national struggle to defend the values of Hellenism" "Today in the heart of Athens, more than 1.5 million [sic] people are shouting that Macedonia is Greek. We are sending a clear message to those who are ready to come to terms that we will not compromise."
The roots of the conflict run deep. When the Ottoman Turks were driven from the region in 1912, Macedonia was carved up by Greece, Serbia and Bulgaria. The bits grabbed by Serbia ended up as part of the new Yugoslavia. When Yugoslavia collapsed in 1991, Greece objected to that part of it being recognised as the Macedonian republic, arguing that this implied a claim to its own region of the same name. From then on Greece, the United Nations, the EU and many other international organisations have had to call it FYROM—the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
In response
On Monday, Government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos said “The shift of Mr. Theodorakis to intolerant and politically extreme positions is a sad development.”
Mr. Tzanakopoulos criticized the presence and speech of renowned composer Mikis Theodorakis who spoke at Sunday’s protest rally.
“I do not think it was a good decision to appear and speak the way he spoke at the rally. I do not know if referring to leftist fascism was referring to himself and his past. I do not know if he honours the way that people of the far-right and well-known fascists greeted him,” Mr.Tzanakopoulos said.
Mr. Tzanakopoulso said that the Government definitely takes note of the large mobilization of Greek people, but insisted that the tone of the rally was set by extremist political elements.
“The slogan of yesterday’s rally was “no use of the term Macedonia” for the name of the neighbouring country. But is this a position that Greek foreign policy can adopt?” he said.
He criticised New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis accusing him of not making his position clear on the use of the term “Macedonia” in the name of Greece’s Balkan neighbour.
The Press Office of SYRIZA was scathing in its comment on Sunday’s rally:
“Today’s rally has completely confounded the expectations of the organizers, who all the previous days have raised very high the expectation of a mass mobilisation, with the assistance of a large segment of the mass media, which operated as its director of communications.
The nationalistic and bigoted message that the speeches expressed and the presence of the whole of Golden Dawn made its message very clear. In addition, the presence of former Prime Minister and President of the New Democracy, Antonis Samaras, highlighted the opportunistic attitude of the main opposition party, which does not hesitate to align itself fully with the extreme right to divide the Greek people and exploit their patriotic concerns. The attitude of Mr. Mitsotakis on this issue is a monument of hypocrisy and irresponsibility, as he does not dare to put forward in public dialogue a clear position on the name issue.
SYRIZA supports the efforts of the Government in the negotiations to resolve the issue of the name of the neighbouring country. The peaceful coexistence of peoples, security and stability in the Balkans is the strongest guarantee for the safeguarding of national interests and expresses the desire of the majority of the Greek people for a future beyond blind alleys and fruitless isolationism.
“For the sake of the ongoing process of talks with Greece, I do not want to make any further comments, but we’re acting very cautiously”, he said, adding that he’s optimistic on finding a solution.
“It looks very difficult, but we have never expected it to be easy. As a government, we are committed in finding a solution for this problem”, PM Zaev said.
The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs said through an official announcement, that the fYROM decision regarding the name change of the national airport in Skopje and the national highway which leads to the border with Greece is a positive one.
"We welcome today's decision by the government of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to rename Skopje's national airport to 'International Airport of Skopje' and their main highway to "Highway of Friendship'."
It is an important development towards fighting irredentism and we hope that it will signal the opening of a new chapter in the relations between the two countries", the Foreign Ministry's announcement reads.
PM Tsipras : "The need for a new patriotism"
From the platform of the 9th Regional Development Conference in Patras, Alexis Tsipras delivered a clear message. He underlined the need for a new patriotism in contrast to those "who made patriotism a flag of convenience for them to serve the most narrow-minded self-interest."
"If the homeland needs something today, now, from all of us, up to and including the last Greek, it is a modern, resolute, unyielding patriotism. A patriotism that responds to difficult times, not with inflammatory rhetoric, but in terms of everyday virtue", in contrast to the flag waiving expressed by Antonis Samaras and the extreme wing of New Democracy
"There can be no patriotism in the Panama Papers, in off shore activity,in greasing palms, in serving vested interests, in defrauding the State, in the misappropriation of public funds, in pay-offs and corruption", characterising as "criminally disingenuous" those politicians who on the one hand engage "in a competition of patriotism and on the other consider it legal and ethical for their names to be registered on the tax evasion lists. Or denouncing as political persecution the reporting of their names in criminal proceedings.
"Patriotism is not a show and rhetoric nor is it standing to attention at the raising of the flag", it is the practice of everyday virtue, and above all of honesty - in every action, every movement, every initiative, especially by those who the people appoint to manage the country's fortunes. But also by each of us individually."
Athens Rally: "No use of the name Macedonia"
According to the police estimate, approximately 140,000 demonstrators, clearly less than expected, participated in the rally on the “Macedonian Question” which took place in Syntagma Square last Sunday. According to the police, 283 buses arrived in Attica for the event, of which 189 came through the Afidnes toll station and 94 through the toll station of Eleusis.
Many Greeks object to the country of the same name calling itself Macedonia, saying it implies a territorial claim on Greece's northern Macedonia region.
Organisers of Sunday's protest estimated that 1.5 million people had attended but the police said turnout was less than one tenth of that.
At the rally Mikis Theodorakis said "We appeal to Members of Parliament to call for a debate on the issue in Parliament and to mobilize on this issue of national importance." "Only we Greeks can give or refuse to give to the people of Skopje the right to appropriate, in the future by means of the name “Macedonia”, an integral part of Hellenism".
"I believe absolutely, we must face up to this huge problem united like a fist."
Mr.Theodorakis then said that Skopje is misrepresenting history : "It is not possible for us to agree with this falsification of history. Then we would become complicit with the forces that are openly targetting our territorial integrity."
"Macedonia is and was a unity, is and will always be Greek. Long live the Greek people," he ended by saying.
The Metropolitan of Syros, Dorotheos, read the message from the Holy Synod.
"The Church of Greece supports every expression of righteous defence of Macedonia. I cannot accept the term "Macedonia" or any derivative as a component of another name. It is a sacred responsibility of the Church to minister to the unity of all Greeks without discrimination. Let us make this rally today a message of national unity. Macedonia is in the hearts of all Greeks."
George Patoulis, President of KEDE [The Central Union of the Municipalities of Greece Ed]: "We will not tolerate the sell off of our history. Macedonia is Greek. Local Government is at the forefront of the national struggle to defend the values of Hellenism" "Today in the heart of Athens, more than 1.5 million [sic] people are shouting that Macedonia is Greek. We are sending a clear message to those who are ready to come to terms that we will not compromise."
The roots of the conflict run deep. When the Ottoman Turks were driven from the region in 1912, Macedonia was carved up by Greece, Serbia and Bulgaria. The bits grabbed by Serbia ended up as part of the new Yugoslavia. When Yugoslavia collapsed in 1991, Greece objected to that part of it being recognised as the Macedonian republic, arguing that this implied a claim to its own region of the same name. From then on Greece, the United Nations, the EU and many other international organisations have had to call it FYROM—the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
In response
On Monday, Government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos said “The shift of Mr. Theodorakis to intolerant and politically extreme positions is a sad development.”
Mr. Tzanakopoulos criticized the presence and speech of renowned composer Mikis Theodorakis who spoke at Sunday’s protest rally.
“I do not think it was a good decision to appear and speak the way he spoke at the rally. I do not know if referring to leftist fascism was referring to himself and his past. I do not know if he honours the way that people of the far-right and well-known fascists greeted him,” Mr.Tzanakopoulos said.
Mr. Tzanakopoulso said that the Government definitely takes note of the large mobilization of Greek people, but insisted that the tone of the rally was set by extremist political elements.
“The slogan of yesterday’s rally was “no use of the term Macedonia” for the name of the neighbouring country. But is this a position that Greek foreign policy can adopt?” he said.
He criticised New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis accusing him of not making his position clear on the use of the term “Macedonia” in the name of Greece’s Balkan neighbour.
The Press Office of SYRIZA was scathing in its comment on Sunday’s rally:
“Today’s rally has completely confounded the expectations of the organizers, who all the previous days have raised very high the expectation of a mass mobilisation, with the assistance of a large segment of the mass media, which operated as its director of communications.
The nationalistic and bigoted message that the speeches expressed and the presence of the whole of Golden Dawn made its message very clear. In addition, the presence of former Prime Minister and President of the New Democracy, Antonis Samaras, highlighted the opportunistic attitude of the main opposition party, which does not hesitate to align itself fully with the extreme right to divide the Greek people and exploit their patriotic concerns. The attitude of Mr. Mitsotakis on this issue is a monument of hypocrisy and irresponsibility, as he does not dare to put forward in public dialogue a clear position on the name issue.
SYRIZA supports the efforts of the Government in the negotiations to resolve the issue of the name of the neighbouring country. The peaceful coexistence of peoples, security and stability in the Balkans is the strongest guarantee for the safeguarding of national interests and expresses the desire of the majority of the Greek people for a future beyond blind alleys and fruitless isolationism.
Novartis: Greek Parliament
to consider bribery indictments
Greece's Parliament has received indictments linking ten prominent politicians to a bribery scandal involving Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis.
Parliament announced on Tuesday the results of a judicial investigation into alleged bribes paid to public officials by Basel-based Novartis over nearly a decade to promote the use of its products in public hospitals.
"This is a massive scandal that has stunned Greek society," Government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos said.
Under Greek law, politicians do not face prosecution directly from judicial authorities. Allegations must first be referred to Parliament for review before MPs vote on whether to strip the accused of their automatic immunity.
The politicians named include current Bank of Greece Governor Yannis Stournaras and EU Home Affairs Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos, plus former New Democracy Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, the caretaker Prime Minister Panagiotos Pikramenos in 2012 and five former Health Ministers. They have all denied the allegations and told To Bima newspaper that there is a slander operation at work and that they will sue for slander.
Antonis Samaras, the former ND Prime Minister who served between 2012 and 2015, said the allegations against him were politically motivated, and vowed to file a lawsuit against Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.
"This is the most ruthless but also most ridiculous conspiracy ever," he said.
Pharmaceutical expenditures stood at 1.27€ billion in 2000, then skyrocketed to 5.1€ billion in 2009. It was gradually reduced during the crisis to 2€ billion in 2014 where it has stabilised.
A legal formula is being sought for compensation to the Public Treasury - 50€ million is close to the amount earmarked for corrupting politicians – Up to 3€ billion is the damage to the Public Treasury from the transactions of Novartis, up to 23€ billion is the damage between 2000 and 2015 from the practices of all pharmaceutical companies.
The details of the indictment reveal dizzying amounts were traded as bribes to win Novartis a dominant role in the Greek medicine market causing pharmaceutical expenditure in Greece to skyrocket. According to them, about 50€ million flowed to two former Prime Ministers and eight former Ministers, while the damage caused to the Public Treasury from its dealings with Novartis touches 3€ billion. The damage to the Public Treasury from 2000 up to 2015 from the practices of all pharmaceutical companies reaches 23€ billion.
The Public Prosecutor of Corruption is now seeking a legal formula so that the Public Treasury can be compensated for the mountain of money lost.
Prosecution sources speak of the "shocking testimonies" of three protected witnesses who gave revealing evidence about the trading of "black" money, naming the politicians directly.
The Prosecutor's Office continues to work closely with the US authorities, ahead of requests for judicial assistance sent to Switzerland and Cyprus.
So far, however, it has been revealed from the testimony of the protected witnesses that around 45-50€ million were directed to the ten politicians. Total bribes reached around 60€ million, which, apart from the politicians, were shared by four or five General Secretaries of Ministries, members of committees, administrators of public organizations, political consultants etc.
One protected witness also reportedly submits that "the big “party” took place before the Memoranda", during which about 40€ million were given in bribes for the purchase of flu vaccine and also for anti-cancer drugs.
From 2000 onwards pharmaceutical expenditure in Greece was twice the European average.
Overpricing and pressure to give preference to its own medications are practices attributed to Novartis.
Novartis succeeded in getting paid as an absolute priority by insurance organizations ahead of their competitors, while its medicines were supplied at inflated prices and were focused mainly on the areas of Oncology and Ophthalmology.
According to information so far about the unfair practices of Novartis, approximately twenty witnesses have made depositions speaking about preferential pricing and approval processes and even the delay of the approval of drugs from other companies.
In its communiqué on this issue, Novartis states: "We have taken note of the publications concerning our business practices in Greece. We continue to work with the authorities in Greece and abroad. Novartis is committed to the highest standards of ethical business conduct and regulatory compliance in all aspects of our work. We take every allegation about possible misconduct extremely seriously and are considering thoroughly all reports."
A "put-up scandal" and "false witnesses"
With lawsuits, threats, and attacking the credibility of witnesses, those implicated in the Novartis scandal are responding on the TV, talking about political prosecution and conspiracy by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Government Ministers.
The former Prime Minister, Panagiotos Pikramenos and former Health Ministers, Marios Salmas, George Koutroumanos, Adonis Georgiadis all appeared on Ant1 and SKAI.
The former Deputy Health Minister, Marios Salmas spoke about a “put-up scandal” and labelled witnesses as "false witnesses" and defended himself by saying that during his period of office Novartis’ turnover decreased by 30%. He maintained that the case is "political".
On ANT1, 'A Nightmare ' is how former Prime Minister Pikrammenos described what is happening while he attempted to give a political dimension to his own "involvement" as a friend of the family of Mr. Mitsotakis. "Over 5 years nothing had been heard from anyone, and now all of a sudden?" "I'll talk to my lawyer, I don't know if I'll file lawsuits, or not." "I will not sit with folded hands".
"There will be legal moves" George Koutroumanos revealed, denouncing as "machination" and dishonest the Government’s political method.
He in turn attacked the witnesses claiming that "it is being accused by a witness who does not appear". He wondered why they consider that "the witnesses are at risk from politicians or from officers of the administration." However, according to the report of Prosecutor Papadatos who spoke to ERT "one witness has already been threatened" while on camera Mr Salmas publicly threatened the witnesses.
Mr. Mantas stressed that "it is not expected by the Parliamentary Rules of Procedure nor by the constitutional processes for the case file to be given publicity. That could make it invalid."
Antonis Lykourentzos on ERT stated that he would appeal directly to the courts, to pursue as he said every legal means in the prosecution of those involved in tarnishing his name. "I will appeal directly to the Courts and I want them to access my phones to prove that I had no contact with Mr. Frouzi."
"If I don’t put them in prison, I will not rest," said former Health Minister Adonis Georgiades while he talked about "false witnesses" and " hooded witnesses" whose names should be published. "Mr. Tsipras has organized everything," he said making threats against the Prime Minister.
Dimitris Avramopoulos, named by prosecutors among the 10 Greek politicians, denounced the corruption investigation as an "unprecedented plot". The allegations relate to a period between 2006 and 2015 - including when Mr Avramopoulos was Greece's Health Minister. In a statement on Wednesday, he condemned what he called an "unsubstantiated and flawed case file".
"It is now clear that it is an unprecedented plot which cannot stand in any member state of the European Union. Only sick minds could have invented and attempted it."
Mr Avramopoulos said the investigation was a bid to "exterminate political opponents".
All former Health Ministers declare that when they were in office, Novartis suffered losses.
Parliament announced on Tuesday the results of a judicial investigation into alleged bribes paid to public officials by Basel-based Novartis over nearly a decade to promote the use of its products in public hospitals.
"This is a massive scandal that has stunned Greek society," Government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos said.
Under Greek law, politicians do not face prosecution directly from judicial authorities. Allegations must first be referred to Parliament for review before MPs vote on whether to strip the accused of their automatic immunity.
The politicians named include current Bank of Greece Governor Yannis Stournaras and EU Home Affairs Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos, plus former New Democracy Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, the caretaker Prime Minister Panagiotos Pikramenos in 2012 and five former Health Ministers. They have all denied the allegations and told To Bima newspaper that there is a slander operation at work and that they will sue for slander.
Antonis Samaras, the former ND Prime Minister who served between 2012 and 2015, said the allegations against him were politically motivated, and vowed to file a lawsuit against Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.
"This is the most ruthless but also most ridiculous conspiracy ever," he said.
Pharmaceutical expenditures stood at 1.27€ billion in 2000, then skyrocketed to 5.1€ billion in 2009. It was gradually reduced during the crisis to 2€ billion in 2014 where it has stabilised.
A legal formula is being sought for compensation to the Public Treasury - 50€ million is close to the amount earmarked for corrupting politicians – Up to 3€ billion is the damage to the Public Treasury from the transactions of Novartis, up to 23€ billion is the damage between 2000 and 2015 from the practices of all pharmaceutical companies.
The details of the indictment reveal dizzying amounts were traded as bribes to win Novartis a dominant role in the Greek medicine market causing pharmaceutical expenditure in Greece to skyrocket. According to them, about 50€ million flowed to two former Prime Ministers and eight former Ministers, while the damage caused to the Public Treasury from its dealings with Novartis touches 3€ billion. The damage to the Public Treasury from 2000 up to 2015 from the practices of all pharmaceutical companies reaches 23€ billion.
The Public Prosecutor of Corruption is now seeking a legal formula so that the Public Treasury can be compensated for the mountain of money lost.
Prosecution sources speak of the "shocking testimonies" of three protected witnesses who gave revealing evidence about the trading of "black" money, naming the politicians directly.
The Prosecutor's Office continues to work closely with the US authorities, ahead of requests for judicial assistance sent to Switzerland and Cyprus.
So far, however, it has been revealed from the testimony of the protected witnesses that around 45-50€ million were directed to the ten politicians. Total bribes reached around 60€ million, which, apart from the politicians, were shared by four or five General Secretaries of Ministries, members of committees, administrators of public organizations, political consultants etc.
One protected witness also reportedly submits that "the big “party” took place before the Memoranda", during which about 40€ million were given in bribes for the purchase of flu vaccine and also for anti-cancer drugs.
From 2000 onwards pharmaceutical expenditure in Greece was twice the European average.
Overpricing and pressure to give preference to its own medications are practices attributed to Novartis.
Novartis succeeded in getting paid as an absolute priority by insurance organizations ahead of their competitors, while its medicines were supplied at inflated prices and were focused mainly on the areas of Oncology and Ophthalmology.
According to information so far about the unfair practices of Novartis, approximately twenty witnesses have made depositions speaking about preferential pricing and approval processes and even the delay of the approval of drugs from other companies.
In its communiqué on this issue, Novartis states: "We have taken note of the publications concerning our business practices in Greece. We continue to work with the authorities in Greece and abroad. Novartis is committed to the highest standards of ethical business conduct and regulatory compliance in all aspects of our work. We take every allegation about possible misconduct extremely seriously and are considering thoroughly all reports."
A "put-up scandal" and "false witnesses"
With lawsuits, threats, and attacking the credibility of witnesses, those implicated in the Novartis scandal are responding on the TV, talking about political prosecution and conspiracy by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Government Ministers.
The former Prime Minister, Panagiotos Pikramenos and former Health Ministers, Marios Salmas, George Koutroumanos, Adonis Georgiadis all appeared on Ant1 and SKAI.
The former Deputy Health Minister, Marios Salmas spoke about a “put-up scandal” and labelled witnesses as "false witnesses" and defended himself by saying that during his period of office Novartis’ turnover decreased by 30%. He maintained that the case is "political".
On ANT1, 'A Nightmare ' is how former Prime Minister Pikrammenos described what is happening while he attempted to give a political dimension to his own "involvement" as a friend of the family of Mr. Mitsotakis. "Over 5 years nothing had been heard from anyone, and now all of a sudden?" "I'll talk to my lawyer, I don't know if I'll file lawsuits, or not." "I will not sit with folded hands".
"There will be legal moves" George Koutroumanos revealed, denouncing as "machination" and dishonest the Government’s political method.
He in turn attacked the witnesses claiming that "it is being accused by a witness who does not appear". He wondered why they consider that "the witnesses are at risk from politicians or from officers of the administration." However, according to the report of Prosecutor Papadatos who spoke to ERT "one witness has already been threatened" while on camera Mr Salmas publicly threatened the witnesses.
Mr. Mantas stressed that "it is not expected by the Parliamentary Rules of Procedure nor by the constitutional processes for the case file to be given publicity. That could make it invalid."
Antonis Lykourentzos on ERT stated that he would appeal directly to the courts, to pursue as he said every legal means in the prosecution of those involved in tarnishing his name. "I will appeal directly to the Courts and I want them to access my phones to prove that I had no contact with Mr. Frouzi."
"If I don’t put them in prison, I will not rest," said former Health Minister Adonis Georgiades while he talked about "false witnesses" and " hooded witnesses" whose names should be published. "Mr. Tsipras has organized everything," he said making threats against the Prime Minister.
Dimitris Avramopoulos, named by prosecutors among the 10 Greek politicians, denounced the corruption investigation as an "unprecedented plot". The allegations relate to a period between 2006 and 2015 - including when Mr Avramopoulos was Greece's Health Minister. In a statement on Wednesday, he condemned what he called an "unsubstantiated and flawed case file".
"It is now clear that it is an unprecedented plot which cannot stand in any member state of the European Union. Only sick minds could have invented and attempted it."
Mr Avramopoulos said the investigation was a bid to "exterminate political opponents".
All former Health Ministers declare that when they were in office, Novartis suffered losses.
“I pledge that in the coming period
I will, with patriotic responsibility, seek a mutually acceptable solution”
3.2.2018
“I pledge that in the coming period I will, with patriotic responsibility, seek a mutually acceptable solution” stated Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras after his meetings last Saturday with the political leaders in order to brief them on the developments on the FYROM name issue.
On the extremely crucial and difficult issue of our differences with FYROM, the PM said that he had briefed the political leaders in detail and explained to them that “an opportunity window has opened as FYROM’s new political leadership is showing a willingness to negotiate for a mutually acceptable solution to a problem that has undermined our relations for the last 25 years”.
He said that “FYROM’s political leadership has to some extent withdrawn from the irredentist rhetoric of the previous years” and he gave as an example FYROM Prime Minister Zoran Zaev’s move to rename Skopje’s international airport and the Thessaloniki-Skopje motorway from “Alexander the Great” to the “Highway of Friendship”.
He, however, clarified that “the symbolic gestures do not mean that the irredentist problem has been resolved as our neighbours’ political will must take the form of clear and specific engagements in the context of the deliberations conducted at a bilateral level as well as in the framework of UN mediation”.
“We have made progress in the last period but a long way remains to be covered to reach a mutually acceptable solution of a compound name for universal use [erga omnes].”
“Everybody must understand that a non solution will be against Greece’s interest and against stability in the wider region”.
He also recommended “realism, prudence, modesty and spirit of understanding if we want to serve the national interest”.
“It is, to say the least, hypocritical, for some political forces but also for certain individuals to exploit the susceptibilities and the agony of the Greek people to serve a completely ineffective and hopeless objective, which ultimately goes against our national interests.”
He said that with most of the political leaders he had had a sincere and responsible discussion that could lead to political convergence and consensus. “Unfortunately I cannot say the same for the leader of the opposition. The attitude of Mr. Mitsotakis shows unreliability and a failure to state his political position clearly. He constantly wavers, changing positions and opinions depending on internal political developments, but also with the pressure put on him by an extreme section of his party."
Concluding, he underlined: “On my part I pledge that in the coming future I will seek with patriotic responsibility a mutually acceptable solution.”
Athens and Skopje have agreed to step up negotiations to reach an accord in a dispute which has blocked the ex-Yugoslav republic from joining NATO and the European Union. As a member of both, Greece’s assent is needed for its neighbour to join NATO and the EU, but Greece objects to the former Yugoslav republic’s use of the name Macedonia, arguing that it, along with contentious articles in Skopje’s constitution, could imply territorial claims over its own northern region of the same name.
Greeks are proud of their links to Macedonian empire-builder Alexander the Great, who spread Hellenistic culture across the ancient world.
“In life, Alexander the Great ... proved we should cut Gordian Knots. At some point we must finish with such issues,” Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias told Reuters in an interview.
Mr. Kotzias said there was a new momentum to settle the dispute since a more moderate government was elected in Macedonia last year and following three years of trust-building efforts.
“We want to solve it. It’s in our national interest and in the interests of the region, for stability, security and economic growth,” He said Greece was working on a draft that would be ready in February which could form the basis of discussion.
“It won’t be a Greek text containing only our views, nor a done deal-compromise. It will be a text which we consider could be the basis upon which we could start to cooperate,” he said.
Other Views
“We will not divide Greeks to unite Skopje,” Conservative New Democracy party leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in a televised address following his meeting with PM Tsipras. He said resolving the name dispute was not just a foreign policy matter but a serious issue relating to Greece’s history and “the very identity of Greeks”.
PM Tsipras accused New Democracy of a “hypocritical” stance on the issue in taking advantage of the sensitivities of Greeks. He said now was not the time for nationalist fervour or cries of fanaticism.
On Friday, Greece’s influential Orthodox Church entered the fray, saying it was against any accord with the neighbouring country which included the name “Macedonia”.
In response to the suggestion that disagreement over the name issue between SYRIZA and ANEL might jeopardise the Government Coalition, Independent Greeks (ANEL) President, Panos Kammenos, made a statement on Monday saying his party had made an “honest agreement with SYRIZA and Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and this honest agreement will be honoured to the end, to the end of four years [of this Parliament Ed]”.
Mr. Kammenos, Greece’s Defence Minister, also said he “trusted” Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias to lead Greek negotiators and confirmed that his family would attend Sunday’s planned rally in Athens against the use of ‘Macedonia’ in any future name for Greece’s northern neighbour.
“The rallies are organized by the citizens. We [ANEL] are involved. The participants are Greek citizens expressing a national position and helping the national negotiation,” he said.
FYROM PM Zoran Zaev insisted that his plans to hold a national referendum over the name dispute with Greece would not be an obstacle to a solution but rather will serve as a guarantee of its permanence.
“The referendum will be an added guarantee to Greece that the solution will be permanent and will remain forever,” PM Zaev said in remarks that were seen as part of the effort by Skopje to expedite negotiations for a settlement.
According to sources, the names proposed as a solution are namely Republika Nova Makedonija (Republic of New Macedonia), Republika Gorna Makedonija (Republic of Upper Macedonia), Republika Severna Makedonija (Republic of Northern Macedonia), Republika Vardarska Makedonija (Republic of Vardarska Macedonia) and Republika Makedonija (Skopje).
Talks between the two states have been inconclusive since 1991, when Macedonia withdrew from former Yugoslavia. It was admitted into the United Nations in 1993 under the name Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). More than 140 countries worldwide refer to the republic as Macedonia.
"Linguistic Acrobatics"
“Let me tell you a paradox. Let’s say we don’t reach agreement today, what name is left?” said Foreign Minister Kotzias. “Internationally, we will be left with plain ‘Macedonia’, therefore we will have no gain, and in our bilateral relations we will be left with ‘Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia’. “Grammatically, it’s a name which still includes the name Macedonia, which is compound and with chronological definition. So we are just fooling ourselves with linguistic acrobatics.”
“The demonstrations [in Thessaloniki two weeks ago and this Sunday in Athens Ed] are signs of democracy. In both countries, people who do not agree to a good compromise ... do not have bad intent,” he said. “They are simply people who see the problem from a different angle, without taking into account the historical background or future prospects for cooperation.”
“We have to respect this history and learn from it, but not be trapped in it.”
On the extremely crucial and difficult issue of our differences with FYROM, the PM said that he had briefed the political leaders in detail and explained to them that “an opportunity window has opened as FYROM’s new political leadership is showing a willingness to negotiate for a mutually acceptable solution to a problem that has undermined our relations for the last 25 years”.
He said that “FYROM’s political leadership has to some extent withdrawn from the irredentist rhetoric of the previous years” and he gave as an example FYROM Prime Minister Zoran Zaev’s move to rename Skopje’s international airport and the Thessaloniki-Skopje motorway from “Alexander the Great” to the “Highway of Friendship”.
He, however, clarified that “the symbolic gestures do not mean that the irredentist problem has been resolved as our neighbours’ political will must take the form of clear and specific engagements in the context of the deliberations conducted at a bilateral level as well as in the framework of UN mediation”.
“We have made progress in the last period but a long way remains to be covered to reach a mutually acceptable solution of a compound name for universal use [erga omnes].”
“Everybody must understand that a non solution will be against Greece’s interest and against stability in the wider region”.
He also recommended “realism, prudence, modesty and spirit of understanding if we want to serve the national interest”.
“It is, to say the least, hypocritical, for some political forces but also for certain individuals to exploit the susceptibilities and the agony of the Greek people to serve a completely ineffective and hopeless objective, which ultimately goes against our national interests.”
He said that with most of the political leaders he had had a sincere and responsible discussion that could lead to political convergence and consensus. “Unfortunately I cannot say the same for the leader of the opposition. The attitude of Mr. Mitsotakis shows unreliability and a failure to state his political position clearly. He constantly wavers, changing positions and opinions depending on internal political developments, but also with the pressure put on him by an extreme section of his party."
Concluding, he underlined: “On my part I pledge that in the coming future I will seek with patriotic responsibility a mutually acceptable solution.”
Athens and Skopje have agreed to step up negotiations to reach an accord in a dispute which has blocked the ex-Yugoslav republic from joining NATO and the European Union. As a member of both, Greece’s assent is needed for its neighbour to join NATO and the EU, but Greece objects to the former Yugoslav republic’s use of the name Macedonia, arguing that it, along with contentious articles in Skopje’s constitution, could imply territorial claims over its own northern region of the same name.
Greeks are proud of their links to Macedonian empire-builder Alexander the Great, who spread Hellenistic culture across the ancient world.
“In life, Alexander the Great ... proved we should cut Gordian Knots. At some point we must finish with such issues,” Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias told Reuters in an interview.
Mr. Kotzias said there was a new momentum to settle the dispute since a more moderate government was elected in Macedonia last year and following three years of trust-building efforts.
“We want to solve it. It’s in our national interest and in the interests of the region, for stability, security and economic growth,” He said Greece was working on a draft that would be ready in February which could form the basis of discussion.
“It won’t be a Greek text containing only our views, nor a done deal-compromise. It will be a text which we consider could be the basis upon which we could start to cooperate,” he said.
Other Views
“We will not divide Greeks to unite Skopje,” Conservative New Democracy party leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in a televised address following his meeting with PM Tsipras. He said resolving the name dispute was not just a foreign policy matter but a serious issue relating to Greece’s history and “the very identity of Greeks”.
PM Tsipras accused New Democracy of a “hypocritical” stance on the issue in taking advantage of the sensitivities of Greeks. He said now was not the time for nationalist fervour or cries of fanaticism.
On Friday, Greece’s influential Orthodox Church entered the fray, saying it was against any accord with the neighbouring country which included the name “Macedonia”.
In response to the suggestion that disagreement over the name issue between SYRIZA and ANEL might jeopardise the Government Coalition, Independent Greeks (ANEL) President, Panos Kammenos, made a statement on Monday saying his party had made an “honest agreement with SYRIZA and Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and this honest agreement will be honoured to the end, to the end of four years [of this Parliament Ed]”.
Mr. Kammenos, Greece’s Defence Minister, also said he “trusted” Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias to lead Greek negotiators and confirmed that his family would attend Sunday’s planned rally in Athens against the use of ‘Macedonia’ in any future name for Greece’s northern neighbour.
“The rallies are organized by the citizens. We [ANEL] are involved. The participants are Greek citizens expressing a national position and helping the national negotiation,” he said.
FYROM PM Zoran Zaev insisted that his plans to hold a national referendum over the name dispute with Greece would not be an obstacle to a solution but rather will serve as a guarantee of its permanence.
“The referendum will be an added guarantee to Greece that the solution will be permanent and will remain forever,” PM Zaev said in remarks that were seen as part of the effort by Skopje to expedite negotiations for a settlement.
According to sources, the names proposed as a solution are namely Republika Nova Makedonija (Republic of New Macedonia), Republika Gorna Makedonija (Republic of Upper Macedonia), Republika Severna Makedonija (Republic of Northern Macedonia), Republika Vardarska Makedonija (Republic of Vardarska Macedonia) and Republika Makedonija (Skopje).
Talks between the two states have been inconclusive since 1991, when Macedonia withdrew from former Yugoslavia. It was admitted into the United Nations in 1993 under the name Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). More than 140 countries worldwide refer to the republic as Macedonia.
"Linguistic Acrobatics"
“Let me tell you a paradox. Let’s say we don’t reach agreement today, what name is left?” said Foreign Minister Kotzias. “Internationally, we will be left with plain ‘Macedonia’, therefore we will have no gain, and in our bilateral relations we will be left with ‘Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia’. “Grammatically, it’s a name which still includes the name Macedonia, which is compound and with chronological definition. So we are just fooling ourselves with linguistic acrobatics.”
“The demonstrations [in Thessaloniki two weeks ago and this Sunday in Athens Ed] are signs of democracy. In both countries, people who do not agree to a good compromise ... do not have bad intent,” he said. “They are simply people who see the problem from a different angle, without taking into account the historical background or future prospects for cooperation.”
“We have to respect this history and learn from it, but not be trapped in it.”
Finance Minister Tsakalotos
prepares Post-Bailout Plan
Greece expects to make a clean break with official lenders when its international bailout expires in August and has no reason to seek a precautionary credit line, Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos told Reuters.
In a press interview, he said the country is building up its own protective buffer that, along with unused European bailout funds, will cover Greece “for well over a year”, if needed.
In coming months, he said, the country would be preparing its own post-bailout plan with an emphasis on reforms, social policies and growth.
He also said discussions would soon commence with Eurozone lenders on debt relief along the lines of a French proposal to link the level of debt restructuring to economic performance.
“We feel we have built credibility over the last three years,” Finance Minister Tsakalotos said.
The Government has vowed to end the austerity imposed by its international lenders, but Greece still has a debt burden of 178% of GDP and some European policymakers believe the country cannot go it alone without debt relief and a standby line of credit. A precautionary credit line, though, would come with yet more “measures” attached, so the Greek Government is proposing its own plan. It is also creating a safety net of up to 19€ billion drawn from unused bailout funds and from bond issues.
The Minister continued: “Post-programme surveillance schemes after the exit from the Memoranda are common practice for other countries that have received assistance. Greece, however, is preparing its own programme that will include more initiatives. We think, by Easter, we will have prepared our own plan, including social and development policies, to show both the Institutions and the markets that this is our own programme, that we have ownership of it. It hasn’t been imposed; it’s not a matter of compromise. It will show lenders and the markets that Greece has ownership over its own programme of future reforms and growth strategies, rather than Brussels.”
He said that the economy was turning a corner and the country would soon be ready to stand on its own feet. “We’ve been outperforming our fiscal targets, the economy is returning,” he said. “To those people who think we need something more, like a precautionary credit line or whatever, they are just pushing the key question back and I don’t see any reason for that.
The IMF has not yet decided if it will participate in Greece’s latest bailout programme, having repeatedly voiced concern at the sustainability of the country’s debt.
“I think their inclination and their strategy is to get a deal that makes the Greek debt sustainable so they can come on board,” Minister Tsakalotos.
Greece and its lenders are expected to flesh out a French proposed mechanism which was presented in June and will link debt relief to Greece’s growth rates. The economy is expected to grow by up to 2.5% this year and in 2019.
“What we will be going over the next month or so is working out the nitty-gritty of it, the mechanism, how it will kick in, when it will kick in.”
Details on the cash buffer, the growth mechanism along with the implementation of the measures agreed in June would give investors clarity over Greece’s trajectory, he said.
Greece returned to bond markets in July after three years of market isolation. Another issue would follow “soon”, he said.
“The only outstanding issue is the composition of that buffer, how much will come from Greece’s own funds, and how much will come from the ESM and I‘m looking forward to that debate.”
Greek banks are saddled with about €100 billion in non- Performing Loans (NPLs), after a seven-year depression that cut economic output by a quarter and pushed more than a fifth of the population into unemployment.
The results of stress tests on the banks by euro zone supervisors are expected in May.
“We shall see what the results of the stress tests are,” said the Minister. “I think that a lot of people would want to give banks a chance to see all these bits of the puzzle that we put in to work through, and to address the NPL problem.”
“The good thing is that it’s going to have the same criteria across the European banking system, it’s not treating Greece as an exceptional case.”
He pondered at a question on the Government’s achievements. It was, he said, a mixed picture but the foundations for a sustainable economic recovery had been laid.
“There are the pillars there, and it will be up to our government and if we are elected again, to see whether we can build on that,” he said, referring to elections in 2019.
“… The difference between a happy ending and a sad ending is where you cut the film, yes? The movie is still in development.”
Eurostat: Latest Unemployment Figures
The unemployment rate in Greece is steadily decreasing. Eurostat announced that Greece recorded the largest decline in the level of unemployment in the EU between October 2016 and October 2017, from 23.3% to 20.7%.
Altogether in December, there were 17,961 million unemployed in the EU and 14,137 million unemployed in the euro area.
The highest unemployment rates in the EU are recorded in Greece (20.7% in October) and in Spain (16.4%). The lowest unemployment rates were in the Czech Republic (2.3%), Malta and Germany (3.6%).
In Greece, the number of unemployed in October 2017 stood at 990,000. The unemployment rate for men was 17% and for women 25.4%.
The unemployment rate for young people (under 25) in Greece dropped to 40.8% in October, compared with 40.3% in September. The highest unemployment rates among young people in the EU are recorded in Greece (40.8%), Spain (36.8%) and Italy (32.2%). The lowest rates are recorded in the Czech Republic (4.9%) and Germany (6.6%).
In December youth unemployment in the euro area stood at 17.9% and in the EU at 16.1%.
“The public’s shift toward reusable bags has been significant”
Just a month in, a Government initiative aimed at reducing consumers’ dependence on plastic carrier bags by charging for them appears to be bearing fruit, as some supermarkets have recorded a drop of as much as 50%.
“The application of the measure at supermarkets is very widespread, though there are still some problems at small retail outlets in the countryside,” the managing director of the Research Institute of Retail Consumer Goods (IELKA), Lefteris Kioses, told a forum held as part of the EU’s Life Debag initiative on Thursday.
Since the 4 cent charge for regular plastic bags was introduced on January 1st , an increasing number of retailers now offer reusable shopping bags. Stores that are not implementing the measure include those that sell clothing and footwear, as well as fast-food restaurants. “They appear worried that charging for the bag will displease their customers,” said Mr.Kioses.
He said the public response has been mostly positive, with “some reaction from those who think it is just a revenue-raising measure.”
“The public’s shift toward reusable bags has been significant. Many businesses had underestimated demand and ran out,” he added.
The news is also good from Syros, the Cycladic island that has been campaigning against the use of plastic bags for the past two years.
“We are seeing the effect of our efforts in the sea and on our beaches,” says Patras University Professor and Life Debag’s coordinator in Greece Giorgos Papatheodorou.
More Local Health Units
A Ministry of Heath statement announced that on Friday February 2nd the inauguration of the 1st and 2nd TOMY in Chania would take place, while on the same day at 5pm the opening of the 1st TOMY in Rethymnon would be held.
“The establishment and operation of Local Health Units [TOMY] comes to cover one of the most critical deficiencies in the National Health Service, - the need for an organized system of Primary Health Care” especially in urban centres. Filling this gap is one of the main priorities of the political leadership of the Ministry of Health. The operation of the TOMY means the provision of free, universal, suitable, effective, efficient, high quality and people-centred primary health care to the population.
“Dynamically and steadily, we are continuing to implement our vision for Primary Health Care by the establishment of Local Health Units, staffed by medical and other health personnel and fully equipped.”
Anti-smoking law to be enforced
Greece’s Health Minister Andreas Xanthos on Wednesday called on the authorities responsible to enforce the country’s anti-smoking law, and to start strict checks on public places where smoking is continuing.
The 2010 anti-smoking law that bans smoking in enclosed spaces such as public buildings, restaurants, coffee shops and theatres, has never been properly enforced. Apart from some random checks and fines in the first few months, smoking in public places continues to be commonplace.
The Ministry issued a new memorandum as part of an effort to combat smoking and its negative effects on the population as a whole.
The Memorandum calls on all responsible authorities to enforce the law by doing checks on establishments that allow smoking, and impose harsh fines on offenders.
Civil servants and public sector employees are not allowed to smoke at work, and if they do, disciplinary action against them will be taken.
Smokers in public places will be fined 50€ to 500€, according to the circumstances.
Owners of businesses such as bars, restaurants and coffee shops will be fined between 500€ to 10,000€ if they allow customers to smoke. Repeat offenders will be fined and their licence will be revoked after five offences.
A fine of between 500€ and 10,000€ will be imposed to those who sell tobacco products to minors. The same fines will apply to those who advertise tobacco products.
To protect minors from second hand smoking, a fine of 1,500€ will be imposed on drivers who smoke with a child under 12 in the car.
In a press interview, he said the country is building up its own protective buffer that, along with unused European bailout funds, will cover Greece “for well over a year”, if needed.
In coming months, he said, the country would be preparing its own post-bailout plan with an emphasis on reforms, social policies and growth.
He also said discussions would soon commence with Eurozone lenders on debt relief along the lines of a French proposal to link the level of debt restructuring to economic performance.
“We feel we have built credibility over the last three years,” Finance Minister Tsakalotos said.
The Government has vowed to end the austerity imposed by its international lenders, but Greece still has a debt burden of 178% of GDP and some European policymakers believe the country cannot go it alone without debt relief and a standby line of credit. A precautionary credit line, though, would come with yet more “measures” attached, so the Greek Government is proposing its own plan. It is also creating a safety net of up to 19€ billion drawn from unused bailout funds and from bond issues.
The Minister continued: “Post-programme surveillance schemes after the exit from the Memoranda are common practice for other countries that have received assistance. Greece, however, is preparing its own programme that will include more initiatives. We think, by Easter, we will have prepared our own plan, including social and development policies, to show both the Institutions and the markets that this is our own programme, that we have ownership of it. It hasn’t been imposed; it’s not a matter of compromise. It will show lenders and the markets that Greece has ownership over its own programme of future reforms and growth strategies, rather than Brussels.”
He said that the economy was turning a corner and the country would soon be ready to stand on its own feet. “We’ve been outperforming our fiscal targets, the economy is returning,” he said. “To those people who think we need something more, like a precautionary credit line or whatever, they are just pushing the key question back and I don’t see any reason for that.
The IMF has not yet decided if it will participate in Greece’s latest bailout programme, having repeatedly voiced concern at the sustainability of the country’s debt.
“I think their inclination and their strategy is to get a deal that makes the Greek debt sustainable so they can come on board,” Minister Tsakalotos.
Greece and its lenders are expected to flesh out a French proposed mechanism which was presented in June and will link debt relief to Greece’s growth rates. The economy is expected to grow by up to 2.5% this year and in 2019.
“What we will be going over the next month or so is working out the nitty-gritty of it, the mechanism, how it will kick in, when it will kick in.”
Details on the cash buffer, the growth mechanism along with the implementation of the measures agreed in June would give investors clarity over Greece’s trajectory, he said.
Greece returned to bond markets in July after three years of market isolation. Another issue would follow “soon”, he said.
“The only outstanding issue is the composition of that buffer, how much will come from Greece’s own funds, and how much will come from the ESM and I‘m looking forward to that debate.”
Greek banks are saddled with about €100 billion in non- Performing Loans (NPLs), after a seven-year depression that cut economic output by a quarter and pushed more than a fifth of the population into unemployment.
The results of stress tests on the banks by euro zone supervisors are expected in May.
“We shall see what the results of the stress tests are,” said the Minister. “I think that a lot of people would want to give banks a chance to see all these bits of the puzzle that we put in to work through, and to address the NPL problem.”
“The good thing is that it’s going to have the same criteria across the European banking system, it’s not treating Greece as an exceptional case.”
He pondered at a question on the Government’s achievements. It was, he said, a mixed picture but the foundations for a sustainable economic recovery had been laid.
“There are the pillars there, and it will be up to our government and if we are elected again, to see whether we can build on that,” he said, referring to elections in 2019.
“… The difference between a happy ending and a sad ending is where you cut the film, yes? The movie is still in development.”
Eurostat: Latest Unemployment Figures
The unemployment rate in Greece is steadily decreasing. Eurostat announced that Greece recorded the largest decline in the level of unemployment in the EU between October 2016 and October 2017, from 23.3% to 20.7%.
Altogether in December, there were 17,961 million unemployed in the EU and 14,137 million unemployed in the euro area.
The highest unemployment rates in the EU are recorded in Greece (20.7% in October) and in Spain (16.4%). The lowest unemployment rates were in the Czech Republic (2.3%), Malta and Germany (3.6%).
In Greece, the number of unemployed in October 2017 stood at 990,000. The unemployment rate for men was 17% and for women 25.4%.
The unemployment rate for young people (under 25) in Greece dropped to 40.8% in October, compared with 40.3% in September. The highest unemployment rates among young people in the EU are recorded in Greece (40.8%), Spain (36.8%) and Italy (32.2%). The lowest rates are recorded in the Czech Republic (4.9%) and Germany (6.6%).
In December youth unemployment in the euro area stood at 17.9% and in the EU at 16.1%.
“The public’s shift toward reusable bags has been significant”
Just a month in, a Government initiative aimed at reducing consumers’ dependence on plastic carrier bags by charging for them appears to be bearing fruit, as some supermarkets have recorded a drop of as much as 50%.
“The application of the measure at supermarkets is very widespread, though there are still some problems at small retail outlets in the countryside,” the managing director of the Research Institute of Retail Consumer Goods (IELKA), Lefteris Kioses, told a forum held as part of the EU’s Life Debag initiative on Thursday.
Since the 4 cent charge for regular plastic bags was introduced on January 1st , an increasing number of retailers now offer reusable shopping bags. Stores that are not implementing the measure include those that sell clothing and footwear, as well as fast-food restaurants. “They appear worried that charging for the bag will displease their customers,” said Mr.Kioses.
He said the public response has been mostly positive, with “some reaction from those who think it is just a revenue-raising measure.”
“The public’s shift toward reusable bags has been significant. Many businesses had underestimated demand and ran out,” he added.
The news is also good from Syros, the Cycladic island that has been campaigning against the use of plastic bags for the past two years.
“We are seeing the effect of our efforts in the sea and on our beaches,” says Patras University Professor and Life Debag’s coordinator in Greece Giorgos Papatheodorou.
More Local Health Units
A Ministry of Heath statement announced that on Friday February 2nd the inauguration of the 1st and 2nd TOMY in Chania would take place, while on the same day at 5pm the opening of the 1st TOMY in Rethymnon would be held.
“The establishment and operation of Local Health Units [TOMY] comes to cover one of the most critical deficiencies in the National Health Service, - the need for an organized system of Primary Health Care” especially in urban centres. Filling this gap is one of the main priorities of the political leadership of the Ministry of Health. The operation of the TOMY means the provision of free, universal, suitable, effective, efficient, high quality and people-centred primary health care to the population.
“Dynamically and steadily, we are continuing to implement our vision for Primary Health Care by the establishment of Local Health Units, staffed by medical and other health personnel and fully equipped.”
Anti-smoking law to be enforced
Greece’s Health Minister Andreas Xanthos on Wednesday called on the authorities responsible to enforce the country’s anti-smoking law, and to start strict checks on public places where smoking is continuing.
The 2010 anti-smoking law that bans smoking in enclosed spaces such as public buildings, restaurants, coffee shops and theatres, has never been properly enforced. Apart from some random checks and fines in the first few months, smoking in public places continues to be commonplace.
The Ministry issued a new memorandum as part of an effort to combat smoking and its negative effects on the population as a whole.
The Memorandum calls on all responsible authorities to enforce the law by doing checks on establishments that allow smoking, and impose harsh fines on offenders.
Civil servants and public sector employees are not allowed to smoke at work, and if they do, disciplinary action against them will be taken.
Smokers in public places will be fined 50€ to 500€, according to the circumstances.
Owners of businesses such as bars, restaurants and coffee shops will be fined between 500€ to 10,000€ if they allow customers to smoke. Repeat offenders will be fined and their licence will be revoked after five offences.
A fine of between 500€ and 10,000€ will be imposed to those who sell tobacco products to minors. The same fines will apply to those who advertise tobacco products.
To protect minors from second hand smoking, a fine of 1,500€ will be imposed on drivers who smoke with a child under 12 in the car.
Eurogroup releases funding; "technical work on debt relief measures to start soon"
27.1.2018
Eurozone Finance Ministers reached a "political agreement" to grant Greece 6.7€ billion in bailout money. The Ministers praised Greece's progress, putting it on track to leave its bailout programme in August 2018. Afterwards, the country is expected to finance itself by directly borrowing from investors.
Announcing the agreement in Brussels, Portuguese Finance Minister Mario Centeno, the new President of the Eurogroup said "We have some good news." He added that the agreement "reflects the huge effort and excellent cooperation between the Greek Government and the Institutions."
"The Greek authorities have over-achieved the fiscal targets set over the last three years," the Eurogroup said in a statement, adding that "Greek authorities have also continued to strengthen tax collection."
Eurogroup President Centeno also said "technical work on debt relief measures" for after the end of the bailout programme in August 2018 would start soon.
Greek finance minister Euclid Tsakalotos said it was a "very good meeting" and that the Eurogroup's mentions of debt relief were "particularly significant."
"People are now convinced that things have turned around, and people are beginning to talk about the future and Greece's exit from the programme," he told reporters.
the Ministers said they would start technical work on debt relief measures
92 of the agreed 110 “prior actions” have been implemented.
“The Eurogroup welcomes the implementation of almost all of the agreed prior actions,” the statement said. “The Eurogroup calls on the Greek authorities to complete the outstanding prior actions as a matter of urgency,” it said.
“Following the full implementation of the prior actions and subject to the completion of national procedures, the ESM governing bodies are expected to ... approve the disbursement of the fourth tranche,” the Ministers’ statement said.
The new loans worth 6.7€ billion will be disbursed in two tranches, starting in February with 5.7€ billion for debt servicing needs. A further 1€ billion is to be paid out in April, ESM head Klaus Regling told a news conference.
Greek Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos told reporters it was a "very good meeting" and that the Eurogroup's mentions of debt relief were "particularly significant."
"People are now convinced that things have turned around, and people are beginning to talk about the future and Greece's exit from the programme," he told reporters. He said Greece was pleased with the result because the last stage of the bailout did not foresee as many prior actions as the one just completed and talks could start on debt relief. He said that "there is now going to be a working group to do more work on specifying what has come to be known as the 'French mechanism' that ties further debt to relief to growth as was agreed in the June Eurogroup meeting."
The technical work will be done by junior finance ministers and treasury officials from Eurozone countries - the Eurogroup Working Group (EWG) – designed to link the size of potential debt relief to Greece’s economic performance over time.
“The Eurogroup confirms the start of the technical work by the EWG on the growth-adjustment mechanism, as part of the medium-term debt relief measures to be implemented, if needed, following the successful conclusion of the programme,” the statement said.
Such a growth-linked mechanism could help bridge the gap between some Eurozone countries like Germany, which believe Greece may not need any further debt relief, and the International Monetary Fund, which insists on substantial debt relief for Greece now, as a condition of its taking part in the bailout.
One of the main reasons why the IMF and Germany are at odds over the need for debt relief is different growth forecasts for Greece over the next 40 years.
The Eurozone is more optimistic about growth in Greece than the IMF and even small differences in forecasts, accrued over such a long period, produce starkly different effects on debt projections.
Eurozone Ministers called on the various Institutions involved to converge in their views in order to produce a reliable debt sustainability analysis (DSA).
“The Eurogroup invites the European Institutions and the IMF to take into account the holistic Greek growth strategy when updating the DSA,” the statement said.
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras held a series of important meetings on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos this week that could prove highly significant in the course towards sustained economic recovery and political stability in the country.
The complete official Eurogroup statement
“The Eurogroup welcomes the implementation of almost all of the agreed prior actions for the Third Assessment, following the staff level agreement on the policy package that was presented to the 4 December Eurogroup. Notably, the Greek authorities have adopted the 2018 State Budget which is compliant with the agreed primary surplus target of 3.5% of GDP.
Moreover, the European institutions’ compliance report shows that the Greek authorities have over-achieved the fiscal targets set over the last three years (2015-2017).
The Greek authorities have also continued to strengthen tax collection through the Independent Authority of Public Revenue and enhanced the fairness and effectiveness of the social welfare system.
The business environment has been improved by further actions aimed at opening up regulated professions, improving the investment licensing system, lifting regulations that unnecessarily restrict competition in product markets as well as the opening-up of energy markets.
Progress in the framework supporting Non Performing Loans resolution was achieved through further actions related to the effective operationalization of the out-of-court workout scheme and the start-up of electronic auctions.
The Eurogroup reconfirms the importance of an ambitious comprehensive growth strategy with strong ownership from the Greek authorities. The authorities are invited to finalize it in cooperation with the institutions well before the end of the programme.
The Eurogroup calls on the Greek authorities to complete the outstanding prior actions as a matter of urgency.
The Eurogroup mandates the EWG to verify the full implementation of the outstanding prior actions on the basis of an assessment by the European institutions.
This will include an assessment to confirm that a continuous and unimpeded flow of electronic auctions is ensured as well as the completion of government pending actions in the field of privatization.
Following the full implementation of the prior actions and subject to the completion of national procedures, the ESM governing bodies are expected to endorse the supplemental MoU and approve the disbursement of the fourth tranche of the ESM programme.
The fourth tranche under the ESM programme amounting to 6.7€ bn will be disbursed to Greece in two disbursements, starting with a first disbursement in February of 5.7€ bn to cover debt servicing needs, to allow the further clearance of arrears and to support the build-up of the cash buffer of the Greek State, in order to support Greece’s return to the market.
The subsequent disbursement for arrears clearance may be approved by the EWG in Spring, subject to a positive reporting by the European Institutions on the clearance of net arrears using also own resources and a confirmation from the European institutions that the unimpeded flow of e-auctions has continued.
The Eurogroup will now turn its attention to the final stages of the ESM programme, which is expected to end in August 2018.
The Eurogroup confirms the start of the technical work by the EWG on the growth-adjustment mechanism, as part of the medium-term debt relief measures to be implemented, if needed, following the successful conclusion of the programme, in line with the agreement in the Eurogroup of 15 June 2017.
The Eurogroup invites the European institutions and the IMF to take into account the holistic Greek growth strategy when updating the DSA.”
2018 - The Year of the Child
Referring to the kindergartens, Mrs Fotiou said that currently 110,000 children enter kindergarten at no cost, next year this will increase to 120,000 and in 2020, 165,000 children will be enrolled, with the creation of an additional 2,200 kindergartens in addition to the current 1,800.
2018 will be the year of the child, said the Deputy Minister for Social Solidarity Theano Fotiou. She said the objective is the design of a network of children’s benefits and services. As she said, the results of the Third Assessment are particularly important in this regard: “In this Assessment, the Government managed to achieve a situation in which all the money from the savings made from each Ministry, which was 315€ million, should be used to provide exclusively for children. Specifically, 260€ million are earmarked for Family Allowances, 40€ million for school meals -130,000 school meals are currently provided throughout Greece - and 15€ million will be given for new kindergartens.”
Speaking on television, in response to the criticism received about school meals, the Deputy Minister for Social Solidarity said that school lunches are normal in all countries.
Regarding Family Allowances, she noted that there is a gross iequality in the system. She reported that 800,000 families are receiving Family Allowances and 92% of these, i.e. 738,000 families, will see increases. "In less than 50% of families with three or more children, who belong to the two upper income echelons, there will be some reductions, which will be addressed in the course of 2018."
"State Provision concerns everyone, not just the homeless. A system with 240community centres, with 13 regional offices and with a direct line to the Ministry is being created." "There is a single information system, an electronic platform, where the citizen, using the ΑΦΜ, can get information about what allowances and what benefits they are entitled to. The second registry provides information on services and the third provides information on programmes that "are running". In this way, the clientelist state is being ended. This signifies assistance and social solidarity."
Announcing the agreement in Brussels, Portuguese Finance Minister Mario Centeno, the new President of the Eurogroup said "We have some good news." He added that the agreement "reflects the huge effort and excellent cooperation between the Greek Government and the Institutions."
"The Greek authorities have over-achieved the fiscal targets set over the last three years," the Eurogroup said in a statement, adding that "Greek authorities have also continued to strengthen tax collection."
Eurogroup President Centeno also said "technical work on debt relief measures" for after the end of the bailout programme in August 2018 would start soon.
Greek finance minister Euclid Tsakalotos said it was a "very good meeting" and that the Eurogroup's mentions of debt relief were "particularly significant."
"People are now convinced that things have turned around, and people are beginning to talk about the future and Greece's exit from the programme," he told reporters.
the Ministers said they would start technical work on debt relief measures
92 of the agreed 110 “prior actions” have been implemented.
“The Eurogroup welcomes the implementation of almost all of the agreed prior actions,” the statement said. “The Eurogroup calls on the Greek authorities to complete the outstanding prior actions as a matter of urgency,” it said.
“Following the full implementation of the prior actions and subject to the completion of national procedures, the ESM governing bodies are expected to ... approve the disbursement of the fourth tranche,” the Ministers’ statement said.
The new loans worth 6.7€ billion will be disbursed in two tranches, starting in February with 5.7€ billion for debt servicing needs. A further 1€ billion is to be paid out in April, ESM head Klaus Regling told a news conference.
Greek Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos told reporters it was a "very good meeting" and that the Eurogroup's mentions of debt relief were "particularly significant."
"People are now convinced that things have turned around, and people are beginning to talk about the future and Greece's exit from the programme," he told reporters. He said Greece was pleased with the result because the last stage of the bailout did not foresee as many prior actions as the one just completed and talks could start on debt relief. He said that "there is now going to be a working group to do more work on specifying what has come to be known as the 'French mechanism' that ties further debt to relief to growth as was agreed in the June Eurogroup meeting."
The technical work will be done by junior finance ministers and treasury officials from Eurozone countries - the Eurogroup Working Group (EWG) – designed to link the size of potential debt relief to Greece’s economic performance over time.
“The Eurogroup confirms the start of the technical work by the EWG on the growth-adjustment mechanism, as part of the medium-term debt relief measures to be implemented, if needed, following the successful conclusion of the programme,” the statement said.
Such a growth-linked mechanism could help bridge the gap between some Eurozone countries like Germany, which believe Greece may not need any further debt relief, and the International Monetary Fund, which insists on substantial debt relief for Greece now, as a condition of its taking part in the bailout.
One of the main reasons why the IMF and Germany are at odds over the need for debt relief is different growth forecasts for Greece over the next 40 years.
The Eurozone is more optimistic about growth in Greece than the IMF and even small differences in forecasts, accrued over such a long period, produce starkly different effects on debt projections.
Eurozone Ministers called on the various Institutions involved to converge in their views in order to produce a reliable debt sustainability analysis (DSA).
“The Eurogroup invites the European Institutions and the IMF to take into account the holistic Greek growth strategy when updating the DSA,” the statement said.
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras held a series of important meetings on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos this week that could prove highly significant in the course towards sustained economic recovery and political stability in the country.
The complete official Eurogroup statement
“The Eurogroup welcomes the implementation of almost all of the agreed prior actions for the Third Assessment, following the staff level agreement on the policy package that was presented to the 4 December Eurogroup. Notably, the Greek authorities have adopted the 2018 State Budget which is compliant with the agreed primary surplus target of 3.5% of GDP.
Moreover, the European institutions’ compliance report shows that the Greek authorities have over-achieved the fiscal targets set over the last three years (2015-2017).
The Greek authorities have also continued to strengthen tax collection through the Independent Authority of Public Revenue and enhanced the fairness and effectiveness of the social welfare system.
The business environment has been improved by further actions aimed at opening up regulated professions, improving the investment licensing system, lifting regulations that unnecessarily restrict competition in product markets as well as the opening-up of energy markets.
Progress in the framework supporting Non Performing Loans resolution was achieved through further actions related to the effective operationalization of the out-of-court workout scheme and the start-up of electronic auctions.
The Eurogroup reconfirms the importance of an ambitious comprehensive growth strategy with strong ownership from the Greek authorities. The authorities are invited to finalize it in cooperation with the institutions well before the end of the programme.
The Eurogroup calls on the Greek authorities to complete the outstanding prior actions as a matter of urgency.
The Eurogroup mandates the EWG to verify the full implementation of the outstanding prior actions on the basis of an assessment by the European institutions.
This will include an assessment to confirm that a continuous and unimpeded flow of electronic auctions is ensured as well as the completion of government pending actions in the field of privatization.
Following the full implementation of the prior actions and subject to the completion of national procedures, the ESM governing bodies are expected to endorse the supplemental MoU and approve the disbursement of the fourth tranche of the ESM programme.
The fourth tranche under the ESM programme amounting to 6.7€ bn will be disbursed to Greece in two disbursements, starting with a first disbursement in February of 5.7€ bn to cover debt servicing needs, to allow the further clearance of arrears and to support the build-up of the cash buffer of the Greek State, in order to support Greece’s return to the market.
The subsequent disbursement for arrears clearance may be approved by the EWG in Spring, subject to a positive reporting by the European Institutions on the clearance of net arrears using also own resources and a confirmation from the European institutions that the unimpeded flow of e-auctions has continued.
The Eurogroup will now turn its attention to the final stages of the ESM programme, which is expected to end in August 2018.
The Eurogroup confirms the start of the technical work by the EWG on the growth-adjustment mechanism, as part of the medium-term debt relief measures to be implemented, if needed, following the successful conclusion of the programme, in line with the agreement in the Eurogroup of 15 June 2017.
The Eurogroup invites the European institutions and the IMF to take into account the holistic Greek growth strategy when updating the DSA.”
2018 - The Year of the Child
Referring to the kindergartens, Mrs Fotiou said that currently 110,000 children enter kindergarten at no cost, next year this will increase to 120,000 and in 2020, 165,000 children will be enrolled, with the creation of an additional 2,200 kindergartens in addition to the current 1,800.
2018 will be the year of the child, said the Deputy Minister for Social Solidarity Theano Fotiou. She said the objective is the design of a network of children’s benefits and services. As she said, the results of the Third Assessment are particularly important in this regard: “In this Assessment, the Government managed to achieve a situation in which all the money from the savings made from each Ministry, which was 315€ million, should be used to provide exclusively for children. Specifically, 260€ million are earmarked for Family Allowances, 40€ million for school meals -130,000 school meals are currently provided throughout Greece - and 15€ million will be given for new kindergartens.”
Speaking on television, in response to the criticism received about school meals, the Deputy Minister for Social Solidarity said that school lunches are normal in all countries.
Regarding Family Allowances, she noted that there is a gross iequality in the system. She reported that 800,000 families are receiving Family Allowances and 92% of these, i.e. 738,000 families, will see increases. "In less than 50% of families with three or more children, who belong to the two upper income echelons, there will be some reductions, which will be addressed in the course of 2018."
"State Provision concerns everyone, not just the homeless. A system with 240community centres, with 13 regional offices and with a direct line to the Ministry is being created." "There is a single information system, an electronic platform, where the citizen, using the ΑΦΜ, can get information about what allowances and what benefits they are entitled to. The second registry provides information on services and the third provides information on programmes that "are running". In this way, the clientelist state is being ended. This signifies assistance and social solidarity."
Prime Ministers Tsipras and Zaev met on January 24th on the fringe of the Davos summit
Greece and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (fYROM) appear to be moving closer to resolving their 25 year-old name dispute
Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (fYROM) appear to be moving closer to resolving their 25-year-old name dispute, which should pave the way for fYROM to join NATO this year and possibly remove a major obstacle for its EU integration. Until now, Greece has vetoed both fYROM's applications under the name "Republic of Macedonia" . Greece opposes the one-word name ‘Macedonia’ because its own northern province has the same name and insists on a compound name before the word “Macedonia”.
Relations between the two Balkan neighbours have thawed after Social Democrat Zoran Zaev came to power in Skopje and set about undoing the legacy of his nationalist predecessors.
Some background
On February 14th 1992, one million people, 10% of the entire population of Greece, marched in Thessaloniki in defence of brand Macedonia. Greece imposed an economic blockade on its fragile neighbour, which was desperately trying to stay out of the war raging in other parts of former Yugoslavia at the time.
Today Greece is the third largest investor in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (fYROM) - the interim name the UN assigned the state in 1993 - after the Netherlands and Austria. Greeks travel freely across the border in order to work, shop or holiday.
In fYROM, then Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski used isolation from the West to strengthen his grip on power, providing benefits to his political and business associates. He refashioned the capital Skopje's city centre as a nationalist theme park, featuring a huge statue of Alexander The Great mounted on a water fountain, a vast triumphal arch ("Porta Makedonija") and a string of neoclassical buildings.
Gruevski's downfall, after a two-year long political crisis triggered by revelations of high-profile corruption, elections rigging and obstruction of justice, raised hopes for a new beginning. The new Government, led by Social Democratic Union's Zoran Zaev and inaugurated in May 2017, wants a settlement in order to facilitate fYROM’s entry into NATO and the EU. The SDU’s ethnic Albanian coalition partners agree.
NATO and the EU are clearly supportive. fYROM was a frontrunner to join both entities in the early and mid-2000s. Its accession to NATO and the EU would demonstrate that it is Brussels, rather than Moscow or Beijing, which has the decisive influence in the Balkans. At the NATO Bucharest summit in 2008, the then Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis (New Democracy-EPP) blocked Skopje’s bid to join NATO under its provisional name of fYROM. Its EU accession has also been on hold, in part due to the name dispute.
NATO's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg visited Skopje on January 18/19 to reassure his hosts. "I encourage you to continue on the path of reform. We want you to succeed," he said.
“Macedonia” remains a treasured piece of Greek national heritage. Use of ‘Macedonia’ by fYROM is viewed by some as a claim on Greek territory, identity and history.
The Greek Government’s stance is: the name "Macedonia" cannot be anyone's exclusive property, as the historic region by the same name is divided into three countries, Greece, fYROM and Bulgaria.
"The problem is that people think that fYROM will take away our identity. No one is doing that; they are no threat to us. People are ill-informed," said the Mayor of Thessaloniki Yannis Boutaris. In a gesture of goodwill, Mayor Boutaris hosted Macedonia's Prime Minister Zaev in Thessaloniki on New Year's Eve.
Nationalist sentiments are being stirred on both sides, spurred on by a spin put on the interview PM Tsipras gave to Greek newspaper Ethnos (The Nation) [see below Ed]. Advanced publicity for the interview stated: "Tsipras: A Macedonian nation never existed". It was a classical manipulation. The editors conveniently dropped the sentence's ending: "… in ancient times, as there was not a nation of Athenians or Spartans."
Thessaloniki last Sunday
Senior Clerics, members of New Democracy, of AN-EL, of the Union of Centrists, armed services veterans, Golden Dawn storm troopers and ordinary citizens - about 90,000 protesters demonstrated at the White Tower in Thessaloniki on Sunday to demand that the term "Macedonia" should not be included in the name of FYROM.
Tens of thousands of protesters chanted slogans such as "Greece-Greece-Macedonia", "no to the double name – No to a new treason" and sang the anthem "Macedonia the famous." According to a statement of the police, the rally was attended by 90,000 protesters.
Present at the rally were Metropolitan [Archbishop Ed.] Anthimos of Thessaloniki and ten other senior clerics, according to the organizers. "Brothers on the land and on the seas, on televisions and on radios, in the open spaces, shout that Macedonia was and is a homeland of the Greeks. Where Macedonia equals Greece and where Greece equals Macedonia,"said the Archbishop.
Differences then emerged within the Greek Orthodox Church over approaches to the ‘Macedonia’ issue.
Ieronymos II, the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, in comments broadcast on Greek channel ERT and posted by the Proto Thema news site, said although the Church overall remained opposed to the use of ‘Macedonia’, “prudence, unity and sobriety” should prevail.
He also pointed out that only nine senior bishops took part in Sunday’s demonstration in Thessaloniki out of 82 senior clergy.
PM Tsipras Interview in “Ethnos”
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, in that interview with the Sunday edition of the daily "Ethnos", adopted a clear position on the name of fYROMacedonia, saying that "if there is an opportunity for a solution, it will be national foolishness not to use it".
The Greek Prime Minister gave assurances that he respects "the concerns and especially the sensitive heart strings of his compatriots in northern Greece. Besides, I myself am half Macedonian."
"However, what I urge them is to appreciate soberly what promotes the national interest and what undermines it. A non-solution undermines it. For 25 years, our neighbours have been recognized by the name "Republic of Macedonia" by many countries, and we are fighting everywhere for everyone to call them fYROM. That is, a composite name, which includes the term 'Macedonia', but without any definition that allows the appropriation of geography and history. So if there is a chance of a solution that will reverse this negative situation that was loaded on to us in 1992, then it would be a national foolishness not to use it."
"A Macedonian nation never existed in ancient times, just as there was not a nation of Athenians or Spartans. Ancient Macedonia was a powerful force of the ancient Greek world that expanded, especially at the time of Alexander the Great, much wider than the present geographical area of Macedonia. From the 7th century onwards, in this place, Slavs, Bulgarians, Serbs, Jews, Ottomans successively settled in addition to the Greeks. Today, this wider geographical area is occupied by three different states. In this sense, it is absolutely unrealistic and absurd for some to ask for the exclusivity of Macedonia, particularly in the sense of ethnic identification. It is not unreasonable, however, to include the term 'Macedonia' in a composite name, either with a geographic or temporal specification, for everyday use, so that it is absolutely clear that no one claims territory or other people’s history."
Regarding the distinctive attitude of the Government partner, PM Tsipras acknowledged that "Panos (Kammenos) is aware of the problem and is an honest and patriotic politician. He has reservations and has expressed them to the governing council, but he has stated his confidence in the efforts of the Foreign Minister and his desire to have a broad consensus of the political forces on this issue, provided of course a satisfactory agreement is reached", adding that "Governments fall if they lose a vote of confidence. Let some not be fooled. Kammenos is an honest man, he will not become Samaras".
PM Tsipras condemned the attitude of the New Democracy leader: "Mr. Mitsotakis is committing a tragic political error. In the name discussion he has an opportunity to show an attitude of national responsibility. He does not dare to be straightforward about New Democracy’s stance. First he distances himself from the rallies and then he criticises those who prevent his MPs from participating. This proves to the Greeks that he is capable of serving any viewpoint, provided he has a vote-gaining benefit, and to Europeans that he is an unreliable politician, a classic spokesman for the old political staff that bankrupted the country."
The Prime Minister noted, however, that the major issue is not the name but the irredentism - a movement aiming to reclaim and reoccupy areas considered "lost" or "unredeemed". "If we want to find a viable solution, we need to look not just for a name but also for a broader framework of an agreement that will not leave any room for irredentist nationalism or claims that ignore history. Both sides need to approach the problem with realism but also with wisdom."
However, the Prime Minister expressed optimism that a nationally beneficial solution will be voted through by many more MPs than those who make up the current parliamentary majority."All those who play games of demagogy and populism guided by the domestic political game, in the end will get their fingers burned.
Alexis Tsipras noted that "the biggest challenge is for Greece to leave this national adventure of the Memoranda that lasted eight years, to become again a country that is firmly on the map – a country that walks on strong legs - a pillar of security and stability in the most critical area of Europe. A country that solves problems, and does not create them."
Foreign Minister Kotzias in Brussels
Speaking to Greek journalists following a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on Monday, Minister Kotzias referred to latest developments in the name row and Sunday's protests in Thessaloniki.
"We are close to a solution on certain issues. I believe topics to be discussed in Davos on Wednesday will show the direction," says Foreign Minister Kotzias.
He rejected any type of pressure on Greece or meddling by third parties.
"No one is putting pressure and we do not allow anyone to pressure us. Greece is using the pressure of the other side in order to open its European perspective," he stressed and added that the bilateral talks have been facilitated by the fact that the Europeans and Americans realized they should not meddle.
According to him, Greece will veto fYROM from joining NATO unless the required criteria are met and the name issue is resolved.
Regarding yesterday's protest, he said this is a democratic right and does not affect the name talks.
"The protest reflected the agony of many Greeks, who sometimes have misconceptions about the name talks, identifying them with the destiny of Greek Macedonia. This protest adds to the forms of public debate, but I believe it will not affect the name talks. With regards to the irredentism issue, it is obvious that each action that condemns it is welcome. We will solve the name issue based on the future perspectives of stability in the region, the role of the Greek diplomacy and the necessity for our country to play a leading role in the area."
Davos Meeting – positive step forward
Prime Ministers Tsipras and Zaev met on January 24th on the fringe of the Davos summit.
"We don't want to simply solve the issue of the name, but we want to put the relations between our two countries on solid foundations, the foundations of mutual respect and good neighbourliness, that means that first you have to deal with irrendentist claims about “lost territory” in all their forms and above all with guarantees that we will not leave any window of opportunity open for similar challenges to be made in the future."
This was underlined by Alexis Tsipras in his joint statement with the PM Zaef, after their meeting which lasted about two and a half hours and he noted that Mr. Zaef during today's meeting, informed him that is willing to take significant initiatives, directly towards this. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Zaef announced, in his statement, the renaming of the airport and national highway in Skopje, which up to now bear the name "Alexander The Great". The highway, he announced, will be called: " Friendship Highway". Greece, in turn, unblocked the implementation of Macedonia's EU association agreement. A new border crossing is to open in the Prespa Lake region.
Mr. Tsipras spoke about the frank discussion he had with his counterpart and assured the people of the two countries listening to him, either with scepticism or with sincere hope, saying that both of them have the desire to deal with their very real differences in a realistic and responsible manner.
The Greek PM, however, noted that in order for the European integration process and the NATO membership wanted by the neighboring country to move forward, "we must find a solution to all of the outstanding issues". In particular, Mr. Tsipras made it clear that "we must agree on a composite name that is used in all international dealings ("erga omnes")", adding that in this context certainly, ideas were exchanged and "we agreed to intensify under our supervision the discussions already being carried out under the aegis of the UN".
Alexis Tsipras thanked Zoran Zaef for today’s talks: "We are two people who belong to a new generation, two progressive politicians in an extremely tough neighborhood and I believe that we are both striving to bring to the fore those things that unite our peoples, while also attempting to find solutions to those things that divide us. "
"My deep belief is that the Balkans have been greatly plagued by nationalism and tensions. What is needed therefore is to promote an agenda for cooperation and co-development, in order to strengthen the European perspective of the Western Balkans, for the region to go forward and for it to be able to face the great challenges of the 21st century, on the economy, security, regional stability ".
Prime Minister Zoran Zaef said: “The time has come to find a solution”
"We are committed to building confidence between our countries, with the aim of working together to overcome the problems between our countries. We are at a moment when we can create good neighbourly relations." "We want to be partners in the EU and allies in NATO, to face all the difficulties."
"The time has come for us to find a solution because it is vital for our perspective towards NATO and the EU." "The final solution must be acceptable to both sides and the solution must take account of the national dignity of our peoples."
It was in this context that he announced that his country will change the name to its airport and main streets.
"Our actions demonstrate our good faith. This illustrates the fact that we have not irredentist aspirations at the expense of our neighbour."
"We will remain committed to the process under the aegis of the UN and Mr Nimitz," added Mr. Zaef and noted that "the Foreign Ministers will be responsible for the process and for all the negotiations, under our own supervision".
Relations between the two Balkan neighbours have thawed after Social Democrat Zoran Zaev came to power in Skopje and set about undoing the legacy of his nationalist predecessors.
Some background
On February 14th 1992, one million people, 10% of the entire population of Greece, marched in Thessaloniki in defence of brand Macedonia. Greece imposed an economic blockade on its fragile neighbour, which was desperately trying to stay out of the war raging in other parts of former Yugoslavia at the time.
Today Greece is the third largest investor in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (fYROM) - the interim name the UN assigned the state in 1993 - after the Netherlands and Austria. Greeks travel freely across the border in order to work, shop or holiday.
In fYROM, then Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski used isolation from the West to strengthen his grip on power, providing benefits to his political and business associates. He refashioned the capital Skopje's city centre as a nationalist theme park, featuring a huge statue of Alexander The Great mounted on a water fountain, a vast triumphal arch ("Porta Makedonija") and a string of neoclassical buildings.
Gruevski's downfall, after a two-year long political crisis triggered by revelations of high-profile corruption, elections rigging and obstruction of justice, raised hopes for a new beginning. The new Government, led by Social Democratic Union's Zoran Zaev and inaugurated in May 2017, wants a settlement in order to facilitate fYROM’s entry into NATO and the EU. The SDU’s ethnic Albanian coalition partners agree.
NATO and the EU are clearly supportive. fYROM was a frontrunner to join both entities in the early and mid-2000s. Its accession to NATO and the EU would demonstrate that it is Brussels, rather than Moscow or Beijing, which has the decisive influence in the Balkans. At the NATO Bucharest summit in 2008, the then Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis (New Democracy-EPP) blocked Skopje’s bid to join NATO under its provisional name of fYROM. Its EU accession has also been on hold, in part due to the name dispute.
NATO's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg visited Skopje on January 18/19 to reassure his hosts. "I encourage you to continue on the path of reform. We want you to succeed," he said.
“Macedonia” remains a treasured piece of Greek national heritage. Use of ‘Macedonia’ by fYROM is viewed by some as a claim on Greek territory, identity and history.
The Greek Government’s stance is: the name "Macedonia" cannot be anyone's exclusive property, as the historic region by the same name is divided into three countries, Greece, fYROM and Bulgaria.
"The problem is that people think that fYROM will take away our identity. No one is doing that; they are no threat to us. People are ill-informed," said the Mayor of Thessaloniki Yannis Boutaris. In a gesture of goodwill, Mayor Boutaris hosted Macedonia's Prime Minister Zaev in Thessaloniki on New Year's Eve.
Nationalist sentiments are being stirred on both sides, spurred on by a spin put on the interview PM Tsipras gave to Greek newspaper Ethnos (The Nation) [see below Ed]. Advanced publicity for the interview stated: "Tsipras: A Macedonian nation never existed". It was a classical manipulation. The editors conveniently dropped the sentence's ending: "… in ancient times, as there was not a nation of Athenians or Spartans."
Thessaloniki last Sunday
Senior Clerics, members of New Democracy, of AN-EL, of the Union of Centrists, armed services veterans, Golden Dawn storm troopers and ordinary citizens - about 90,000 protesters demonstrated at the White Tower in Thessaloniki on Sunday to demand that the term "Macedonia" should not be included in the name of FYROM.
Tens of thousands of protesters chanted slogans such as "Greece-Greece-Macedonia", "no to the double name – No to a new treason" and sang the anthem "Macedonia the famous." According to a statement of the police, the rally was attended by 90,000 protesters.
Present at the rally were Metropolitan [Archbishop Ed.] Anthimos of Thessaloniki and ten other senior clerics, according to the organizers. "Brothers on the land and on the seas, on televisions and on radios, in the open spaces, shout that Macedonia was and is a homeland of the Greeks. Where Macedonia equals Greece and where Greece equals Macedonia,"said the Archbishop.
Differences then emerged within the Greek Orthodox Church over approaches to the ‘Macedonia’ issue.
Ieronymos II, the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, in comments broadcast on Greek channel ERT and posted by the Proto Thema news site, said although the Church overall remained opposed to the use of ‘Macedonia’, “prudence, unity and sobriety” should prevail.
He also pointed out that only nine senior bishops took part in Sunday’s demonstration in Thessaloniki out of 82 senior clergy.
PM Tsipras Interview in “Ethnos”
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, in that interview with the Sunday edition of the daily "Ethnos", adopted a clear position on the name of fYROMacedonia, saying that "if there is an opportunity for a solution, it will be national foolishness not to use it".
The Greek Prime Minister gave assurances that he respects "the concerns and especially the sensitive heart strings of his compatriots in northern Greece. Besides, I myself am half Macedonian."
"However, what I urge them is to appreciate soberly what promotes the national interest and what undermines it. A non-solution undermines it. For 25 years, our neighbours have been recognized by the name "Republic of Macedonia" by many countries, and we are fighting everywhere for everyone to call them fYROM. That is, a composite name, which includes the term 'Macedonia', but without any definition that allows the appropriation of geography and history. So if there is a chance of a solution that will reverse this negative situation that was loaded on to us in 1992, then it would be a national foolishness not to use it."
"A Macedonian nation never existed in ancient times, just as there was not a nation of Athenians or Spartans. Ancient Macedonia was a powerful force of the ancient Greek world that expanded, especially at the time of Alexander the Great, much wider than the present geographical area of Macedonia. From the 7th century onwards, in this place, Slavs, Bulgarians, Serbs, Jews, Ottomans successively settled in addition to the Greeks. Today, this wider geographical area is occupied by three different states. In this sense, it is absolutely unrealistic and absurd for some to ask for the exclusivity of Macedonia, particularly in the sense of ethnic identification. It is not unreasonable, however, to include the term 'Macedonia' in a composite name, either with a geographic or temporal specification, for everyday use, so that it is absolutely clear that no one claims territory or other people’s history."
Regarding the distinctive attitude of the Government partner, PM Tsipras acknowledged that "Panos (Kammenos) is aware of the problem and is an honest and patriotic politician. He has reservations and has expressed them to the governing council, but he has stated his confidence in the efforts of the Foreign Minister and his desire to have a broad consensus of the political forces on this issue, provided of course a satisfactory agreement is reached", adding that "Governments fall if they lose a vote of confidence. Let some not be fooled. Kammenos is an honest man, he will not become Samaras".
PM Tsipras condemned the attitude of the New Democracy leader: "Mr. Mitsotakis is committing a tragic political error. In the name discussion he has an opportunity to show an attitude of national responsibility. He does not dare to be straightforward about New Democracy’s stance. First he distances himself from the rallies and then he criticises those who prevent his MPs from participating. This proves to the Greeks that he is capable of serving any viewpoint, provided he has a vote-gaining benefit, and to Europeans that he is an unreliable politician, a classic spokesman for the old political staff that bankrupted the country."
The Prime Minister noted, however, that the major issue is not the name but the irredentism - a movement aiming to reclaim and reoccupy areas considered "lost" or "unredeemed". "If we want to find a viable solution, we need to look not just for a name but also for a broader framework of an agreement that will not leave any room for irredentist nationalism or claims that ignore history. Both sides need to approach the problem with realism but also with wisdom."
However, the Prime Minister expressed optimism that a nationally beneficial solution will be voted through by many more MPs than those who make up the current parliamentary majority."All those who play games of demagogy and populism guided by the domestic political game, in the end will get their fingers burned.
Alexis Tsipras noted that "the biggest challenge is for Greece to leave this national adventure of the Memoranda that lasted eight years, to become again a country that is firmly on the map – a country that walks on strong legs - a pillar of security and stability in the most critical area of Europe. A country that solves problems, and does not create them."
Foreign Minister Kotzias in Brussels
Speaking to Greek journalists following a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on Monday, Minister Kotzias referred to latest developments in the name row and Sunday's protests in Thessaloniki.
"We are close to a solution on certain issues. I believe topics to be discussed in Davos on Wednesday will show the direction," says Foreign Minister Kotzias.
He rejected any type of pressure on Greece or meddling by third parties.
"No one is putting pressure and we do not allow anyone to pressure us. Greece is using the pressure of the other side in order to open its European perspective," he stressed and added that the bilateral talks have been facilitated by the fact that the Europeans and Americans realized they should not meddle.
According to him, Greece will veto fYROM from joining NATO unless the required criteria are met and the name issue is resolved.
Regarding yesterday's protest, he said this is a democratic right and does not affect the name talks.
"The protest reflected the agony of many Greeks, who sometimes have misconceptions about the name talks, identifying them with the destiny of Greek Macedonia. This protest adds to the forms of public debate, but I believe it will not affect the name talks. With regards to the irredentism issue, it is obvious that each action that condemns it is welcome. We will solve the name issue based on the future perspectives of stability in the region, the role of the Greek diplomacy and the necessity for our country to play a leading role in the area."
Davos Meeting – positive step forward
Prime Ministers Tsipras and Zaev met on January 24th on the fringe of the Davos summit.
"We don't want to simply solve the issue of the name, but we want to put the relations between our two countries on solid foundations, the foundations of mutual respect and good neighbourliness, that means that first you have to deal with irrendentist claims about “lost territory” in all their forms and above all with guarantees that we will not leave any window of opportunity open for similar challenges to be made in the future."
This was underlined by Alexis Tsipras in his joint statement with the PM Zaef, after their meeting which lasted about two and a half hours and he noted that Mr. Zaef during today's meeting, informed him that is willing to take significant initiatives, directly towards this. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Zaef announced, in his statement, the renaming of the airport and national highway in Skopje, which up to now bear the name "Alexander The Great". The highway, he announced, will be called: " Friendship Highway". Greece, in turn, unblocked the implementation of Macedonia's EU association agreement. A new border crossing is to open in the Prespa Lake region.
Mr. Tsipras spoke about the frank discussion he had with his counterpart and assured the people of the two countries listening to him, either with scepticism or with sincere hope, saying that both of them have the desire to deal with their very real differences in a realistic and responsible manner.
The Greek PM, however, noted that in order for the European integration process and the NATO membership wanted by the neighboring country to move forward, "we must find a solution to all of the outstanding issues". In particular, Mr. Tsipras made it clear that "we must agree on a composite name that is used in all international dealings ("erga omnes")", adding that in this context certainly, ideas were exchanged and "we agreed to intensify under our supervision the discussions already being carried out under the aegis of the UN".
Alexis Tsipras thanked Zoran Zaef for today’s talks: "We are two people who belong to a new generation, two progressive politicians in an extremely tough neighborhood and I believe that we are both striving to bring to the fore those things that unite our peoples, while also attempting to find solutions to those things that divide us. "
"My deep belief is that the Balkans have been greatly plagued by nationalism and tensions. What is needed therefore is to promote an agenda for cooperation and co-development, in order to strengthen the European perspective of the Western Balkans, for the region to go forward and for it to be able to face the great challenges of the 21st century, on the economy, security, regional stability ".
Prime Minister Zoran Zaef said: “The time has come to find a solution”
"We are committed to building confidence between our countries, with the aim of working together to overcome the problems between our countries. We are at a moment when we can create good neighbourly relations." "We want to be partners in the EU and allies in NATO, to face all the difficulties."
"The time has come for us to find a solution because it is vital for our perspective towards NATO and the EU." "The final solution must be acceptable to both sides and the solution must take account of the national dignity of our peoples."
It was in this context that he announced that his country will change the name to its airport and main streets.
"Our actions demonstrate our good faith. This illustrates the fact that we have not irredentist aspirations at the expense of our neighbour."
"We will remain committed to the process under the aegis of the UN and Mr Nimitz," added Mr. Zaef and noted that "the Foreign Ministers will be responsible for the process and for all the negotiations, under our own supervision".
Multi-Bill passed to satisfy Lenders
21.1.2018
Multi-Bill Passed to satisfy Lenders
Introducing the latest Multi-Bill, tabled last Tuesday evening, Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos noted the recent change in the agenda of the political discussion attributing it to the seriousness with which the Government is addressing the problems the country is facing.
For the first time the Multi-Bill enacting the prerequisites for the closing of the Third Assessment contained no new “measures”, he said evoking the positive atmosphere from the Euro-Working Group.
He commented that the Government is being forced to find solutions to chronic problems, since it does not subscribe to the policy of previous Governments of “never do today what you can do tomorrow.”
He observed that every time he appeared before Parliament the economic indicators were doing better than the time before. As an example, he mentioned the reduction of “spreads” to 3.88 from the 4.01 that it had been when he talked about the 2018 budget [A spread is the difference between the bid and the ask price of a Government Bond Ed.] , the emphatic shift in the market at Christmas but also the record (since 2008) increase in shop sales. On Family allowances: 730,000 families will get more money, he said while stressing that the policy to deal with child poverty cannot be limited to family allowances. He recalled Government initiatives such as the tax-free social dividend, and also the expansion of kindergartens that will benefit three-child and large families.
Concerning the provision for announcing strikes in Primary Trade Union Associations, Minister Tsakalotos said he did not think that is contradictory rhetoric from the Government which on the one hand recognises the concession that is represents and at the same time asks questions about trade union practices and asks why the labour movement cannot rally the workers.
With regard to the casinos, he pointed out that the Casino licenses on Mykonos and Santorini will be seasonal, while he noted that an amendment to the Bill satisfied the request of workers that they receive 70% of earnings for the months that the casino is closed. He dismissed the scaremongering about the ability of players to get into debt to the casino by observing that that relates to amounts exceeding 50,000€ and so it affects "gamblers people who have too much money."
Finally, concerning the abolition of the Public Holding Company, he stressed that its abolition is linked to the Government's intention to support the public nature of Public Businesses and Organisations. Furthermore, the Board of the Management Fund will include two members who specialize in public companies, so that just private sector criteria do not prevail in the discussions on the utilization of the Management Fund criteria.
Measures promise enhanced development through a variety of methods, which start from facilities and incentives for entrepreneurial activity in bakeries and degraded areas of the historical centre of Athens through to "tax bonuses" for introducing innovation and the strengthening of the tourism sector crucial to the Greek economy through "associated" sectors, such as casinos.
Tax changes mean that the Tax Office will be able to suspend the use of Tax Numbers if it is found that the taxpayer has ceased economic activity or commits fraud or has declared false or inaccurate information about their property.
This has multiple benefits. On the one hand, the risk of the ΑΦΜ being taken away can act as a disincentive to tax violation and can address to some extent the "corporate seal" or "corporate ghost", as it is also known. They have neither staff nor do they exercise any real activity, simply providing a vehicle for tax evasion, but also more general taxation and financial criminal offences. This will clean up to some degree the market since at the moment honest taxpayers cannot compete and even go out of the market because of unfair competition.
Other provisions are for the haircut of fines, as the timeframes change within which taxpayers can submit overdue or amending statements. If the due taxes (excluding statements of withheld payroll taxes) are repaid within a specified time limit of 30 days, the "haircut" will reach 60%.
Introducing the latest Multi-Bill, tabled last Tuesday evening, Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos noted the recent change in the agenda of the political discussion attributing it to the seriousness with which the Government is addressing the problems the country is facing.
For the first time the Multi-Bill enacting the prerequisites for the closing of the Third Assessment contained no new “measures”, he said evoking the positive atmosphere from the Euro-Working Group.
He commented that the Government is being forced to find solutions to chronic problems, since it does not subscribe to the policy of previous Governments of “never do today what you can do tomorrow.”
He observed that every time he appeared before Parliament the economic indicators were doing better than the time before. As an example, he mentioned the reduction of “spreads” to 3.88 from the 4.01 that it had been when he talked about the 2018 budget [A spread is the difference between the bid and the ask price of a Government Bond Ed.] , the emphatic shift in the market at Christmas but also the record (since 2008) increase in shop sales. On Family allowances: 730,000 families will get more money, he said while stressing that the policy to deal with child poverty cannot be limited to family allowances. He recalled Government initiatives such as the tax-free social dividend, and also the expansion of kindergartens that will benefit three-child and large families.
Concerning the provision for announcing strikes in Primary Trade Union Associations, Minister Tsakalotos said he did not think that is contradictory rhetoric from the Government which on the one hand recognises the concession that is represents and at the same time asks questions about trade union practices and asks why the labour movement cannot rally the workers.
With regard to the casinos, he pointed out that the Casino licenses on Mykonos and Santorini will be seasonal, while he noted that an amendment to the Bill satisfied the request of workers that they receive 70% of earnings for the months that the casino is closed. He dismissed the scaremongering about the ability of players to get into debt to the casino by observing that that relates to amounts exceeding 50,000€ and so it affects "gamblers people who have too much money."
Finally, concerning the abolition of the Public Holding Company, he stressed that its abolition is linked to the Government's intention to support the public nature of Public Businesses and Organisations. Furthermore, the Board of the Management Fund will include two members who specialize in public companies, so that just private sector criteria do not prevail in the discussions on the utilization of the Management Fund criteria.
Measures promise enhanced development through a variety of methods, which start from facilities and incentives for entrepreneurial activity in bakeries and degraded areas of the historical centre of Athens through to "tax bonuses" for introducing innovation and the strengthening of the tourism sector crucial to the Greek economy through "associated" sectors, such as casinos.
Tax changes mean that the Tax Office will be able to suspend the use of Tax Numbers if it is found that the taxpayer has ceased economic activity or commits fraud or has declared false or inaccurate information about their property.
This has multiple benefits. On the one hand, the risk of the ΑΦΜ being taken away can act as a disincentive to tax violation and can address to some extent the "corporate seal" or "corporate ghost", as it is also known. They have neither staff nor do they exercise any real activity, simply providing a vehicle for tax evasion, but also more general taxation and financial criminal offences. This will clean up to some degree the market since at the moment honest taxpayers cannot compete and even go out of the market because of unfair competition.
Other provisions are for the haircut of fines, as the timeframes change within which taxpayers can submit overdue or amending statements. If the due taxes (excluding statements of withheld payroll taxes) are repaid within a specified time limit of 30 days, the "haircut" will reach 60%.
Greece on Friday (19.1.2018) was given a green light for more bailout cash from its eurozone creditors.
A senior eurozone official said "There was a political agreement for the conclusion of the Third Assessment, the necessary step to disburse to Greece." This decision will now go to Finance Ministers on Monday for a formal decision to disburse bailout loans. The amount of the disbursement is expected to be more than 6.7€ billion and will be paid in instalments. Of this amount, 3.3€ billion is earmarked to service the country's debt from February to June 2018; 1.5€ billion will be used to pay matured bonds and 1.9€ billion will be added to the reserves.
The IMF
The IMF Board will need to meet again to reach the final decision to activate the programme in Greece, clarified Gerry Rice, the IMF’s Press Representative.
He reiterated that the decision is based on two parts: progress with the “reforms” and debt relief that will make the Greek debt viable. Discussions about both situations continue; when reaching the ultimate decision, we will go to the Board of Directors of the Fund.
"If one looks back to 2015, one will see that we have made considerable progress on the debt issue. But not all the differences have been bridged and we are working hard for a good result so that the country can pursue sustainable growth," Mr. Rice said.
He expressed the Fund’s willingness to work with Greece’s European partners for a solution that will credibly reduce the country’s debt, and lead it to a viable recovery.
Greece and European Institutions seem to be near the end of the completion of the Third ESM Assessment and we are waiting for the final announcement at Monday's Eurogroup, he said.
Credit Rating Up
Credit Ratings Agency S&P Global Ratings on Friday raised the rating of Greek Government debt by a notch citing the improved outlook for the crisis-stricken country´s finances and economic growth.
The rating on Greece’s long-term debt was improved to "B" from "B-" with a positive outlook, which means the ratings agency could raise the grade further in the next year.
"The upgrade reflects Greece´s steadily improving general government finances and its gradually recovering economic prospects," S&P said in a statement.
The agency notes the government had budget surpluses in 2016 and 2017 and "the economy exited a multiyear recession last year." S&P projects Greece will see its economy grow 2% this year.
A senior eurozone official said "There was a political agreement for the conclusion of the Third Assessment, the necessary step to disburse to Greece." This decision will now go to Finance Ministers on Monday for a formal decision to disburse bailout loans. The amount of the disbursement is expected to be more than 6.7€ billion and will be paid in instalments. Of this amount, 3.3€ billion is earmarked to service the country's debt from February to June 2018; 1.5€ billion will be used to pay matured bonds and 1.9€ billion will be added to the reserves.
The IMF
The IMF Board will need to meet again to reach the final decision to activate the programme in Greece, clarified Gerry Rice, the IMF’s Press Representative.
He reiterated that the decision is based on two parts: progress with the “reforms” and debt relief that will make the Greek debt viable. Discussions about both situations continue; when reaching the ultimate decision, we will go to the Board of Directors of the Fund.
"If one looks back to 2015, one will see that we have made considerable progress on the debt issue. But not all the differences have been bridged and we are working hard for a good result so that the country can pursue sustainable growth," Mr. Rice said.
He expressed the Fund’s willingness to work with Greece’s European partners for a solution that will credibly reduce the country’s debt, and lead it to a viable recovery.
Greece and European Institutions seem to be near the end of the completion of the Third ESM Assessment and we are waiting for the final announcement at Monday's Eurogroup, he said.
Credit Rating Up
Credit Ratings Agency S&P Global Ratings on Friday raised the rating of Greek Government debt by a notch citing the improved outlook for the crisis-stricken country´s finances and economic growth.
The rating on Greece’s long-term debt was improved to "B" from "B-" with a positive outlook, which means the ratings agency could raise the grade further in the next year.
"The upgrade reflects Greece´s steadily improving general government finances and its gradually recovering economic prospects," S&P said in a statement.
The agency notes the government had budget surpluses in 2016 and 2017 and "the economy exited a multiyear recession last year." S&P projects Greece will see its economy grow 2% this year.
4th Summit of the Mediterranean/Southern
countries of the EU
13.1.2018
Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras, was in Rome on Wednesday 10th January to participate in the 4th Summit of the Mediterranean/Southern countries of the EU.
The Summit was attended by the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades, the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, the Prime Minister of Spain, Mariano Rajoy, the Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic, Alexis Tsipras, the Prime Minister of the Italian Republic, Paolo Gentiloni, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Malta, Joseph Muscat and the Prime Minister of the Portuguese Republic, Antonio Costa.
PM Tsipras in his statement at the conclusion of the Summit said that the necessary steps towards a more forceful, social and democratic Europe, which can serve as a basic model in the world, had been discussed in Rome by the leaders of the countries of the South.
"It is a symbolic fact that the crisis ends with the exit of Greece from the fiscal adjustment programmes in August 2018 both practically and symbolically where it began, in the South.".
It was a meeting that gave new momentum to the project of a social Europe which will be the central debate at the upcoming extraordinary EU Summit. At the same time issues were raised with an eye on the European Councils of February and March, such as reform of the Eurozone focusing on the common budget, but also the revision of the Dublin Convention on the basis of solidarity.
"Europe's future can be bright only if we make the necessary and courageous steps towards the necessary reforms which Europe needs," he noted, pointing out that the Summit highlights the importance of gradually pursuing this initiative in a very crucial period for the future of the EU and the Eurozone.
He characterised 2018 as a "landmark" year for the end of the crisis in Europe and stressed the need for a fundamental debate on taking protective measures to prevent a repeat of the crisis.
"It is our common belief that we have taken very important steps to address international and regional challenges. However, only if it changes can Europe have a bright future for its citizens, but that is not enough; we must not repeat our errors; we need to anticipate the likely event of new crises."
He stressed that today's debate is necessary for Europe and the common future of the States which have the language of common principles and values and not the language of crisis. "Let us speak with the language of democracy, solidarity and unity, because, if there is something missing today from Europe, it is not fiscal adjustment rules and their application. If something is missing, it is the common rules for solidarity and convergence, social and economic ".
As regards the refugee issue, Alexis Tsipras noted that countries of the South which are receiving the flows of migrants are also the southern borders of the EU: "In this context it is not just the ability of Europe to manage a global challenge that is being tested, but also the very cohesion of the EU itself. The countries of the South must work for the implementation of an "effective common immigration policy with a view to effective border management but also solidarity especially towards countries that receive the largest flows".
He stressed that the EU must put its stamp of approval in favour of international law, of security and of resolving crises especially in the Mediterranean. At the same time he pointed out the necessity for the Aegean to be a sea of peace and cooperation, without threats, a place where international law will be respected by all of Greece’s neighbours.
The need for Economic and Monetary Union, for growth and new jobs, greater solidarity, democracy, participation of citizens were all referred to by the leaders of the Euro-Mediterranean countries of the South, undertaking to shape a common agenda of positions of the European South ahead of the discussions about the future of the EU and the Eurozone.
The Summit’s "host", the Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, stated that "We are a team that believes in the future of Europe" and expressed the view that it is a positive moment for the seven countries to try to create a greater convergence within the EU: "We need an EU with greater cohesion, where the differences North and South will be reduced."
He pointed out that the countries of the european South know that they make up 47% of the EU budget and that they have their own voice, which is expressed in the positions on development and investment, the social pillar, common goals for the migration policy, while he did not fail to note that the EU also requires internal rules.
French President Macron described the role of the "team" of seven countries that share a common fate and a common geographic location as complementary to the other EU countries and not in competition with them. He concentrated on three points of convergence of the seven. For a more democratic Europe, "we must consult the citizens, this debate in Europe must be revitalised ."
He spoke about the necessity for the reconstruction of Europe. He mentioned the need to strengthen solidarity and to strengthen EU borders, "to respond to the inconsistencies of the Dublin Regulations".
As to the issue of Monetary Union, with a real European budget, he said that this is a key point for a more United Europe, "so we can have more growth, jobs and solidarity, all those things we have not had in recent years to respond to the crisis, and from which some countries suffered direct consequences ".
Cypriot President Nikos Anastasiades, announcing that the next meeting will be hosted in Cyprus no later than next March, agreed:
"Through the completion of Economic and Monetary Union, the creation of conditions for attracting investment that will lead to an increase in jobs will achieve the objective of greater prosperity for our peoples."
He noted that concerns remain regarding migration flows "which are shaped according to the choices of people traffickers". Solidarity, he said, demands the fullest possible support for the countries in the frontline of receiving migrants.
He noted that the continuation of the unsolved problem of Cyprus hinders the enhancement of a better Europe and reiterated the fixed objective of finding a mutually acceptable solution on the basis of the European acquis, for the creation of a truly independent country, far from guarantors, rights of intervention and armies of occupation.
He also said they had discussed the energy security issues of Europe, with himself informing the meeting about developments in Cyprus's Exclusive Economic Zone. "Discoveries in the area are a very important development and that with the pipeline East Med can offer a source of security to the EU ". He also pointed out the "violations that we are experiencing in the exercise of our sovereign rights as a result of illegal actions who unfortunately observed on the part of the Turkish side."
The Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa said "We are meeting not to sparate ourselves from the E.U., but to help it, because we believe in a single E.U. that focuses on the needs of its citizens." He argued that there are conditions for better cooperation with regard to migratory flows, while he stressed the need to build growth and jobs, putting forward as priorities for investment in innovation, in the digital market and in energy.
He said that there should be consultation with regard to Monetary Union, referring to the importance of the EU having mechanisms that can deal with and prevent new crises. He added that only if our development models converge will long-lasting development be possible. "We believe in an even more democratic and united Europe," he concluded.
For his part, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said that the major objective should be the continuation of economic growth and job creation and that the seven countries converge on the objective of Monetary Union. He mentioned migration as the biggest challenge for the future of Europe, asking for the EU to help more on border controls."
"We want a more democratic Europe, where everyone participates," he said.
"We must understand how Europe can change the lives of its citizens," said the Prime Minister of Malta Joseph Muscat stating that the Declaration adopted by the meeting clearly shows "where we want to go".
The Summit was attended by the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades, the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, the Prime Minister of Spain, Mariano Rajoy, the Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic, Alexis Tsipras, the Prime Minister of the Italian Republic, Paolo Gentiloni, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Malta, Joseph Muscat and the Prime Minister of the Portuguese Republic, Antonio Costa.
PM Tsipras in his statement at the conclusion of the Summit said that the necessary steps towards a more forceful, social and democratic Europe, which can serve as a basic model in the world, had been discussed in Rome by the leaders of the countries of the South.
"It is a symbolic fact that the crisis ends with the exit of Greece from the fiscal adjustment programmes in August 2018 both practically and symbolically where it began, in the South.".
It was a meeting that gave new momentum to the project of a social Europe which will be the central debate at the upcoming extraordinary EU Summit. At the same time issues were raised with an eye on the European Councils of February and March, such as reform of the Eurozone focusing on the common budget, but also the revision of the Dublin Convention on the basis of solidarity.
"Europe's future can be bright only if we make the necessary and courageous steps towards the necessary reforms which Europe needs," he noted, pointing out that the Summit highlights the importance of gradually pursuing this initiative in a very crucial period for the future of the EU and the Eurozone.
He characterised 2018 as a "landmark" year for the end of the crisis in Europe and stressed the need for a fundamental debate on taking protective measures to prevent a repeat of the crisis.
"It is our common belief that we have taken very important steps to address international and regional challenges. However, only if it changes can Europe have a bright future for its citizens, but that is not enough; we must not repeat our errors; we need to anticipate the likely event of new crises."
He stressed that today's debate is necessary for Europe and the common future of the States which have the language of common principles and values and not the language of crisis. "Let us speak with the language of democracy, solidarity and unity, because, if there is something missing today from Europe, it is not fiscal adjustment rules and their application. If something is missing, it is the common rules for solidarity and convergence, social and economic ".
As regards the refugee issue, Alexis Tsipras noted that countries of the South which are receiving the flows of migrants are also the southern borders of the EU: "In this context it is not just the ability of Europe to manage a global challenge that is being tested, but also the very cohesion of the EU itself. The countries of the South must work for the implementation of an "effective common immigration policy with a view to effective border management but also solidarity especially towards countries that receive the largest flows".
He stressed that the EU must put its stamp of approval in favour of international law, of security and of resolving crises especially in the Mediterranean. At the same time he pointed out the necessity for the Aegean to be a sea of peace and cooperation, without threats, a place where international law will be respected by all of Greece’s neighbours.
The need for Economic and Monetary Union, for growth and new jobs, greater solidarity, democracy, participation of citizens were all referred to by the leaders of the Euro-Mediterranean countries of the South, undertaking to shape a common agenda of positions of the European South ahead of the discussions about the future of the EU and the Eurozone.
The Summit’s "host", the Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, stated that "We are a team that believes in the future of Europe" and expressed the view that it is a positive moment for the seven countries to try to create a greater convergence within the EU: "We need an EU with greater cohesion, where the differences North and South will be reduced."
He pointed out that the countries of the european South know that they make up 47% of the EU budget and that they have their own voice, which is expressed in the positions on development and investment, the social pillar, common goals for the migration policy, while he did not fail to note that the EU also requires internal rules.
French President Macron described the role of the "team" of seven countries that share a common fate and a common geographic location as complementary to the other EU countries and not in competition with them. He concentrated on three points of convergence of the seven. For a more democratic Europe, "we must consult the citizens, this debate in Europe must be revitalised ."
He spoke about the necessity for the reconstruction of Europe. He mentioned the need to strengthen solidarity and to strengthen EU borders, "to respond to the inconsistencies of the Dublin Regulations".
As to the issue of Monetary Union, with a real European budget, he said that this is a key point for a more United Europe, "so we can have more growth, jobs and solidarity, all those things we have not had in recent years to respond to the crisis, and from which some countries suffered direct consequences ".
Cypriot President Nikos Anastasiades, announcing that the next meeting will be hosted in Cyprus no later than next March, agreed:
"Through the completion of Economic and Monetary Union, the creation of conditions for attracting investment that will lead to an increase in jobs will achieve the objective of greater prosperity for our peoples."
He noted that concerns remain regarding migration flows "which are shaped according to the choices of people traffickers". Solidarity, he said, demands the fullest possible support for the countries in the frontline of receiving migrants.
He noted that the continuation of the unsolved problem of Cyprus hinders the enhancement of a better Europe and reiterated the fixed objective of finding a mutually acceptable solution on the basis of the European acquis, for the creation of a truly independent country, far from guarantors, rights of intervention and armies of occupation.
He also said they had discussed the energy security issues of Europe, with himself informing the meeting about developments in Cyprus's Exclusive Economic Zone. "Discoveries in the area are a very important development and that with the pipeline East Med can offer a source of security to the EU ". He also pointed out the "violations that we are experiencing in the exercise of our sovereign rights as a result of illegal actions who unfortunately observed on the part of the Turkish side."
The Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa said "We are meeting not to sparate ourselves from the E.U., but to help it, because we believe in a single E.U. that focuses on the needs of its citizens." He argued that there are conditions for better cooperation with regard to migratory flows, while he stressed the need to build growth and jobs, putting forward as priorities for investment in innovation, in the digital market and in energy.
He said that there should be consultation with regard to Monetary Union, referring to the importance of the EU having mechanisms that can deal with and prevent new crises. He added that only if our development models converge will long-lasting development be possible. "We believe in an even more democratic and united Europe," he concluded.
For his part, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said that the major objective should be the continuation of economic growth and job creation and that the seven countries converge on the objective of Monetary Union. He mentioned migration as the biggest challenge for the future of Europe, asking for the EU to help more on border controls."
"We want a more democratic Europe, where everyone participates," he said.
"We must understand how Europe can change the lives of its citizens," said the Prime Minister of Malta Joseph Muscat stating that the Declaration adopted by the meeting clearly shows "where we want to go".
National Council for Radio and Television begins new auction process
By Thursday, six media groups had applied for TV licences in Greece in the latest effort by Government to bring order to what it sees as a debt-ridden, unregulated broadcasting sector.
Licencing Greece’s television broadcasters has been one of SYRIZA’s major objectives, regarding them as “vampires” living on borrowed funds that they cannot repay.
The 2016 licence auction cut the number of nationwide broadcasters’s licences to four. But that was ruled unconstitutional by Greece’s top administrative court, the Council of State because the auction process had not been conducted by the independent regulator, the National Council for Radio and Television (NCRT).
Last year, the NCRT invited media groups to express their interest in seven 10-year licenses, at a starting price of 35€ million. “Six applications were submitted to the NCRT,” its website reported.
According to the tender announcement, if the final bidders were fewer than seven then each would be automatically granted a license -- provided they qualify. Any unallocated licenses would be re-tendered.
The six tenderers are SKAI TV, STAR channel, Alpha, Antenna, E TV and the newly-founded Tileoptiki Elliniki. All have already submitted a bid bond of 3.5€ million.
Greek state-owned broadcaster ERT already has a de facto licence.
The applications will be unsealed on Monday and reviewed by the NCRT which will then announce a list of which tenderers qualify.
Minister for Digital Policy Nikos Pappas expressed his satisfaction at the completion of the process for the six TV Licences.
"The National Council for Radio and Television has organised an impeccable procedure in a very short time. Very quickly we will move into a phase where the TV scene will be regulated and with prospects of growth in the advertising market, and on the basis of current legislation we shall have job growth in television."
"The television scene in Greece will begin to take the necessary steps for the future involving the latest technological developments. When there is the political will and the alertness and preparedness on the part of the regulators, everything is possible."
By Thursday, six media groups had applied for TV licences in Greece in the latest effort by Government to bring order to what it sees as a debt-ridden, unregulated broadcasting sector.
Licencing Greece’s television broadcasters has been one of SYRIZA’s major objectives, regarding them as “vampires” living on borrowed funds that they cannot repay.
The 2016 licence auction cut the number of nationwide broadcasters’s licences to four. But that was ruled unconstitutional by Greece’s top administrative court, the Council of State because the auction process had not been conducted by the independent regulator, the National Council for Radio and Television (NCRT).
Last year, the NCRT invited media groups to express their interest in seven 10-year licenses, at a starting price of 35€ million. “Six applications were submitted to the NCRT,” its website reported.
According to the tender announcement, if the final bidders were fewer than seven then each would be automatically granted a license -- provided they qualify. Any unallocated licenses would be re-tendered.
The six tenderers are SKAI TV, STAR channel, Alpha, Antenna, E TV and the newly-founded Tileoptiki Elliniki. All have already submitted a bid bond of 3.5€ million.
Greek state-owned broadcaster ERT already has a de facto licence.
The applications will be unsealed on Monday and reviewed by the NCRT which will then announce a list of which tenderers qualify.
Minister for Digital Policy Nikos Pappas expressed his satisfaction at the completion of the process for the six TV Licences.
"The National Council for Radio and Television has organised an impeccable procedure in a very short time. Very quickly we will move into a phase where the TV scene will be regulated and with prospects of growth in the advertising market, and on the basis of current legislation we shall have job growth in television."
"The television scene in Greece will begin to take the necessary steps for the future involving the latest technological developments. When there is the political will and the alertness and preparedness on the part of the regulators, everything is possible."
For Greece, 2018 is a crucial year.
“Things are looking better for Greece, having regained access to markets and with the recovery gathering speed,” Fabio Balboni, European Economist at HSBC Bank Plc in London, said in a January 4th note to clients. “In 2018, the country might finally exit its bailout programme, but a clean exit might prove challenging if the eurozone fails to deliver substantial and credible debt relief.”
Since 2010, Greece has had three lifelines from euro-area countries and the IMF with stringent conditions in terms of fiscal consolidation and structural reforms. It has also gone through two debt restructurings. In the next six to eight months, the Greek Government and the country’s creditors have to work through some thorny issues if they want to avert yet another bailout programme.
There are 10 crucial items on Greece’s calendar before the end of the bailout programme:
“Things are looking better for Greece, having regained access to markets and with the recovery gathering speed,” Fabio Balboni, European Economist at HSBC Bank Plc in London, said in a January 4th note to clients. “In 2018, the country might finally exit its bailout programme, but a clean exit might prove challenging if the eurozone fails to deliver substantial and credible debt relief.”
Since 2010, Greece has had three lifelines from euro-area countries and the IMF with stringent conditions in terms of fiscal consolidation and structural reforms. It has also gone through two debt restructurings. In the next six to eight months, the Greek Government and the country’s creditors have to work through some thorny issues if they want to avert yet another bailout programme.
There are 10 crucial items on Greece’s calendar before the end of the bailout programme:
- This week, the Government plans to submit to parliament a bill to implement all the measures needed to conclude the Third Bailout Assessment. The Multi-Bill must be voted on by January 17th so that auditors monitoring the programme can present Greece’s compliance report at the January 22nd Eurogroup meeting, which will then approve the disbursement of the next bailout tranche.
- In late January, European banking authorities will finalize the scenarios under which the balance sheets of Greek lenders will be stress-tested. The banks have to conclude these audits of their capital adequacy successfully.
- By early February, Greece intends to issue a new bond, with a maturity most likely of three or seven years, as part of its efforts to regain full market access.
- During the first 10 days of February, the European Stability Mechanism is expected to disburse the bailout tranche attached to the implementation of the Third Assessment’s conditions. The amount of money Greece will get has yet to be agreed on, but it will be at least 5.5€ billion, according to the Greek Finance Ministry.
- In February, Greek banks will start sending data to the National Bank of Greece and European authorities for the stress tests.
- In February the Greek Government expect its creditors to start discussing further debt relief measures.
- In early March, the Fourth Bailout Assessment is expected to begin. The Assessment has to start in March if Greece is to complete a forther 82 “measures” on time.
- In Washington on April 20th-22nd, the IMF’s spring meetings will give creditors the opportunity to discuss debt relief and what’s next for Greece.
- In early May, the stress test results will be announced. This will show if Greek lenders need more capital and, if so, how serious the problem is for them and for Greece.
- By the end of May or June, both the Greek Government and its creditors want to conclude the Fourth Bailout Assessment and reach agreement on the conditions for any further debt relief and the post-programme life for Greece.
The Directorate of Financial Crime Investigation
A new service - "The Directorate of Financial Crime Investigation " to combat the large-scale financial crime is to be based in the Ministry of Finance. It will have 135 Inspectors and report directly to the Minister of Finance and will be guided and coordinated by the Public Prosecutor for Financial Crime.
The service’s sole remit is the investigation to identify major tax crimes and any other relevant financial crimes which seriously damage the interests of the Greek State and the European Union.
New Democracy’s Kyriakos Mitsotakis slams nepotism and corruption
Both German and US media are calling the leader of New Democracy Kyriakos Mitsotakis a "star of the people" offering Greece "a glimmer of hope".
A sworn reformist, he slams nepotism and corruption. And yet that international praise ignores hard facts - such as the inclusion of his wife in the Paradise Papers tax avoidance / evasion scandal or his personal involvement in the biggest corruption scandal of the last 30 years in Greece - Siemens.
The Paradise Papers, an investigation by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) into the offshore world, have tarnished the reputation of politicians, sports idols and royals all around the globe.
But Greece, a firm favourite among new agencies when corruption is being discussed, has strangely avoided even the slightest media attention. Undeservingly so. Because in the latest round of leaks, one name stood out: Mareva Grabowski-Mitsotakis, the wife of Mr. Mitsotakis. She is one of 130 Greeks whose name shows up in the Paradise Papers.
Mrs. Grabowski-Mitsotakis owned 50% of Eternia Capital Management, an offshore company based in the Cayman Islands which managed a fund in the British Virgin Islands.
Mrs. Grabowski-Mitsotakis dismissed allegations of suspicious transactions, stressing that she "had little to do with the administrative aspect of the fund and was not aware of the specific legislation that applies in the Cayman Islands".
The party New Democracy dismissed the story as irrelevant.
It argued that Mr. Mitsotakis and his wife were separated at the time (before reuniting a few years later), therefore Mitsotakis had no legal obligation to declare his spouse's financial interests.
It is also the case that Mrs. Grabowski-Mitsotakis has a professional life of her own: formerly, she was an executive at Deutsche Bank, and she now runs her own business.
However, an important question remains unanswered: what was the motive of the setup of this double offshore structure? There's no evidence that Mrs. Grabowski-Mitsotakis has broken any law or that Mitsotakis himself was involved in any of this. However, a coincidence does link Mrs. Grabowski-Mitsotakis's offshore arrangements back to her husband’s New Democracy.
Back in 2012, Stavros Papastavrou, Mrs. Grabowski-Mitsotakis' lawyer, at the same time as dealing with Eternia on behalf of Mrs. Grabowski-Mitsotakis, held a top position, first inside the New Democracy party (where he was Director of International Relations) and then inside the Government as Greece's top negotiator on tax haven issues.
In fact, he was Greece's envoy in talks with the Swiss authorities regarding Greek bank accounts.
For his involvement in a separate case, the Swiss leaks/HSBC affair (called the Lagarde List), Mr. Papastavrou paid a fine of 3.5€ million to settle tax evasion and money-laundering charges.
No news outlet outside Greece has picked up this particular Paradise Papers story.
Before the Paradise Papers, there was Siemens
According to evidence presented in judicial procedures in Germany, the USA and Greece, German multinational Siemens routinely bribed politicians in PASOK and New Democracy to the tune of hundreds of millions of euros in order to secure lucrative state contracts.
In 2008 Mr. Mitsotakis he was caught accepting for free Siemens telecoms equipment to a value of €137,000. He paid for this later, after witnesses testified about the presents before prosecutors. Similar "presents" were given to the whole Mitsotakis family, including his wife Mareva, according to invoices provided during the Siemens court case and on the testimony of Michael Christoforakos' [the former head of Siemens Greece Ed] personal secretary, Ekaterini Tsakalou.
Court evidence shows Mr. Mitsotakis maintained a more-than-close relationship with Michael Christoforakos, who has evaded his bribery trial in Greece by returning to Germany. The Court was told that Mr. Christoforakos had contact (either in person or by phone) with the Mitsotakis family on 356 occasions. This amounts to 60% of the total number of such contacts he had with all political figures at the time. This and other facts linking Kyriakos Mitsotakis to the Siemens scandal have been out in the public for almost a decade.
Since his election as leader of New Democracy, four profiles or interviews have been published by some of Germany's biggest papers (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Die Taz, Die Welt); not one of them even mentions Siemens.
Recently Mr.Mitsotakis has taken to slamming clientelism and nepotism. While Mr. Mitsotakis campaigns for a smaller state, several members of his family are being remunerated by this "fat" Greek state. He is, after all, the heir of one of Greece’s biggest political dynasties with political roots dating back to the 19th century.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis' father, Constantine Mitsotakis was Prime Minister in the 1990s.
The Constantine Mitsotakis Foundation, with three family members on its Board, has been generously funded by the state to the tune of millions of euros.
Three members of the core family are active on the main political scene: besides Kyriakos Mitsotakis, his sister, Dora Bakoyannis is a former foreign minister and currently an MP; and Kostas Bakoyannis, nephew of Kyriakos, is a regional governor of Central Greece.
A new service - "The Directorate of Financial Crime Investigation " to combat the large-scale financial crime is to be based in the Ministry of Finance. It will have 135 Inspectors and report directly to the Minister of Finance and will be guided and coordinated by the Public Prosecutor for Financial Crime.
The service’s sole remit is the investigation to identify major tax crimes and any other relevant financial crimes which seriously damage the interests of the Greek State and the European Union.
New Democracy’s Kyriakos Mitsotakis slams nepotism and corruption
Both German and US media are calling the leader of New Democracy Kyriakos Mitsotakis a "star of the people" offering Greece "a glimmer of hope".
A sworn reformist, he slams nepotism and corruption. And yet that international praise ignores hard facts - such as the inclusion of his wife in the Paradise Papers tax avoidance / evasion scandal or his personal involvement in the biggest corruption scandal of the last 30 years in Greece - Siemens.
The Paradise Papers, an investigation by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) into the offshore world, have tarnished the reputation of politicians, sports idols and royals all around the globe.
But Greece, a firm favourite among new agencies when corruption is being discussed, has strangely avoided even the slightest media attention. Undeservingly so. Because in the latest round of leaks, one name stood out: Mareva Grabowski-Mitsotakis, the wife of Mr. Mitsotakis. She is one of 130 Greeks whose name shows up in the Paradise Papers.
Mrs. Grabowski-Mitsotakis owned 50% of Eternia Capital Management, an offshore company based in the Cayman Islands which managed a fund in the British Virgin Islands.
Mrs. Grabowski-Mitsotakis dismissed allegations of suspicious transactions, stressing that she "had little to do with the administrative aspect of the fund and was not aware of the specific legislation that applies in the Cayman Islands".
The party New Democracy dismissed the story as irrelevant.
It argued that Mr. Mitsotakis and his wife were separated at the time (before reuniting a few years later), therefore Mitsotakis had no legal obligation to declare his spouse's financial interests.
It is also the case that Mrs. Grabowski-Mitsotakis has a professional life of her own: formerly, she was an executive at Deutsche Bank, and she now runs her own business.
However, an important question remains unanswered: what was the motive of the setup of this double offshore structure? There's no evidence that Mrs. Grabowski-Mitsotakis has broken any law or that Mitsotakis himself was involved in any of this. However, a coincidence does link Mrs. Grabowski-Mitsotakis's offshore arrangements back to her husband’s New Democracy.
Back in 2012, Stavros Papastavrou, Mrs. Grabowski-Mitsotakis' lawyer, at the same time as dealing with Eternia on behalf of Mrs. Grabowski-Mitsotakis, held a top position, first inside the New Democracy party (where he was Director of International Relations) and then inside the Government as Greece's top negotiator on tax haven issues.
In fact, he was Greece's envoy in talks with the Swiss authorities regarding Greek bank accounts.
For his involvement in a separate case, the Swiss leaks/HSBC affair (called the Lagarde List), Mr. Papastavrou paid a fine of 3.5€ million to settle tax evasion and money-laundering charges.
No news outlet outside Greece has picked up this particular Paradise Papers story.
Before the Paradise Papers, there was Siemens
According to evidence presented in judicial procedures in Germany, the USA and Greece, German multinational Siemens routinely bribed politicians in PASOK and New Democracy to the tune of hundreds of millions of euros in order to secure lucrative state contracts.
In 2008 Mr. Mitsotakis he was caught accepting for free Siemens telecoms equipment to a value of €137,000. He paid for this later, after witnesses testified about the presents before prosecutors. Similar "presents" were given to the whole Mitsotakis family, including his wife Mareva, according to invoices provided during the Siemens court case and on the testimony of Michael Christoforakos' [the former head of Siemens Greece Ed] personal secretary, Ekaterini Tsakalou.
Court evidence shows Mr. Mitsotakis maintained a more-than-close relationship with Michael Christoforakos, who has evaded his bribery trial in Greece by returning to Germany. The Court was told that Mr. Christoforakos had contact (either in person or by phone) with the Mitsotakis family on 356 occasions. This amounts to 60% of the total number of such contacts he had with all political figures at the time. This and other facts linking Kyriakos Mitsotakis to the Siemens scandal have been out in the public for almost a decade.
Since his election as leader of New Democracy, four profiles or interviews have been published by some of Germany's biggest papers (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Die Taz, Die Welt); not one of them even mentions Siemens.
Recently Mr.Mitsotakis has taken to slamming clientelism and nepotism. While Mr. Mitsotakis campaigns for a smaller state, several members of his family are being remunerated by this "fat" Greek state. He is, after all, the heir of one of Greece’s biggest political dynasties with political roots dating back to the 19th century.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis' father, Constantine Mitsotakis was Prime Minister in the 1990s.
The Constantine Mitsotakis Foundation, with three family members on its Board, has been generously funded by the state to the tune of millions of euros.
Three members of the core family are active on the main political scene: besides Kyriakos Mitsotakis, his sister, Dora Bakoyannis is a former foreign minister and currently an MP; and Kostas Bakoyannis, nephew of Kyriakos, is a regional governor of Central Greece.
The Citizens’ Register
The Citizens’ Register is due to go online on Monday, January 22nd with the aim of reducing bureaucracy by making it much easier for people to obtain documents that prove their identity.
The new register will be created by linking 1,036 registry offices and 325 municipal registries electronically.
This means that citizens will no longer need to go to town halls or Citizens’ Service Centres (KEPs) to obtain personal documents as these will be available to other public agencies online.
The Interior Ministry, which is overseeing the process, said that the goal is to “simplify and speed up the processes and to limit needless bureaucracy by reducing the amount of signatures needed and relieving citizens of the need to produce multiple documents for simple administrative procedures.”
The Citizens’ Register is due to go online on Monday, January 22nd with the aim of reducing bureaucracy by making it much easier for people to obtain documents that prove their identity.
The new register will be created by linking 1,036 registry offices and 325 municipal registries electronically.
This means that citizens will no longer need to go to town halls or Citizens’ Service Centres (KEPs) to obtain personal documents as these will be available to other public agencies online.
The Interior Ministry, which is overseeing the process, said that the goal is to “simplify and speed up the processes and to limit needless bureaucracy by reducing the amount of signatures needed and relieving citizens of the need to produce multiple documents for simple administrative procedures.”
“2018 – a watershed year
for the country”
PM Alexis Tsipras’ New Year Message
6.1.2018
"After almost eight years, we are finally exiting the Memoranda and have a breathing space. The time that is coming it will be a landmark time for the country and the people, leaving behind the era of the stewardship, harsh measures and humiliations," stressed the Prime Minister in his televised New Year's Eve message.
The Prime Minister referred to the "sacrifices of the Greek people in the battle that the Government waged in 2017 to get the country out of the crisis with the society standing on its own two feet" and he gave assurances that 2018 will not be 2008, we will not return to the regime that gave birth to the Greek tragedy.
2018 – a watershed year for the country
"At the dawn of the new year we usually share our hopes, aspirations, wishes, and dreams for the future," said Alexis Tsipras
"Today, however, let me share with you one certainty: the coming year will be a milestone year for the country. After an almost eight-year period, we are finally emerging from the Memoranda and have a breathing space. We are leaving behind us the era of stewardship, the harsh measures and the humiliations. And that's a great reason for optimism that 2018 will be a good year for our country and for our people."
The Prime Minister recalled that for us to get here, our people had to submit to great sacrifices, but the Government put up a tough fight. " Millions of people had to put up their own fight so that we could escape from the swamp. But from our side, a tough battle had to be and is having to be waged on two fronts. On the front of the negotiations on the one hand, against the extremists among the creditors. But also on the domestic front, against the diseases, the distortions, the cronyism, the party clientelism, the vested interests and the corruption, against everything that has held us immobilised for years."
He also emphasized that it is not his intention to celebrate, because he knows, like everyone, how many problems still lie ahead of us and how much effort it is taking for growth to reach from statistics to people and to each household. "I also know, however, and each of us should know, that we have left the dark times behind. The regime which was imposed on the country in 2010, finally ends in 2018."
2018 will not be 2008
"At the same time another certainty is that 2018 will not be and must not be 2008. We must not go back and we will not go back to the regime that gave birth to the Greek tragedy - to growth for the few and the crumbs for the many; to the interweaving of political power and economic power, and to the old powerful families that undermined the economy, democracy and the country."
Referring to 2017, the Prime Minister said that the Government put up a tough fight to extricate Greece from the crisis, with society standing on its own two feet and added: "We also gave, however, a graphic example of a different politics. A politics that puts the interests of the country and of the many above the interests of a privileged oligarchy".
These policies of the Government have produced tangible results, stated the Prime Minister and said:
-The economy has again started to move forward, as all the data show.
-Unemployment has been markedly reduced.
-Greece has found again its position on the international scene. It is no longer a cause of problems, but is a catalyst for solutions, while hope and optimism are returning, timidly but steadily, to our society, a society tortured by the harsh measures.
-The social dividend has given a breathing space to millions of our fellow citizens.
-The welfare State is making steps forward, despite the financial difficulties.
-Reforms in Health, in Education, in the public administration, are proceeding with determination and despite the reactions of the old political elite.
Development with social justice
"We will continue with these policies. With new strength, but also with the new possibilities that the end of stewardship brings. Because growth without social justice has neither depth nor vision; it does not even make sense. Because inequality is not a law of nature. It is a result of that policy which agitates for destruction today to achieve restoration tomorrow. But we will not let that happen. We will not let Greece go back."
Finally, Alexis Tsipras wished everyone " a creative, peaceful, and happy 2018, with optimism, with the certainty that Greece is embarking on the road of democratic normality, economic progress, equality and justice, but also with the awareness that nothing will be handed to us unless we claim it with hard work and our struggle."
Alexis Tsipras again ruled out an early general election
Speaking later on Greek radio about his expectations for the year ahead, PM Tsipras stressed that the country is regaining its place in the international landscape, along with its economic autonomy.
Speaking to Real FM radio station, PM Tsipras said he expected 2018 to be “a year that will bring back lost hope”. “A new era for Greece will begin with the expiry of the Greek bailout programme in August 2018 that will signify the end of the diseases afflicting Greece’s economy in order to avoid falling back into a “vicious circle”.
Elaborating his vision for the future of the economy, the PM said Greece must learn from the bailout years and the “tragedy” it went through so that it never loses control of its finances again and emerges from the crisis stronger. He went on to say that a continuous struggle is underway to reform the country’s production model, stamp out corruption and deliver justice.
Alexis Tsipras yet again ruled out the prospect of an early general election, while also accusing the opposition of spreading propaganda and not desiring the end of the bailout but the restoration of the old regime instead.
“Elections will not happen in 2018, but in 2019 at the end of our term of office, as stipulated by the Constitution. And this is because not only will comparisons be more favorable with respect to where we were and the state of the country we will deliver, but mainly because the country needs to restore the trust of its partners, and therefore needs political stability which the Government can provide.”
The Prime Minister referred to the "sacrifices of the Greek people in the battle that the Government waged in 2017 to get the country out of the crisis with the society standing on its own two feet" and he gave assurances that 2018 will not be 2008, we will not return to the regime that gave birth to the Greek tragedy.
2018 – a watershed year for the country
"At the dawn of the new year we usually share our hopes, aspirations, wishes, and dreams for the future," said Alexis Tsipras
"Today, however, let me share with you one certainty: the coming year will be a milestone year for the country. After an almost eight-year period, we are finally emerging from the Memoranda and have a breathing space. We are leaving behind us the era of stewardship, the harsh measures and the humiliations. And that's a great reason for optimism that 2018 will be a good year for our country and for our people."
The Prime Minister recalled that for us to get here, our people had to submit to great sacrifices, but the Government put up a tough fight. " Millions of people had to put up their own fight so that we could escape from the swamp. But from our side, a tough battle had to be and is having to be waged on two fronts. On the front of the negotiations on the one hand, against the extremists among the creditors. But also on the domestic front, against the diseases, the distortions, the cronyism, the party clientelism, the vested interests and the corruption, against everything that has held us immobilised for years."
He also emphasized that it is not his intention to celebrate, because he knows, like everyone, how many problems still lie ahead of us and how much effort it is taking for growth to reach from statistics to people and to each household. "I also know, however, and each of us should know, that we have left the dark times behind. The regime which was imposed on the country in 2010, finally ends in 2018."
2018 will not be 2008
"At the same time another certainty is that 2018 will not be and must not be 2008. We must not go back and we will not go back to the regime that gave birth to the Greek tragedy - to growth for the few and the crumbs for the many; to the interweaving of political power and economic power, and to the old powerful families that undermined the economy, democracy and the country."
Referring to 2017, the Prime Minister said that the Government put up a tough fight to extricate Greece from the crisis, with society standing on its own two feet and added: "We also gave, however, a graphic example of a different politics. A politics that puts the interests of the country and of the many above the interests of a privileged oligarchy".
These policies of the Government have produced tangible results, stated the Prime Minister and said:
-The economy has again started to move forward, as all the data show.
-Unemployment has been markedly reduced.
-Greece has found again its position on the international scene. It is no longer a cause of problems, but is a catalyst for solutions, while hope and optimism are returning, timidly but steadily, to our society, a society tortured by the harsh measures.
-The social dividend has given a breathing space to millions of our fellow citizens.
-The welfare State is making steps forward, despite the financial difficulties.
-Reforms in Health, in Education, in the public administration, are proceeding with determination and despite the reactions of the old political elite.
Development with social justice
"We will continue with these policies. With new strength, but also with the new possibilities that the end of stewardship brings. Because growth without social justice has neither depth nor vision; it does not even make sense. Because inequality is not a law of nature. It is a result of that policy which agitates for destruction today to achieve restoration tomorrow. But we will not let that happen. We will not let Greece go back."
Finally, Alexis Tsipras wished everyone " a creative, peaceful, and happy 2018, with optimism, with the certainty that Greece is embarking on the road of democratic normality, economic progress, equality and justice, but also with the awareness that nothing will be handed to us unless we claim it with hard work and our struggle."
Alexis Tsipras again ruled out an early general election
Speaking later on Greek radio about his expectations for the year ahead, PM Tsipras stressed that the country is regaining its place in the international landscape, along with its economic autonomy.
Speaking to Real FM radio station, PM Tsipras said he expected 2018 to be “a year that will bring back lost hope”. “A new era for Greece will begin with the expiry of the Greek bailout programme in August 2018 that will signify the end of the diseases afflicting Greece’s economy in order to avoid falling back into a “vicious circle”.
Elaborating his vision for the future of the economy, the PM said Greece must learn from the bailout years and the “tragedy” it went through so that it never loses control of its finances again and emerges from the crisis stronger. He went on to say that a continuous struggle is underway to reform the country’s production model, stamp out corruption and deliver justice.
Alexis Tsipras yet again ruled out the prospect of an early general election, while also accusing the opposition of spreading propaganda and not desiring the end of the bailout but the restoration of the old regime instead.
“Elections will not happen in 2018, but in 2019 at the end of our term of office, as stipulated by the Constitution. And this is because not only will comparisons be more favorable with respect to where we were and the state of the country we will deliver, but mainly because the country needs to restore the trust of its partners, and therefore needs political stability which the Government can provide.”
Ecotax to “change the behaviour of consumers”
As from Monday January 1st 2018, Greece introduced an ecotax of four euro cents on each plastic bag supplied by shops in order to reduce the use of polythene bags and tackle the pollution of non- biodegradable material.
From January 1st 2019, the ecotax will be increased to 9 euro cents. At the same time, the recycling of the plastic bags and the use of reusable cloth bags and other eco-friendly alternatives will be promoted.
"The plastic bag must be removed from our habitual consumption. We are seeking to change the behaviour of consumers so that they, as citizens, will understand the environmental consequences," Greek Deputy Minister of Environment and Energy, Socrates Famellos said.
According to the report by the Greek Environment Ministry, plastic bag usage is twice the European average. Plastic bags make up half of the waste in Greece’s waters.
Athens aims to reduce the use of plastic bags per person by 75% by the end of 2020 and by 90% per person by 2025, in accordance with the 2015 EU directives.
As from Monday January 1st 2018, Greece introduced an ecotax of four euro cents on each plastic bag supplied by shops in order to reduce the use of polythene bags and tackle the pollution of non- biodegradable material.
From January 1st 2019, the ecotax will be increased to 9 euro cents. At the same time, the recycling of the plastic bags and the use of reusable cloth bags and other eco-friendly alternatives will be promoted.
"The plastic bag must be removed from our habitual consumption. We are seeking to change the behaviour of consumers so that they, as citizens, will understand the environmental consequences," Greek Deputy Minister of Environment and Energy, Socrates Famellos said.
According to the report by the Greek Environment Ministry, plastic bag usage is twice the European average. Plastic bags make up half of the waste in Greece’s waters.
Athens aims to reduce the use of plastic bags per person by 75% by the end of 2020 and by 90% per person by 2025, in accordance with the 2015 EU directives.
Islands to produce own medical oxygen
Deputy Minister of Economy and Development, Alexis Charitsis has signed off a project to create facilities for manufacturing medical oxygen in the hospitals of the Islands at a cost of 1.8€ million.
Medical oxygen units will be established in hospitals on the islands of Rhodes, Lesbos, Samos and Leros making a decisive contribution to the reduction in a very significant item of expenditure.
Five years ago the European Pharmacopoeia set the standard of 93% purity for oxygen to be suitable for medical purposes.
Today the average cost of producing oxygen from units located in medical centres is 0.26€ per cubic metre, as opposed to the purchase of oxygen which today costs 0.67€ per cubic metre plus shipping costs. The average transport costs for transporting gas to most islands is 2€ per cubic metre, which dramatically increases the costs of medical centres in the Aegean Islands procuring medical oxygen.
Deputy Minister of Economy and Development, Alexis Charitsis has signed off a project to create facilities for manufacturing medical oxygen in the hospitals of the Islands at a cost of 1.8€ million.
Medical oxygen units will be established in hospitals on the islands of Rhodes, Lesbos, Samos and Leros making a decisive contribution to the reduction in a very significant item of expenditure.
Five years ago the European Pharmacopoeia set the standard of 93% purity for oxygen to be suitable for medical purposes.
Today the average cost of producing oxygen from units located in medical centres is 0.26€ per cubic metre, as opposed to the purchase of oxygen which today costs 0.67€ per cubic metre plus shipping costs. The average transport costs for transporting gas to most islands is 2€ per cubic metre, which dramatically increases the costs of medical centres in the Aegean Islands procuring medical oxygen.
Greece tops ESPA Absorption Rates in the EU –again!
30.12.2017
Greece has again topped the list of EU Countries in its success in absorbing the resources of the new ΕΣΠΑ, following the full utilization of the funds of the previous programming period (2007-2013).
"Our first concern at the Finance Ministry is the channelling of substantial liquidity into the economy and ensuring sufficient funding for the implementation of the necessary infrastructure and support for businesses" stressed Deputy Finance Minister Alexis Charitsis.
"Our effort has yielded to the Greek economy more than 11€ billion over the last three year period, while, thanks to the very close cooperation that we have developed with the European Investment Bank, we brought a large amount of new capital into the economy."
For 2018, Mr. Charitsis confirmed that the Government is continuing with greater intensity in the same direction, "with more programmes to support businesses and municipalities, but also with new targeted financial tools for the more efficient support of a number of sectors of the economy."
"In the case of absorption of resources of ESPA, Greece up to the end of 2017 has absorbed 25% of the resources of the new ESPA Programme (2014-2020), achieving the highest absorption in Europe. For a comparison, the absorption rate achieved by the Governments of New Democracy and PASOK at the corresponding point (2009) of the previous programming period (ESPA 2007-2013) was just 1.5%."
"Thanks to this effort a multitude of small and large projects have been implemented across the country. Infrastructure critical to the health and quality of life of citizens, such as the water systems of the city of Heraklion and Corfu, the biological purification of Lake Pamvotis in Ioannina. Projects that should have been implemented decades ago.
With these resources, there have also been significant interventions in the social sector and vulnerable social groups have been supported. For the second consecutive year all associate teachers have been recruited in a timely manner and schools opened on time. More than 108,000 children found places in nursery schools and kindergartens without any financial burden on their parents. The great reform in Healthcare is being funded, with the creation, for the first time in Greece, of integrated primary health structures (TOMY).”
"Our first concern at the Finance Ministry is the channelling of substantial liquidity into the economy and ensuring sufficient funding for the implementation of the necessary infrastructure and support for businesses" stressed Deputy Finance Minister Alexis Charitsis.
"Our effort has yielded to the Greek economy more than 11€ billion over the last three year period, while, thanks to the very close cooperation that we have developed with the European Investment Bank, we brought a large amount of new capital into the economy."
For 2018, Mr. Charitsis confirmed that the Government is continuing with greater intensity in the same direction, "with more programmes to support businesses and municipalities, but also with new targeted financial tools for the more efficient support of a number of sectors of the economy."
"In the case of absorption of resources of ESPA, Greece up to the end of 2017 has absorbed 25% of the resources of the new ESPA Programme (2014-2020), achieving the highest absorption in Europe. For a comparison, the absorption rate achieved by the Governments of New Democracy and PASOK at the corresponding point (2009) of the previous programming period (ESPA 2007-2013) was just 1.5%."
"Thanks to this effort a multitude of small and large projects have been implemented across the country. Infrastructure critical to the health and quality of life of citizens, such as the water systems of the city of Heraklion and Corfu, the biological purification of Lake Pamvotis in Ioannina. Projects that should have been implemented decades ago.
With these resources, there have also been significant interventions in the social sector and vulnerable social groups have been supported. For the second consecutive year all associate teachers have been recruited in a timely manner and schools opened on time. More than 108,000 children found places in nursery schools and kindergartens without any financial burden on their parents. The great reform in Healthcare is being funded, with the creation, for the first time in Greece, of integrated primary health structures (TOMY).”
Bank of Greece Report on Tax Evasion and the Underground Economy
“Previous Greek Governments, made up of New Democracy and PASOK in the main imposed unbearable taxes on citizens, while leaving the country at the mercy of tax evasion and the underground economy,” stated the interim report of the Governor of the Bank of Greece, Giannis Stournaras, which showed that 15€ billion could have been saved in the Treasury of the Greek state, if the underground economy and tax evasion had been fought against, instead of past governments' choices to increase taxes in order to achieve the Primary Surplus financial goals demanded by the country’s creditors.
Taking the reference period 2010-15, the premiss is that Greece entered the Memoranda with the underground economy and tax evasion together accounting for 25% of GDP.
The report suggests that if tax evasion and the underground economy had been dealt with effectively and there had been no tax increases instead, the result would have been a recession of less than seven percentage points of the GDP. With the underground economy at 25% of GDP, each increase in tax revenue by 1% results in a 2.8% reduction in the Gross Domestic Product but just a 1.5% reduction in the absence of an underground economy.
Moreover, the Report’s analysis shows that tax increases of 1% lead to a shift of production and employment from the official to the underground economy by 1.3% and 1.4%, respectively. As a result, tax revenues are reduced and higher increases in tax rates are required to reach budgetary targets.
“This creates a vicious circle of constant tax rate increases and constant expansion of the underground economy leading to a further shrinking of official production activity.
In addition, to increase income tax revenue by one percentage point of GDP, it is necessary to increase the tax rate by two percentage points when there is no underground economy, as against a required increase of three percentage points when an underground economy exists.
Greece has one of the highest rates of underground economy in the European Union. It is estimated that the underground economy in Greece, in the period 2003-2015, averaged 25% of the GDP, compared with 19% on average in the Euro area and 20% across the EU.”
“Previous Greek Governments, made up of New Democracy and PASOK in the main imposed unbearable taxes on citizens, while leaving the country at the mercy of tax evasion and the underground economy,” stated the interim report of the Governor of the Bank of Greece, Giannis Stournaras, which showed that 15€ billion could have been saved in the Treasury of the Greek state, if the underground economy and tax evasion had been fought against, instead of past governments' choices to increase taxes in order to achieve the Primary Surplus financial goals demanded by the country’s creditors.
Taking the reference period 2010-15, the premiss is that Greece entered the Memoranda with the underground economy and tax evasion together accounting for 25% of GDP.
The report suggests that if tax evasion and the underground economy had been dealt with effectively and there had been no tax increases instead, the result would have been a recession of less than seven percentage points of the GDP. With the underground economy at 25% of GDP, each increase in tax revenue by 1% results in a 2.8% reduction in the Gross Domestic Product but just a 1.5% reduction in the absence of an underground economy.
Moreover, the Report’s analysis shows that tax increases of 1% lead to a shift of production and employment from the official to the underground economy by 1.3% and 1.4%, respectively. As a result, tax revenues are reduced and higher increases in tax rates are required to reach budgetary targets.
“This creates a vicious circle of constant tax rate increases and constant expansion of the underground economy leading to a further shrinking of official production activity.
In addition, to increase income tax revenue by one percentage point of GDP, it is necessary to increase the tax rate by two percentage points when there is no underground economy, as against a required increase of three percentage points when an underground economy exists.
Greece has one of the highest rates of underground economy in the European Union. It is estimated that the underground economy in Greece, in the period 2003-2015, averaged 25% of the GDP, compared with 19% on average in the Euro area and 20% across the EU.”
“Relations between Greece and Turkey are not a bilateral issue”
Alexis Tsipras at the Council of Europe
23.12.2017
“The European pillar of social rights is crucial and must be implemented,” said PM Tsipras at last Friday’s meeting of the Council of Europe.
“The social dimension is a necessary condition for a United Europe. The social pillar will balance budgetary agreements. The coordination of economic and budgetary policies should include binding social goals.”
On the issue of refugees, the PM stressed that, for Greece, the important thing is not whether some countries accommodate 200 or 1,000 refugees, but that they persist in undermining the principles on which the EU is based.
He stressed that Greece respects EU rules and the sensitivities of other Member States and complies with European solidarity, although it disagreed with a series of policies on the economy (austerity), but also on foreign policy (sanctions against third countries). All Member States should do the same today to address this european issue, he insisted.
On the issue of funding, he agreed that the financial instruments (possibly also new ones) should be made more flexible in order to respond to today's realities and to enable third countries to absorb the funding. The issue is not only more money but to connect up our goals on immigration to EU foreign policy.
Alexis Tsipras noted that funding for third countries should be related to their effectiveness in dealing with the networks of traffickers, the reduction of migrant flows and the acceptance of returnees. He stressed that major initiatives must be undertaken to address the root causes of refugee and migration flows (poverty, wars) and for these to be included in an upgrading of foreign and defence policy.
At the same time, the Prime Minister added that we should establish a European return mechanism should be established and a European resettlement mechanism set up with applications centres in third countries of transit and origin.
“Relations between Greece and Turkey are not a bilateral issue”
He emphasized that issues around migration were one of the main reasons for the invitation to the Turkish President to visit Athens, despite all the national and ideological differences. He pointed out that while the region is submerged in destabilisation (Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, Lebanon, Jerusalem, the attempted coup in Turkey, human rights restrictions, the Kurdish question) Greek-Turkish relations cannot be considered simply as a bilateral issue.
"It is a question of maintaining the Southeast European borders which have become increasingly important. European security and the management of refugee and migratory flows are based on smooth relations between Greece and Turkey."
“The social dimension is a necessary condition for a United Europe. The social pillar will balance budgetary agreements. The coordination of economic and budgetary policies should include binding social goals.”
On the issue of refugees, the PM stressed that, for Greece, the important thing is not whether some countries accommodate 200 or 1,000 refugees, but that they persist in undermining the principles on which the EU is based.
He stressed that Greece respects EU rules and the sensitivities of other Member States and complies with European solidarity, although it disagreed with a series of policies on the economy (austerity), but also on foreign policy (sanctions against third countries). All Member States should do the same today to address this european issue, he insisted.
On the issue of funding, he agreed that the financial instruments (possibly also new ones) should be made more flexible in order to respond to today's realities and to enable third countries to absorb the funding. The issue is not only more money but to connect up our goals on immigration to EU foreign policy.
Alexis Tsipras noted that funding for third countries should be related to their effectiveness in dealing with the networks of traffickers, the reduction of migrant flows and the acceptance of returnees. He stressed that major initiatives must be undertaken to address the root causes of refugee and migration flows (poverty, wars) and for these to be included in an upgrading of foreign and defence policy.
At the same time, the Prime Minister added that we should establish a European return mechanism should be established and a European resettlement mechanism set up with applications centres in third countries of transit and origin.
“Relations between Greece and Turkey are not a bilateral issue”
He emphasized that issues around migration were one of the main reasons for the invitation to the Turkish President to visit Athens, despite all the national and ideological differences. He pointed out that while the region is submerged in destabilisation (Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, Lebanon, Jerusalem, the attempted coup in Turkey, human rights restrictions, the Kurdish question) Greek-Turkish relations cannot be considered simply as a bilateral issue.
"It is a question of maintaining the Southeast European borders which have become increasingly important. European security and the management of refugee and migratory flows are based on smooth relations between Greece and Turkey."
Renewable Energy in Greece
The European Investment Bank (EIB) has advanced to Greece greater funding than ever before in the field of renewable sources of energy by entering into a contract for financing a loan of 85€ million with the ΔΕΗ Renewables.
Specifically, the contract signed on behalf of the EIB by Mr Nicholas Jennett, Deputy Director and Head of the Investment Group to Greece, and Mr. Manolis Panagiotakis, Chairman of the Board, and CEO Mr. Elias Monacholias on behalf of ΔΕΗ Renewables.
The new renewable energy programme will provide investment in small wind farms in various regions of the country, including the islands of Cephalonia, Chios, Lesbos, Crete, Mykonos, Samos, Evia, Lemnos, Karpathos, Ikaria, Tinos and Psaros, and in Kardítsa on mainland Greece.
The programme includes repowering existing wind farms, some of which have been operating for more than 25 years, as well as the construction of small wind farms in new areas. In addition it will support the restoration of two old small hydropower plants – a station in Arta and one in Vermio in northern Greece – as well as the construction of two new small hydropower stations – one in Smokovo and one in Makrochori in Central Greece.
Once the programme is completed, by the end of 2019, the production of renewable energy in Greece will be increased by 90 MW and will contribute significantly to the achievement of both national and European targets for renewable energy projects. The design, construction and operation of individual projects is expected to be completed within the next two years.
The expansion of the use of renewable energy sources is a strategic priority of the ΔΕΗ Group and the new cooperation between ΔΕΗ Renewables and the EIB will help the ΔΕΗ Group to achieve its strategic goal to become a major supplier of green energy in Greece. New investments for the improvement of existing and the construction of new wind farms will boost energy self-sufficiency, will create new job opportunities and will bring benefits to local communities.
Mr. Jonathan Taylor, Vice-President of the European Investment Bank, said: "The new investment in renewable energy is critical to reducing carbon dioxide emissions and to support investments in this area. It is a priority for both the Greek Government and the European Investment Bank."
Mr Manolis Panagiotakis, Chairman of the Board of Directors of ΔΕΗ Renewables, said: "This loan will boost the production of electricity from renewable energy sources in mainland Greece and the Greek Islands. It will also contribute to a change in the energy mix produced at group level of the ΔΕΗ and will make the supply of energy in Greece more sustainable and safer."
Mr. Elias Monacholias, CEO of ΔΕΗ Renewables, said: "Today ΔΕΗ Renewables enters a new era, as it is the first time that the company has signed a loan agreement for the financing of a total of 18 projects in the field of renewable sources of energy. The loan granted by the European Investment Bank, on favourable terms compared to the normal interest rates for lending to businesses, is very important for the ΔΕΗ Renewables because it will allow the full restoration of old wind farms and small hydropower plants and building new capacity. We look forward to our cooperation with the EIB and the success of this cooperation."
The European Investment Bank (EIB) has advanced to Greece greater funding than ever before in the field of renewable sources of energy by entering into a contract for financing a loan of 85€ million with the ΔΕΗ Renewables.
Specifically, the contract signed on behalf of the EIB by Mr Nicholas Jennett, Deputy Director and Head of the Investment Group to Greece, and Mr. Manolis Panagiotakis, Chairman of the Board, and CEO Mr. Elias Monacholias on behalf of ΔΕΗ Renewables.
The new renewable energy programme will provide investment in small wind farms in various regions of the country, including the islands of Cephalonia, Chios, Lesbos, Crete, Mykonos, Samos, Evia, Lemnos, Karpathos, Ikaria, Tinos and Psaros, and in Kardítsa on mainland Greece.
The programme includes repowering existing wind farms, some of which have been operating for more than 25 years, as well as the construction of small wind farms in new areas. In addition it will support the restoration of two old small hydropower plants – a station in Arta and one in Vermio in northern Greece – as well as the construction of two new small hydropower stations – one in Smokovo and one in Makrochori in Central Greece.
Once the programme is completed, by the end of 2019, the production of renewable energy in Greece will be increased by 90 MW and will contribute significantly to the achievement of both national and European targets for renewable energy projects. The design, construction and operation of individual projects is expected to be completed within the next two years.
The expansion of the use of renewable energy sources is a strategic priority of the ΔΕΗ Group and the new cooperation between ΔΕΗ Renewables and the EIB will help the ΔΕΗ Group to achieve its strategic goal to become a major supplier of green energy in Greece. New investments for the improvement of existing and the construction of new wind farms will boost energy self-sufficiency, will create new job opportunities and will bring benefits to local communities.
Mr. Jonathan Taylor, Vice-President of the European Investment Bank, said: "The new investment in renewable energy is critical to reducing carbon dioxide emissions and to support investments in this area. It is a priority for both the Greek Government and the European Investment Bank."
Mr Manolis Panagiotakis, Chairman of the Board of Directors of ΔΕΗ Renewables, said: "This loan will boost the production of electricity from renewable energy sources in mainland Greece and the Greek Islands. It will also contribute to a change in the energy mix produced at group level of the ΔΕΗ and will make the supply of energy in Greece more sustainable and safer."
Mr. Elias Monacholias, CEO of ΔΕΗ Renewables, said: "Today ΔΕΗ Renewables enters a new era, as it is the first time that the company has signed a loan agreement for the financing of a total of 18 projects in the field of renewable sources of energy. The loan granted by the European Investment Bank, on favourable terms compared to the normal interest rates for lending to businesses, is very important for the ΔΕΗ Renewables because it will allow the full restoration of old wind farms and small hydropower plants and building new capacity. We look forward to our cooperation with the EIB and the success of this cooperation."
“It is time for everyone to help”
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Monday met with the board of the Hellenic Banking Association (HBA). PM Tsipras noted that it was now time to translate the good climate that exists in the Greek economy into more than figures and statistics.
“The messages are positive; 10-year Greek bonds broke the 4% barrier and this marks a return to pre-crisis conditions.
It is time for everyone to help so that this good climate in the economy can be translated – in addition to numbers and statistics – in a real sense to society, especially among the weaker and most vulnerable and the middle class.”
He asked the bankers to “chase the big-timers who have managed to bankrupt their businesses while remaining wealthy themselves by taking their money abroad and not paying their debts.”
He also urged them to put a stop to the dissemination of “fake news” regarding foreclosures on homes of Greeks on low and medium incomes, stressing that contrary to some media reports, the Government has ensured that no primary residences will be put up for auction. Remarking to the bankers that they are the ones funding Greek media organisations, the PM said they should not tolerate lies.
PM Tsipras stated that the Government’s aims are to restore the original role of the Greek banks as lending institutions, to protect the most vulnerable and to give opportunities to young Greeks.
“Liquidity needs to be restored to the economy, to healthy businesses, and households need to be supported.” “We need a responsible and effective way to deal with the problem of nonperforming loans,” he added.
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Monday met with the board of the Hellenic Banking Association (HBA). PM Tsipras noted that it was now time to translate the good climate that exists in the Greek economy into more than figures and statistics.
“The messages are positive; 10-year Greek bonds broke the 4% barrier and this marks a return to pre-crisis conditions.
It is time for everyone to help so that this good climate in the economy can be translated – in addition to numbers and statistics – in a real sense to society, especially among the weaker and most vulnerable and the middle class.”
He asked the bankers to “chase the big-timers who have managed to bankrupt their businesses while remaining wealthy themselves by taking their money abroad and not paying their debts.”
He also urged them to put a stop to the dissemination of “fake news” regarding foreclosures on homes of Greeks on low and medium incomes, stressing that contrary to some media reports, the Government has ensured that no primary residences will be put up for auction. Remarking to the bankers that they are the ones funding Greek media organisations, the PM said they should not tolerate lies.
PM Tsipras stated that the Government’s aims are to restore the original role of the Greek banks as lending institutions, to protect the most vulnerable and to give opportunities to young Greeks.
“Liquidity needs to be restored to the economy, to healthy businesses, and households need to be supported.” “We need a responsible and effective way to deal with the problem of nonperforming loans,” he added.
"Our goal for 2030 is to have 50% of our energy needs in Greece generated from
renewable energy sources"
16.12.2017
Alexis Tsipras at the “One Planet Summit” in Paris
"The European countries and the EU are the locomotive for driving through the necessary reforms in order to protect the planet and future generations from climate change, said the Prime Minister after the “One Planet Summit” International Conference in Paris.
" Today we had the opportunity, leaders and Government representatives from the length and breadth of the globe, to reaffirm our commitment to protect the planet against the phenomenon of climate change, commitments we had taken two years ago here in Paris.
Today we again found ourselves in need of reaffirming those commitments, given that unfortunately not all countries are following what was agreed.
"The European countries and the EU are the locomotive for driving through the necessary reforms in order to protect the planet and future generations from climate change.
Unfortunately the United States of America did not follow us, but I believe that in this joint effort, which concerns our commitment to future generations noone can be left out. And it is never too late for all of them to reconsider their positions and their actions, in order for all of us to commit to protecting the future of this planet, to protecting the future of coming generations,"said the Prime Minister.
With regard to the commitments of Greece over the two-year period which has elapsed since the Paris Agreement, Mr. Tsipras explained:
"Greece is a country that has progressed belatedly in relation to what it should have realised much sooner are the necessary changes on climate change. But lately it has progressed rapidly.
We are reaching the goals of 2020 compared with our commitments, and we are quite optimistic that we will achieve the 2030 target.
Let me remind you that our goal for 2030 is to have 50% of energy to cover our needs in Greece generated from renewable energy sources. Greece is in a location on the planet that has this comparative advantage and the opportunity to harness the sun, the water, the wind, that is to say the natural wealth, to produce energy. And in that sense it is contributing in the way that it is appropriate for it, to the great effort to stop the phenomenon of climate change, to protect the planet and create a more promising prospect for future generations.
This great commitment we have reaffirmed today and I think we have publicly sent a very important message. And let us hope that everyone hears this message, because, I repeat, in this effort noone is exempt, but we must all help."
"The European countries and the EU are the locomotive for driving through the necessary reforms in order to protect the planet and future generations from climate change, said the Prime Minister after the “One Planet Summit” International Conference in Paris.
" Today we had the opportunity, leaders and Government representatives from the length and breadth of the globe, to reaffirm our commitment to protect the planet against the phenomenon of climate change, commitments we had taken two years ago here in Paris.
Today we again found ourselves in need of reaffirming those commitments, given that unfortunately not all countries are following what was agreed.
"The European countries and the EU are the locomotive for driving through the necessary reforms in order to protect the planet and future generations from climate change.
Unfortunately the United States of America did not follow us, but I believe that in this joint effort, which concerns our commitment to future generations noone can be left out. And it is never too late for all of them to reconsider their positions and their actions, in order for all of us to commit to protecting the future of this planet, to protecting the future of coming generations,"said the Prime Minister.
With regard to the commitments of Greece over the two-year period which has elapsed since the Paris Agreement, Mr. Tsipras explained:
"Greece is a country that has progressed belatedly in relation to what it should have realised much sooner are the necessary changes on climate change. But lately it has progressed rapidly.
We are reaching the goals of 2020 compared with our commitments, and we are quite optimistic that we will achieve the 2030 target.
Let me remind you that our goal for 2030 is to have 50% of energy to cover our needs in Greece generated from renewable energy sources. Greece is in a location on the planet that has this comparative advantage and the opportunity to harness the sun, the water, the wind, that is to say the natural wealth, to produce energy. And in that sense it is contributing in the way that it is appropriate for it, to the great effort to stop the phenomenon of climate change, to protect the planet and create a more promising prospect for future generations.
This great commitment we have reaffirmed today and I think we have publicly sent a very important message. And let us hope that everyone hears this message, because, I repeat, in this effort noone is exempt, but we must all help."
Euclid Tsakalotos in New York
"In all this effort the objective of the Government has been to support the sectors of society most affected by the crisis," said the Finance Minister, Euclid Tsakalotos, adding that Greece has already started to implement policies which improve the business environment.
Speaking on Thursday in New York at the 19th Annual Capital Link “Invest in Greece Forum” he referred to a whole raft of data relating to the final exit of the country from the crisis and the Memoranda Programmes - the country's successful accessing of capital markets, the reduction of interest rates and the improvement in exports.
Minister Tsakalotos also underlined that the Budget going through the Plenary Meeting of Parliament marks the exit of Greece from a long period of fiscal adjustment programmes.
"This is the result of both the hard work of the Greek Government and of the crucial sacrifices of the Greek citizens. The result of this is the improvement of confidence among both consumers and businesses." He gave special emphasis to the downward trend of unemployment, which is a "strong signal of the steady improvement in the trend of growth", attributing these positive prospects to an improved confidence in the sustainability of Greek public finances and to the introduction of a wide range of reforms to redesign the Greek economy.
" In this whole effort, the aim of the Government has been to support the sectors of society most affected by the crisis. As we are entering the stage of recovery, our efforts will be to ensure the sustainability of the prospects for growth, while supporting the fairness of the character of that growth". With a clear signal to investors, the Finance Minister said that Greece has already started to implement policies which improve the business environment (reducing the bureaucratic burden), while directing public funding to many promising areas of economic activity.
"The goal is to enable entrepreneurs to achieve their potential and to reform the Greek economy".
In conclusion he made it clear that next year will be characterized by debates about the medium- and long-term debt relief measures and by Government efforts to generate sufficient surpluses to allow the further reduction of interest rates and to support the “clean exit” from the Programme, which is the goal of both Greece and its partners.
"In all this effort the objective of the Government has been to support the sectors of society most affected by the crisis," said the Finance Minister, Euclid Tsakalotos, adding that Greece has already started to implement policies which improve the business environment.
Speaking on Thursday in New York at the 19th Annual Capital Link “Invest in Greece Forum” he referred to a whole raft of data relating to the final exit of the country from the crisis and the Memoranda Programmes - the country's successful accessing of capital markets, the reduction of interest rates and the improvement in exports.
Minister Tsakalotos also underlined that the Budget going through the Plenary Meeting of Parliament marks the exit of Greece from a long period of fiscal adjustment programmes.
"This is the result of both the hard work of the Greek Government and of the crucial sacrifices of the Greek citizens. The result of this is the improvement of confidence among both consumers and businesses." He gave special emphasis to the downward trend of unemployment, which is a "strong signal of the steady improvement in the trend of growth", attributing these positive prospects to an improved confidence in the sustainability of Greek public finances and to the introduction of a wide range of reforms to redesign the Greek economy.
" In this whole effort, the aim of the Government has been to support the sectors of society most affected by the crisis. As we are entering the stage of recovery, our efforts will be to ensure the sustainability of the prospects for growth, while supporting the fairness of the character of that growth". With a clear signal to investors, the Finance Minister said that Greece has already started to implement policies which improve the business environment (reducing the bureaucratic burden), while directing public funding to many promising areas of economic activity.
"The goal is to enable entrepreneurs to achieve their potential and to reform the Greek economy".
In conclusion he made it clear that next year will be characterized by debates about the medium- and long-term debt relief measures and by Government efforts to generate sufficient surpluses to allow the further reduction of interest rates and to support the “clean exit” from the Programme, which is the goal of both Greece and its partners.
Foreign Minister, Nikos Kotzias in Brussels
The latest developments in the Middle East and the situation in Iraq were at the core of the meeting of EU Foreign Ministers in Brussels this week, where Greece was represented by Foreign Minister, Nikos Kotzias.
During the debate on the Middle East, Minister Kotzias reported that the Greek side has emphasized the assessment that it had already put forward, namely that the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and the moving of the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem do not contribute to peace in the region. "We have underlined the need for the two States solution, Israel and Palestine, while ensuring the security of Israel," he said.
He went on to underline the need for timely designs for rebuilding Syria and "a contribution of specialists" to assist in the formation of the new constitutional order.
On Iraq, Minister Kotzias highlighted the need to respect the rights of autonomy laid down in the Constitution of that country, as well as the need for a "positive agenda" and a "new spirit", which will contribute to the new order of things in the Eastern Mediterranean, that is to say a new order of security and peace.
Asked to comment on criticism by the Opposition concerning the recent visit of the Turkish President Erdogan to Athens, Minister Kotzias replied: "For the first time in the history of diplomacy, criticism was made about a visit before it even started. This was not political criticism but a hot-air prediction". He stressed that the visit of the Turkish President took place because "we must always keep open channels of discussion," and added: "This visit took place for us to give impetus to and to re-energise the common large economic transport projects which we are preparing, the cooperation between universities, research centres, to prepare the meeting of the two Governments in Thessaloniki in three months from now, to look again at how the two Foreign Ministries will work together and we also talked about the Cyprus problem."
Minister Kotzias added that the Opposition had taken the decision beforehand to characterize Erdogan's visit as a failure because it has "a culture of neo-isolationism and inertia, for us to sit at home."
"In bilateral relations this principle does not hold," said the Foreign Minister, noting that Erdogan's visit was beneficial for the country and for the way relations between Greece and Turkey are being dealt with.
The latest developments in the Middle East and the situation in Iraq were at the core of the meeting of EU Foreign Ministers in Brussels this week, where Greece was represented by Foreign Minister, Nikos Kotzias.
During the debate on the Middle East, Minister Kotzias reported that the Greek side has emphasized the assessment that it had already put forward, namely that the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and the moving of the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem do not contribute to peace in the region. "We have underlined the need for the two States solution, Israel and Palestine, while ensuring the security of Israel," he said.
He went on to underline the need for timely designs for rebuilding Syria and "a contribution of specialists" to assist in the formation of the new constitutional order.
On Iraq, Minister Kotzias highlighted the need to respect the rights of autonomy laid down in the Constitution of that country, as well as the need for a "positive agenda" and a "new spirit", which will contribute to the new order of things in the Eastern Mediterranean, that is to say a new order of security and peace.
Asked to comment on criticism by the Opposition concerning the recent visit of the Turkish President Erdogan to Athens, Minister Kotzias replied: "For the first time in the history of diplomacy, criticism was made about a visit before it even started. This was not political criticism but a hot-air prediction". He stressed that the visit of the Turkish President took place because "we must always keep open channels of discussion," and added: "This visit took place for us to give impetus to and to re-energise the common large economic transport projects which we are preparing, the cooperation between universities, research centres, to prepare the meeting of the two Governments in Thessaloniki in three months from now, to look again at how the two Foreign Ministries will work together and we also talked about the Cyprus problem."
Minister Kotzias added that the Opposition had taken the decision beforehand to characterize Erdogan's visit as a failure because it has "a culture of neo-isolationism and inertia, for us to sit at home."
"In bilateral relations this principle does not hold," said the Foreign Minister, noting that Erdogan's visit was beneficial for the country and for the way relations between Greece and Turkey are being dealt with.
EU Moves on Panama Papers
"With all its strength the European People's Party (EPP), the grouping to which New Democracy belongs, has tried to minimize the measures against tax havens often with the support of the far-right in the European Parliament" reported SYRIZA MEPs.
The recommendations of the Committee of Inquiry into the Panama Papers was approved by a vote in a plenary session of the European Parliament, despite the obstacles that conservative forces tried to put up, with 492 votes in favour, 50 against and 136 abstentions.
"Specifically, in today's vote in the Plenary of the European Parliament, MEPs of New Democracy (in some cases joined also by Mrs. Kaili of the [newly-formed Ed] Democratic Alignment) voted against or abstained in the vote on the following recommendations:
-To include in the list of countries that assist or promote tax evasion/ tax avoidance practices, EU Member States, such as Malta, Ireland, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.
-To impose sanctions on the above EU Member States.
-To investigate the position of the Irish Government in appealing against the decision that the write-off of Apple’s 13€ billion debt was illegal and that the appeal is an attempt to avoid collecting the amount owed.
-For the European Commission to claim the gains evaded by footballers who transferred money to tax havens, as well as by the middlemen in these transfers.
-The creation of an international directory of companies, institutions, funds, bank accounts, and assets. Also the requirement for greater transparency in companies’ financial information (balance sheets, shareholders, etc)
-Introducing sanctions on banks, up to and including the removal of their licences, if it is proven that they participated in or facilitated cases of tax evasion or tax avoidance.
-To create a legal mechanism that will ensure that the money arising from disclosures of tax evasion will be returned to the Member States where the economic activity actually took place.
-To separate the accountancy companies from the consulting companies and to prohibit the payment of the latter with a bonus on profits so that the possibilities of undertaking illegal practices are removed."
"With all its strength the European People's Party (EPP), the grouping to which New Democracy belongs, has tried to minimize the measures against tax havens often with the support of the far-right in the European Parliament" reported SYRIZA MEPs.
The recommendations of the Committee of Inquiry into the Panama Papers was approved by a vote in a plenary session of the European Parliament, despite the obstacles that conservative forces tried to put up, with 492 votes in favour, 50 against and 136 abstentions.
"Specifically, in today's vote in the Plenary of the European Parliament, MEPs of New Democracy (in some cases joined also by Mrs. Kaili of the [newly-formed Ed] Democratic Alignment) voted against or abstained in the vote on the following recommendations:
-To include in the list of countries that assist or promote tax evasion/ tax avoidance practices, EU Member States, such as Malta, Ireland, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.
-To impose sanctions on the above EU Member States.
-To investigate the position of the Irish Government in appealing against the decision that the write-off of Apple’s 13€ billion debt was illegal and that the appeal is an attempt to avoid collecting the amount owed.
-For the European Commission to claim the gains evaded by footballers who transferred money to tax havens, as well as by the middlemen in these transfers.
-The creation of an international directory of companies, institutions, funds, bank accounts, and assets. Also the requirement for greater transparency in companies’ financial information (balance sheets, shareholders, etc)
-Introducing sanctions on banks, up to and including the removal of their licences, if it is proven that they participated in or facilitated cases of tax evasion or tax avoidance.
-To create a legal mechanism that will ensure that the money arising from disclosures of tax evasion will be returned to the Member States where the economic activity actually took place.
-To separate the accountancy companies from the consulting companies and to prohibit the payment of the latter with a bonus on profits so that the possibilities of undertaking illegal practices are removed."
Cutting Waste saves 400€ Million
"The Assessment ended surprisingly well, despite the enormous difficulties we encountered. As a Government we pursued and managed to achieve all the money legislated for by the Spending Review, to be allocated exclusively to the social portfolio", said Deputy Minister for Social Solidarity, Theano Fotiou, in a press interview.
"By limiting waste in the Ministries, 400€ million have been saved when the Creditors required 325€ million. From this the Government decided that 315€ million should be allocated to the social portfolio. Specifically 260€ million to family allowances, 40€ million for school meals and 15€ million for creating new crèches.
By creating three income categories [For Family Allowances Ed], Deputy Minister Fotiou indicated that an attempt is being made at the equal treatment of families. He explained that out of a total of 803,000 families, 734,500 families would benefit. Of these, 682,000 will benefit by between 57% and 110%, while the remaining 52,500 belonging to the two higher income categories will see some reductions in Family Allowances.
As regards invalidity benefits, the Deputy Minister said that those who were talking about cuts have been shown to be wrong, while to the contrary it has been decided to pilot the implementation of the Electronic Disability File, which "will put an end to lengthy and cumbersome procedures for people with disabilities".
On the policy for children, Deputy Minister Mrs Fotiou said that in 2018 400 new nurseries will be created for an extra 10,000 children and an extra 1,800 new nurseries over the period 2019-2020 for 45,000 children, almost doubling the current number of nurseries from 2,800 to 5,000.
First Local Health Units open in Thessaloniki
Three Local Health Units [TOMY] in Thessaloniki were opened on Thursday by PM Alexis Tsipras and the Minister of Health Andreas Xanthos.
Overall the plan is to create more than 230 TOMY throughout the country and the first three started - already fully staffed - to operate in western Thessaloniki.
Housed in single-storey buildings and accessible to disabled visitorsguests, their aim is primary care and in particular preventive medicine.
Alexis Tsipras pointed out that with the reform in Primary Health Care which it is advocating "those with an interest in the development of private diagnostic centres are not rejoicing".
Each TOMY is staffed with 12 health professionals - specifically four General Practice doctors, a pediatrician, two nurses, a social worker, two health visitors and two administrative staff. They will work in two shifts, while each Unit will cover between 10,000 up to 12,000 inhabitants in the area. TOMY have as their main direction health prevention and health education. They will provide primary care, although this would normally be provided by the Health Centres to which the TOMYwill refer people.
"The Assessment ended surprisingly well, despite the enormous difficulties we encountered. As a Government we pursued and managed to achieve all the money legislated for by the Spending Review, to be allocated exclusively to the social portfolio", said Deputy Minister for Social Solidarity, Theano Fotiou, in a press interview.
"By limiting waste in the Ministries, 400€ million have been saved when the Creditors required 325€ million. From this the Government decided that 315€ million should be allocated to the social portfolio. Specifically 260€ million to family allowances, 40€ million for school meals and 15€ million for creating new crèches.
By creating three income categories [For Family Allowances Ed], Deputy Minister Fotiou indicated that an attempt is being made at the equal treatment of families. He explained that out of a total of 803,000 families, 734,500 families would benefit. Of these, 682,000 will benefit by between 57% and 110%, while the remaining 52,500 belonging to the two higher income categories will see some reductions in Family Allowances.
As regards invalidity benefits, the Deputy Minister said that those who were talking about cuts have been shown to be wrong, while to the contrary it has been decided to pilot the implementation of the Electronic Disability File, which "will put an end to lengthy and cumbersome procedures for people with disabilities".
On the policy for children, Deputy Minister Mrs Fotiou said that in 2018 400 new nurseries will be created for an extra 10,000 children and an extra 1,800 new nurseries over the period 2019-2020 for 45,000 children, almost doubling the current number of nurseries from 2,800 to 5,000.
First Local Health Units open in Thessaloniki
Three Local Health Units [TOMY] in Thessaloniki were opened on Thursday by PM Alexis Tsipras and the Minister of Health Andreas Xanthos.
Overall the plan is to create more than 230 TOMY throughout the country and the first three started - already fully staffed - to operate in western Thessaloniki.
Housed in single-storey buildings and accessible to disabled visitorsguests, their aim is primary care and in particular preventive medicine.
Alexis Tsipras pointed out that with the reform in Primary Health Care which it is advocating "those with an interest in the development of private diagnostic centres are not rejoicing".
Each TOMY is staffed with 12 health professionals - specifically four General Practice doctors, a pediatrician, two nurses, a social worker, two health visitors and two administrative staff. They will work in two shifts, while each Unit will cover between 10,000 up to 12,000 inhabitants in the area. TOMY have as their main direction health prevention and health education. They will provide primary care, although this would normally be provided by the Health Centres to which the TOMYwill refer people.
“The time of the Greek economy has finally arrived”
9.12.2017
From the platform of the Annual Conference the American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce in Athens on Monday, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras sent out a message of optimism about the "next day", as he said the markets are showing the "green light" for the final exit from the Memoranda in August 2018 ... growth is returning, together with both investment and the exit from the crisis is creating by 2019 the fiscal space for a reduction in tax rates, while he stressed that the intention of the Government is to pass onto the society the positive results of growth.
At the same time the Prime Minister accused the Opposition and those who insist on doom-mongering even on mud-slinging, refusing to recognize the positive indicators on the trajectory of the Greek economy, to such an extent that on many occasions they are close to "undermining" the national effort to emerge from the crisis. He noted that in this way they are betraying their strategic impasse and their bewilderment in the face of the fact that there is an alternative method of growth without crushing the world of work and the society. He stressed that reality itself gives the best response, referring also to the recent statements of Pierre Moscovici during their meeting in Portugal.
Addressing the representatives of the productive forces, he urged them to see the "big picture", to turn their gaze from yesterday and today towards tomorrow and to take part in the great change that is taking place in the country for the common future, saying that the country’s productive forces will be the first to reap the benefits of growth.
The time of the Greek economy has finally arrived.
"I am please to maintain, without a trace of exaggeration, you are all feeling it, that the time of the Greek economy has finally arrived, and with it are synchronized positive developments that inspire optimism and signal the positive change for which we have been working for three years.
"Our strategy has paid off, the toils of the Greek people are producing results and especially with the sustainable features that guarantee that the country is definitively turning the page with no going back.
Our economy according to the latest figures has grown for the first time for three consecutive quarters, something that has not happened since 2006.
The indications tell us that the end result will be those forecasted, thereby inaugurating a new tradition of reliability in the estimates, that has nothing to do with the predictions of previous years, especially of the first years of the crisis which saw only marginal growth and recession constantly - and even deep recession - followed.
Unemployment from its highest percentage at the end of 2014, has been reduced today by about 7 percentage points, with the creation of about 300,000 new jobs, and is close to the first milestone of 20%.
In the fiscal arena, we have achieved an adjustment that is historic in its credibility in all the EU years.
2018 - the Turning Point
"With this positive momentum we will enter the new year and consequently 2018 will be indeed be a watershed-year, for Greece and the Greek economy, with the country leaving behind the Memoranda in August 2018 and with them a whole historical era begins the next day with strong trends of growth, renewal and with faith in its strength."
The technical agreement without further fiscal measures
The PM referred to the importance of the timely completion of the technical part of the Third Assessment, saying it took place "in the best possible conditions for the country and Greek society" and he went on:
"The agreement despite the well-known "prophets of Doom", did not come with new budgetary measures.
On the contrary, the credibility of our budgetary effort enabled not just the avoidance of any new measures, but also enabled the strengthening of the structures of the Welfare State, with the significant increase in the budget for family allowances on average by 30%.
We have secured priority in the payment of workers in enterprises which go into liquidation, putting in order a regime of uncertainty which wanted employees to foot the bill.
The decisions on Energy on the basis of best international practice will contribute decisively to the reduction of household and industrial tariffs and will attract large-scale investment and especially long-term investment - something which will have multiple benefits for the productive capacity of Greek companies and for the reduction of unemployment, because that is the goal.
On the best international practices and on the recommendations of OECD, the changes have been based on product markets, the removal of bureaucratic barriers and the creation of an investment-friendly environment.
We have ensured through the Public Property Development Fund that the forced sell-off of public property will be prevented, as some would perhaps have wished. Public property will be upgraded and will be developed with the participation of the private sector to create jobs and surplus value for local communities.
The climate in the investment community has changed.
The completion of the technical agreement on the Third Assessment, in record time, has already created a completely different climate in the image of the country in companies and in particular in the international investment community.
And this fact is reflected today in the most obvious way in the bond markets, where yields on 10-Year Greek bonds, from 5.39% last Friday, today fell to 4.81% which is the best performance achieved since 8th October 2009.
The markets are showing the "green light" for the final exit from the Memoranda
"In short, the markets are already returning the Greek economy to pre-crisis levels and are showing us the green light for the final exit from the Memoranda in a few months from now in the summer of 2018."
Those who engage in doom-mongering and mud-slinging are undermining the national effort
"Of course this, I would say, huge change, unfortunately is not recognized by everyone. Some people inside the country do not want to recognize it. So what if our partners recognize it publicly. So what if the markets within and outside Greece demonstrate it.
I remind you that when at the Second Assessment, the IMF raised unreasonable demands and the Assessment was delayed, they accused us saying that we were to blame for the delays and that we should accept all the demands to avoid uncertainty. Now that we have reached a conclusion on time and maintained our core objectives, they accuse us of the exact opposite: that we conceded everything hurriedly. Generally you cannot get to grips with them. They have no difficulty in accusing us at the same time of exactly the opposite. They question even the obvious, such as the positive economic growth and the steady decline of unemployment! And they pursue the cultivation of a climate of uncertainty - the same people who a short time ago asked us to surrender, to avoid uncertainty."
"Instead of our own words, I would emphasise the words that Commissioner of Finance, Pierre Moscovici publicly said about Greece after the meeting in Portugal. As you will understand, it was no some minor technocrat who got above himself and took the conference microphone, but the Commissioner of Finance, Pierre Moscovici himself. He it was who made it clear that Greece will be -from August 2018 - a normal member of the Eurozone, again, like all Eurozone members leaving behind stewardship after the programme, as was the case in Portugal, Ireland, Cyprus but with no further programmes. It is a historic moment for Greece. This time is not far off, it is approaching, it is not an impossible dream. Day by day it is becoming reality and will become a fact in a few months, in the summer of 2018."
"Recently I was in the United States and had the opportunity to talk with Greek expatriates and with American investors. Everyone is noticing the positive change that has taken place in the country and the prospects which are opening up. They evaluate the changes and reforms to be positive and note especially the cultural shift in favour of those changes.
Because Greece is finally acquiring a culture of changes and reform. We are no longer afraid in the face of change and the ties to the vested interests of the past which hindered progress have definitively been broken.
This recognition has been translated into practical support with participation in Greek companies, in increases in capital investment in listed companies and investment in large projects."
To pass on the benefits of development to society
"The aim of the Government is the upward trend of the Greek economy to gain sustainable and permanent features and to pass on the positive results of growth to society, in the form of well paid jobs and strong structures of social protection. And this can be done only on the basis of a new and fair model of production while deepening progressive reform.
For this purpose the Government is abandoning the model of state-controlled entrepreneurship and consumption of imports on borrowed money and is reorientating the Greek economy towards innovation, outward-looking and the production of goods for the international market.
The utilization of our comparative advantages cannot rely solely on national champions, but must include the strengthening of intersectoral cooperation and interdependence.
"That means creating integrated value chains and promoting synergies. Our country breaks visitor records every year in Tourism but it is “a gift with no benefit”, since through imports of food products we pour away our economic strength to third countries, instead of supporting the domestic primary sector and the agricultural processing sector.
In the new knowledge economy we can gain lost ground, with investment in research and innovation.
We are promoting the synergies between research and production.
Our universities can generate knowledge and value and can consolidate the position of our country at the top of the developed economies in the global competition.
Human capital is our most important asset and so we must not give in to an outdated model of development which is based on the degradation of labour and its role in the development process.
The funding of this effort requires new and flexible approaches:
We have redesigned the financial tools.
We have increased the Public Investment Programme.
We are absorbing ESPA funds without delays.
We have passed thoroughly modern development legislation based on the new requirements of the times.
We have set our banking system to a new and sound basis.
Bank deposits are returning and the issue of “red loans” has begun to be dealt with effectively, giving relief to the real economy from the noose of over-indebtedness and insufficient liquidity.
Restarting large projects in road and rail networks, upgrading ports, investments in digital infrastructure and the flagship investments in a wide range of sectors and areas of production such as Energy, Tourism, Transport and Construction – these are changing expectations also at the base of the economy.
The licencing of businesses is being accelerated in an unprecedented way by electronic means and decades-old bureaucratic hurdles are being removed.
The battle with bureaucracy is daily.
The State is being modernised, it is becoming faster and more efficient.
The rules of law and equal treatment are being strenghened.
Everybody knows the rules of the "game" and there are no opaque and secret understandings.
In attempting to attract investment I am personally involved in the task force that comes into direct contact with investors and will resolve there and then any problems that prevent the success of investment projects.
Development with social justice
Development with social justice - they are not mutually exclusive, opposing concepts, but mutually re-inforcing and closely related."
The Prime Minister said he was not trying to describe an ideal situation, but to show the realistic possibilities of the Greek economy.
He acknowledged that there are problems and challenges that we must overcome collectively and raised the issue of high taxation: "This is a difficult political decision taken under the pressing weight of extraordinary circumstances that the country found itself in and the pressure from our lenders to go through the long period of the shortfalls that led us to the crisis. But our belief was, when we took that decision, and so it remains, that these circumstances cannot be permanent but are extraordinary. And the exit from the crisis will allow once more the reduction of tax rates.
From 2019 the creation of the fiscal space for reducing tax rates
This will happen soon, immediately and is already provided for in the medium-term programme. By 2019 we will begin to see the fiscal space being created. Our ally here is the credible and sustained fiscal adjustment which we have shaped in a systematic way.
Because you know that this situation did not arise in a vacuum but has deep historical causes spanning the entire length of the post-dictatorship period -
-The loss of VAT revenue for whole decades
-The fragmentation of the tax mechanism.
-The smuggling of fuel and cigarettes.
-The peculiar tax immunity and tax exemption of some privileged people.
-The socialization of enterprises’ losses with their privileged access to liquidity.
All these things deprived the Greek economy of billions of resources and contributed to the state’s fiscal train crash.
To this must be added an international phenomenon, and I am referring to the socially unfair, even if legal practice of tax avoidance through tax havens.
For us this is not a case where the legal is moral, nor do the sometimes high State taxes justify this practice. The taxation of wealth for the provision of public goods and the support of the Welfare State is postwar gain and a fundamental legitimate pillar of democracy."
"We have implemented reforms that the country has needed for decades, such as:
-The independence of the authority of the public revenue.
-The introduction of electronic payment systems.
-The law on voluntary disclosure of income.
-Measures to combat the smuggling of fuel and cigarettes.
-Rigorous public procurement.
-The control and containment of expenditure of the Ministries where this is possible. In this way we have increased social spending, because we have cut waste in each Ministry.
All the above measures coupled with a return to growth in the medium term will lift the tax burden from businesses and households.
At the same time the Prime Minister accused the Opposition and those who insist on doom-mongering even on mud-slinging, refusing to recognize the positive indicators on the trajectory of the Greek economy, to such an extent that on many occasions they are close to "undermining" the national effort to emerge from the crisis. He noted that in this way they are betraying their strategic impasse and their bewilderment in the face of the fact that there is an alternative method of growth without crushing the world of work and the society. He stressed that reality itself gives the best response, referring also to the recent statements of Pierre Moscovici during their meeting in Portugal.
Addressing the representatives of the productive forces, he urged them to see the "big picture", to turn their gaze from yesterday and today towards tomorrow and to take part in the great change that is taking place in the country for the common future, saying that the country’s productive forces will be the first to reap the benefits of growth.
The time of the Greek economy has finally arrived.
"I am please to maintain, without a trace of exaggeration, you are all feeling it, that the time of the Greek economy has finally arrived, and with it are synchronized positive developments that inspire optimism and signal the positive change for which we have been working for three years.
"Our strategy has paid off, the toils of the Greek people are producing results and especially with the sustainable features that guarantee that the country is definitively turning the page with no going back.
Our economy according to the latest figures has grown for the first time for three consecutive quarters, something that has not happened since 2006.
The indications tell us that the end result will be those forecasted, thereby inaugurating a new tradition of reliability in the estimates, that has nothing to do with the predictions of previous years, especially of the first years of the crisis which saw only marginal growth and recession constantly - and even deep recession - followed.
Unemployment from its highest percentage at the end of 2014, has been reduced today by about 7 percentage points, with the creation of about 300,000 new jobs, and is close to the first milestone of 20%.
In the fiscal arena, we have achieved an adjustment that is historic in its credibility in all the EU years.
2018 - the Turning Point
"With this positive momentum we will enter the new year and consequently 2018 will be indeed be a watershed-year, for Greece and the Greek economy, with the country leaving behind the Memoranda in August 2018 and with them a whole historical era begins the next day with strong trends of growth, renewal and with faith in its strength."
The technical agreement without further fiscal measures
The PM referred to the importance of the timely completion of the technical part of the Third Assessment, saying it took place "in the best possible conditions for the country and Greek society" and he went on:
"The agreement despite the well-known "prophets of Doom", did not come with new budgetary measures.
On the contrary, the credibility of our budgetary effort enabled not just the avoidance of any new measures, but also enabled the strengthening of the structures of the Welfare State, with the significant increase in the budget for family allowances on average by 30%.
We have secured priority in the payment of workers in enterprises which go into liquidation, putting in order a regime of uncertainty which wanted employees to foot the bill.
The decisions on Energy on the basis of best international practice will contribute decisively to the reduction of household and industrial tariffs and will attract large-scale investment and especially long-term investment - something which will have multiple benefits for the productive capacity of Greek companies and for the reduction of unemployment, because that is the goal.
On the best international practices and on the recommendations of OECD, the changes have been based on product markets, the removal of bureaucratic barriers and the creation of an investment-friendly environment.
We have ensured through the Public Property Development Fund that the forced sell-off of public property will be prevented, as some would perhaps have wished. Public property will be upgraded and will be developed with the participation of the private sector to create jobs and surplus value for local communities.
The climate in the investment community has changed.
The completion of the technical agreement on the Third Assessment, in record time, has already created a completely different climate in the image of the country in companies and in particular in the international investment community.
And this fact is reflected today in the most obvious way in the bond markets, where yields on 10-Year Greek bonds, from 5.39% last Friday, today fell to 4.81% which is the best performance achieved since 8th October 2009.
The markets are showing the "green light" for the final exit from the Memoranda
"In short, the markets are already returning the Greek economy to pre-crisis levels and are showing us the green light for the final exit from the Memoranda in a few months from now in the summer of 2018."
Those who engage in doom-mongering and mud-slinging are undermining the national effort
"Of course this, I would say, huge change, unfortunately is not recognized by everyone. Some people inside the country do not want to recognize it. So what if our partners recognize it publicly. So what if the markets within and outside Greece demonstrate it.
I remind you that when at the Second Assessment, the IMF raised unreasonable demands and the Assessment was delayed, they accused us saying that we were to blame for the delays and that we should accept all the demands to avoid uncertainty. Now that we have reached a conclusion on time and maintained our core objectives, they accuse us of the exact opposite: that we conceded everything hurriedly. Generally you cannot get to grips with them. They have no difficulty in accusing us at the same time of exactly the opposite. They question even the obvious, such as the positive economic growth and the steady decline of unemployment! And they pursue the cultivation of a climate of uncertainty - the same people who a short time ago asked us to surrender, to avoid uncertainty."
"Instead of our own words, I would emphasise the words that Commissioner of Finance, Pierre Moscovici publicly said about Greece after the meeting in Portugal. As you will understand, it was no some minor technocrat who got above himself and took the conference microphone, but the Commissioner of Finance, Pierre Moscovici himself. He it was who made it clear that Greece will be -from August 2018 - a normal member of the Eurozone, again, like all Eurozone members leaving behind stewardship after the programme, as was the case in Portugal, Ireland, Cyprus but with no further programmes. It is a historic moment for Greece. This time is not far off, it is approaching, it is not an impossible dream. Day by day it is becoming reality and will become a fact in a few months, in the summer of 2018."
"Recently I was in the United States and had the opportunity to talk with Greek expatriates and with American investors. Everyone is noticing the positive change that has taken place in the country and the prospects which are opening up. They evaluate the changes and reforms to be positive and note especially the cultural shift in favour of those changes.
Because Greece is finally acquiring a culture of changes and reform. We are no longer afraid in the face of change and the ties to the vested interests of the past which hindered progress have definitively been broken.
This recognition has been translated into practical support with participation in Greek companies, in increases in capital investment in listed companies and investment in large projects."
To pass on the benefits of development to society
"The aim of the Government is the upward trend of the Greek economy to gain sustainable and permanent features and to pass on the positive results of growth to society, in the form of well paid jobs and strong structures of social protection. And this can be done only on the basis of a new and fair model of production while deepening progressive reform.
For this purpose the Government is abandoning the model of state-controlled entrepreneurship and consumption of imports on borrowed money and is reorientating the Greek economy towards innovation, outward-looking and the production of goods for the international market.
The utilization of our comparative advantages cannot rely solely on national champions, but must include the strengthening of intersectoral cooperation and interdependence.
"That means creating integrated value chains and promoting synergies. Our country breaks visitor records every year in Tourism but it is “a gift with no benefit”, since through imports of food products we pour away our economic strength to third countries, instead of supporting the domestic primary sector and the agricultural processing sector.
In the new knowledge economy we can gain lost ground, with investment in research and innovation.
We are promoting the synergies between research and production.
Our universities can generate knowledge and value and can consolidate the position of our country at the top of the developed economies in the global competition.
Human capital is our most important asset and so we must not give in to an outdated model of development which is based on the degradation of labour and its role in the development process.
The funding of this effort requires new and flexible approaches:
We have redesigned the financial tools.
We have increased the Public Investment Programme.
We are absorbing ESPA funds without delays.
We have passed thoroughly modern development legislation based on the new requirements of the times.
We have set our banking system to a new and sound basis.
Bank deposits are returning and the issue of “red loans” has begun to be dealt with effectively, giving relief to the real economy from the noose of over-indebtedness and insufficient liquidity.
Restarting large projects in road and rail networks, upgrading ports, investments in digital infrastructure and the flagship investments in a wide range of sectors and areas of production such as Energy, Tourism, Transport and Construction – these are changing expectations also at the base of the economy.
The licencing of businesses is being accelerated in an unprecedented way by electronic means and decades-old bureaucratic hurdles are being removed.
The battle with bureaucracy is daily.
The State is being modernised, it is becoming faster and more efficient.
The rules of law and equal treatment are being strenghened.
Everybody knows the rules of the "game" and there are no opaque and secret understandings.
In attempting to attract investment I am personally involved in the task force that comes into direct contact with investors and will resolve there and then any problems that prevent the success of investment projects.
Development with social justice
Development with social justice - they are not mutually exclusive, opposing concepts, but mutually re-inforcing and closely related."
The Prime Minister said he was not trying to describe an ideal situation, but to show the realistic possibilities of the Greek economy.
He acknowledged that there are problems and challenges that we must overcome collectively and raised the issue of high taxation: "This is a difficult political decision taken under the pressing weight of extraordinary circumstances that the country found itself in and the pressure from our lenders to go through the long period of the shortfalls that led us to the crisis. But our belief was, when we took that decision, and so it remains, that these circumstances cannot be permanent but are extraordinary. And the exit from the crisis will allow once more the reduction of tax rates.
From 2019 the creation of the fiscal space for reducing tax rates
This will happen soon, immediately and is already provided for in the medium-term programme. By 2019 we will begin to see the fiscal space being created. Our ally here is the credible and sustained fiscal adjustment which we have shaped in a systematic way.
Because you know that this situation did not arise in a vacuum but has deep historical causes spanning the entire length of the post-dictatorship period -
-The loss of VAT revenue for whole decades
-The fragmentation of the tax mechanism.
-The smuggling of fuel and cigarettes.
-The peculiar tax immunity and tax exemption of some privileged people.
-The socialization of enterprises’ losses with their privileged access to liquidity.
All these things deprived the Greek economy of billions of resources and contributed to the state’s fiscal train crash.
To this must be added an international phenomenon, and I am referring to the socially unfair, even if legal practice of tax avoidance through tax havens.
For us this is not a case where the legal is moral, nor do the sometimes high State taxes justify this practice. The taxation of wealth for the provision of public goods and the support of the Welfare State is postwar gain and a fundamental legitimate pillar of democracy."
"We have implemented reforms that the country has needed for decades, such as:
-The independence of the authority of the public revenue.
-The introduction of electronic payment systems.
-The law on voluntary disclosure of income.
-Measures to combat the smuggling of fuel and cigarettes.
-Rigorous public procurement.
-The control and containment of expenditure of the Ministries where this is possible. In this way we have increased social spending, because we have cut waste in each Ministry.
All the above measures coupled with a return to growth in the medium term will lift the tax burden from businesses and households.
Third Assessment Completed
After a very brief discussion, Eurozone Finance Ministers approved the staff-level agreement (SLA) for the Third Assessment of the Greek programme, Government sources said on Monday.
“It is excellent we have an agreement on time,” commented Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem, adding that Eurozone finance ministers will now discuss the next steps, the prior actions that must be implemented and the decision-making process going forward, which will include ratification by national parliaments and the European Stability Mechanism.
Eurozone Finance Ministers acknowledged the progress made and the next step is the completion of the prerequisite actions in December or early January, said French Commissioner Moscovici.
He reiterated that the technical agreement is a "good sign" and that paves the way for the strategic discussions that will take place next year about the end of the programme.
As regards the budget, he noted that all sides agree that Greece will exceed the primary surplus target of 1.5% in 2017 and that agreement had also been reached about the 2018 budget in order for Greece to achieve the primary surplus target 3.5%.
Agreement was also reached with regard to the measures for ensuring financial stability in order to improve the business environment, but also on the "sensitive" point of the energy market. Also agreed were measures for the modernisation of the public administration but also for the development strategy, which said Commissioner Moscovici is entirely the responsibility of the Greek Government.
The head of the European Stability Mechanism, Klaus Regklingk welcomed the achievement of the technical agreement: "I hope that the implementation of the reforms will be completed soon in order to trigger the next installment in late January."
After a very brief discussion, Eurozone Finance Ministers approved the staff-level agreement (SLA) for the Third Assessment of the Greek programme, Government sources said on Monday.
“It is excellent we have an agreement on time,” commented Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem, adding that Eurozone finance ministers will now discuss the next steps, the prior actions that must be implemented and the decision-making process going forward, which will include ratification by national parliaments and the European Stability Mechanism.
Eurozone Finance Ministers acknowledged the progress made and the next step is the completion of the prerequisite actions in December or early January, said French Commissioner Moscovici.
He reiterated that the technical agreement is a "good sign" and that paves the way for the strategic discussions that will take place next year about the end of the programme.
As regards the budget, he noted that all sides agree that Greece will exceed the primary surplus target of 1.5% in 2017 and that agreement had also been reached about the 2018 budget in order for Greece to achieve the primary surplus target 3.5%.
Agreement was also reached with regard to the measures for ensuring financial stability in order to improve the business environment, but also on the "sensitive" point of the energy market. Also agreed were measures for the modernisation of the public administration but also for the development strategy, which said Commissioner Moscovici is entirely the responsibility of the Greek Government.
The head of the European Stability Mechanism, Klaus Regklingk welcomed the achievement of the technical agreement: "I hope that the implementation of the reforms will be completed soon in order to trigger the next installment in late January."
"Both the Greek side and the Institutions have worked hard for this result" said Greek Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos.
"Today was, in the first round of the Eurogroup, a very good session for Greece. And it was very good, because all the institutions have made highly positive comments that we have completed the technical agreement extremely quickly. Everyone worked hard to get this result - both the Greek side and the Institutions. Of course now we must complete the prerequisites as soon as possible, something to which we have committed.
Also, it was a good meeting for Greece because the head of the European Stability Mechanism, Klaus Regklingk, announced the impact of the short-term measures on the debt and made clear that it was better than expected, as the reduction of the debt/GDP ratio by 2060 will reach 25% instead of 20% which he originally expected. Overall it was a very good meeting, a lot of work remains, but Greece is now turning the page and even more important is that there is a common acceptance that this is taking place. With this data I expect an even better meeting on January 22nd."
"Today was, in the first round of the Eurogroup, a very good session for Greece. And it was very good, because all the institutions have made highly positive comments that we have completed the technical agreement extremely quickly. Everyone worked hard to get this result - both the Greek side and the Institutions. Of course now we must complete the prerequisites as soon as possible, something to which we have committed.
Also, it was a good meeting for Greece because the head of the European Stability Mechanism, Klaus Regklingk, announced the impact of the short-term measures on the debt and made clear that it was better than expected, as the reduction of the debt/GDP ratio by 2060 will reach 25% instead of 20% which he originally expected. Overall it was a very good meeting, a lot of work remains, but Greece is now turning the page and even more important is that there is a common acceptance that this is taking place. With this data I expect an even better meeting on January 22nd."
Commission of Inquiry into Health Scandals continues its work
"Before 2102 the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention [ΚΕΕΛΠΝΟ] had purchased millions of vaccine doses and syringes - enough for the entire Balkan Region," said the former Deputy Minister of Health, Fotini Skopouli.
With her deposition, the Commission of Inquiry that is investigating the health scandals, continued.
Former Deputy Minister Skopouli, who came to the Commission voluntarily, in her lengthy statement, describing it in her capacity as a doctor, characterised the ΚΕΕΛΠΝΟ as “a black hole - how ever much money you throw it into it, it gets lost”. She made the accusation that “ΚΕΕΛΠΝΟ along with the political leadership became a tight corset that led to ineffectiveness in its actions and was used for political advantage, not clearly for public health.”
"The ΚΕΕΛΠΝΟ does politics. Nothing else,” she said, noting however that "it is difficult to prove any scandal. And that is why the ΚΕΕΛΠΝΟ was set up the way it was so that it would not be easy to prove anything."
"Before 2102 the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention [ΚΕΕΛΠΝΟ] had purchased millions of vaccine doses and syringes - enough for the entire Balkan Region," said the former Deputy Minister of Health, Fotini Skopouli.
With her deposition, the Commission of Inquiry that is investigating the health scandals, continued.
Former Deputy Minister Skopouli, who came to the Commission voluntarily, in her lengthy statement, describing it in her capacity as a doctor, characterised the ΚΕΕΛΠΝΟ as “a black hole - how ever much money you throw it into it, it gets lost”. She made the accusation that “ΚΕΕΛΠΝΟ along with the political leadership became a tight corset that led to ineffectiveness in its actions and was used for political advantage, not clearly for public health.”
"The ΚΕΕΛΠΝΟ does politics. Nothing else,” she said, noting however that "it is difficult to prove any scandal. And that is why the ΚΕΕΛΠΝΟ was set up the way it was so that it would not be easy to prove anything."
Third Assessment underway
2.12.2017
Greek Government Officials restarted direct talks with the country’s international creditors this week, as part of the Third Assessment of the Bailout Programme. The representatives of Greece’s lenders arrived in Athens on Tuesday.
The aim of the two sides is to reach an agreement on technical issues by the 4th December Eurogroup meeting, during which Eurozone Finance Ministers could rubber stamp the deal. However, analysts point out that there may be too many prior actions remaining for Greece to implement in order for an agreement to be approved by then.
Sources suggest that about thirty out of a total of one hundred prior actions outlined in the adjustment program are still pending. However, the Greek side is optimistic it can push through all the necessary legislation, especially since there has been progress recently on two critical issues.
The first issue that was recently unblocked was the finalization of the number of lignite production units Greece’s Public Power Corporation will put up for sale. Athens and the European Commission officials appear to have agreed on the sale of 40% of the state-run units.
Furthermore, there also appears to be agreement on the management of non-performing loans. In order to address the issue, the Government has agreed to take decisive action to allow the unfreezing of electronic auctions of foreclosed and seized property.
Meanwhile, the head of the Eurozone’s European Stability Mechanism (ESM), Klaus Regling, told German media that if Greece “continues to work so well, the Assessment of this Third Programme can be concluded quickly”.
Greek Deputy Prime Minister, Yannis Dragasakis in his presentation said that Greece is preparing to exit the bailout era once and for all in August 2018. According to Mr. Dragasakis, the country will not need additional measures or a precautionary credit line, and is already preparing for full debt market access at the end of its current adjustment programme.
Analysts recently stressed the risks for Greece stemming from the government crisis in Germany and the delay in the formation of a coalition government. It is suggested that faltering talks over the formation of a government in Germany could lead to the stalling of the Greek bailout assessment.
The Greek Deputy PM expressed the Government’s determination not to let developments in Germany to become a problem for Greece, by “moving ahead with our plan at an even faster pace”.
Eurostat Unemployment Figures
Greece’s unemployment rate in Greece fell to 20.6% in August, from 20.9% in July, Eurostat said on Thursday. The EU statistics agency said that Greece recorded one of the biggest percentage declines in unemployment compared with the previous year (23.4% to 20.6% in the period August 2016 -August 2017).
The number of unemployed people in Greece was 984,000 in August. The unemployment rate among men was 17.2% and among women 24.9%, while unemployment among young people (aged below 25 years old) fell to 40.2% from 41.4% in July.
In the Eurozone, the unemployment rate fell to 8.8% - its lowest levels since January 2009, while in the EU it fell to 7.4% - its lowest since November 2008.
Voluntary Bond Swap Success
The Government is laying the groundwork for the country’s return to capital markets and economic normality when the Bailout Programme expires in August 2018.
Another step was made towards full debt market access as part of a Finance Ministry road map to re-profile Greek debt and build a buffer for when the bailout programme funding finishes.
On Wednesday, Greece successfully completed a 30€ billion voluntary bond swap, with the take-up reportedly reaching 86% percent of bondholders, a development deemed highly positive by Greek officials. Greece offered to exchange a tranche of 20 government bonds issued after the debt restructuring in 2012 for five new benchmark issues. The new bonds have maturities ranging from five to 25 years and coupons from 3.5% to 4.2%.
Deputy Prime Minister, Yannis Dragasakis, told a Greek-Arab Economic Forum in Athens on Wednesday that the successful swap is “extremely important” and that institutional investors, banks and social security funds were providing Greece with a vote of confidence in its prospects and the new page it is turning. He said that Greece is gradually regaining its autonomy as growth is expanding, unemployment is dropping, bank’s dependence on emergency liquidity assistance is dropping and bank deposits are increasing. He added that the 3rd review of the country’s bailout program is also on track for timely completion.
According to the Greek Finance Ministry, Greece plans to tap bond markets again, possibly twice before the current bailout runs out in August 2018, in order to build a cash buffer of 12-15€ billion ahead of the completion of the Memorandum of Understanding with its international creditors.
Government Analysts point out that the successful completion of the bailout program – dubbed a “clean exit” by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras – and proper access to bond markets is part of the SYRIZA-ANEL Government’s plan to stabilize the economic and political climate in Greece before Parliamentary Elections in 2019.
Sources suggest that about thirty out of a total of one hundred prior actions outlined in the adjustment program are still pending. However, the Greek side is optimistic it can push through all the necessary legislation, especially since there has been progress recently on two critical issues.
The first issue that was recently unblocked was the finalization of the number of lignite production units Greece’s Public Power Corporation will put up for sale. Athens and the European Commission officials appear to have agreed on the sale of 40% of the state-run units.
Furthermore, there also appears to be agreement on the management of non-performing loans. In order to address the issue, the Government has agreed to take decisive action to allow the unfreezing of electronic auctions of foreclosed and seized property.
Meanwhile, the head of the Eurozone’s European Stability Mechanism (ESM), Klaus Regling, told German media that if Greece “continues to work so well, the Assessment of this Third Programme can be concluded quickly”.
Greek Deputy Prime Minister, Yannis Dragasakis in his presentation said that Greece is preparing to exit the bailout era once and for all in August 2018. According to Mr. Dragasakis, the country will not need additional measures or a precautionary credit line, and is already preparing for full debt market access at the end of its current adjustment programme.
Analysts recently stressed the risks for Greece stemming from the government crisis in Germany and the delay in the formation of a coalition government. It is suggested that faltering talks over the formation of a government in Germany could lead to the stalling of the Greek bailout assessment.
The Greek Deputy PM expressed the Government’s determination not to let developments in Germany to become a problem for Greece, by “moving ahead with our plan at an even faster pace”.
Eurostat Unemployment Figures
Greece’s unemployment rate in Greece fell to 20.6% in August, from 20.9% in July, Eurostat said on Thursday. The EU statistics agency said that Greece recorded one of the biggest percentage declines in unemployment compared with the previous year (23.4% to 20.6% in the period August 2016 -August 2017).
The number of unemployed people in Greece was 984,000 in August. The unemployment rate among men was 17.2% and among women 24.9%, while unemployment among young people (aged below 25 years old) fell to 40.2% from 41.4% in July.
In the Eurozone, the unemployment rate fell to 8.8% - its lowest levels since January 2009, while in the EU it fell to 7.4% - its lowest since November 2008.
Voluntary Bond Swap Success
The Government is laying the groundwork for the country’s return to capital markets and economic normality when the Bailout Programme expires in August 2018.
Another step was made towards full debt market access as part of a Finance Ministry road map to re-profile Greek debt and build a buffer for when the bailout programme funding finishes.
On Wednesday, Greece successfully completed a 30€ billion voluntary bond swap, with the take-up reportedly reaching 86% percent of bondholders, a development deemed highly positive by Greek officials. Greece offered to exchange a tranche of 20 government bonds issued after the debt restructuring in 2012 for five new benchmark issues. The new bonds have maturities ranging from five to 25 years and coupons from 3.5% to 4.2%.
Deputy Prime Minister, Yannis Dragasakis, told a Greek-Arab Economic Forum in Athens on Wednesday that the successful swap is “extremely important” and that institutional investors, banks and social security funds were providing Greece with a vote of confidence in its prospects and the new page it is turning. He said that Greece is gradually regaining its autonomy as growth is expanding, unemployment is dropping, bank’s dependence on emergency liquidity assistance is dropping and bank deposits are increasing. He added that the 3rd review of the country’s bailout program is also on track for timely completion.
According to the Greek Finance Ministry, Greece plans to tap bond markets again, possibly twice before the current bailout runs out in August 2018, in order to build a cash buffer of 12-15€ billion ahead of the completion of the Memorandum of Understanding with its international creditors.
Government Analysts point out that the successful completion of the bailout program – dubbed a “clean exit” by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras – and proper access to bond markets is part of the SYRIZA-ANEL Government’s plan to stabilize the economic and political climate in Greece before Parliamentary Elections in 2019.
The Future of Greek Agriculture ?
Speaking in Thessaloniki at the “Greek Farming Growth” event organised by Gaia Epixeirein, a consultancy which brings together farmers, the IT and banking sector, Nikos Pappas, Greece’s Digital Policy Minister pointed out that now the country is emerging from the bailout programme it has to enhance its digital skills in order to turn the page toward fair and sustainable growth.
The Greek Government aims to use Copernicus, the EU’s earth-monitoring system, to maximise the potential of smart farming. “Smart farming can create all the necessary conditions to improve production and the product itself as well as create new jobs in several sectors,” he said, adding that Greek products will not be competitive in the global market if they continue to be produced the way they do today.
“We want the technology of tomorrow, today available for all,” the minister added.
By giving farmers access to cutting-edge digital technology, the European Commission’s ambition is to make farming more competitive, reduce its environmental impact, cut food prices and better inform consumers about the food they eat.
But, digital farming is struggling to enter the mainstream, hampered by an ageing farming population and patchy broadband coverage in rural areas.
Broadband infrastructure in Greece’s rural areas is poor and Minister Pappas vowed to put an end to “digital exclusion”. With the “Rural Broadband Internet” project, which is co-funded by the EU, the Government aims to provide remote areas with 50Mbps internet speed.
“The Greek Government stands ready to take full advantage of Copernicus to maximise the potential of smart farming and speed up the introduction of new technologies in the farming sector,” he said, citing a number of pilot projects, which have already been launched in the country.
Ioannis Koufoudakis, CEO at GAIA Epicheirein, stressed that southern EU member states had common challenges to tackle, mainly the small and fragmented agricultural holdings.
A member of the EU farmers’ union Copa-Cogeca, GAIA Epicheirein is a newly established organisation of farmers and agri-cooperatives in Greece, representing 150,000 farmers.
Referring to a possible reduction in the CAP’s first pillar, the direct payments, CEO Koufoudakis said he believed it should be avoided, as well as any sudden shift towards a radically new CAP model.
“Because that is how the agricultural reality of the south has been structured for so many years and we cannot have radical changes because they will cause hostility to the new CAP,” he said.
The way to address the structural problems of the south is to boost “smart” farming. “We believe that new technologies should enter the field so that even small crops will be profitable.”
“In GAIA, we have tangible proof of the positive impact of smart farming on both productivity and sustainability through the first results of the large-scale pilot project we put in place with the help of our partner from the IT sector. The benefit increase from reduced inputs and improved yields varies between 18% – 36% depending on the crop type,” he emphasised.
"Greece needs new and functional structures and enhanced farm advisory services in order to give smart farming a boost, an agricultural expert said in a press interview. Farm advisory services have not worked out in our country even though they are key to ensuring our necessary transition to a more competitive and sustainable agricultural model."
CEO Koufoudakis explained that the EU satellites and the funds are in place but the market and the farmers should also be encouraged and incentivised to take them up and they should be accompanied during the whole process by strong farm advisory systems.
“There is a need for new and functional structures in Greece. Farm advisory services have not worked out in our country even though they are key to ensuring our necessary transition to a more competitive and sustainable agricultural model,” he noted.
Leonidas Gidaris, a physicist who cultivates cotton, talked about the need for a general change of the mindset. Referring to cooperatives, he noted that the mistakes made in the past have “penalised” their existence. “In our minds, and especially in smaller rural areas, the idea has prevailed that some farmers will get more gains and others will basically lose out if they participate in a cooperative,” he said, “ This might not be true, but serious shortcomings have been identified in the past.”
Markos Leggas is a young farmer and president of Pegasus Cooperative, specialising in grapes. The grapes are produced in the Corinthia region and exported to supermarkets in the UK through a producer organisation. “With the CAP, I and other producers have been able to secure the appropriate infrastructure that helped us reach new markets,” Mr. Leggas said.
As far as the post-2020 CAP is concerned, he explained that it should cut bureaucracy; support farmers when there is market instability and provide access to new technologies.
The young farmer also pinpointed the continual change of agricultural and tax policies in the country, stating that this acts as a disincentive for farmers to organise in cooperatives as it becomes impossible to forecast the expected profit. He also noted that the transition from the older generations of farmers to the young ones faces a number of difficulties.
He explained that for those who inherited land from their parents or grandparents the situation is easier. But for the newcomers, it proved to be difficult especially with the payments system.
“A significant number of the young people who were granted land for the first time and got funding for it have given up as they were not provided with the proper information […] they were not informed about the bureaucracy they would face,” he added.
Speaking in Thessaloniki at the “Greek Farming Growth” event organised by Gaia Epixeirein, a consultancy which brings together farmers, the IT and banking sector, Nikos Pappas, Greece’s Digital Policy Minister pointed out that now the country is emerging from the bailout programme it has to enhance its digital skills in order to turn the page toward fair and sustainable growth.
The Greek Government aims to use Copernicus, the EU’s earth-monitoring system, to maximise the potential of smart farming. “Smart farming can create all the necessary conditions to improve production and the product itself as well as create new jobs in several sectors,” he said, adding that Greek products will not be competitive in the global market if they continue to be produced the way they do today.
“We want the technology of tomorrow, today available for all,” the minister added.
By giving farmers access to cutting-edge digital technology, the European Commission’s ambition is to make farming more competitive, reduce its environmental impact, cut food prices and better inform consumers about the food they eat.
But, digital farming is struggling to enter the mainstream, hampered by an ageing farming population and patchy broadband coverage in rural areas.
Broadband infrastructure in Greece’s rural areas is poor and Minister Pappas vowed to put an end to “digital exclusion”. With the “Rural Broadband Internet” project, which is co-funded by the EU, the Government aims to provide remote areas with 50Mbps internet speed.
“The Greek Government stands ready to take full advantage of Copernicus to maximise the potential of smart farming and speed up the introduction of new technologies in the farming sector,” he said, citing a number of pilot projects, which have already been launched in the country.
Ioannis Koufoudakis, CEO at GAIA Epicheirein, stressed that southern EU member states had common challenges to tackle, mainly the small and fragmented agricultural holdings.
A member of the EU farmers’ union Copa-Cogeca, GAIA Epicheirein is a newly established organisation of farmers and agri-cooperatives in Greece, representing 150,000 farmers.
Referring to a possible reduction in the CAP’s first pillar, the direct payments, CEO Koufoudakis said he believed it should be avoided, as well as any sudden shift towards a radically new CAP model.
“Because that is how the agricultural reality of the south has been structured for so many years and we cannot have radical changes because they will cause hostility to the new CAP,” he said.
The way to address the structural problems of the south is to boost “smart” farming. “We believe that new technologies should enter the field so that even small crops will be profitable.”
“In GAIA, we have tangible proof of the positive impact of smart farming on both productivity and sustainability through the first results of the large-scale pilot project we put in place with the help of our partner from the IT sector. The benefit increase from reduced inputs and improved yields varies between 18% – 36% depending on the crop type,” he emphasised.
"Greece needs new and functional structures and enhanced farm advisory services in order to give smart farming a boost, an agricultural expert said in a press interview. Farm advisory services have not worked out in our country even though they are key to ensuring our necessary transition to a more competitive and sustainable agricultural model."
CEO Koufoudakis explained that the EU satellites and the funds are in place but the market and the farmers should also be encouraged and incentivised to take them up and they should be accompanied during the whole process by strong farm advisory systems.
“There is a need for new and functional structures in Greece. Farm advisory services have not worked out in our country even though they are key to ensuring our necessary transition to a more competitive and sustainable agricultural model,” he noted.
Leonidas Gidaris, a physicist who cultivates cotton, talked about the need for a general change of the mindset. Referring to cooperatives, he noted that the mistakes made in the past have “penalised” their existence. “In our minds, and especially in smaller rural areas, the idea has prevailed that some farmers will get more gains and others will basically lose out if they participate in a cooperative,” he said, “ This might not be true, but serious shortcomings have been identified in the past.”
Markos Leggas is a young farmer and president of Pegasus Cooperative, specialising in grapes. The grapes are produced in the Corinthia region and exported to supermarkets in the UK through a producer organisation. “With the CAP, I and other producers have been able to secure the appropriate infrastructure that helped us reach new markets,” Mr. Leggas said.
As far as the post-2020 CAP is concerned, he explained that it should cut bureaucracy; support farmers when there is market instability and provide access to new technologies.
The young farmer also pinpointed the continual change of agricultural and tax policies in the country, stating that this acts as a disincentive for farmers to organise in cooperatives as it becomes impossible to forecast the expected profit. He also noted that the transition from the older generations of farmers to the young ones faces a number of difficulties.
He explained that for those who inherited land from their parents or grandparents the situation is easier. But for the newcomers, it proved to be difficult especially with the payments system.
“A significant number of the young people who were granted land for the first time and got funding for it have given up as they were not provided with the proper information […] they were not informed about the bureaucracy they would face,” he added.
"Chaotic urban planning
and illegal construction"
25.11.2017
Chaotic urban planning and illegal construction in Athens played a central role in the flash floods last week, experts in Greece have claimed as the Government pledged emergency funding for victims made homeless by the disaster.
About 1,000 owners of homes and businesses are eligible for the assistance, according to government engineers dispatched to inspect the buildings.
“All buildings that have sustained damage will receive emergency funding of €5,000 while businesses in the same situation will receive €8,000,” government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos said on Monday.
Uncontrolled building on the outskirts of the Greek capital has resulted in numerous streams being concreted over, leaving rivers with no natural outlet to the sea. A lack of anti-flooding measures exacerbated the disaster.
Geologists described the floods as a tragedy waiting to happen. Streams in the foothills of the mountain where the neighbourhoods are located have been paved over in recent decades, including a stretch of riverbed where municipal authorities have constructed buildings.
“The tragedy is that in 1996 we had two victims in the same area [of Mandra] precisely because the flow of water had been blocked,” said Dimitris Papanikolaou, Emeritus Professor of Geology at Athens University. He added that such were the dangers of flooding in Mandra, it had been a course study for his doctoral students. “Nature had already warned that such intervention was disastrous, that not maintaining the natural flow of water was disastrous,” he said.
Aliki Mouriki, a prominent sociologist, said the floods had been very revealing because they had exposed all the “weaknesses and pathologies” of the modern Greek state.
“In the saddest possible way, they have not only highlighted the lack of urban planning but housing policies for the poor in working-class areas,” she said.
“When people’s pressing needs aren’t met, they resort to their own solutions – in this case illegal construction with no environmental considerations or respect for rules and regulations.”
Greek authorities continue to assess the damage caused by the floods in Attica. So far technical teams have carried out 1,154 building inspections and the Government has announced a compensation scheme.
A total 120 engineers from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport are involved in the building inspections, that commenced after the storm subsided in the Mandra-Idylia and Nea Peramos municipalities.
After inspecting 925 houses, businesses, public buildings, industrial facilities, storage rooms etc., in the Mandra-Idylia municipality, the technical teams found that an additional 733 buildings suffered serious damage, and their owners also qualify for compensation.
In the municipal district of Nea Peramos, 229 building inspections were conducted, with 222 of them found to be in need of serious repair.
Government announces Compensation Scheme
The immediate compensation for the victims whose homes were destroyed in Mandra and Nea Peramos, was announced by the Government on Monday morning.
Government spokesperson Dimitris Tzanakopoulos announced that all houses that have been deemed seriously damaged by the technical teams will receive a compensation of 5,000€ each. For damaged businesses, the compensation amount will be 8,000€.
According to Spokesman Tzanakopoulos, the compensation scheme will be included in an amendment to be tabled in the House today (Monday). The extraordinary aid for the flood victims will be distributed directly by the State Treasury, and according to the Government, will be tax-free.
The government’s goal is for inspections to be completed by the end of the week so that compensations can be disbursed as soon as possible. An initial subsidy of 600€ will be given to each flood victim. However, some problems have been created as many people found that their identification documents have been destroyed by the muddy floods.
Compensation will also be given to residents of Symi; Samothrace; Agia Larissa, and Katerini, which are other areas that have also been hit hard by the recent storms.
Interior Minister, Panos Skourletis, in direct response to requests submitted by the Municipalities of Mandra-Idylia, Megara and the municipal district of Nea Peramos, approved extraordinary financial aid amounting to 900,000€ to meet the immediate needs of the areas affected by the devastating flooding.
About 1,000 owners of homes and businesses are eligible for the assistance, according to government engineers dispatched to inspect the buildings.
“All buildings that have sustained damage will receive emergency funding of €5,000 while businesses in the same situation will receive €8,000,” government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos said on Monday.
Uncontrolled building on the outskirts of the Greek capital has resulted in numerous streams being concreted over, leaving rivers with no natural outlet to the sea. A lack of anti-flooding measures exacerbated the disaster.
Geologists described the floods as a tragedy waiting to happen. Streams in the foothills of the mountain where the neighbourhoods are located have been paved over in recent decades, including a stretch of riverbed where municipal authorities have constructed buildings.
“The tragedy is that in 1996 we had two victims in the same area [of Mandra] precisely because the flow of water had been blocked,” said Dimitris Papanikolaou, Emeritus Professor of Geology at Athens University. He added that such were the dangers of flooding in Mandra, it had been a course study for his doctoral students. “Nature had already warned that such intervention was disastrous, that not maintaining the natural flow of water was disastrous,” he said.
Aliki Mouriki, a prominent sociologist, said the floods had been very revealing because they had exposed all the “weaknesses and pathologies” of the modern Greek state.
“In the saddest possible way, they have not only highlighted the lack of urban planning but housing policies for the poor in working-class areas,” she said.
“When people’s pressing needs aren’t met, they resort to their own solutions – in this case illegal construction with no environmental considerations or respect for rules and regulations.”
Greek authorities continue to assess the damage caused by the floods in Attica. So far technical teams have carried out 1,154 building inspections and the Government has announced a compensation scheme.
A total 120 engineers from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport are involved in the building inspections, that commenced after the storm subsided in the Mandra-Idylia and Nea Peramos municipalities.
After inspecting 925 houses, businesses, public buildings, industrial facilities, storage rooms etc., in the Mandra-Idylia municipality, the technical teams found that an additional 733 buildings suffered serious damage, and their owners also qualify for compensation.
In the municipal district of Nea Peramos, 229 building inspections were conducted, with 222 of them found to be in need of serious repair.
Government announces Compensation Scheme
The immediate compensation for the victims whose homes were destroyed in Mandra and Nea Peramos, was announced by the Government on Monday morning.
Government spokesperson Dimitris Tzanakopoulos announced that all houses that have been deemed seriously damaged by the technical teams will receive a compensation of 5,000€ each. For damaged businesses, the compensation amount will be 8,000€.
According to Spokesman Tzanakopoulos, the compensation scheme will be included in an amendment to be tabled in the House today (Monday). The extraordinary aid for the flood victims will be distributed directly by the State Treasury, and according to the Government, will be tax-free.
The government’s goal is for inspections to be completed by the end of the week so that compensations can be disbursed as soon as possible. An initial subsidy of 600€ will be given to each flood victim. However, some problems have been created as many people found that their identification documents have been destroyed by the muddy floods.
Compensation will also be given to residents of Symi; Samothrace; Agia Larissa, and Katerini, which are other areas that have also been hit hard by the recent storms.
Interior Minister, Panos Skourletis, in direct response to requests submitted by the Municipalities of Mandra-Idylia, Megara and the municipal district of Nea Peramos, approved extraordinary financial aid amounting to 900,000€ to meet the immediate needs of the areas affected by the devastating flooding.
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras receives the prize for "Political Courage"
"Our own courage is the courage shown by the Greek people in very difficult circumstances. We have stood up straight and continue to battle."
"It is a great honour, the Prize belongs to the Greek people, I collect in their name. Our own vigor is the courage shown by the Greek people in very difficult circumstances."
With these words the Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras received the prize for "Political Courage" that Patrick Basman, founder of the magazine Politique Internationale, awarded him on Thursday.
"From the Greek people and its own historical experience and maturity, we draw the courage and stamina to stand up straight in the twilight of the long ordeal of the last seven years," the Prime Minister noted, adding:
"Always dedicated to our plan and what we believed to be right for the vast majority, we managed to resist the "siren voices" and to steer slowly slowly the ship called Greece but also the ship called Europe into calmer waters. We avoided the disorderly or the organized bankruptcy, the plans of certain extremist circles for Greece’s exit from the euro, we stood up straight and are continuing to give battle. The economy is recovering at a relatively fast pace, with growth in the 2017 nearly at 2%. For the third consecutive year financial over-performance has been recorded which gives us the opportunity to support those who really need it, unemployment is falling; it has fallen more than six percentage points. In the first phase trial, the country gained access to the money markets on favourable terms. International rating agencies continually upgrade the position of the Greek economy - in short a picture is taking shape of an economy and a country that is recovering. The Greece today bears no relation to the country that in 2015 found itself in a state of needing emergency care."
"For us it is crucial that we don’t just successfully complete the programme however difficult that is and it seems that we are managing to do that and will successfully conclude it. The critical thing is that this time when we emerge from the crisis, something which and all our partners and the Institutions recognize and see that Greece is on a safe budgetary path with important vision of development."
"The crucial thing for us is to design the future without the errors of the past, with a different productive model for a Greece that is modern, sustainable and fair, with a fair productive model. Our main priority is the promise of work with prospects for equitable and sustainable development for young people so they can find hope in the future perspective. You can't build something new with worn-out materials."
"Our own courage is the courage shown by the Greek people in very difficult circumstances. We have stood up straight and continue to battle."
"It is a great honour, the Prize belongs to the Greek people, I collect in their name. Our own vigor is the courage shown by the Greek people in very difficult circumstances."
With these words the Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras received the prize for "Political Courage" that Patrick Basman, founder of the magazine Politique Internationale, awarded him on Thursday.
"From the Greek people and its own historical experience and maturity, we draw the courage and stamina to stand up straight in the twilight of the long ordeal of the last seven years," the Prime Minister noted, adding:
"Always dedicated to our plan and what we believed to be right for the vast majority, we managed to resist the "siren voices" and to steer slowly slowly the ship called Greece but also the ship called Europe into calmer waters. We avoided the disorderly or the organized bankruptcy, the plans of certain extremist circles for Greece’s exit from the euro, we stood up straight and are continuing to give battle. The economy is recovering at a relatively fast pace, with growth in the 2017 nearly at 2%. For the third consecutive year financial over-performance has been recorded which gives us the opportunity to support those who really need it, unemployment is falling; it has fallen more than six percentage points. In the first phase trial, the country gained access to the money markets on favourable terms. International rating agencies continually upgrade the position of the Greek economy - in short a picture is taking shape of an economy and a country that is recovering. The Greece today bears no relation to the country that in 2015 found itself in a state of needing emergency care."
"For us it is crucial that we don’t just successfully complete the programme however difficult that is and it seems that we are managing to do that and will successfully conclude it. The critical thing is that this time when we emerge from the crisis, something which and all our partners and the Institutions recognize and see that Greece is on a safe budgetary path with important vision of development."
"The crucial thing for us is to design the future without the errors of the past, with a different productive model for a Greece that is modern, sustainable and fair, with a fair productive model. Our main priority is the promise of work with prospects for equitable and sustainable development for young people so they can find hope in the future perspective. You can't build something new with worn-out materials."
Draft Budget for 2018
In a final draft budget submitted to Parliament on Tuesday, the Government outlined projections of a Primary Surplus - the fiscal surplus excluding debt repayments - of between 2.4% and 2.5% this year, and of more than 3.7%. The figures mark an upward revision. A draft budget submitted on October 2nd had put the surplus at 2.2% for 2017 and 3.57% for 2018.
“It makes more room for targeted social and tax policy interventions,” said Nikos Magginas, an economist at the National Bank.
The Government is also now expecting a 1.6% expansion in output this year, down from a previous forecast of 1.8%. The Greek economy is expected to expand by 2.5% in 2018 up from a 2.4% forecast.
The revision is in line with European Commission expectations.
Over the past year there has been nascent growth from a resurgence in tourism and a pick-up in domestic demand. Tourism revenues jumped 10.3% for the first nine months of 2017 to 12.99€ billion compared to a year ago, data from the Bank of Greece showed on Monday.
The final draft of the budget forecasts a cash buffer exceeding 15€ billion for the post-bailout programme period. That will be derived mainly from creditors’ financing, but also from revenues from new bond issues in 2018. Parliament is expected to vote on the draft budget in December.
Action against Tax Evasion & Smuggling
Figures for cases of tax evasion and smuggling, for which taxes, fines and surcharges were imposed in 2016, were presented by the Ministry of Finance to Parliament along with the Budget for 2018.
The evidence submitted shows that in the eight months January to August 2017, Audit Centres and Tax Offices carried out 16,640 checks and taxes, fines and surcharges amounting to 2.568€ billion were confirmed.
Specifically, as regards the data on tyax evasion and smuggling, five different lists were included depending on the circumstances:
-The first list concerns 44 cases of businesses accused of either smuggling fuel or cigarettes or of other customs offences.
-The second list concerns 898 cases of tax evasion, in which taxes, fines and surcharges have been imposed in the course of checks amounting to 2.21€ billion.
-The third list concerns 918 cases of tax evasion, exclusively by means of the production of false and fictitious invoices. The value of the false and fictitious invoices identified amounts to 297.9€ million.
-The fourth list concerns 342 companies accused of tax evasion of more than 150,000€. In particular, checks on these cases identified VAT and other unpaid taxes.
-The fifth concerns 165 businesses on which have been imposed a temporary freeze because of tax evasion.
In the eight months January to August 2017 the data of the Ministry of Finance show that 16,640 tax audits were carried out and taxes, fines and surcharges were assessed amounting to 2.568€ billion.
In 2016 the Tax Office sent 742,922 e-mails to taxpayers with arrears to the State informing them of the need to put their debt in order. From these debtors, 442,711 had responded and 274.76€ million had been received.
The Social Dividend 2018
"Some “born in the purple” don't know and can't understand the meaning of 400€, 500€, 700€, 900€ in support. For those “born in the purple” it is the cost of the stamp duty for their companies in tax havens.
But today it is time for the great majority of the society for whom we are fighting, bleeding and representing, to come first,"stressed the Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras speaking at the plenary of Parliament debating the distribution of the social dividend.
The Prime Minister spoke of "a move in the direction of social justice which is what the citizens who will receive the aid will call it while it suits some to interpret it as a communications gimmick."
Referring to the “Paradise Papers” and on the support given by Adonis Georgiadis, Vice President of New Democracy to tax-avoiding offshore account holders, he said: "You consider that tax evasion is legitimate and ethical.You are being procative when you wag your finger at us when it was you who until recently were on the Government benches. You took 65€ billion of measures, of which 30€ billion were taxes and today you have taken up the sword and are sabre rattling against excessive taxation. And you have the gall to defend those devious men and women who took their money abroad with offshore banks to avoid paying taxes."
In a final draft budget submitted to Parliament on Tuesday, the Government outlined projections of a Primary Surplus - the fiscal surplus excluding debt repayments - of between 2.4% and 2.5% this year, and of more than 3.7%. The figures mark an upward revision. A draft budget submitted on October 2nd had put the surplus at 2.2% for 2017 and 3.57% for 2018.
“It makes more room for targeted social and tax policy interventions,” said Nikos Magginas, an economist at the National Bank.
The Government is also now expecting a 1.6% expansion in output this year, down from a previous forecast of 1.8%. The Greek economy is expected to expand by 2.5% in 2018 up from a 2.4% forecast.
The revision is in line with European Commission expectations.
Over the past year there has been nascent growth from a resurgence in tourism and a pick-up in domestic demand. Tourism revenues jumped 10.3% for the first nine months of 2017 to 12.99€ billion compared to a year ago, data from the Bank of Greece showed on Monday.
The final draft of the budget forecasts a cash buffer exceeding 15€ billion for the post-bailout programme period. That will be derived mainly from creditors’ financing, but also from revenues from new bond issues in 2018. Parliament is expected to vote on the draft budget in December.
Action against Tax Evasion & Smuggling
Figures for cases of tax evasion and smuggling, for which taxes, fines and surcharges were imposed in 2016, were presented by the Ministry of Finance to Parliament along with the Budget for 2018.
The evidence submitted shows that in the eight months January to August 2017, Audit Centres and Tax Offices carried out 16,640 checks and taxes, fines and surcharges amounting to 2.568€ billion were confirmed.
Specifically, as regards the data on tyax evasion and smuggling, five different lists were included depending on the circumstances:
-The first list concerns 44 cases of businesses accused of either smuggling fuel or cigarettes or of other customs offences.
-The second list concerns 898 cases of tax evasion, in which taxes, fines and surcharges have been imposed in the course of checks amounting to 2.21€ billion.
-The third list concerns 918 cases of tax evasion, exclusively by means of the production of false and fictitious invoices. The value of the false and fictitious invoices identified amounts to 297.9€ million.
-The fourth list concerns 342 companies accused of tax evasion of more than 150,000€. In particular, checks on these cases identified VAT and other unpaid taxes.
-The fifth concerns 165 businesses on which have been imposed a temporary freeze because of tax evasion.
In the eight months January to August 2017 the data of the Ministry of Finance show that 16,640 tax audits were carried out and taxes, fines and surcharges were assessed amounting to 2.568€ billion.
In 2016 the Tax Office sent 742,922 e-mails to taxpayers with arrears to the State informing them of the need to put their debt in order. From these debtors, 442,711 had responded and 274.76€ million had been received.
The Social Dividend 2018
"Some “born in the purple” don't know and can't understand the meaning of 400€, 500€, 700€, 900€ in support. For those “born in the purple” it is the cost of the stamp duty for their companies in tax havens.
But today it is time for the great majority of the society for whom we are fighting, bleeding and representing, to come first,"stressed the Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras speaking at the plenary of Parliament debating the distribution of the social dividend.
The Prime Minister spoke of "a move in the direction of social justice which is what the citizens who will receive the aid will call it while it suits some to interpret it as a communications gimmick."
Referring to the “Paradise Papers” and on the support given by Adonis Georgiadis, Vice President of New Democracy to tax-avoiding offshore account holders, he said: "You consider that tax evasion is legitimate and ethical.You are being procative when you wag your finger at us when it was you who until recently were on the Government benches. You took 65€ billion of measures, of which 30€ billion were taxes and today you have taken up the sword and are sabre rattling against excessive taxation. And you have the gall to defend those devious men and women who took their money abroad with offshore banks to avoid paying taxes."
PM Tsipras at the Social Summit for Fair Employment and Growth
Speaking in Gothenburg at the "Social Summit for Fair Employment and Growth last Friday, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras thanked "all our partners for the wave of solidarity that they have shown in their statements and in their efforts to show solidarity and help Greece in this difficult moment in any way they can."
Asked about the tragedy in Athens, he said he will be seeking specific assistance. He pointed out that the bureaucracy in Europe is something that must be borne in mind,"so first and foremost we are striving to help our citizens with own resources."
He raised the wider issue of the protection of European citizens from extreme natural phenomena associated with climate change. Sounding the alarm bell for this world-wide issue, he stated that it is also something that "we will discuss in Paris in November, as such events will confront us more frequently in future."
The Prime Minister described the Summit as very important, where the social pillar was discussed, and he stressed: "It is vital for us to discuss how to change the economic model that creates inequalities and causes a brain drain of the younger generation. It is vital that we protect free collective bargaining and create the conditions so that the European social acquis is there to help the younger generation."
PM Tsipras commented that he is not sure that it will be easy to implement the decisions taken today, however expressed a hope: "Perhaps it is a step, in order to convince all European leaders on the need to create a framework of protection for working people and the younger generation."
"We are talking about the need for a social protection framework, the need for a Social Pillar, in a Europe that in recent years has been led in a completely neo-liberal direction and this has created huge inequalities both within Member States and between Member States. "
He stressed the need "to discuss changing the economic model" and noted: "For us Greeks, who have suffered the consequences of the economic crisis, it is an opportunity for us to highlight once again the need for protection and the restoration of free collective bargaining and the social acquis with regard to labour legislation in Greece as well. At the same time, we must find ways to ensure that this social acquis also helps the younger generation of workers, a younger generation that does not even know the meaning of acquis communautaire."
"Perhaps it is an opportunity to discuss opening the door to some necessary changes and reforms that would protect the social acquis and labour rights."
Speaking in Gothenburg at the "Social Summit for Fair Employment and Growth last Friday, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras thanked "all our partners for the wave of solidarity that they have shown in their statements and in their efforts to show solidarity and help Greece in this difficult moment in any way they can."
Asked about the tragedy in Athens, he said he will be seeking specific assistance. He pointed out that the bureaucracy in Europe is something that must be borne in mind,"so first and foremost we are striving to help our citizens with own resources."
He raised the wider issue of the protection of European citizens from extreme natural phenomena associated with climate change. Sounding the alarm bell for this world-wide issue, he stated that it is also something that "we will discuss in Paris in November, as such events will confront us more frequently in future."
The Prime Minister described the Summit as very important, where the social pillar was discussed, and he stressed: "It is vital for us to discuss how to change the economic model that creates inequalities and causes a brain drain of the younger generation. It is vital that we protect free collective bargaining and create the conditions so that the European social acquis is there to help the younger generation."
PM Tsipras commented that he is not sure that it will be easy to implement the decisions taken today, however expressed a hope: "Perhaps it is a step, in order to convince all European leaders on the need to create a framework of protection for working people and the younger generation."
"We are talking about the need for a social protection framework, the need for a Social Pillar, in a Europe that in recent years has been led in a completely neo-liberal direction and this has created huge inequalities both within Member States and between Member States. "
He stressed the need "to discuss changing the economic model" and noted: "For us Greeks, who have suffered the consequences of the economic crisis, it is an opportunity for us to highlight once again the need for protection and the restoration of free collective bargaining and the social acquis with regard to labour legislation in Greece as well. At the same time, we must find ways to ensure that this social acquis also helps the younger generation of workers, a younger generation that does not even know the meaning of acquis communautaire."
"Perhaps it is an opportunity to discuss opening the door to some necessary changes and reforms that would protect the social acquis and labour rights."
Flash flood hits the towns of Nea Peramos and Mandra near Athens
18.11.2017
Last Wednesday morning a flash flood hit the towns of Nea Peramos and Mandra, approximately 50 kilometres west of Athens killing at least 15 people and leaving hundreds homeless, with many blaming a system that allowed houses to be built on dried up river beds. Hundreds of homes and businesses were inundated.
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Wednesday declared a three-day period of mourning and said support measures will be adopted for households and businesses affected. He is promising a full investigation. Flags flew at half-mast from state buildings and the Acropolis.
Newspapers expressed anger. “A Crime,” was the headline in Ta Nea daily. “The Deeds of Man,” wrote Avgi, referring to unlicenced building constructions.
Experts are blaming haphazard construction which obstructs the natural path for water runoff, and soil erosion on a mountain range hit by fires.
Both towns, Nea Peramos and Mandra, have been built along an old motorway linking Athens to Corinth. As building took place closer to the road, streams that would have drained runoff from the nearby Pateras mountains were blocked.
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Wednesday declared a three-day period of mourning and said support measures will be adopted for households and businesses affected. He is promising a full investigation. Flags flew at half-mast from state buildings and the Acropolis.
Newspapers expressed anger. “A Crime,” was the headline in Ta Nea daily. “The Deeds of Man,” wrote Avgi, referring to unlicenced building constructions.
Experts are blaming haphazard construction which obstructs the natural path for water runoff, and soil erosion on a mountain range hit by fires.
Both towns, Nea Peramos and Mandra, have been built along an old motorway linking Athens to Corinth. As building took place closer to the road, streams that would have drained runoff from the nearby Pateras mountains were blocked.
"We must on the alert in order to confront the problems that have accumulated over decades" stressed the Prime Minister immediately after the conclusion of his visit to the affected area.
"We had the chance today to see with our own eyes the scale of the disaster. We are all shocked by what we were faced with, "said the Prime Minister. "Obviously these are rare and extreme weather conditions. However, this extreme event unfolded as it did as a result of accumulated inertia, of accumulated problems and shortcomings in infrastructure and also in spatial planning. A phenomenon certainly not just confined to West Athens but extends to other parts of the country. Let these people we have lost be the last. Let this be the trigger for all of us show vigilance over the restoration of the necessary infrastructure of spatial planning so that we do not ever have to live through such events ever again."
"At today’s meeting we were primarily occupied with the operational part and not forgetting that we still have people missing. The effort of the men of the Fire Service and volunteers is soul-stirring. Let us hope we will be able to find more people alive. May there be no further increase in the number of dead."
"We were occupied with practicalities of the immediate capacity to support households, the pumping out of water, the restoration of water supplies and of course the immediate priority of deploying teams of engineers to register the injured men and women.
"Our commitment is to move to immediate restoration, the healing of wounds and restoration of property. Whether it concerns households or businesses. I want to believe that the coordinated effort of local government, of Civil Protection will achieve the best possible results. For the people who have lost loved ones, for all of us who live in heavy mourning, I think everything else comes in second place. Let this be, I repeat, the trigger for vigilance to tackle the problems accumulated over decades."
"We had the chance today to see with our own eyes the scale of the disaster. We are all shocked by what we were faced with, "said the Prime Minister. "Obviously these are rare and extreme weather conditions. However, this extreme event unfolded as it did as a result of accumulated inertia, of accumulated problems and shortcomings in infrastructure and also in spatial planning. A phenomenon certainly not just confined to West Athens but extends to other parts of the country. Let these people we have lost be the last. Let this be the trigger for all of us show vigilance over the restoration of the necessary infrastructure of spatial planning so that we do not ever have to live through such events ever again."
"At today’s meeting we were primarily occupied with the operational part and not forgetting that we still have people missing. The effort of the men of the Fire Service and volunteers is soul-stirring. Let us hope we will be able to find more people alive. May there be no further increase in the number of dead."
"We were occupied with practicalities of the immediate capacity to support households, the pumping out of water, the restoration of water supplies and of course the immediate priority of deploying teams of engineers to register the injured men and women.
"Our commitment is to move to immediate restoration, the healing of wounds and restoration of property. Whether it concerns households or businesses. I want to believe that the coordinated effort of local government, of Civil Protection will achieve the best possible results. For the people who have lost loved ones, for all of us who live in heavy mourning, I think everything else comes in second place. Let this be, I repeat, the trigger for vigilance to tackle the problems accumulated over decades."
Paradise Papers ...
The head of Greece’s team of financial prosecutors, Marianna Psaroudaki, on Thursday ordered an investigation into the Greek nationals named in the “Paradise Papers”, a set of 13.4 million leaked confidential electronic documents relating to offshore investments.
Prosecutors are to check whether any of those included on the list of names should faces charges of tax evasion and money laundering.
There are reportedly 130 names of Greek citizens and 252 addresses in Greece in the over 6,000 pages – of a total of 6.5 million leaked documents - concerning Greek citizens and businesses, according to the US based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ).
The consortium has coordinated a global network of 96 media partners with 380 journalists from 67 countries, who have been analysing the papers.
The head of the economic prosecutor’s office, Marianna Psaroudaki, was appointed last June by the Supreme Judicial Council of the Areios Pagos, Greece’s Supreme Court. She has already ordered a preliminary investigation of the Greek citizens and businesses whose names appear in the papers.
The information comes from various tax havens, including Malta, Aruba, The Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, the Cook Islands, Dominica, Labuan, the Marshall Islands, Nevis Island, and Saint Lucia.
Ms. Psaroudaki’s team will compare the data gleaned from the Paradise Papers with other previously published and well-known lists of tax avoiders and tax evaders – such as the so-called Lagarde List and the Luxembourg Leaks - which include names of individuals or legal entities suspected of tax evasion and laundering.
Tax Authorities Thwarted
San Francisco-based company, Airbnb has refused to provide owner information to the Greek Finance Ministry in order for it to be able to tax owners who short-lease their properties to foreign visitors.
According to previous announcements, a tax was to have been levied on owners who use Airbnb and other short-term leasing platforms to rent to foreign visitors. Furthermore, short-term leasing would be regulated as well. Specifically, in an amendment voted last year, income from short-term leasing should not exceed 12,000€ per year, while there would also be a limit on how many days per year an owner could rent out their property through platforms such as Airbnb.
However, Airbnb; the most popular short-lease platform, reportedly refuses to give the Greek government the tax ID numbers of Greek citizens who use their platform.
The Greek Finance Ministry estimates that state revenues from short-term lease through platforms on the internet could be 48€ million per year. However, the tax cannot be implemented at present, and collection is postponed for 2018.
There is concern that tax authorities’ plans to tax short-term leasing at between 15% to 45% has led owners not to declare that they rent out their properties. The penalties, however, are stiff, reaching up to 20,000€.
The head of Greece’s team of financial prosecutors, Marianna Psaroudaki, on Thursday ordered an investigation into the Greek nationals named in the “Paradise Papers”, a set of 13.4 million leaked confidential electronic documents relating to offshore investments.
Prosecutors are to check whether any of those included on the list of names should faces charges of tax evasion and money laundering.
There are reportedly 130 names of Greek citizens and 252 addresses in Greece in the over 6,000 pages – of a total of 6.5 million leaked documents - concerning Greek citizens and businesses, according to the US based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ).
The consortium has coordinated a global network of 96 media partners with 380 journalists from 67 countries, who have been analysing the papers.
The head of the economic prosecutor’s office, Marianna Psaroudaki, was appointed last June by the Supreme Judicial Council of the Areios Pagos, Greece’s Supreme Court. She has already ordered a preliminary investigation of the Greek citizens and businesses whose names appear in the papers.
The information comes from various tax havens, including Malta, Aruba, The Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, the Cook Islands, Dominica, Labuan, the Marshall Islands, Nevis Island, and Saint Lucia.
Ms. Psaroudaki’s team will compare the data gleaned from the Paradise Papers with other previously published and well-known lists of tax avoiders and tax evaders – such as the so-called Lagarde List and the Luxembourg Leaks - which include names of individuals or legal entities suspected of tax evasion and laundering.
Tax Authorities Thwarted
San Francisco-based company, Airbnb has refused to provide owner information to the Greek Finance Ministry in order for it to be able to tax owners who short-lease their properties to foreign visitors.
According to previous announcements, a tax was to have been levied on owners who use Airbnb and other short-term leasing platforms to rent to foreign visitors. Furthermore, short-term leasing would be regulated as well. Specifically, in an amendment voted last year, income from short-term leasing should not exceed 12,000€ per year, while there would also be a limit on how many days per year an owner could rent out their property through platforms such as Airbnb.
However, Airbnb; the most popular short-lease platform, reportedly refuses to give the Greek government the tax ID numbers of Greek citizens who use their platform.
The Greek Finance Ministry estimates that state revenues from short-term lease through platforms on the internet could be 48€ million per year. However, the tax cannot be implemented at present, and collection is postponed for 2018.
There is concern that tax authorities’ plans to tax short-term leasing at between 15% to 45% has led owners not to declare that they rent out their properties. The penalties, however, are stiff, reaching up to 20,000€.
Support for "healthy entrepreneurship that respects labour relations and workers' rights."
On a visit to Xanthi, in northern Greece, on Tuesday, PM Alexis Tsipras underlined his Government's support for "healthy entrepreneurship that respects labour relations and workers' rights."
On a visit to Thrace Plastics, he said his administration "says no to parasitic and predatory business practices that for decades drained state funding before taking their money abroad and closing their businesses in Greece, leaving workers on the street."
Addressing the employees of Thrace Plastics, he said his Government supports businesses that are outward-looking and invest in research, innovation, and human resources," noting that a new growth law and European structural funding was available to boost these things.
He described Thrace Plastics as a "model of healthy entrepreneurship," saying this was not only due to the numbers but also to the working atmosphere.
Social Dividend 2017
Greece will distribute 1.4€ billion as a social dividend to pensioners and others hit hard by the country’s austerity programmes, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Monday.
The money is available because the country has beaten its 2017 bailout target for a Primary Surplus - which excludes debt servicing costs - of 1.75% of GDP, he said.
“For a second year, we are in a position to distribute a social dividend to the people who need it the most. Better prepared and more effective this year, we will be able to pay out an even bigger amount,” he said in a televised statement.
Last year, the Government paid out about 600€ million to low-income pensioners, a move that angered the country’s international lenders.
This year’s social dividend has been approved in principle by lenders, who are currently reviewing Greece’s bailout progress. “We (the Institutions) have been discussing these ideas with the Greek authorities. The announcements seem broadly in line with these discussions,” an EU Commission spokesman said.
PM Tsipras said about 720€ million will be distributed by mid-December to 3.4 million Greeks as a one-off, tax-free benefit, based on income and wealth criteria and household size. This out of the country’s population of about 11 million.
Another 315€ million will be directed to pensioners, he said, to compensate them for “unfair” health contribution payments in 2012-2016, while 360€ million will be paid to Greece’s biggest power utility, the Public Power Corporation to prevent electricity tariff increases.
On a visit to Xanthi, in northern Greece, on Tuesday, PM Alexis Tsipras underlined his Government's support for "healthy entrepreneurship that respects labour relations and workers' rights."
On a visit to Thrace Plastics, he said his administration "says no to parasitic and predatory business practices that for decades drained state funding before taking their money abroad and closing their businesses in Greece, leaving workers on the street."
Addressing the employees of Thrace Plastics, he said his Government supports businesses that are outward-looking and invest in research, innovation, and human resources," noting that a new growth law and European structural funding was available to boost these things.
He described Thrace Plastics as a "model of healthy entrepreneurship," saying this was not only due to the numbers but also to the working atmosphere.
Social Dividend 2017
Greece will distribute 1.4€ billion as a social dividend to pensioners and others hit hard by the country’s austerity programmes, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Monday.
The money is available because the country has beaten its 2017 bailout target for a Primary Surplus - which excludes debt servicing costs - of 1.75% of GDP, he said.
“For a second year, we are in a position to distribute a social dividend to the people who need it the most. Better prepared and more effective this year, we will be able to pay out an even bigger amount,” he said in a televised statement.
Last year, the Government paid out about 600€ million to low-income pensioners, a move that angered the country’s international lenders.
This year’s social dividend has been approved in principle by lenders, who are currently reviewing Greece’s bailout progress. “We (the Institutions) have been discussing these ideas with the Greek authorities. The announcements seem broadly in line with these discussions,” an EU Commission spokesman said.
PM Tsipras said about 720€ million will be distributed by mid-December to 3.4 million Greeks as a one-off, tax-free benefit, based on income and wealth criteria and household size. This out of the country’s population of about 11 million.
Another 315€ million will be directed to pensioners, he said, to compensate them for “unfair” health contribution payments in 2012-2016, while 360€ million will be paid to Greece’s biggest power utility, the Public Power Corporation to prevent electricity tariff increases.
In a press interview, Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos responded to New Democracy’s accusation that the Government had “cynically and deliberately crushed the middle class” by stating:
“It is strange that in our country honesty is perceived as cynicism. Already last year, when this year's budget was being discussed, I had explained the reasons why we had put a strain (not crushing) the middle class: because we had as an absolute priority the tackling of the humanitarian crisis and at the same time it took us time to achieve today’s results in tackling tax evasion. Cynicism for me is the so-called support for the middle classes by the two parties which for the last 40 years did absolutely nothing about tax evasion.
But, allow me also a comment that has to do with the Paradise Papers. The main issue for me is not the illegal acts of tax evasion, - they surely are many and important, - but the fact that the largest amount of all these billions is there legally. So, the cynicism of the elites and of the political parties that support them, is that they have built a system where the rich have complete protection from the institutional framework, can legally be exempted from taxation, and operate with different rules from the rest of us. This is what the middle classes need to know: that we have higher taxation, but fewer hospitals and schools, as a result of this fact. So, when the middle classes hear New Democracy and PASOK, and the corresponding parties world-wide, say that the middle classes are suffering from over-taxation, or from the wasteful State, they must know that the hypocrisy goes sky high.
It is necessary for the middle classes to know that the unfavourable position, into which they have come, is not the outcome of either “deliberate overtaxation”or of the Welfare State that supposedly supports the lazy, but is the result of 40 years of neoliberalism and of the governments that served it, deliberately indifferent to this situation.
“The middle classes can not hope for better days from the forces that built this system, but only from the forces which at the European level are trying to change it.“
“It is strange that in our country honesty is perceived as cynicism. Already last year, when this year's budget was being discussed, I had explained the reasons why we had put a strain (not crushing) the middle class: because we had as an absolute priority the tackling of the humanitarian crisis and at the same time it took us time to achieve today’s results in tackling tax evasion. Cynicism for me is the so-called support for the middle classes by the two parties which for the last 40 years did absolutely nothing about tax evasion.
But, allow me also a comment that has to do with the Paradise Papers. The main issue for me is not the illegal acts of tax evasion, - they surely are many and important, - but the fact that the largest amount of all these billions is there legally. So, the cynicism of the elites and of the political parties that support them, is that they have built a system where the rich have complete protection from the institutional framework, can legally be exempted from taxation, and operate with different rules from the rest of us. This is what the middle classes need to know: that we have higher taxation, but fewer hospitals and schools, as a result of this fact. So, when the middle classes hear New Democracy and PASOK, and the corresponding parties world-wide, say that the middle classes are suffering from over-taxation, or from the wasteful State, they must know that the hypocrisy goes sky high.
It is necessary for the middle classes to know that the unfavourable position, into which they have come, is not the outcome of either “deliberate overtaxation”or of the Welfare State that supposedly supports the lazy, but is the result of 40 years of neoliberalism and of the governments that served it, deliberately indifferent to this situation.
“The middle classes can not hope for better days from the forces that built this system, but only from the forces which at the European level are trying to change it.“
Trouble in Paradise
11.11.2017
The “Paradise Papers” are now an international investigation into the shadow world of billions of euros. German newspaper, the Sueddeutsche Zeitung has handed over for publication about 13.4 million documents.
They show how certain clients use company mailboxes to conceal criminal behaviour or to conceal money coming from dubious sources. The newspaper contends that the documents prove that companies like Nike, Apple, Facebook and Uber downsize their taxes to very low amounts. They reveal how political elites use this secret world: more than 120 politicians from nearly 50 countries are involved in one way or another.
There are more than 200 entries from Greece with business addresses in Ekali, Psykiko, Alimos - affluent suburbs of Athens and elsewhere. According to the first estimates more than 100 named individuals are involved.
The Economist Gabriel Zoukman has calculated that annually more than 600€ billion is moved by multinational companies to tax havens. “Tax havens help not only companies to avoid taxes but also individuals. And it is not only taxes; the super-rich are bypassing laws that annoy them - inheritance taxes, business liability or to protect themselves from creditors.
"For the super-rich, there is a world beyond the law," says sociologist Brooke Charington author of Capital without Borders. "The richest can enjoy the benefits of society without being subject to any restrictions." "This offshore world has an impact on all of us. Billions in taxes are missing from national economies - for example for the operation of hospitals, to create creches or to finance social security."
Economist Gabriel Zoukman has calculated that the super-rich have 7.9€ trillion parked in tax havens.
“The Government's intention is to clarify completely the issue of the Paradise Papers,” underlined the Minister of State and Government Spokesman, Dimitris Tzanakopoulos.
"The Government will check thoroughly all of the names contained in the Paradise Papers. After the authorities have checked the names, we shall see who has committed offences and who must be brought to justice and who will have to pay the appropriate administrative fines."
Mr. Tzanakopoulos also referred to a series of Government initiatives in the context of tax evasion and of transparency, such as checking the various lists, the Lagarde list, the voluntary disclosure of income, but also the legislative initiatives, such as the law on the use of information that comes in an unlawful way into the hands of the authorities, but also in terms of cooperation between countries for the exchange of information.
The Minister of State, referring to the Paradise Papers, said that such issues are not to be dealt with individually by each State, but rather the European Union and the Eurozone must take overall measures on tax evasion. "The Government has proposed a common fiscal policy to Member States of the EU and cooperation of fiscal authorities so that these practices can be dealt with."
In response to the Paradise Papers, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras made this statement:
“The revelations contained in the Paradise Papers confirm the unjust, senseless, tragic reality of our world. The global elite hides vast sums of money in tax havens, systematically avoiding control and taxation of their financial activities. And this, at a time when billions of people throughout the world are bearing the weight of the economic crisis and unaccountable exploitation.
At a time when the excluded and the victims of poverty, of unemployment, of the disintegration of the Welfare State are multiplying.
This is an inhuman mechanism that characterizes the capitalism of our era, and which reproduces and broadens global inequalities.
Greece has a bitter experience, as one of the main reasons that led us to the crisis was the opaque action of a financial elite used to an easy life, the intertwining of its vested interests with the political system, and the stubborn resistance to shouldering their fair share of the burden- the burden they defiantly off-loaded, with the assistance of their political friends, onto the weakest.
The issue of tax havens is a challenge for the global community.
And it is a challenge the Greek Government also faces. There can be no fairer world, nor hope for working people, without transparency and fairness as regards tax burdens.
What can we do? With perseverance and determination let us wage the battle in all international organisations
Let us strengthen those forces of the media, who have the courage to uncover this massive mechanism of tax fraud.
And of course let us continue in our country to deliver even more decisively blows against tax evasion and for the enforcement of rules of transparency and justice."
To consolidate at last in Greece a fair development model that will support the needs of the many.
We are committed to this fight to meet the aspirations and hopes of the Greek people and to show that there is another way - the road of social justice, equality and solidarity.”
They show how certain clients use company mailboxes to conceal criminal behaviour or to conceal money coming from dubious sources. The newspaper contends that the documents prove that companies like Nike, Apple, Facebook and Uber downsize their taxes to very low amounts. They reveal how political elites use this secret world: more than 120 politicians from nearly 50 countries are involved in one way or another.
There are more than 200 entries from Greece with business addresses in Ekali, Psykiko, Alimos - affluent suburbs of Athens and elsewhere. According to the first estimates more than 100 named individuals are involved.
The Economist Gabriel Zoukman has calculated that annually more than 600€ billion is moved by multinational companies to tax havens. “Tax havens help not only companies to avoid taxes but also individuals. And it is not only taxes; the super-rich are bypassing laws that annoy them - inheritance taxes, business liability or to protect themselves from creditors.
"For the super-rich, there is a world beyond the law," says sociologist Brooke Charington author of Capital without Borders. "The richest can enjoy the benefits of society without being subject to any restrictions." "This offshore world has an impact on all of us. Billions in taxes are missing from national economies - for example for the operation of hospitals, to create creches or to finance social security."
Economist Gabriel Zoukman has calculated that the super-rich have 7.9€ trillion parked in tax havens.
“The Government's intention is to clarify completely the issue of the Paradise Papers,” underlined the Minister of State and Government Spokesman, Dimitris Tzanakopoulos.
"The Government will check thoroughly all of the names contained in the Paradise Papers. After the authorities have checked the names, we shall see who has committed offences and who must be brought to justice and who will have to pay the appropriate administrative fines."
Mr. Tzanakopoulos also referred to a series of Government initiatives in the context of tax evasion and of transparency, such as checking the various lists, the Lagarde list, the voluntary disclosure of income, but also the legislative initiatives, such as the law on the use of information that comes in an unlawful way into the hands of the authorities, but also in terms of cooperation between countries for the exchange of information.
The Minister of State, referring to the Paradise Papers, said that such issues are not to be dealt with individually by each State, but rather the European Union and the Eurozone must take overall measures on tax evasion. "The Government has proposed a common fiscal policy to Member States of the EU and cooperation of fiscal authorities so that these practices can be dealt with."
In response to the Paradise Papers, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras made this statement:
“The revelations contained in the Paradise Papers confirm the unjust, senseless, tragic reality of our world. The global elite hides vast sums of money in tax havens, systematically avoiding control and taxation of their financial activities. And this, at a time when billions of people throughout the world are bearing the weight of the economic crisis and unaccountable exploitation.
At a time when the excluded and the victims of poverty, of unemployment, of the disintegration of the Welfare State are multiplying.
This is an inhuman mechanism that characterizes the capitalism of our era, and which reproduces and broadens global inequalities.
Greece has a bitter experience, as one of the main reasons that led us to the crisis was the opaque action of a financial elite used to an easy life, the intertwining of its vested interests with the political system, and the stubborn resistance to shouldering their fair share of the burden- the burden they defiantly off-loaded, with the assistance of their political friends, onto the weakest.
The issue of tax havens is a challenge for the global community.
And it is a challenge the Greek Government also faces. There can be no fairer world, nor hope for working people, without transparency and fairness as regards tax burdens.
What can we do? With perseverance and determination let us wage the battle in all international organisations
Let us strengthen those forces of the media, who have the courage to uncover this massive mechanism of tax fraud.
And of course let us continue in our country to deliver even more decisively blows against tax evasion and for the enforcement of rules of transparency and justice."
To consolidate at last in Greece a fair development model that will support the needs of the many.
We are committed to this fight to meet the aspirations and hopes of the Greek people and to show that there is another way - the road of social justice, equality and solidarity.”
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras received on Saturday the 11-year-old Afghan boy Amir and his mother at the Maximos Mansion and in a symbolic gesture the Prime Minister presented Amir with a Greek flag.
Despite the fact that the boy had been chosen by lot to be his school’s flag-bearer in the October 28th “Οχι!” Day national holiday parade in Dafni, a southern suburb of Athens, Afghan-born Amir wasn’t allowed to carry the Greek Flag and was instead given the school sign to carry.
“Amir was deprived of the honour to carry our flag. Today I presented it to him in order to remember and honour our principles and values,” the Alexis Tsipras said on his Twitter account.
“Amir was deprived of the honour to carry our flag. Today I presented it to him in order to remember and honour our principles and values,” the Alexis Tsipras said on his Twitter account.
Tourism up
Tourism Minister Elena Kountoura talked about a “milestone year” for Greek Tourism citing an estimated 30 million arrivals in the country for 2017, including cruise visitors, and a “significant increase” in revenues.
“For the fourth year in a row there is ongoing growth of more than 7% annually, from 26 million in 2015 to 28 million in 2016,” Minister Kountoura said.
She said that Greece saw a double-digit growth in arrivals from “almost every European country”, including Germany, France and the Scandinavian nations, while she said numbers had also “increased significantly from dynamic markets such as the USA, Canada, Russia, the Middle East and China”.
The UK market also saw growth, with Greece noting a 6% increase in air arrivals from the UK in the first eight months of 2017.
This year also saw the introduction of more than 150 new flight routes. Ms.Kountoura said so far for 2018 “several new routes” had been added from European destinations, including the UK and Ireland. “Some routes that were originally scheduled to end in October have been extended until January,” she said.
Meanwhile, the cruise industry also continued to drive up visitor numbers, with the latest figures for 2016 showing that cruise passengers exceeded three million.
She was also optimistic that the country’s growth in visitor numbers would continue to increase overall. “In the last two years, our Ministry received 265 proposals concerning projects for four and five-star hotels, as well as for new integrated tourism resorts that are in various stages of being licenced.”
She added that there were also a number of large infrastructure projects continuing, including the upgrade of 14 regional airports “and a strategic investment at the Port of Piraeus, as a major hub”.
Tourism Minister Elena Kountoura talked about a “milestone year” for Greek Tourism citing an estimated 30 million arrivals in the country for 2017, including cruise visitors, and a “significant increase” in revenues.
“For the fourth year in a row there is ongoing growth of more than 7% annually, from 26 million in 2015 to 28 million in 2016,” Minister Kountoura said.
She said that Greece saw a double-digit growth in arrivals from “almost every European country”, including Germany, France and the Scandinavian nations, while she said numbers had also “increased significantly from dynamic markets such as the USA, Canada, Russia, the Middle East and China”.
The UK market also saw growth, with Greece noting a 6% increase in air arrivals from the UK in the first eight months of 2017.
This year also saw the introduction of more than 150 new flight routes. Ms.Kountoura said so far for 2018 “several new routes” had been added from European destinations, including the UK and Ireland. “Some routes that were originally scheduled to end in October have been extended until January,” she said.
Meanwhile, the cruise industry also continued to drive up visitor numbers, with the latest figures for 2016 showing that cruise passengers exceeded three million.
She was also optimistic that the country’s growth in visitor numbers would continue to increase overall. “In the last two years, our Ministry received 265 proposals concerning projects for four and five-star hotels, as well as for new integrated tourism resorts that are in various stages of being licenced.”
She added that there were also a number of large infrastructure projects continuing, including the upgrade of 14 regional airports “and a strategic investment at the Port of Piraeus, as a major hub”.
The Economic Climate Improving
4.11.2017
“The smooth and successful implementation of the Government’s economic programme is leading not only to the improvement of the economic climate and the well-founded faith in definitively exiting the Memoranda and the international stewardship, but also to the possibility of a "payback" for the social strata most affected by the crisis.”
That was the Government’s upbeat view of the run-up to the successful conclusion of the Third Assessment of the ESM’s Bailout Programme.
According to reliable information, Government and lenders are agreed that the Primary Surplus of 2017 will reach 2.8% of GDP, from which 700-800€ million can be distributed to the economically weak and 300-400€ million towards the State Treasury’s debt arrears. At the same time, as announced by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, it is expected that 700,000 people will be included in the Social Solidarity Income programme by the end of the year.
“We had the humanitarian crisis as an absolute priority, which is why we put pressure on the middle class.”
Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos on Thursday defended the Government’s decision to tax middle income earners in a bid to ease the burden on the less well-off. He made it clear the policy had been a necessary evil. “We had the humanitarian crisis as an absolute priority, which is why we put pressure on the middle class,” Minister Tsakalotos told Parliament’s Financial Affairs Committee, echoing the points made a day earlier by his alternate, Giorgos Houliarakis.
Minister Tsakalotos acknowledged that overtaxation “was not the optimum solution” but was the outcome of pressure from the International Monetary Fund, which he said always underestimates the performance of tax measures. “We did not want it – our arm was twisted.”
He went on to refute New Democracy’s claims that over-fulfilment of the Primary Surplus target comes from over-taxing citizens and the non-payment of State arrears. He attributed the increased revenues to the reduction in unemployment and the fight against tax evasion.
At the same time, in his presentation of the draft Budget for 2018, he stressed that the Greek Government bonds are currently enjoying the best performance of the last 7-8 years, pointing out to New Democracy MPs that "the markets constantly prove you wrong".
In response to criticism about the over-fulfilment of the Primary Surplus target and the social dividend, Minister Tsakalotos said he rejected in principle the assertion that the surplus derives from the non-payment of arrears to civil servants, since the debts are registered when they are created, regardless of when they will be repaid by the State. He conceded that the logic of the the over-fulfilment of the Primary Surplus "is not the optimal solution, but due to the tactics of the IMF which always underestimates the performance of tax measures and does not count at all the non-tax measures.
Focusing on the performance of non-tax measures, he pointed to two examples. The 448€ million due to 250,000-270,000 more workers paying more in social security contributions this year, while the corresponding figure for 2018 is expected to be 472€ million.At the same time, the voluntary disclosure programme allowing taxpayers to register undeclared income has delivered 400-450€ million as about 4€ billion has been declared.
Commenting on the performance of the voluntary disclosure programme allowing undeclared income to be registered, Minister Tsakalotos attributed it to fear from the operation of the software for cross-checking deposits, emphasizing the importance of reforms for the increase in revenue. Citing other examples, he noted the audit of expenditure which yielded 325€ million, the savings from the conclusion of centralised contracts by the Ministries for consumables and services, but also the operation of a single National Insurance Fund, which showed a surplus on what was needed for pensions.
He noted that during his contacts with investors not once was there any complaint about the level of taxation, instead investors were interested in the " rules of the game " being clear and for there to be financial tools for liquidity. He criticized previous New Democracy Governments' strategy of investment only in large projects with cheap money, observing that the NSRF is directed much more towards small and medium-sized enterprises.
"The completion of the Third Assessment will allow us to discuss the conditions of exit from the fiscal adjustment programme"
Speaking to the Athenian-Macedonian News Agency, Ms. Achtsioglou emphasised that the issues are being closed one by one and many of them are being settled at the level of the technical officers.
"The completion of the Third Assessment will allow us to discuss the conditions of exit from the fiscal adjustment programme," said the Minister of Labour, Social Security and Social Solidarity, Efi Achtsioglou.
"From the Government side it is clear that we are working with the aim of completing the Assessment as soon as possible and I estimate that all conditions exist for this to happen. So, the time left until the August 2018, will not just be the last step in a rigorous regime of stewardship, but will also be the period in which will be prepared the first dynamic and decisive step for the future."
As regards the State’s financial data, she stressed that "there is agreement on the over-performance of the 2017 budget and the debate about the social dividend distribution is unfolding, while there is agreement on the basic fiscal dimensions for 2018. "
"Agreement has been reached on arrangements for businesses that owe 20,000-50,000€ in the form of out-of-court settlements. Correspondingly, in the next immediate period, arrangements will start on citizens' debts to the pension funds and the tax office. The arrangements include haircuts of interest charges up to 85% and debt repayments in up to 120 instalments."
"In addition, and despite the scaremongering that has prevailed in the previous period, it has been recognized that a significant volume of outstanding Government arrears to individuals has been cleared, including the payment of thousands of outstanding pensions and on the basis of this, the sub-trance of 800€ million to our country has been approved."
At the same time, as regards widows' pensions, she indicated that it had been agreed to establish a minimum threshold at 384€ euros for the widower or widow and an extra 384€ for children, as well as the granting of access to the children both in the period of preparation for admission to Further and Higher Education, as well as for the duration of their studies.
According to reliable information, Government and lenders are agreed that the Primary Surplus of 2017 will reach 2.8% of GDP, from which 700-800€ million can be distributed to the economically weak and 300-400€ million towards the State Treasury’s debt arrears. At the same time, as announced by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, it is expected that 700,000 people will be included in the Social Solidarity Income programme by the end of the year.
“We had the humanitarian crisis as an absolute priority, which is why we put pressure on the middle class.”
Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos on Thursday defended the Government’s decision to tax middle income earners in a bid to ease the burden on the less well-off. He made it clear the policy had been a necessary evil. “We had the humanitarian crisis as an absolute priority, which is why we put pressure on the middle class,” Minister Tsakalotos told Parliament’s Financial Affairs Committee, echoing the points made a day earlier by his alternate, Giorgos Houliarakis.
Minister Tsakalotos acknowledged that overtaxation “was not the optimum solution” but was the outcome of pressure from the International Monetary Fund, which he said always underestimates the performance of tax measures. “We did not want it – our arm was twisted.”
He went on to refute New Democracy’s claims that over-fulfilment of the Primary Surplus target comes from over-taxing citizens and the non-payment of State arrears. He attributed the increased revenues to the reduction in unemployment and the fight against tax evasion.
At the same time, in his presentation of the draft Budget for 2018, he stressed that the Greek Government bonds are currently enjoying the best performance of the last 7-8 years, pointing out to New Democracy MPs that "the markets constantly prove you wrong".
In response to criticism about the over-fulfilment of the Primary Surplus target and the social dividend, Minister Tsakalotos said he rejected in principle the assertion that the surplus derives from the non-payment of arrears to civil servants, since the debts are registered when they are created, regardless of when they will be repaid by the State. He conceded that the logic of the the over-fulfilment of the Primary Surplus "is not the optimal solution, but due to the tactics of the IMF which always underestimates the performance of tax measures and does not count at all the non-tax measures.
Focusing on the performance of non-tax measures, he pointed to two examples. The 448€ million due to 250,000-270,000 more workers paying more in social security contributions this year, while the corresponding figure for 2018 is expected to be 472€ million.At the same time, the voluntary disclosure programme allowing taxpayers to register undeclared income has delivered 400-450€ million as about 4€ billion has been declared.
Commenting on the performance of the voluntary disclosure programme allowing undeclared income to be registered, Minister Tsakalotos attributed it to fear from the operation of the software for cross-checking deposits, emphasizing the importance of reforms for the increase in revenue. Citing other examples, he noted the audit of expenditure which yielded 325€ million, the savings from the conclusion of centralised contracts by the Ministries for consumables and services, but also the operation of a single National Insurance Fund, which showed a surplus on what was needed for pensions.
He noted that during his contacts with investors not once was there any complaint about the level of taxation, instead investors were interested in the " rules of the game " being clear and for there to be financial tools for liquidity. He criticized previous New Democracy Governments' strategy of investment only in large projects with cheap money, observing that the NSRF is directed much more towards small and medium-sized enterprises.
"The completion of the Third Assessment will allow us to discuss the conditions of exit from the fiscal adjustment programme"
Speaking to the Athenian-Macedonian News Agency, Ms. Achtsioglou emphasised that the issues are being closed one by one and many of them are being settled at the level of the technical officers.
"The completion of the Third Assessment will allow us to discuss the conditions of exit from the fiscal adjustment programme," said the Minister of Labour, Social Security and Social Solidarity, Efi Achtsioglou.
"From the Government side it is clear that we are working with the aim of completing the Assessment as soon as possible and I estimate that all conditions exist for this to happen. So, the time left until the August 2018, will not just be the last step in a rigorous regime of stewardship, but will also be the period in which will be prepared the first dynamic and decisive step for the future."
As regards the State’s financial data, she stressed that "there is agreement on the over-performance of the 2017 budget and the debate about the social dividend distribution is unfolding, while there is agreement on the basic fiscal dimensions for 2018. "
"Agreement has been reached on arrangements for businesses that owe 20,000-50,000€ in the form of out-of-court settlements. Correspondingly, in the next immediate period, arrangements will start on citizens' debts to the pension funds and the tax office. The arrangements include haircuts of interest charges up to 85% and debt repayments in up to 120 instalments."
"In addition, and despite the scaremongering that has prevailed in the previous period, it has been recognized that a significant volume of outstanding Government arrears to individuals has been cleared, including the payment of thousands of outstanding pensions and on the basis of this, the sub-trance of 800€ million to our country has been approved."
At the same time, as regards widows' pensions, she indicated that it had been agreed to establish a minimum threshold at 384€ euros for the widower or widow and an extra 384€ for children, as well as the granting of access to the children both in the period of preparation for admission to Further and Higher Education, as well as for the duration of their studies.
Greece and China sign agreements to promote economic cooperation
On Thursday in Athens, Greek and Chinese state officials and representatives of major enterprises signed a series of Memoranda of Understanding [MOUs] to promote bilateral economic cooperation in key sectors under the 2017-2019 Greece-China Action Plan.
The plan was sealed in May this year in Beijing during the visit of Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.
"The basis of this cooperation we believe is that Greece's growth strategy fits with China's One Belt, One Road Initiative and the benefits are mutual," Greek Deputy Economy and Development Minister Stergios Pitsiorlas said welcoming the Chinese delegation.
"Today we have the first tangible results. The signing of a series of agreements and MOUs are the first steps in the implementation of this action plan; therefore we are on the right path," he said.
On his part, Delegation Leader Ning said he is happy to see that the action plan has provided a platform for good collaboration and some initial tangible results have been achieved. He hoped that under the principle of planning together, building together and benefiting together, the two sides can enhance their cooperation on investment, trade, and industrial capacity under the Belt and Road Initiative.
On Thursday, the two sides specified details of cooperation projects included in the three-year action plan, and witnessed the signing of several MOUs which are expected to further boost bilateral ties.
Among them was the signing of an agreement between Shenhua, China's largest coal producer, through its subsidiary for renewable energy sources Shenhua Renewable Co Ltd and Copelouzos Group, one of the largest investment groups in Greece, for the acquisition of 75% of the shares of four wind parks developed by the Greek company.
In addition, a three-party agreement was signed between Shenhua, Copelouzos Group and the Public Power Corporation (PPC), Greece's largest power utility, for Shenhua to become a partner in the joint company of PPC and Copelouzos Group, PPC Solar Solutions.
ADMIE, Greece's power transmission operator, also signed an MOU with the China Development Bank, following the acquisition earlier this year of a minority stake in the company by China's State Grid.
ADMIE Chairman and CEO Manos Manoussakis said that cooperation with the Chinese side so far has been excellent - the efficiency of ADMIE has already improved and subsequently the company is seeking deeper collaboration with Chinese partners.
"Today we signed a very important Memorandum of Understanding with the China Development Bank in order to explore the possibilities for financing our new projects and our company's working capital," CEO Manoussakis said.
"Ahead of us, there are great projects for interconnection between the mainland of Greece and the Greek islands, and also international interconnection projects in the Mediterranean area," he added.
On Thursday in Athens, Greek and Chinese state officials and representatives of major enterprises signed a series of Memoranda of Understanding [MOUs] to promote bilateral economic cooperation in key sectors under the 2017-2019 Greece-China Action Plan.
The plan was sealed in May this year in Beijing during the visit of Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.
"The basis of this cooperation we believe is that Greece's growth strategy fits with China's One Belt, One Road Initiative and the benefits are mutual," Greek Deputy Economy and Development Minister Stergios Pitsiorlas said welcoming the Chinese delegation.
"Today we have the first tangible results. The signing of a series of agreements and MOUs are the first steps in the implementation of this action plan; therefore we are on the right path," he said.
On his part, Delegation Leader Ning said he is happy to see that the action plan has provided a platform for good collaboration and some initial tangible results have been achieved. He hoped that under the principle of planning together, building together and benefiting together, the two sides can enhance their cooperation on investment, trade, and industrial capacity under the Belt and Road Initiative.
On Thursday, the two sides specified details of cooperation projects included in the three-year action plan, and witnessed the signing of several MOUs which are expected to further boost bilateral ties.
Among them was the signing of an agreement between Shenhua, China's largest coal producer, through its subsidiary for renewable energy sources Shenhua Renewable Co Ltd and Copelouzos Group, one of the largest investment groups in Greece, for the acquisition of 75% of the shares of four wind parks developed by the Greek company.
In addition, a three-party agreement was signed between Shenhua, Copelouzos Group and the Public Power Corporation (PPC), Greece's largest power utility, for Shenhua to become a partner in the joint company of PPC and Copelouzos Group, PPC Solar Solutions.
ADMIE, Greece's power transmission operator, also signed an MOU with the China Development Bank, following the acquisition earlier this year of a minority stake in the company by China's State Grid.
ADMIE Chairman and CEO Manos Manoussakis said that cooperation with the Chinese side so far has been excellent - the efficiency of ADMIE has already improved and subsequently the company is seeking deeper collaboration with Chinese partners.
"Today we signed a very important Memorandum of Understanding with the China Development Bank in order to explore the possibilities for financing our new projects and our company's working capital," CEO Manoussakis said.
"Ahead of us, there are great projects for interconnection between the mainland of Greece and the Greek islands, and also international interconnection projects in the Mediterranean area," he added.
Action on Illegal Landfill
The Greek state is to force Municipalities and Regional Prefectures to shut down some 41 landfills that are still operating illegally across the country and to find alternative ways to manage waste.
Municipalities and Regions will be called upon to share the burden of the fines, totalling 37.1€ million, imposed on Greece by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in December 2014 over dozens of illegal landfills.
Greece had been ordered by the court to pay a lump sum of 10€ million and a further penalty of 14.5€ million for every six-month period that it failed to comply with the demand to shut down the landfills.
Of the 41 illegal landfills operating today, 21 of them had been shut down and then reopened – 17 of the latter are in the Peloponnese.
The wheels were set in motion in February when the Environment Ministry issued a list outlining what share of the fines each Municipality or Region had to pay. The list was then sent in September to the Interior Ministry, which approved it a few days ago. The amount of money each Municipality or Prefecture will have to pay will be deducted from the amount of state funding they receive.
According to the list, the fines will apply to all municipalities or regions that were operating illegal landfills at the time the ECJ imposed the fines on Greece. The maximum amount a Municipality will have to pay is 320,000€ for each illegal landfill it operates.
TV Licences…
A Government Bill paving the way for a new tendering process for the granting of private television licenses was approved in Parliament on Wednesday. The auction will be overseen by the National Broadcasting Council, the industry’s independent regulator, and will take place by the end of the year, Digital Policy Minister Nikos Pappas told the House before the vote.
A Government-organised auction for TV licenses last year was revoked by the Greek Supreme Court.
The Greek state is to force Municipalities and Regional Prefectures to shut down some 41 landfills that are still operating illegally across the country and to find alternative ways to manage waste.
Municipalities and Regions will be called upon to share the burden of the fines, totalling 37.1€ million, imposed on Greece by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in December 2014 over dozens of illegal landfills.
Greece had been ordered by the court to pay a lump sum of 10€ million and a further penalty of 14.5€ million for every six-month period that it failed to comply with the demand to shut down the landfills.
Of the 41 illegal landfills operating today, 21 of them had been shut down and then reopened – 17 of the latter are in the Peloponnese.
The wheels were set in motion in February when the Environment Ministry issued a list outlining what share of the fines each Municipality or Region had to pay. The list was then sent in September to the Interior Ministry, which approved it a few days ago. The amount of money each Municipality or Prefecture will have to pay will be deducted from the amount of state funding they receive.
According to the list, the fines will apply to all municipalities or regions that were operating illegal landfills at the time the ECJ imposed the fines on Greece. The maximum amount a Municipality will have to pay is 320,000€ for each illegal landfill it operates.
TV Licences…
A Government Bill paving the way for a new tendering process for the granting of private television licenses was approved in Parliament on Wednesday. The auction will be overseen by the National Broadcasting Council, the industry’s independent regulator, and will take place by the end of the year, Digital Policy Minister Nikos Pappas told the House before the vote.
A Government-organised auction for TV licenses last year was revoked by the Greek Supreme Court.
“Οχι!” Day: Prime Minister Tsipras’ message
"We are commemorating today the epic of 1940 - all those who, between Greece and their lives, chose Greece. And who showed in the mountains of Albania, in the towns and villages of the homeland, what it means to understand freedom from the terrible cutting of the sword" said PM Tsipras in his message to mark the anniversary of 28th October.
"With its battle against Fascism and Nazism and the sky-high onslaught of our National Resistance, the Greek people showed its love for freedom, its timeless desire to live in dignity and to manage its own affairs.
Nothing has been forgotten, no one has been forgotten. No sacrifice has gone to waste.
Today the country, after a period of darkness, crisis and stewardship, can look optimistically towards tomorrow. Our people have proved in recent difficult years that it has both the courage, and the capabilities, and the historical burden, to stand upright in the face of tempests.
We are not just hoping for a better future. We are building it step by step, in terms of freedom, solidarity, Democracy, social justice. We are certain that, as then, so now, nothing is going to be handed to us.
The future is in our own hands. And no one can take it from us."
"We are commemorating today the epic of 1940 - all those who, between Greece and their lives, chose Greece. And who showed in the mountains of Albania, in the towns and villages of the homeland, what it means to understand freedom from the terrible cutting of the sword" said PM Tsipras in his message to mark the anniversary of 28th October.
"With its battle against Fascism and Nazism and the sky-high onslaught of our National Resistance, the Greek people showed its love for freedom, its timeless desire to live in dignity and to manage its own affairs.
Nothing has been forgotten, no one has been forgotten. No sacrifice has gone to waste.
Today the country, after a period of darkness, crisis and stewardship, can look optimistically towards tomorrow. Our people have proved in recent difficult years that it has both the courage, and the capabilities, and the historical burden, to stand upright in the face of tempests.
We are not just hoping for a better future. We are building it step by step, in terms of freedom, solidarity, Democracy, social justice. We are certain that, as then, so now, nothing is going to be handed to us.
The future is in our own hands. And no one can take it from us."
Όχι Day
Remembered and Celebrated
28.10.2017
At 3 a.m. on the morning of October 28th, 1940, Emanuele Grazzi, the Italian Αmbassador to Greece, delivered an ultimatum from Benito Mussolini to Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas, demanding that Greece allow the Italian army free unopposed passage to enter and occupy strategic military sites in Greece.
Faced with this demand, Metaxas delivered an unequivocal response in French, the diplomatic language of the day, “Alors, c’est la guerre.” This brief phrase, “Then, it is war,” quickly became “Οχι”.
At 5:30 a.m., the Italian army crossed the Greek-Albanian border into the mountainous Pindos region of Northern Greece. There they met fierce and unexpected resistance.
Despite Greece’s ultimate fall to Axis powers, PM Metaxas’ response resulted in a fatal diversion and delay for the Axis powers in general and the German army specifically. British military historian Sir John Keegan describes the Battle of Greece as “decisive in determining the future course of the Second World War.”
Faced with this demand, Metaxas delivered an unequivocal response in French, the diplomatic language of the day, “Alors, c’est la guerre.” This brief phrase, “Then, it is war,” quickly became “Οχι”.
At 5:30 a.m., the Italian army crossed the Greek-Albanian border into the mountainous Pindos region of Northern Greece. There they met fierce and unexpected resistance.
Despite Greece’s ultimate fall to Axis powers, PM Metaxas’ response resulted in a fatal diversion and delay for the Axis powers in general and the German army specifically. British military historian Sir John Keegan describes the Battle of Greece as “decisive in determining the future course of the Second World War.”
PM Tsipras in Ioannina
"We have to reverse all the negative dynamics, all the pathologies that have weighed down the Region of Epirus up until now.",
Focusing on exploiting the comparative advantages of the Region of Epirus, the Prime Minister presented planned actions in specific sectors as well as the financial tools that will be used in order to address accumulated decades of pathologies that have left a heavy stigma on the region.
From the platform of the Regional Conference in Ioannina, Alexis Tsipras stressed that the objective of the development being pursued by the Government is to reverse all the negative dynamics which have weighed down the Region of Epirus up until now - an economic development with growth in output and employment, with the reconstruction of the Welfare State, and with the shaping of a sustainable environment.
The Prime Minister pointed out that the main driver of growth in the region is agricultural production - farming and animal husbandry - based on solid pillars which go beyond the structural weaknesses in these sectors with, as a priority, the fastest possible rationalisation of agricultural subsidies and the removal of injustices in their distribution.
Through cooperatives, the generation of agricultural products on a large scale will be achieved in order to create competitiveness and opportunities for exports and this effort will be strengthened by the development of research and innovation in the region and the support of new scientists. As regards livestock, the Prime Minister described the financial tools to support the sector (The Public Investment Programme, ESPA and the Law of Development) with specific targetting on the agricultural sector, manufacturing, tourism and the knowledge-based economy.
Special reference was made by the Prime Minister to the exploration for hydrocarbons in the region while he also referred to the issue of supplying the towns in the region with gas and he put forward the possibilities of Alternative Energy Sources, especially geothermal, biomass and biogas which are to be linked to the primary sector.
Finally the Prime Minister's speech contained these important elements:
1. Large infrastructure projects such as road works (the recently delivered the Ionia Road) and works in the port of Igoumenitsa.
2. The support for Research and the connecting up of the University and the Technological Educational Institute [TEI] to local production activity.
3. Environmental issues such as water management, with an emphasis on the Amvrakikos Gulf and Lake Pamvotis.
4. The development of tourism in the region always in conjunction with the natural environment and cultural heritage.
"We have to reverse all the negative dynamics, all the pathologies that have weighed down the Region of Epirus up until now.",
Focusing on exploiting the comparative advantages of the Region of Epirus, the Prime Minister presented planned actions in specific sectors as well as the financial tools that will be used in order to address accumulated decades of pathologies that have left a heavy stigma on the region.
From the platform of the Regional Conference in Ioannina, Alexis Tsipras stressed that the objective of the development being pursued by the Government is to reverse all the negative dynamics which have weighed down the Region of Epirus up until now - an economic development with growth in output and employment, with the reconstruction of the Welfare State, and with the shaping of a sustainable environment.
The Prime Minister pointed out that the main driver of growth in the region is agricultural production - farming and animal husbandry - based on solid pillars which go beyond the structural weaknesses in these sectors with, as a priority, the fastest possible rationalisation of agricultural subsidies and the removal of injustices in their distribution.
Through cooperatives, the generation of agricultural products on a large scale will be achieved in order to create competitiveness and opportunities for exports and this effort will be strengthened by the development of research and innovation in the region and the support of new scientists. As regards livestock, the Prime Minister described the financial tools to support the sector (The Public Investment Programme, ESPA and the Law of Development) with specific targetting on the agricultural sector, manufacturing, tourism and the knowledge-based economy.
Special reference was made by the Prime Minister to the exploration for hydrocarbons in the region while he also referred to the issue of supplying the towns in the region with gas and he put forward the possibilities of Alternative Energy Sources, especially geothermal, biomass and biogas which are to be linked to the primary sector.
Finally the Prime Minister's speech contained these important elements:
1. Large infrastructure projects such as road works (the recently delivered the Ionia Road) and works in the port of Igoumenitsa.
2. The support for Research and the connecting up of the University and the Technological Educational Institute [TEI] to local production activity.
3. Environmental issues such as water management, with an emphasis on the Amvrakikos Gulf and Lake Pamvotis.
4. The development of tourism in the region always in conjunction with the natural environment and cultural heritage.
Finance Minister Tsakalotos in Ioannina
"The [Third]Assessment will be concluded and we will be ready by the end of it to create the conditions for a clean exit from the programme in August 2018" underlined Euclid Tsakalotos closing the first day’s work of the regional conference in Ioannina.
"Forget what you read in the newspapers," he said, contradicting the "doom and gloom" and he stressed that the Third Assessment will be concluded, new measures will not be imposed while the funds that are due will be disbursed. The Finance Minister explained that "very significant discussions" will follow the conclusion of the Assessment. "We did not accept the agreement in May because the IMF was saying that the debt is not sustainable, while it set out that the long-term primary surplus should be at least 2%. There was no 'sheet anchor' in the debate on the debt." "With the new wording of June - more than, but close to 2% - have this anchor," he noted, pointing out that "we know from this that the restructuring [of the debt] is on the table ".
"We all want a clean exit." "My goal is by August 2018 to be the least significant Minister in the Government." "My job is of indirect importance to the society". "The real work is education, hospitals, the rights, growth." "We have hit hard the small and medium-sized enterprises and the self-employed" with the level of taxation. Taxes were imposed to avoid cutting pensions and to make money available for growth, health, education. "In the medium-term of the next five years there will be 3.5€ billion for tax relief." He stated the Government's determination to restructure the tax burden and to combat tax evasion and smuggling.
"Again this year we will have the social dividend," he said, noting however that he still does not know the exact amount and where it will go. Among other things, he stressed the need for a new framework with new tools, emphasizing the role of Development Bank but also of cooperative enterprises.
"The [Third]Assessment will be concluded and we will be ready by the end of it to create the conditions for a clean exit from the programme in August 2018" underlined Euclid Tsakalotos closing the first day’s work of the regional conference in Ioannina.
"Forget what you read in the newspapers," he said, contradicting the "doom and gloom" and he stressed that the Third Assessment will be concluded, new measures will not be imposed while the funds that are due will be disbursed. The Finance Minister explained that "very significant discussions" will follow the conclusion of the Assessment. "We did not accept the agreement in May because the IMF was saying that the debt is not sustainable, while it set out that the long-term primary surplus should be at least 2%. There was no 'sheet anchor' in the debate on the debt." "With the new wording of June - more than, but close to 2% - have this anchor," he noted, pointing out that "we know from this that the restructuring [of the debt] is on the table ".
"We all want a clean exit." "My goal is by August 2018 to be the least significant Minister in the Government." "My job is of indirect importance to the society". "The real work is education, hospitals, the rights, growth." "We have hit hard the small and medium-sized enterprises and the self-employed" with the level of taxation. Taxes were imposed to avoid cutting pensions and to make money available for growth, health, education. "In the medium-term of the next five years there will be 3.5€ billion for tax relief." He stated the Government's determination to restructure the tax burden and to combat tax evasion and smuggling.
"Again this year we will have the social dividend," he said, noting however that he still does not know the exact amount and where it will go. Among other things, he stressed the need for a new framework with new tools, emphasizing the role of Development Bank but also of cooperative enterprises.
The Third Assessment of the Bailout Programme
The first meeting between Greek Government officials and the creditor institutions’ mission representatives took place in “a positive climate” on Monday.
According to Government sources, there was agreement on the fact that Greece has surpassed the agreed primary surplus target for 2017, as well as the target for the repayment of State arrears to individuals and businesses.
The European Stability Mechanism (ESM) Board met on Thursday [October 26th] and authorised the release of €0.8 billion [outstanding from the Second Assessment] to Greece for the clearance of arrears. This is the remaining amount of the third tranche of ESM financial assistance, approved on 7 July 2017. ESM Managing Director Klaus Regling said: “I am satisfied to note the Greek government’s continued commitment to clear arrears. The amount of arrears reduced in recent months means that Greece has overperformed the target set in the programme, and this should have a positive impact on the country’s economy. I hope our good cooperation with the Greek Government continues, so that the Third Assessment of the ESM programme can be completed in a timely manner.”
ESM Positive
"At the end of the Programme, next summer, we will look again at how sustainable the debt is."
If Greece does what the bailout programme says, the other members of the Eurozone will be ready, if necessary, to do more about the management of the Greek debt, declared Jeroen Dijsselbloem, President of the Eurogroup.
The EU Commissioner for Economic Affairs, Pierre Moscovici spoke about the phenomenal recovery of Greece’s public finances. Referring to the latest Eurostat figures, he said: "The current figures of Eurostat have confirmed the unprecedented recovery of Greek public financial data compared to 2009. This achievement is due to the determination of the Greek people who have made huge sacrifices to restore stability and to keep Greece within the euro. The European Commission has recognised these efforts, earlier this year, proposing Greece’s exit from the excessive deficit procedure."
The first meeting between Greek Government officials and the creditor institutions’ mission representatives took place in “a positive climate” on Monday.
According to Government sources, there was agreement on the fact that Greece has surpassed the agreed primary surplus target for 2017, as well as the target for the repayment of State arrears to individuals and businesses.
The European Stability Mechanism (ESM) Board met on Thursday [October 26th] and authorised the release of €0.8 billion [outstanding from the Second Assessment] to Greece for the clearance of arrears. This is the remaining amount of the third tranche of ESM financial assistance, approved on 7 July 2017. ESM Managing Director Klaus Regling said: “I am satisfied to note the Greek government’s continued commitment to clear arrears. The amount of arrears reduced in recent months means that Greece has overperformed the target set in the programme, and this should have a positive impact on the country’s economy. I hope our good cooperation with the Greek Government continues, so that the Third Assessment of the ESM programme can be completed in a timely manner.”
ESM Positive
"At the end of the Programme, next summer, we will look again at how sustainable the debt is."
If Greece does what the bailout programme says, the other members of the Eurozone will be ready, if necessary, to do more about the management of the Greek debt, declared Jeroen Dijsselbloem, President of the Eurogroup.
The EU Commissioner for Economic Affairs, Pierre Moscovici spoke about the phenomenal recovery of Greece’s public finances. Referring to the latest Eurostat figures, he said: "The current figures of Eurostat have confirmed the unprecedented recovery of Greek public financial data compared to 2009. This achievement is due to the determination of the Greek people who have made huge sacrifices to restore stability and to keep Greece within the euro. The European Commission has recognised these efforts, earlier this year, proposing Greece’s exit from the excessive deficit procedure."
"Greece is back!"
21.10.2017
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras visited the United States of America this week. We report on some of the highlights.
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in Chicago
In Chicago last Saturday, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras told members of the Greek American business community that Greece is finally emerging from its protracted financial crisis and is ready to attract foreign investors. He said "Greece is back!" and reiterated his Government’s commitment to attracting foreign investors. He added that changes that have been made to the country’s legal framework will make it easier to invest.
"I can say with certainty that "Greece is back", Greece " said Alexis Tsipras, at the reception hosted by the Consulate General of Greece in Chicago in the Prime Minister’s honour at the National Hellenic Museum.
He insisted that he is a champion of foreign investments and emphasised that he is personally leading the special task force that has been set up to attract them.
PM Tsipras also praised the role and the contribution of the Greek community in the USA, which he described as the basis on which Greek-American relations have historically been built.
In a tweet, he said that "Greeks abroad are our strongest link with the USA and the most important ambassadors of our country."
The Prime Minister, addressing the Greek-American Diaspora in Chicago, said:
"Especially now when Greece is emerging from the crisis, now that Greece is back, we need your help, and I believe that this power of the Diaspora, both economically and politically, will be a driving force in our own effort to make Greece powerful, strong and self-reliant again." "The country has been through a great drama over recent years but now it can walk on its own two feet and look with optimism to the future for the coming generations."
Following his tour of the Greek Museum, the Prime Minister said that "as Greeks we know to cherish our history, not just because we believe in honouring our glorious past, but also because we dare to believe that we can make history". PM Tsipras thanked the Greek American community of Chicago, and Mr. and Mrs. Kalamos for the Museum of Hellenism "that beats at the heart of the Greek community" for its promotion of Greek culture, culture, history and heritage of the country.
"These days, we are closing the last chapter and are beginning to write a new one." "The story was dark in the last seven years. For seven years we have lived through a terrible economic crisis with severe social consequences to which has been added the largest migration crisis that Europe has seen since World War II, which arrived at our doorstep."
"The Greek citizens were equal to the challenge, they made sacrifices, they resisted the lenders when needed and finally changed things for the better."
"Today, we stand strong again. Our economy is recovering and growing. Our borders are secure. More and more, day by day, our diplomacy is gaining in strength and reach,. I can say with certainty that Greece is back."
The Prime Minister explained that when he says that Greece is back, he does not mean back to the past that led Greece into the crisis. "We are leaving behind not just the crisis, but the model that led us to it." "We are strengthening our geostrategic position as a pillar of stability, security and cooperation in our region." He underlined in particular that "Greece is a reliable ally of the U.S.A. in one of the most important and at the same time volatile regions in the world; it is a country with an energetic and multifaceted foreign policy in the region and beyond, a country that is resolute, when necessary, in the face of threats to our sovereign rights. Greece is back". He emphasized that "as the support of the U.S.A. was crucial for us to cope with the crisis, the support of the U.S.A. is also necessary for us to get through it once and for all".
Therefore, he said, addressing himself to the Diaspora, your support is critical in attracting investment to Greece and promoting its interests in the region.
Alexis Tsipras said he was proud to be the first Greek Prime Minister to visit Chicago, "a city that keeps the flame of Hellenism alight." " The Greeks of the Diaspora may have left the ancestral land to make a better life, but they have never forgotten their homeland.
"We have a lot of work ahead of us and a great struggle, but we are determined to continue it together and achieve the best possible success."
PM Tsipras at the IMF
The Director General of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Christine Lagarde met PM Alexis Tsipras on Monday in Washington to discuss recent developments in Greece and key issues ahead.
The decisive implementation of Greece’s adjustment programme along with debt relief is important in leading the country out of the crisis, DG Lagarde said.
PM Tsipras noted that Greece has turned a page after years of stagnation and that the efforts of its people are starting to pay off. He said that it is in everyone’s interest to wrap up the Third Programme Assessment as quickly as possible.
The completion of the Assessment will allow the Greek economy to maintain its upward trend, he continued, noting that the IMF will play an important role.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the IMF’s Managing Director released the following statement:
“I was very pleased to welcome Prime Minister Tsipras to the IMF today. I complimented him and the Greek people on the notable progress Greece has achieved in the implementation of difficult policies, including recent pension and income tax reforms. We had an excellent and productive meeting.
“The IMF recently approved in principle a new arrangement to support Greece’s policy programme. Resolute implementation of this programme, together with an agreement with Greece’s European partners on debt relief, are essential to support Greece’s return to sustainable growth and a successful exit from official financing next year. The Prime Minister and I are committed to working together towards this goal.”
In Chicago last Saturday, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras told members of the Greek American business community that Greece is finally emerging from its protracted financial crisis and is ready to attract foreign investors. He said "Greece is back!" and reiterated his Government’s commitment to attracting foreign investors. He added that changes that have been made to the country’s legal framework will make it easier to invest.
"I can say with certainty that "Greece is back", Greece " said Alexis Tsipras, at the reception hosted by the Consulate General of Greece in Chicago in the Prime Minister’s honour at the National Hellenic Museum.
He insisted that he is a champion of foreign investments and emphasised that he is personally leading the special task force that has been set up to attract them.
PM Tsipras also praised the role and the contribution of the Greek community in the USA, which he described as the basis on which Greek-American relations have historically been built.
In a tweet, he said that "Greeks abroad are our strongest link with the USA and the most important ambassadors of our country."
The Prime Minister, addressing the Greek-American Diaspora in Chicago, said:
"Especially now when Greece is emerging from the crisis, now that Greece is back, we need your help, and I believe that this power of the Diaspora, both economically and politically, will be a driving force in our own effort to make Greece powerful, strong and self-reliant again." "The country has been through a great drama over recent years but now it can walk on its own two feet and look with optimism to the future for the coming generations."
Following his tour of the Greek Museum, the Prime Minister said that "as Greeks we know to cherish our history, not just because we believe in honouring our glorious past, but also because we dare to believe that we can make history". PM Tsipras thanked the Greek American community of Chicago, and Mr. and Mrs. Kalamos for the Museum of Hellenism "that beats at the heart of the Greek community" for its promotion of Greek culture, culture, history and heritage of the country.
"These days, we are closing the last chapter and are beginning to write a new one." "The story was dark in the last seven years. For seven years we have lived through a terrible economic crisis with severe social consequences to which has been added the largest migration crisis that Europe has seen since World War II, which arrived at our doorstep."
"The Greek citizens were equal to the challenge, they made sacrifices, they resisted the lenders when needed and finally changed things for the better."
"Today, we stand strong again. Our economy is recovering and growing. Our borders are secure. More and more, day by day, our diplomacy is gaining in strength and reach,. I can say with certainty that Greece is back."
The Prime Minister explained that when he says that Greece is back, he does not mean back to the past that led Greece into the crisis. "We are leaving behind not just the crisis, but the model that led us to it." "We are strengthening our geostrategic position as a pillar of stability, security and cooperation in our region." He underlined in particular that "Greece is a reliable ally of the U.S.A. in one of the most important and at the same time volatile regions in the world; it is a country with an energetic and multifaceted foreign policy in the region and beyond, a country that is resolute, when necessary, in the face of threats to our sovereign rights. Greece is back". He emphasized that "as the support of the U.S.A. was crucial for us to cope with the crisis, the support of the U.S.A. is also necessary for us to get through it once and for all".
Therefore, he said, addressing himself to the Diaspora, your support is critical in attracting investment to Greece and promoting its interests in the region.
Alexis Tsipras said he was proud to be the first Greek Prime Minister to visit Chicago, "a city that keeps the flame of Hellenism alight." " The Greeks of the Diaspora may have left the ancestral land to make a better life, but they have never forgotten their homeland.
"We have a lot of work ahead of us and a great struggle, but we are determined to continue it together and achieve the best possible success."
PM Tsipras at the IMF
The Director General of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Christine Lagarde met PM Alexis Tsipras on Monday in Washington to discuss recent developments in Greece and key issues ahead.
The decisive implementation of Greece’s adjustment programme along with debt relief is important in leading the country out of the crisis, DG Lagarde said.
PM Tsipras noted that Greece has turned a page after years of stagnation and that the efforts of its people are starting to pay off. He said that it is in everyone’s interest to wrap up the Third Programme Assessment as quickly as possible.
The completion of the Assessment will allow the Greek economy to maintain its upward trend, he continued, noting that the IMF will play an important role.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the IMF’s Managing Director released the following statement:
“I was very pleased to welcome Prime Minister Tsipras to the IMF today. I complimented him and the Greek people on the notable progress Greece has achieved in the implementation of difficult policies, including recent pension and income tax reforms. We had an excellent and productive meeting.
“The IMF recently approved in principle a new arrangement to support Greece’s policy programme. Resolute implementation of this programme, together with an agreement with Greece’s European partners on debt relief, are essential to support Greece’s return to sustainable growth and a successful exit from official financing next year. The Prime Minister and I are committed to working together towards this goal.”
and at the White House
In a Joint Press Conference with US President Trump, on Tuesday, held in the Rose Garden of the White House, Prime Minister Tsipras made these remarks.
“I would like to warmly thank the President of the United States for his hospitality and for these very productive discussions we had today.
The friendship between our two countries is very strong, and it is based on our common democratic principles, on the values that we jointly share as peoples.
It is correct that the founders of the United States were inspired by Ancient Greece, and the Greek revolution was inspired by the American revolution for independence. At the same time, our relationship is also based on a very dynamic diaspora of Greek people here in the U.S.A.
As we underlined earlier, the Greek-U.S. relationships may be at their best compared to the past since the Second World War when our peoples worked together and fought together shoulder-to-shoulder against fascism. And I do believe that there are many reasons for this.
Today, our strategy is based on mutual respect, and it is fed by the significant support provided by the U.S.A. to Greece and to the Greek people during the hard times of the economic crisis, support for the exit of Greece from the crisis. And at this point, I would like to just focus a bit.
Greece today fulfills three basic objectives which do not only relate to Greece, but I would say that are of special significance at an international level.
First, it is dynamic coming out of the crisis, noting excellent growth rates, and it is beginning to attract investment and increase its exports, as we also see from the Greek-U.S.A. balance of trade. And it is leaving behind not only a crisis, but it’s leaving behind the economic model that led to the crisis.
Second, Greece today is the most significant pillar of cooperation in security in one of the most important but, at the same time, unstable and sensitive areas of the planet: a country with a dynamic, multi-dimensional foreign policy; a country which is a reliable partner and ally of the United States, which fulfills its NATO obligations. And it is in close cooperation in the defence sector with the United States. It is a country which maintains a dialogue with Turkey despite the difficulties that we face and the challenges, but knowing the very important European course of Turkey.
It is a country, also, that promotes cooperation with the Middle East and the Balkans, which contributes to the security and the growth of the area.
And third, Greece, being already pretty strong in maritime and tourism, is gradually becoming a significant crossroads for transportation and energy. I would like to mention the completion of the TAP pipeline and the EastMed pipeline.
And I would like to mention our ports from Athens and Thessaloniki, and the promotion of strong and fast rail connections with the rest of the Balkans. And in this context, it is very clear that our strategic cooperation with the United States is becoming more important than ever.
First of all, we look forward – and we are looking forward -- and this is a significant message of my visit here and my meeting with economic representatives -- we are looking forward to attracting U.S.A. investments and more substantive support from the U.S.A. in our effort to exit this terrible crisis.
The fact that the United States will be the honoured country in 2018 at the International Fair of Thessaloniki will play a significant role in this effort.
Second, because Greece can develop dynamically in creating a pillar of stability and security only if it is freed from the fundamental national concerns in the areas of security and defence.
The United States of America has a significant role to play in this matter, not only in the diplomatic but also in the area of defence. And we look forward, in this context, to the fair and viable solution in this specific issue of Cyprus based on the decisions of the U.N. Security Council, a solution for the benefit of all Cypriots without guarantors or occupying military forces that will give a new perspective to the region. But at the same time, we are stressing that the dangerous intervention-type presence of Turkey in the Aegean must end. It undermines on a daily basis the relationship between two NATO allies in the broader unstable and sensitive area.
Greece is a country that is always open to dialogue, but I want to be very clear: It will always protect decisively its sovereignty against illicit claims and disputes.
And with these thoughts, I would like to warmly thank President Trump for the wonderful discussions we held, which I believe will give a very substantial push to the existing dynamic cooperation. And we have created a work group between the Ministers of economy, the Secretaries for the economy so we can monitor our ability to have a substantial cooperation in investment, in economy, and in all sectors.”
Poverty in the European Union
In 2016, more than a third of the population was at risk of poverty or social exclusion in Bulgaria (40.4%), Romania (38.8%) and Greece (35.6%), according to Eurostat.
The at-risk-of-poverty or social exclusion rate has grown from 2008 in ten member-states, with the highest increases being recorded in Greece (from 28.1% in 2008 to 35.6% in 2016). Specifically, in Greece in 2016, 35.6% of the population (3.8 million people) were faced with the risk of poverty or social exclusion compared to 28.1% in 2008. In the EU the figure fell to 23.4% 2016 (117.5 million people), down from 2008 levels (23.7%).
The reduction in the number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion in the EU is one of the key objectives of the strategy "Europe 2020".
Persons at-risk-of-poverty are those living in a household with a disposable income below the risk-of-poverty threshold, which is set at 60% of the national median disposable income (after social transfers).
17.2% of the EU population in 2016 were at risk of poverty after social transfers, meaning that their disposable income was below their national at-risk-of-poverty threshold.
In the EU in 2016, 7.5% of the population were severely materially deprived, meaning that they had living conditions constrained by a lack of resources such as not being able to afford to pay their bills, keep their home adequately warm, or take a one week holiday away from home.
This proportion of persons severely materially deprived in the EU has decreased compared with both 2015 (8.1%) and 2008 (8.5%).
Tackling Tax and National Insurance Violations
Tax and National Insurance law violations have been detected in 165 shops and businesses in popular tourist destinations during the summer season. In 17 of these, the procedure for a 48-hour suspension of their operation was applied.
The checks were carried out for the period from 1st June to 31st August, by the Financial Police Directorate and the Financial Police Department of northern Greece, in healthcare shops on Zakynthos, Mykonos, Santorini, Corfu, Paros, Crete, Thasos, Skiathos and in the wider region of the Prefectures of Attica, Thessaloniki, Chalkidiki, Argolis, Korinth, Messinia, Preveza, Thesprotia, Pieria, Kavala, Magnesia and Serres.
In Northern Greece and specifically in Thessaloniki checks were made in 23 shops. Infringements were confirmed in 22 of them, while in three of them the 48 hour suspension of operation was imposed. In Kavala and Thasos 10 inspections took place, in nine offences were identified and in three the 48 hour suspension was imposed. In Halkidiki of the 10 shops checked six violations were identified. In Pieria (Katerini, Leptokaryá) five checks and five infringements, in Volos and Skiathos 11 checks in shops found ten offences, at Serres two checks, one violation.
In Corfu nine checks and six breaches, in Zakynthos 56 checks and 32 offences, in Mykonos 26 and 15 offences, in Santorini 12 checks and 7 violations, in Crete 30 checks, 14 infringements and on Paros 11 checks and two offences.
In Attica in 19 shops 10 violations were identified, and one 48 hour suspension of operation was imposed, In Corinth (Loutraki, Kiato, Vrahati) nine checks and five infringements, in Argolis (Nafplio and Tolon among others) 12 checks and four offences, in Messinia ( Kalamata, Kardamili, Stupa etc.) there were 16 checks and 10 violations, in Sivota Thesprotia two checks and two infringements and in Parga five checks, five violations.
In a Joint Press Conference with US President Trump, on Tuesday, held in the Rose Garden of the White House, Prime Minister Tsipras made these remarks.
“I would like to warmly thank the President of the United States for his hospitality and for these very productive discussions we had today.
The friendship between our two countries is very strong, and it is based on our common democratic principles, on the values that we jointly share as peoples.
It is correct that the founders of the United States were inspired by Ancient Greece, and the Greek revolution was inspired by the American revolution for independence. At the same time, our relationship is also based on a very dynamic diaspora of Greek people here in the U.S.A.
As we underlined earlier, the Greek-U.S. relationships may be at their best compared to the past since the Second World War when our peoples worked together and fought together shoulder-to-shoulder against fascism. And I do believe that there are many reasons for this.
Today, our strategy is based on mutual respect, and it is fed by the significant support provided by the U.S.A. to Greece and to the Greek people during the hard times of the economic crisis, support for the exit of Greece from the crisis. And at this point, I would like to just focus a bit.
Greece today fulfills three basic objectives which do not only relate to Greece, but I would say that are of special significance at an international level.
First, it is dynamic coming out of the crisis, noting excellent growth rates, and it is beginning to attract investment and increase its exports, as we also see from the Greek-U.S.A. balance of trade. And it is leaving behind not only a crisis, but it’s leaving behind the economic model that led to the crisis.
Second, Greece today is the most significant pillar of cooperation in security in one of the most important but, at the same time, unstable and sensitive areas of the planet: a country with a dynamic, multi-dimensional foreign policy; a country which is a reliable partner and ally of the United States, which fulfills its NATO obligations. And it is in close cooperation in the defence sector with the United States. It is a country which maintains a dialogue with Turkey despite the difficulties that we face and the challenges, but knowing the very important European course of Turkey.
It is a country, also, that promotes cooperation with the Middle East and the Balkans, which contributes to the security and the growth of the area.
And third, Greece, being already pretty strong in maritime and tourism, is gradually becoming a significant crossroads for transportation and energy. I would like to mention the completion of the TAP pipeline and the EastMed pipeline.
And I would like to mention our ports from Athens and Thessaloniki, and the promotion of strong and fast rail connections with the rest of the Balkans. And in this context, it is very clear that our strategic cooperation with the United States is becoming more important than ever.
First of all, we look forward – and we are looking forward -- and this is a significant message of my visit here and my meeting with economic representatives -- we are looking forward to attracting U.S.A. investments and more substantive support from the U.S.A. in our effort to exit this terrible crisis.
The fact that the United States will be the honoured country in 2018 at the International Fair of Thessaloniki will play a significant role in this effort.
Second, because Greece can develop dynamically in creating a pillar of stability and security only if it is freed from the fundamental national concerns in the areas of security and defence.
The United States of America has a significant role to play in this matter, not only in the diplomatic but also in the area of defence. And we look forward, in this context, to the fair and viable solution in this specific issue of Cyprus based on the decisions of the U.N. Security Council, a solution for the benefit of all Cypriots without guarantors or occupying military forces that will give a new perspective to the region. But at the same time, we are stressing that the dangerous intervention-type presence of Turkey in the Aegean must end. It undermines on a daily basis the relationship between two NATO allies in the broader unstable and sensitive area.
Greece is a country that is always open to dialogue, but I want to be very clear: It will always protect decisively its sovereignty against illicit claims and disputes.
And with these thoughts, I would like to warmly thank President Trump for the wonderful discussions we held, which I believe will give a very substantial push to the existing dynamic cooperation. And we have created a work group between the Ministers of economy, the Secretaries for the economy so we can monitor our ability to have a substantial cooperation in investment, in economy, and in all sectors.”
Poverty in the European Union
In 2016, more than a third of the population was at risk of poverty or social exclusion in Bulgaria (40.4%), Romania (38.8%) and Greece (35.6%), according to Eurostat.
The at-risk-of-poverty or social exclusion rate has grown from 2008 in ten member-states, with the highest increases being recorded in Greece (from 28.1% in 2008 to 35.6% in 2016). Specifically, in Greece in 2016, 35.6% of the population (3.8 million people) were faced with the risk of poverty or social exclusion compared to 28.1% in 2008. In the EU the figure fell to 23.4% 2016 (117.5 million people), down from 2008 levels (23.7%).
The reduction in the number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion in the EU is one of the key objectives of the strategy "Europe 2020".
Persons at-risk-of-poverty are those living in a household with a disposable income below the risk-of-poverty threshold, which is set at 60% of the national median disposable income (after social transfers).
17.2% of the EU population in 2016 were at risk of poverty after social transfers, meaning that their disposable income was below their national at-risk-of-poverty threshold.
In the EU in 2016, 7.5% of the population were severely materially deprived, meaning that they had living conditions constrained by a lack of resources such as not being able to afford to pay their bills, keep their home adequately warm, or take a one week holiday away from home.
This proportion of persons severely materially deprived in the EU has decreased compared with both 2015 (8.1%) and 2008 (8.5%).
Tackling Tax and National Insurance Violations
Tax and National Insurance law violations have been detected in 165 shops and businesses in popular tourist destinations during the summer season. In 17 of these, the procedure for a 48-hour suspension of their operation was applied.
The checks were carried out for the period from 1st June to 31st August, by the Financial Police Directorate and the Financial Police Department of northern Greece, in healthcare shops on Zakynthos, Mykonos, Santorini, Corfu, Paros, Crete, Thasos, Skiathos and in the wider region of the Prefectures of Attica, Thessaloniki, Chalkidiki, Argolis, Korinth, Messinia, Preveza, Thesprotia, Pieria, Kavala, Magnesia and Serres.
In Northern Greece and specifically in Thessaloniki checks were made in 23 shops. Infringements were confirmed in 22 of them, while in three of them the 48 hour suspension of operation was imposed. In Kavala and Thasos 10 inspections took place, in nine offences were identified and in three the 48 hour suspension was imposed. In Halkidiki of the 10 shops checked six violations were identified. In Pieria (Katerini, Leptokaryá) five checks and five infringements, in Volos and Skiathos 11 checks in shops found ten offences, at Serres two checks, one violation.
In Corfu nine checks and six breaches, in Zakynthos 56 checks and 32 offences, in Mykonos 26 and 15 offences, in Santorini 12 checks and 7 violations, in Crete 30 checks, 14 infringements and on Paros 11 checks and two offences.
In Attica in 19 shops 10 violations were identified, and one 48 hour suspension of operation was imposed, In Corinth (Loutraki, Kiato, Vrahati) nine checks and five infringements, in Argolis (Nafplio and Tolon among others) 12 checks and four offences, in Messinia ( Kalamata, Kardamili, Stupa etc.) there were 16 checks and 10 violations, in Sivota Thesprotia two checks and two infringements and in Parga five checks, five violations.
Draft Bill on Waste Management
in Parliament
14.10.2017
On Thursday, a draft bill on waste management was submitted to Parliament by the Ministry of Energy and the Environment.
EU law and directives on reuse, recovery, and recycling of waste are incorporated in the bill that will change the existing legislative framework in Greece where more than 80% of waste is still buried. It will also clarify issues relating to the Hellenic Recycling Agency.
The Ministry says that the draft bill aims at transforming the economy with the goal of creating a safer environment. The legislation will amend the basic institutional framework [Law 2939/2001] on the alternative management of packaging and other products, in line with the EU Directive 2015/720/EU, regulating issues concerning the Hellenic Organization for Recycling and other provisions.
According to the Ministry’s explanatory memorandum, the aim of the legislation is to reduce the existing significant evasion of taxes related to waste disposal. 81% of rubbish still goes to landfill.
The organizational role of the Hellenic Organization for Recycling [ΣΕΔ] is essential for the proper functioning of the market and dealing with conflicts of interests. Arrangements are being put in place for the reduction of non-recyclables, the streamlining of recycling costs and the channelling of resources to achieve optimal waste management alternatives."
The draft legislation clarifies the distributor’s responsibility for the implementation of the extended responsibility of the producer, while corresponding criminal and administrative sanctions are to be put in place for infringements of the obligations. At the same time, in line with the provisions of Directive 2015/720/EU, provision is to be introduced for measures to reduce the use of plastic bags.
Special emphasis is given to the separate collection of waste packaging material, so that it is recovered in the cleanest and purest possible form in order to achieve the necessary quality standards in their respective fields of recycling. Separate collection must be organized by both the Hellenic Organization for Recycling [ΣΕΔ] and the Municipalities.
The new provisions enable Municipalities independently to organise the alternative management of municipal waste themselves, while the new institutional framework provides for incentives and rewards for Municipalities on the basis of their results. Finally, the role and responsibility of the Greek Recycling Organisation [Ε.Ο.ΑΝ.] is strengthened both as an institution and in terms of human resources, with the aim of better coordination with the Hellenic Organization for Recycling [ΣΕΔ], the Local Authorities and the organisations of civil society.
EU law and directives on reuse, recovery, and recycling of waste are incorporated in the bill that will change the existing legislative framework in Greece where more than 80% of waste is still buried. It will also clarify issues relating to the Hellenic Recycling Agency.
The Ministry says that the draft bill aims at transforming the economy with the goal of creating a safer environment. The legislation will amend the basic institutional framework [Law 2939/2001] on the alternative management of packaging and other products, in line with the EU Directive 2015/720/EU, regulating issues concerning the Hellenic Organization for Recycling and other provisions.
According to the Ministry’s explanatory memorandum, the aim of the legislation is to reduce the existing significant evasion of taxes related to waste disposal. 81% of rubbish still goes to landfill.
The organizational role of the Hellenic Organization for Recycling [ΣΕΔ] is essential for the proper functioning of the market and dealing with conflicts of interests. Arrangements are being put in place for the reduction of non-recyclables, the streamlining of recycling costs and the channelling of resources to achieve optimal waste management alternatives."
The draft legislation clarifies the distributor’s responsibility for the implementation of the extended responsibility of the producer, while corresponding criminal and administrative sanctions are to be put in place for infringements of the obligations. At the same time, in line with the provisions of Directive 2015/720/EU, provision is to be introduced for measures to reduce the use of plastic bags.
Special emphasis is given to the separate collection of waste packaging material, so that it is recovered in the cleanest and purest possible form in order to achieve the necessary quality standards in their respective fields of recycling. Separate collection must be organized by both the Hellenic Organization for Recycling [ΣΕΔ] and the Municipalities.
The new provisions enable Municipalities independently to organise the alternative management of municipal waste themselves, while the new institutional framework provides for incentives and rewards for Municipalities on the basis of their results. Finally, the role and responsibility of the Greek Recycling Organisation [Ε.Ο.ΑΝ.] is strengthened both as an institution and in terms of human resources, with the aim of better coordination with the Hellenic Organization for Recycling [ΣΕΔ], the Local Authorities and the organisations of civil society.
Prospects for the Third Assessment
On Tuesday EU Finance Commissioner Pierre Moscovici announced that the Heads of Mission of the Institutions are expected to return to Athens on October 23rd in order to start the Third Assessment. President of the Eurogroup Jeroen Dijsselbloem said: "We have a very strong shared objective and ambition to close the Assessment before the end of the year."
Commenting on the possibility of the new German Government’s stance towards Greece becoming stricter in the event of the Free Democrat party joining a ruling coalition with Chancellor Merkel, Jeroen Dijsselbloem said the Greek bailout was “solid” and could not be changed by new governments.
"Let us channell all our energies towards concluding the Third Assessment is mainly about implementing agreed reforms, and then preparing the end of the Greek Programme, which I hope to do at the end of the summer," Commissioner Moscovici said, noting that "Greece is not experiencing any problems at the moment".
Greek Government sources dismissed speculation generated in local media on Wednesday that fresh austerity is on the cards.
IMF
In its latest World Economic Outlook, the International Monetary Fund is forecasting a higher growth rate for Greece in 2018 than the projection made in the Greek draft State Budget.
The IMF expects the growth rate to be at 1.8% of GDP for 2017. In 2018, according to the IMF, the Greek economy will grow at a rate of 2.6% of GDP, whereas the Government is working on the basis of growth at 2.4% of GDP.
“Greece has done a lot of work and the Greeks have made enormous efforts,” said the Director General of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, at a press conference given at the annual session of the Fund and the World Bank. “It is very impressive", she added.
D.G. Lagarde said that the IMF is not asking for new measures, just the implementation of those agreed, while she stressed that the IMF is insisting on the issue of debt relief about which the debate with Europe continues.
Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos and Alternate Finance Minister Giorgos Chouliarakis will meet with IMF Managing Director, Christine Lagarde, on October 14th, on the sidelines of the IMF - World Bank Annual Meeting, in Washington. The issues of the Third Assessment of the Greek bailout programme, debt relief, the Fund’s role in the bailout programme and Greece’s sustained future access to capital markets, are expected to be discussed in detail.
Tackling VAT Evasion
The increased number of inspections at food service establishments this summer is showing results.
According to the Independent Authority for Public Revenue, bars and restaurants are no longer the worst offenders in terms of tax evasion. This unenviable distinction now goes to pawnshops.
The authority’s plan to focus on the Cyclades and Saronic islands brought violation rates down to 20% of enterprises. Corfu had the highest rate of violations at 59%.
On Tuesday EU Finance Commissioner Pierre Moscovici announced that the Heads of Mission of the Institutions are expected to return to Athens on October 23rd in order to start the Third Assessment. President of the Eurogroup Jeroen Dijsselbloem said: "We have a very strong shared objective and ambition to close the Assessment before the end of the year."
Commenting on the possibility of the new German Government’s stance towards Greece becoming stricter in the event of the Free Democrat party joining a ruling coalition with Chancellor Merkel, Jeroen Dijsselbloem said the Greek bailout was “solid” and could not be changed by new governments.
"Let us channell all our energies towards concluding the Third Assessment is mainly about implementing agreed reforms, and then preparing the end of the Greek Programme, which I hope to do at the end of the summer," Commissioner Moscovici said, noting that "Greece is not experiencing any problems at the moment".
Greek Government sources dismissed speculation generated in local media on Wednesday that fresh austerity is on the cards.
IMF
In its latest World Economic Outlook, the International Monetary Fund is forecasting a higher growth rate for Greece in 2018 than the projection made in the Greek draft State Budget.
The IMF expects the growth rate to be at 1.8% of GDP for 2017. In 2018, according to the IMF, the Greek economy will grow at a rate of 2.6% of GDP, whereas the Government is working on the basis of growth at 2.4% of GDP.
“Greece has done a lot of work and the Greeks have made enormous efforts,” said the Director General of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, at a press conference given at the annual session of the Fund and the World Bank. “It is very impressive", she added.
D.G. Lagarde said that the IMF is not asking for new measures, just the implementation of those agreed, while she stressed that the IMF is insisting on the issue of debt relief about which the debate with Europe continues.
Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos and Alternate Finance Minister Giorgos Chouliarakis will meet with IMF Managing Director, Christine Lagarde, on October 14th, on the sidelines of the IMF - World Bank Annual Meeting, in Washington. The issues of the Third Assessment of the Greek bailout programme, debt relief, the Fund’s role in the bailout programme and Greece’s sustained future access to capital markets, are expected to be discussed in detail.
Tackling VAT Evasion
The increased number of inspections at food service establishments this summer is showing results.
According to the Independent Authority for Public Revenue, bars and restaurants are no longer the worst offenders in terms of tax evasion. This unenviable distinction now goes to pawnshops.
The authority’s plan to focus on the Cyclades and Saronic islands brought violation rates down to 20% of enterprises. Corfu had the highest rate of violations at 59%.
The Greek-Eurasian Business Council Conference
Speaking at the Greek-Eurasian Business Council Conference, Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos on Monday stressed Greece’s leading role in promoting Europe’s ties with Eurasia and China.
“Greece supports regional integration schemes in the wider Eurasian region, which can contribute to peace, growth and prosperity.” “Greece encourages and supports all efforts that promote a strategic link between the countries of Europe and Asia in key areas of the economy, such as energy, trade, transport, digital online collaboration, new technologies and tourism.”
He also underlined that “Greece, a European country at the crossroads of three continents, has throughout history been open to the communication and the interconnection of different countries and cultures.”
Greece has played a crucial role in efforts for economic cooperation between the EU and the wider Eurasian region, as demonstrated by the fact that Greece, an EU member-state, encouraged further cooperation between the EU and China, he said.
“Greece attaches great importance to China’s One Belt, One Road initiative.” “This idea is based both on ancient Chinese philosophy and the ancient silk road, which on the one hand is characterized by a spirit of peace and mutually beneficial cooperation, and on the other hand, makes a substantial contribution to the development of infrastructure projects, promotion of trade, economic integration and closer relations between those peoples and the societies linked, either by land or sea, together for the realization of this idea.”
The Greek President referred to the scope for an innovative approach such economic cooperation between the EU, the Eurasian Economic Union and China, pointing out that the success of the project depends to a large extent on cultivating relations of trust between the parties, which will accelerate the progress of joint investment projects for the benefit of all involved.
A Social Dividend in 2018
The Government, convinced that it has achieved the 1.75% Primary Surplus target for 2017, is moving ahead with the distribution of a social dividend to the most vulnerable and financially weak social groups. Financial support is to be sourced out of the funds generated by the overachievement of the financial and fiscal policy targets.
Government spokesman, Mr. Dimitris Tzanakopoulos pointed out that the overachievement of the 2017 fiscal goals allows the government to offer a one-off payment, in terms of social policy expenditures, in order to support and further protect vulnerable economic groups as well as to implement a range of other social policy actions.
The Primary Surplus, as set out in the Government’s draft budget for the Financial Year 2018, is estimated at 2.21%. The forecast for the growth rate of the Greek economy is close to 2% for 2017 and 2.4% for 2018.
The Prime Minister’s office announced that in 2018, through the Social Income Solidarity programme 760€ million will be distributed to 250,000 households, while 320€ million will be made available to tackle child poverty issues. On top of this, the State will contribute an additional 100€ million in order to protect the primary residences of heavily indebted households.
Hellenikon
The Government Statement welcomed the current developments related to investment. specifically the unblocking of the investment in “Hellenikon”, following the final decision taken by the Central Archaeological Council (KAS). The Minister of State responsible for handling the “Hellenikon” issue, stated that any obstacles to the investment have been dealt with, following the decision made by KAS, to designate a small section of the area in question as an archaeological site - just 280 acres out of a total of 6,500 acres.
The Government spokesman argued that there was no question about the investor withdrawing and cancelling the investment, since neither the terms set out in the agreement between the Greek State and the company investing on the property had been broken, nor has the development schedule being put back to an extent so that makes the investment unattainable. Also, no more than 30% of the building plans area has been designated as an archaeological site.
KAS has also accepted and endorsed the Integrated Development Plan as well as the Strategic Environmental Impact Study, while the Complaints Commission has reached the conclusion that the questioned classification of a 37-acre as a forest area cannot be upheld.
Speaking at the Greek-Eurasian Business Council Conference, Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos on Monday stressed Greece’s leading role in promoting Europe’s ties with Eurasia and China.
“Greece supports regional integration schemes in the wider Eurasian region, which can contribute to peace, growth and prosperity.” “Greece encourages and supports all efforts that promote a strategic link between the countries of Europe and Asia in key areas of the economy, such as energy, trade, transport, digital online collaboration, new technologies and tourism.”
He also underlined that “Greece, a European country at the crossroads of three continents, has throughout history been open to the communication and the interconnection of different countries and cultures.”
Greece has played a crucial role in efforts for economic cooperation between the EU and the wider Eurasian region, as demonstrated by the fact that Greece, an EU member-state, encouraged further cooperation between the EU and China, he said.
“Greece attaches great importance to China’s One Belt, One Road initiative.” “This idea is based both on ancient Chinese philosophy and the ancient silk road, which on the one hand is characterized by a spirit of peace and mutually beneficial cooperation, and on the other hand, makes a substantial contribution to the development of infrastructure projects, promotion of trade, economic integration and closer relations between those peoples and the societies linked, either by land or sea, together for the realization of this idea.”
The Greek President referred to the scope for an innovative approach such economic cooperation between the EU, the Eurasian Economic Union and China, pointing out that the success of the project depends to a large extent on cultivating relations of trust between the parties, which will accelerate the progress of joint investment projects for the benefit of all involved.
A Social Dividend in 2018
The Government, convinced that it has achieved the 1.75% Primary Surplus target for 2017, is moving ahead with the distribution of a social dividend to the most vulnerable and financially weak social groups. Financial support is to be sourced out of the funds generated by the overachievement of the financial and fiscal policy targets.
Government spokesman, Mr. Dimitris Tzanakopoulos pointed out that the overachievement of the 2017 fiscal goals allows the government to offer a one-off payment, in terms of social policy expenditures, in order to support and further protect vulnerable economic groups as well as to implement a range of other social policy actions.
The Primary Surplus, as set out in the Government’s draft budget for the Financial Year 2018, is estimated at 2.21%. The forecast for the growth rate of the Greek economy is close to 2% for 2017 and 2.4% for 2018.
The Prime Minister’s office announced that in 2018, through the Social Income Solidarity programme 760€ million will be distributed to 250,000 households, while 320€ million will be made available to tackle child poverty issues. On top of this, the State will contribute an additional 100€ million in order to protect the primary residences of heavily indebted households.
Hellenikon
The Government Statement welcomed the current developments related to investment. specifically the unblocking of the investment in “Hellenikon”, following the final decision taken by the Central Archaeological Council (KAS). The Minister of State responsible for handling the “Hellenikon” issue, stated that any obstacles to the investment have been dealt with, following the decision made by KAS, to designate a small section of the area in question as an archaeological site - just 280 acres out of a total of 6,500 acres.
The Government spokesman argued that there was no question about the investor withdrawing and cancelling the investment, since neither the terms set out in the agreement between the Greek State and the company investing on the property had been broken, nor has the development schedule being put back to an extent so that makes the investment unattainable. Also, no more than 30% of the building plans area has been designated as an archaeological site.
KAS has also accepted and endorsed the Integrated Development Plan as well as the Strategic Environmental Impact Study, while the Complaints Commission has reached the conclusion that the questioned classification of a 37-acre as a forest area cannot be upheld.
1st Bulgarian-Greek-Romanian-Serbian Summit
7.10.2017
1st Bulgarian-Greek-Romanian-Serbian Summit
PM Alexis Tsipras travelled to Varna, Bulgaria, on Tuesday, October 3rd, to take part in the 1st Bulgarian-Greek-Romanian-Serbian Summit organised in the Bulgarian city.
The four countries aim at strengthening their economic, business and energy ties. Such a coalition is expected to the springboard towards growth on all levels and to promote substantial development of the area using investment from abroad.
This summit is also important to China. One of their correspondents from the state television of China to Bulgaria, will report the event from on the spot.
The Summit issued a message of peace, cooperation and stability.
"Our common future in the Balkans cannot be built on nationalism, as unfortunately happened in the past, nor on the plans of third parties for our region. It can be built on the great potentials of our peoples, on respect for international law and on a common European vision for our region, "stressed PM Tsipras in the joint declaration with the Prime Ministers of Bulgaria Boyko Borisov, of Romania Mihai Tudose and President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić.
All four leaders expressed messages of peace, cooperation and stability and agreed the next meeting should be in Belgrade, as the form of their cooperation takes on a permanent shape.
The Varna Summit was yet another step to further cooperation among the four countries in the areas of the economy, energy, security and refugees and it is significant that the Greek proposal was adopted for there to be a Summit Meeting of the European Union-Western Balkans, during the Bulgarian Presidency of the EU in the first half of 2018. It was also agreed to formulate a joint request by the Prime Ministers of Greece and Bulgaria, Alexis Tsipras and Boyko Borisov to the European Commission, and Jean-Claude Juncker to secure EU funding for the railway connecting Thessaloniki-Varna.
PM Tsipras placed great importance on the revitalization of the "Thessaloniki Agenda" for the European vision of the Western Balkans, and referring to the countries that are in the accession process, he pointed out: "The EU's relationship with the countries in the accession process, such as Serbia, is one of the issues that the European Union has to solve, it must first solve its own in-house problems in order to be able to play a serious role in the international sphere. And as far as the accession journey of the countries of the Balkans is concerned, I believe that the journey should be one based meeting conditions, but also on a new vision for cooperation among the peoples in the wider region."
PM Alexis Tsipras travelled to Varna, Bulgaria, on Tuesday, October 3rd, to take part in the 1st Bulgarian-Greek-Romanian-Serbian Summit organised in the Bulgarian city.
The four countries aim at strengthening their economic, business and energy ties. Such a coalition is expected to the springboard towards growth on all levels and to promote substantial development of the area using investment from abroad.
This summit is also important to China. One of their correspondents from the state television of China to Bulgaria, will report the event from on the spot.
The Summit issued a message of peace, cooperation and stability.
"Our common future in the Balkans cannot be built on nationalism, as unfortunately happened in the past, nor on the plans of third parties for our region. It can be built on the great potentials of our peoples, on respect for international law and on a common European vision for our region, "stressed PM Tsipras in the joint declaration with the Prime Ministers of Bulgaria Boyko Borisov, of Romania Mihai Tudose and President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić.
All four leaders expressed messages of peace, cooperation and stability and agreed the next meeting should be in Belgrade, as the form of their cooperation takes on a permanent shape.
The Varna Summit was yet another step to further cooperation among the four countries in the areas of the economy, energy, security and refugees and it is significant that the Greek proposal was adopted for there to be a Summit Meeting of the European Union-Western Balkans, during the Bulgarian Presidency of the EU in the first half of 2018. It was also agreed to formulate a joint request by the Prime Ministers of Greece and Bulgaria, Alexis Tsipras and Boyko Borisov to the European Commission, and Jean-Claude Juncker to secure EU funding for the railway connecting Thessaloniki-Varna.
PM Tsipras placed great importance on the revitalization of the "Thessaloniki Agenda" for the European vision of the Western Balkans, and referring to the countries that are in the accession process, he pointed out: "The EU's relationship with the countries in the accession process, such as Serbia, is one of the issues that the European Union has to solve, it must first solve its own in-house problems in order to be able to play a serious role in the international sphere. And as far as the accession journey of the countries of the Balkans is concerned, I believe that the journey should be one based meeting conditions, but also on a new vision for cooperation among the peoples in the wider region."
The Draft Budget for 2018
The draft Budget has been presented to Parliament. The unemployment rate is projected to fall to 19% in 2018, from 27% at the end of 2014
* The draft Budget forecasts growth for 2018 at 2.4% of GDP and a Primary Surplus 3.57%.
* 2017’s excess surplus will be allocated to actions supporting growth and social cohesion, which will be “provided with a dowry” of 800€ million.
For 2017 significant over-achievement of budget target of 1.75% is forecast, allowing once again a one-off expenditure in the form of a social dividend.
Deputy Finance Minister Houliarakis, submitting the 2018 draft Budget to the President of Parliament N. Voutsis described it as “the last budget of the [Memoranda] programmes.”
He pointed out that the Budget for 2018 is "within targets" stressing that in 2017 a significant over-achievement of targets was recorded, which "we will put to good use".
The primary balance of the General Government Bodies in 2018, [in accordance with the methodology of the Financial Facility Agreement - Law 4336/2015] is projected to reach 3.57% of GDP (6,671€ million) which is compatible with the targets of the programme.
For 2017 the draft State budget estimates a significant over-achievement of the budgetary target of 1.75%. This over-achievement allows a one-time expenditure in the form of a social dividend and the pursuit of the objective of giving targeted support to financially vulnerable households. The exact amount and the support measures will be specified on the basis of budgetary implementation data in November this year.
The sustainable achievement of the budgetary targets for the third year in a row, is due to the consolidation of budgetary discipline, the gradual restoration of confidence in the medium-term prospects of the Greek economy and the significant creation of new positions of paid employment. The above permit the Government to successfully combine fiscal responsibility with social justice.
For 2018, the Budget incorporates the continuing operations of social policy but also the start of new actions, including:
• The implementation of the programme for the Social Solidarity Income, with credits of 760€ million which will give relief to over 250,000 households experiencing poverty.
• The sum of 320€ million, which has been secured by the scrutiny of primary operating costs, is intended to protect financially vulnerable households and provide for interventions in the crucial area of tackling child poverty.
• The contribution of the Treasury, with an amount of 100€ million for the protection of the main residence of indebted households, in accordance with certain income and assets criteria.
In subsequent years, growth rates are adequate to ensure the achievement both of the budgetary targets and of the fiscal space for the reductions in tax rates for households and businesses that have been planned and voted on in the Medium-Term Fiscal Strategy 2018-2021.
“Harmonisation of Family and Working Life” Programme
The total funding of the programme “Harmonization of Family and Working Life” for the period 2017-2018 is reaching 223.5€ million.
Deputy Minister of Economy and Development, Alexis Charitsis approved additional funding from national resources amounting to 18.5€ million.
With this increase in funding, the Programme fully satisfies all applications for free admission (approximately 108.5000 vouchers) to available child care structures (crèches, kindergartens and Children's Creative Employment Centres (ΚΔΑΠ).
Deputy Minister Charitsis said:
“Childcare structures are a top priority for the Government. We have again brought forward a generous increase in funding, reaching in 2017 the record amount of 223.5€ million. The funding is made up mostly from national resources from surpassed surpluses over just 3 years. In close cooperation with the Ministries of Labour and of the Interior have managed for the first time this year to guarantee a place at nursery schools and crèches for more than 100,000 children. Having at the heart of our policy the needs of a society under great stress, we have met all applications from families below the poverty line, and from every persons with a disability".
EUROSTAT Data on Unemployment
The unemployment rate for young people (under 25 ) in Greece fell in June at 43.3%, compared with 43.6% in May
A slight decrease, to 21.2%, was recorded in the level of unemployment in Greece in June 2017, compared to May (21.5%), according to data published by the European Statistical Office (Eurostat).
In August, the level of unemployment remained stable in the Eurozone (9.1%), while a small decrease was recorded in the EU (7.6% in August, compared with 7.7% in July). A year ago, in August 2016, unemployment in the Eurozone and in “the EU of 28” was 9.9% and 8.5% respectively.
Altogether in August 18.747 million were recorded unemployed in the EU and 14.751 million in the Eurozone.
The highest levels of unemployment in the EU are in Greece (21.2% in June) and in Spain (17.1%). The lowest unemployment rates were recorded in the Czech Republic (2.9%), Germany (3.6%) and Malta (4.2%).
In Greece, the number of jobless in June stood at 1.017 million. The unemployment rate for men stood at 17.9% and for women at 25.3%.
The unemployment rate of young people (under 25 years) in Greece fell in June at 43.3%, compared with 43.6% in May. The highest rates of youth unemployment in the EU are in Greece (43.3%), in Spain (38.7%) and in Italy (35.1%); the lowest rate recorded is in Germany (6.4%).
In August the unemployment rate of young people in the Eurozone stood at 18.9% and in the EU at 16.7%.
The draft Budget has been presented to Parliament. The unemployment rate is projected to fall to 19% in 2018, from 27% at the end of 2014
* The draft Budget forecasts growth for 2018 at 2.4% of GDP and a Primary Surplus 3.57%.
* 2017’s excess surplus will be allocated to actions supporting growth and social cohesion, which will be “provided with a dowry” of 800€ million.
For 2017 significant over-achievement of budget target of 1.75% is forecast, allowing once again a one-off expenditure in the form of a social dividend.
Deputy Finance Minister Houliarakis, submitting the 2018 draft Budget to the President of Parliament N. Voutsis described it as “the last budget of the [Memoranda] programmes.”
He pointed out that the Budget for 2018 is "within targets" stressing that in 2017 a significant over-achievement of targets was recorded, which "we will put to good use".
The primary balance of the General Government Bodies in 2018, [in accordance with the methodology of the Financial Facility Agreement - Law 4336/2015] is projected to reach 3.57% of GDP (6,671€ million) which is compatible with the targets of the programme.
For 2017 the draft State budget estimates a significant over-achievement of the budgetary target of 1.75%. This over-achievement allows a one-time expenditure in the form of a social dividend and the pursuit of the objective of giving targeted support to financially vulnerable households. The exact amount and the support measures will be specified on the basis of budgetary implementation data in November this year.
The sustainable achievement of the budgetary targets for the third year in a row, is due to the consolidation of budgetary discipline, the gradual restoration of confidence in the medium-term prospects of the Greek economy and the significant creation of new positions of paid employment. The above permit the Government to successfully combine fiscal responsibility with social justice.
For 2018, the Budget incorporates the continuing operations of social policy but also the start of new actions, including:
• The implementation of the programme for the Social Solidarity Income, with credits of 760€ million which will give relief to over 250,000 households experiencing poverty.
• The sum of 320€ million, which has been secured by the scrutiny of primary operating costs, is intended to protect financially vulnerable households and provide for interventions in the crucial area of tackling child poverty.
• The contribution of the Treasury, with an amount of 100€ million for the protection of the main residence of indebted households, in accordance with certain income and assets criteria.
In subsequent years, growth rates are adequate to ensure the achievement both of the budgetary targets and of the fiscal space for the reductions in tax rates for households and businesses that have been planned and voted on in the Medium-Term Fiscal Strategy 2018-2021.
“Harmonisation of Family and Working Life” Programme
The total funding of the programme “Harmonization of Family and Working Life” for the period 2017-2018 is reaching 223.5€ million.
Deputy Minister of Economy and Development, Alexis Charitsis approved additional funding from national resources amounting to 18.5€ million.
With this increase in funding, the Programme fully satisfies all applications for free admission (approximately 108.5000 vouchers) to available child care structures (crèches, kindergartens and Children's Creative Employment Centres (ΚΔΑΠ).
Deputy Minister Charitsis said:
“Childcare structures are a top priority for the Government. We have again brought forward a generous increase in funding, reaching in 2017 the record amount of 223.5€ million. The funding is made up mostly from national resources from surpassed surpluses over just 3 years. In close cooperation with the Ministries of Labour and of the Interior have managed for the first time this year to guarantee a place at nursery schools and crèches for more than 100,000 children. Having at the heart of our policy the needs of a society under great stress, we have met all applications from families below the poverty line, and from every persons with a disability".
EUROSTAT Data on Unemployment
The unemployment rate for young people (under 25 ) in Greece fell in June at 43.3%, compared with 43.6% in May
A slight decrease, to 21.2%, was recorded in the level of unemployment in Greece in June 2017, compared to May (21.5%), according to data published by the European Statistical Office (Eurostat).
In August, the level of unemployment remained stable in the Eurozone (9.1%), while a small decrease was recorded in the EU (7.6% in August, compared with 7.7% in July). A year ago, in August 2016, unemployment in the Eurozone and in “the EU of 28” was 9.9% and 8.5% respectively.
Altogether in August 18.747 million were recorded unemployed in the EU and 14.751 million in the Eurozone.
The highest levels of unemployment in the EU are in Greece (21.2% in June) and in Spain (17.1%). The lowest unemployment rates were recorded in the Czech Republic (2.9%), Germany (3.6%) and Malta (4.2%).
In Greece, the number of jobless in June stood at 1.017 million. The unemployment rate for men stood at 17.9% and for women at 25.3%.
The unemployment rate of young people (under 25 years) in Greece fell in June at 43.3%, compared with 43.6% in May. The highest rates of youth unemployment in the EU are in Greece (43.3%), in Spain (38.7%) and in Italy (35.1%); the lowest rate recorded is in Germany (6.4%).
In August the unemployment rate of young people in the Eurozone stood at 18.9% and in the EU at 16.7%.
TV Channel owners just keep challenging.
Last year's struggle of the TV channels against the competitive auctioning of licences, using the argument that the National Council of Radio and Television [ΕΣΡ] had not been involved,
is now shown to have been a wild pretext. The real goal has now emerged: the continuation of the 27 year-old regime of illegality and vested interests. SKAI TV and Star TV, aided and abetted by the association of the channel owners, have appealed again to the Supreme Court against the decisions of Nikos Pappas but also now the decision of the National Council of Radio and Television about the number of licences and the price, essentially asking for there to be an unlimited number at zero cost.
Preparations for the Third Assessment
The Greek Government has undertaken to complete the vast majority of prior actions agreed with creditors as part of the Third Assessment of its bailout programme by early November, when the Eurogroup meets. Deputy Prime Minister, Yiannis Dragasakis, told SKAI TV on Thursday that “we have committed to completing 80% of the Assessment before the Eurogroup in early November and to complete the rest by the end of the year”.
Mr. Dragasakis also said the Government plans to distribute a social benefit from its primary surplus again this year. The issue will require discussion with Greece’s creditors, as the Deputy PM confirmed.
The Government is preparing to submit the necessary data to creditors - it has fulfilled the specific target for eliminating arrears - in order for the disbursement to go ahead of an 800€ million bailout loan sub-tranche left over from the previous Assessment.
A senior Eurozone official told reporters in Brussels on Thursday that “there exists a strong political will ” for the Greek Programme Assessment to be completed this year. The official said that the issue will be discussed at the next Eurogroup meeting on October 9th, in Luxembourg.
Commenting on the upcoming Third Assessment, the senior official said the heads of the creditor institutions will return to Athens by the beginning of November.
Last year's struggle of the TV channels against the competitive auctioning of licences, using the argument that the National Council of Radio and Television [ΕΣΡ] had not been involved,
is now shown to have been a wild pretext. The real goal has now emerged: the continuation of the 27 year-old regime of illegality and vested interests. SKAI TV and Star TV, aided and abetted by the association of the channel owners, have appealed again to the Supreme Court against the decisions of Nikos Pappas but also now the decision of the National Council of Radio and Television about the number of licences and the price, essentially asking for there to be an unlimited number at zero cost.
Preparations for the Third Assessment
The Greek Government has undertaken to complete the vast majority of prior actions agreed with creditors as part of the Third Assessment of its bailout programme by early November, when the Eurogroup meets. Deputy Prime Minister, Yiannis Dragasakis, told SKAI TV on Thursday that “we have committed to completing 80% of the Assessment before the Eurogroup in early November and to complete the rest by the end of the year”.
Mr. Dragasakis also said the Government plans to distribute a social benefit from its primary surplus again this year. The issue will require discussion with Greece’s creditors, as the Deputy PM confirmed.
The Government is preparing to submit the necessary data to creditors - it has fulfilled the specific target for eliminating arrears - in order for the disbursement to go ahead of an 800€ million bailout loan sub-tranche left over from the previous Assessment.
A senior Eurozone official told reporters in Brussels on Thursday that “there exists a strong political will ” for the Greek Programme Assessment to be completed this year. The official said that the issue will be discussed at the next Eurogroup meeting on October 9th, in Luxembourg.
Commenting on the upcoming Third Assessment, the senior official said the heads of the creditor institutions will return to Athens by the beginning of November.
"Clean Energy for
the Islands of the EU"
- "Long-term energy planning is a Government policy priority"
30.9.2017
PM Alexis Tsipras, speaking at the first "Clean Energy for the Islands of the EU" Forum said "“smart” islands with a high penetration of Renewable Energy Resources [ΑΠΕ] and a reduction of energy costs is our vision and ambition".
Greece has already taken an active role in environmental protection in Europe, he stressed.
He reminded his audience that Greece is the only lignite-producing country in the European Union that is pushing for the adoption of more stringent limits on emissions. He highlighted the efforts on many fronts and the country’s contribution to the transition to clean energy. He said that the attainment of the European objectives for 2020 to increase the share of Renewable Energy Resources in the energy mix can be taken as given.
He added that Greece has adopted the system of guaranteed prices and the first competitive process for photovoltaic installations. Also, he said that it is completing the consultation with the European Commission for a competitive bidding schedule for all forms of renewables - photovoltaic, wind energy and, if there is interest, biomass and small hydroelectric plants.
At the same time, the country is promoting an up-to-date Land-use Plan specificly for Renewable Sources of Energy, the existence of which will help avoid time-consuming legal implications.
In cooperation with the Commission, added the Prime Minister, Greece is also proceeding with the modernisation of the framework of environmental permits for Renewable Energy Resources. “This Government has brought environmental protection and climate change from the fringes of the political agenda to the centre of the search for ways our society can proceed to the future. And we have made long-term energy planning a political priority, and this despite a seven-year economic and social crisis from which we are now emerging.”
Greece has already taken an active role in environmental protection in Europe, he stressed.
He reminded his audience that Greece is the only lignite-producing country in the European Union that is pushing for the adoption of more stringent limits on emissions. He highlighted the efforts on many fronts and the country’s contribution to the transition to clean energy. He said that the attainment of the European objectives for 2020 to increase the share of Renewable Energy Resources in the energy mix can be taken as given.
He added that Greece has adopted the system of guaranteed prices and the first competitive process for photovoltaic installations. Also, he said that it is completing the consultation with the European Commission for a competitive bidding schedule for all forms of renewables - photovoltaic, wind energy and, if there is interest, biomass and small hydroelectric plants.
At the same time, the country is promoting an up-to-date Land-use Plan specificly for Renewable Sources of Energy, the existence of which will help avoid time-consuming legal implications.
In cooperation with the Commission, added the Prime Minister, Greece is also proceeding with the modernisation of the framework of environmental permits for Renewable Energy Resources. “This Government has brought environmental protection and climate change from the fringes of the political agenda to the centre of the search for ways our society can proceed to the future. And we have made long-term energy planning a political priority, and this despite a seven-year economic and social crisis from which we are now emerging.”
EFKA
"Those who are still arguing that the EFKA surplus is purely notional are shown to be wrong by the reality of the numbers," said a statement released by the Ministry of Labour.
"Reports are attempting once again to cast doubt on the positive trajectory of the economics of EFKA [the Consolidated Social Security Service -Ενιαίος Φορέας Κοινωνικής Ασφάλισης]. The well-known scaremongering keeps returning with discredited data and inaccuracies, ignoring the official data which has been presented by the Ministry of Labour, Social Security and Social Solidarity both in Parliament and in the media."
"Apart from the obvious political objective they are serving, they clearly aim also to undermine the public social security system, in the service of other interests."
"For those who refuse to accept the reality, the Ministry reminds them that:
-having inherited in 2015 the social security system with a deficit of 186€ million, EFKA was launched in 2017 with a budgeted deficit of over 1€ billion. The positive trajectory of EFKA revenues in the eight months January-August 2017 showed this prediction of its budget to be in error and in fact led to a surplus of more than 400€ million with record-breaking contributions to the National Health Service Organization [ΕΟΠΥΥ] and the Labour Force Employment Organisation [ΟΑΕΔ]. The positive results, despite initial estimates to the contrary, are a result of increasing employment and contribution collecting, and wiser fund management. This result will be reflected in the final review of the EFKA budget for the whole of 2017 as required by law.
- The disbursement of 395€ million from the Generation Solidarity Insurance Fund was anticipated from December 2016 and had been included in the original budgets of both the Generation Solidarity Insurance Fund [ΑΚΑΓΕ] and EFKA for the whole of 2017. The decision to disburse this regular and known expenditure does not constitute "extra" funding.
"The interventions being implemented to promote employment and the restoration of the public social security system are yielding results - and give the best answer to all those who, constantly and consciously, are trying to undermine it."
Journalists’ Pension Fund Rescue
On Wednesday, the Minister for Digital Policy, Telecommunications and the Media, Nikos Pappas met with the Press trade unions. The goal of the meeting was to inform the Minister about the progress of negotiations with the owners of the channels in connection with the rescue of the Pension Fund.
After the meeting, Nick Pappas said: “The Journalists’ Unified Advocacy and Retirement Organization (ΕΔΟΕΑΠ) must be supported. We have been informed about the reasonable solutions which have been drawn up in the course of the discussions. We have reiterated our willingness to rethink the amount of advertising tax in the event that ΕΔΟΕΑΠ is supported with resources resulting from an agreement between employers and employees. It is clear that there is the possibility both for the Fund to be supported, and for the levy to be prevented which will jeopardize jobs and the level of remuneration of employees in the Media. "The owners of the TV channels must face up to their responsibilities and stop playing hide and seek."
Greece joins challenge to fake Chinese Trademarks
A Greek Minister has warned China to cancel fake trademarks of two Greek products including feta cheese in order for a future deal with Brussels on geographical indications to move on.
In June the EU and China agreed to publish a list of 200 geographical indications (GIs) – 100 from each side – that would be protected under an agreement to be signed later this year.
Nevertheless, according to a document from the Greek Ministry of the Economy and Development, Italy, Spain, France, Greece, Portugal, Germany, Hungary and Romania have agreed to jointly file a lawsuit – to share the legal costs – against China over 25 trademarks with fake geographical indications which are homonymous with EU geographical indications.
The eight EU member states will take legal action against China over the 25 counterfeit trademarks on the Chinese market that mislead consumers on the origin of products protected by the EU’s geographical indications.
Gis - food products with a certified geographic origin - are a central part of the EU’s food quality mechanisms, giving consumers certainty over the authenticity and quality of their food.
For Greece, feta cheese and Samos wine have been wrongly marketed as “feta” and “Samos”, written in Chinese.
“If these registrations are not rejected by the court, the Chinese holders will have the right to either produce these products for the domestic market or import homonymous counterfeit products from all over the world,” the Government document warned.
Speaking at the Greece-China Joint Ministerial Committee on Wednesday (20th September), Deputy Minister of Rural Development and Food Vasilis Kokkalis told the Chinese that the two products are of “crucial importance” for the conclusion of the negotiations between the European Union and China.
The Greek minister emphasised the importance of feta for the Greek economy, claiming that it supports the lives of thousands of families.
Feta cheese is considered the “white gold” of Greece’s economy. The country produces around 120,000 tonnes of feta every year, while the total domestic production of sheep and goat milk is about 1,100,000 tonnes.
Farmers in Greece are also concerned about the fate of feta cheese in EU trade agreements with third countries after the EU failed to fully protect the iconic product in the free trade deal with Canada [CETA EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement]
The Greek Minister pointed out that these two fake Chinese trademarks are an “insurmountable obstacle” for the effective protection of both Greek products.
He noted that there are extremely adverse consequences for Greek producers and exporters as well as Chinese consumers, who are entitled to make choices “on the basis of sound information and guarantees of quality and origin of products, to enjoy genuine food products”.
“The Chinese side should take all necessary administrative measures to cancel these trademarks, given the long tradition and respect of your country in traditional food products, which are known worldwide,” the Greek Minister concluded.
"Those who are still arguing that the EFKA surplus is purely notional are shown to be wrong by the reality of the numbers," said a statement released by the Ministry of Labour.
"Reports are attempting once again to cast doubt on the positive trajectory of the economics of EFKA [the Consolidated Social Security Service -Ενιαίος Φορέας Κοινωνικής Ασφάλισης]. The well-known scaremongering keeps returning with discredited data and inaccuracies, ignoring the official data which has been presented by the Ministry of Labour, Social Security and Social Solidarity both in Parliament and in the media."
"Apart from the obvious political objective they are serving, they clearly aim also to undermine the public social security system, in the service of other interests."
"For those who refuse to accept the reality, the Ministry reminds them that:
-having inherited in 2015 the social security system with a deficit of 186€ million, EFKA was launched in 2017 with a budgeted deficit of over 1€ billion. The positive trajectory of EFKA revenues in the eight months January-August 2017 showed this prediction of its budget to be in error and in fact led to a surplus of more than 400€ million with record-breaking contributions to the National Health Service Organization [ΕΟΠΥΥ] and the Labour Force Employment Organisation [ΟΑΕΔ]. The positive results, despite initial estimates to the contrary, are a result of increasing employment and contribution collecting, and wiser fund management. This result will be reflected in the final review of the EFKA budget for the whole of 2017 as required by law.
- The disbursement of 395€ million from the Generation Solidarity Insurance Fund was anticipated from December 2016 and had been included in the original budgets of both the Generation Solidarity Insurance Fund [ΑΚΑΓΕ] and EFKA for the whole of 2017. The decision to disburse this regular and known expenditure does not constitute "extra" funding.
"The interventions being implemented to promote employment and the restoration of the public social security system are yielding results - and give the best answer to all those who, constantly and consciously, are trying to undermine it."
Journalists’ Pension Fund Rescue
On Wednesday, the Minister for Digital Policy, Telecommunications and the Media, Nikos Pappas met with the Press trade unions. The goal of the meeting was to inform the Minister about the progress of negotiations with the owners of the channels in connection with the rescue of the Pension Fund.
After the meeting, Nick Pappas said: “The Journalists’ Unified Advocacy and Retirement Organization (ΕΔΟΕΑΠ) must be supported. We have been informed about the reasonable solutions which have been drawn up in the course of the discussions. We have reiterated our willingness to rethink the amount of advertising tax in the event that ΕΔΟΕΑΠ is supported with resources resulting from an agreement between employers and employees. It is clear that there is the possibility both for the Fund to be supported, and for the levy to be prevented which will jeopardize jobs and the level of remuneration of employees in the Media. "The owners of the TV channels must face up to their responsibilities and stop playing hide and seek."
Greece joins challenge to fake Chinese Trademarks
A Greek Minister has warned China to cancel fake trademarks of two Greek products including feta cheese in order for a future deal with Brussels on geographical indications to move on.
In June the EU and China agreed to publish a list of 200 geographical indications (GIs) – 100 from each side – that would be protected under an agreement to be signed later this year.
Nevertheless, according to a document from the Greek Ministry of the Economy and Development, Italy, Spain, France, Greece, Portugal, Germany, Hungary and Romania have agreed to jointly file a lawsuit – to share the legal costs – against China over 25 trademarks with fake geographical indications which are homonymous with EU geographical indications.
The eight EU member states will take legal action against China over the 25 counterfeit trademarks on the Chinese market that mislead consumers on the origin of products protected by the EU’s geographical indications.
Gis - food products with a certified geographic origin - are a central part of the EU’s food quality mechanisms, giving consumers certainty over the authenticity and quality of their food.
For Greece, feta cheese and Samos wine have been wrongly marketed as “feta” and “Samos”, written in Chinese.
“If these registrations are not rejected by the court, the Chinese holders will have the right to either produce these products for the domestic market or import homonymous counterfeit products from all over the world,” the Government document warned.
Speaking at the Greece-China Joint Ministerial Committee on Wednesday (20th September), Deputy Minister of Rural Development and Food Vasilis Kokkalis told the Chinese that the two products are of “crucial importance” for the conclusion of the negotiations between the European Union and China.
The Greek minister emphasised the importance of feta for the Greek economy, claiming that it supports the lives of thousands of families.
Feta cheese is considered the “white gold” of Greece’s economy. The country produces around 120,000 tonnes of feta every year, while the total domestic production of sheep and goat milk is about 1,100,000 tonnes.
Farmers in Greece are also concerned about the fate of feta cheese in EU trade agreements with third countries after the EU failed to fully protect the iconic product in the free trade deal with Canada [CETA EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement]
The Greek Minister pointed out that these two fake Chinese trademarks are an “insurmountable obstacle” for the effective protection of both Greek products.
He noted that there are extremely adverse consequences for Greek producers and exporters as well as Chinese consumers, who are entitled to make choices “on the basis of sound information and guarantees of quality and origin of products, to enjoy genuine food products”.
“The Chinese side should take all necessary administrative measures to cancel these trademarks, given the long tradition and respect of your country in traditional food products, which are known worldwide,” the Greek Minister concluded.
“Crete is a very good example for us to define what we mean when we talk about reconstruction, about a new productive model”
Alexis Tsipras in Heraklion
23.9.2017
Alexis Tsipras, speaking at a regional Conference on the Restructuring of Production in Heraklion, on Thursday said “The experience so far of all these regional conferences aimed at putting together our plan for the reconstruction of production and regional planning in the 13 Regions and together with all these with whom we are drawing up the national plan, is something more than positive.
“Crete is a place large enough to accommodate a wide range of productive activities.
"Some people try to justify their policy choices which represent the interests of the few and the powerful, by telling us that inequality is in the nature of human society
"I don’t know where they have found that written down. What I do know is that the redistribution of wealth, social protection, support for the small against the big, for the powerless in the face of the strong constitute gains of our modern civilisation."
"These are gains much more recent than the primitive neoliberalism of the jungle, in which the stronger eats the weaker. This primitive neoliberalism is passed of by the leader of the official opposition as a perspective for development and a stable model for the country."
"So, we are here to move the wheel of history forward. To fight against inequalities.
The Region of Crete is a very good example for us to define what we mean when we talk about reconstruction, about a new productive model.
"Reconstruction is, first and foremost, the increase in productive capacity and the growth in employment, stable and permanent employment.
"The goal is to restore a decent standard of living for working people and to ensure the adequate supply of social services. This describes the term "Equitable Development", namely, development, whose benefits are diffused into society and it does not function as a tool of accumulating wealth for some few and powerful people.
" The more effect combining of the rural sector with the tourism sector could result in much more, the will exists and it is a matter of better organisation and planning which we must resolve.
"To this end, the Animal Husbandry-Manufacturing -Tourism Forum set up by the Ministry of Development, aiming to combine with specific policies and incentives the Animal Husbandry sector with manufacturing industry and the tourism cluster.
"The qualitative growth of agricultural production mainly relates to the improvement of the quality of exports, standardization and certification.
"In the new Development Law being implemented by the Government, industry, manufacturing and animal husbandry are priority sectors, a trend that is confirmed by investors.
The sector of the economy this year gave so much impetus to growth, that today the OECD has been forced to revise its predictions and to talk about percentages that will touch and will exceed 3% growth in the third and fourth quarter of the year.
These are among the four highest quarterly rates of growth across the eurozone.
"For us, equitable tourism development also means a substantial improvement in working conditions. For us tourism development and investment means jobs".
An issue of concern for working people in Crete also is undeclared work and particularly in apprenticeships in tourist enterprises.
From 2010 the arrangements had been in force specified by a Joint Ministerial Decision which allows for the employment of apprentices in tourist enterprises, at the rate of 17% up to a maximum of 40 employees. Furthermore the employment of apprentices from schools in other EU countries or even from third countries had been legislated on, since there are bilateral conventions.
Today the Government is preparing a new Joint Ministerial Decision which will redefine the proportions of workers to apprentices, and which will involves the review of the level of apprentice pay, at 60% of the minimum wage in the country. In addition, it will look at a ban on overtime.
"We are not in favour of entrepreneurship in general, but we are in favour of the entrepreneurship that respects workers’ rights and the natural environment.
We are not in favour of the sort of extortionists, nor of the Government-funded entrepreneurs who looted public wealth and exploited the labour force. We make a gift of those people to the governments of yesterday, whose interests they represented.
In contrast, this Government supports and encourages healthy entrepreneurship and those investors who come not to loot but to support the country, its people and its values.
Today the Government is in a position to present its plan that will result in the commencement of work on the Northern Axis Highway of Crete (BOAK), before the current term of Government is completed.
The study for BOAK which ensures a unified project design from Kastelli Kissamos to Siteia, will be put out to tender in October 2017. In particular, for the part of BOAK, from Chania to Agios Nikolaos, the tender for its construction will take place early in 2018, with the competitive dialogue procedure.
"We expect that the work will start at the beginning of 2019. And we'll be here, with the Regional Governor to find ourselves at the commencement of the work. The project will be completed in 4 to 5 years from its start.
With regard to the new airport at Kastelli, Heraklion, the form of the company that will take it over has been chosen as have the fees for local government and the Ministry of Infrastructure.
Also, an area of 1000 sqm has been defined that will be arranged appropriately for conducting conferences and exhibitions of local products. The realization of these projects and their operation will lead to considerable increase in employment.
Also in progress are other infrastructure projects, such as the junction at Agia Pelagia, the water project on the Lasithi Plateau, and improvements at Heraklion airport. Projects relating to routes to BOAK and also improvements at the airport of Chania.
Crete’s energy connectivity, which will turn it into an energy hub, increasing jobs and reducing households’s costs, is underway.
It is important for us to establish the role of Crete as an intermediate station along energy projects. Specifically, the Eurasia Interconnector cable which will link the electricity networks of Israel, Cyprus and Crete, but also the Eastmed pipeline that will transport natural gas from deposits in the Southeastern Mediterranean to Europe via Cyprus , Greece and Italy. A joint declaration between Greece, Cyprus and Israel has been signed for its promotion.
The exploitation of hydrocarbon deposits in the Southeastern Mediterranean, has placed Crete at the centre of the interest of oil companies.
"All these projects together will increase the importance of Crete, they will create jobs. Their construction will proceed under the strictest standards of international practice for the protection of the environment.
Within the framework of the Regional Conference, it has been agreed between the Ministry of education, the University, the Polytechnic, the Technological Education Institute of Crete and the Foundation for Technology and Research, for there to be a joint workshop, in order to determine the specific two-year programmes that will be implemented in Crete for High School graduates. The programmes that have been established by law for higher education, will give issue professional certificates of European qualifications.
[The workshop will be held in the last week of October and will be the first in the countryEd.]
The reform that will change the map of public health across the country is one that the Government is currently promoting this time and relates to Primary Health Care.
As part of this reform and in the first phase, Crete will be strengthened with 25 Local Health Units.
"There will be immediate results for the better functioning of the public health system as a whole, but also for the quality of life of local communities and to serve visitors to the island.
PM Tsipras closed by mentioning the project for the integrated management of urban waste in the Chania area, at a total cost of 9.1€ million which is being co-financed from public spending.
While visiting Iraklio…
The Government has placed special emphasis on research and technology, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said, during a visit to the Cretan premises of the Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas (FORTH) on Thursday.
“Alexis Tsipras has stressed that the government has chosen – from the very beginning of his leadership of Greece and despite the economic conditions – to support research and young scientists, increasing funding by 200€ million, to start with, and creating a favorable institutional framework,” a statement from the Prime Minister’s office said.
It is the first time in Greece that expenditures for research accounted for 1% of the GDP, the position of alternate minister focusing on research and technology has been established, and the Hellenic Centre of Research and Innovation (ELIDEK) has been founded, PM Tsipras said. He also added that new funding tools were being used, like the superfund for holding companies to fund innovative technology.
“Our country’s comparative advantage is its human capital,” the PM noted, “and we must invest in young people and in infrastructures,” adding that “for the next five years, the national target is ‘brain gain’, something we can achieve step by step.”
[FORTH was founded in 1983 and is one of the largest and best-equipped research institutions in Greece. It is overseen by the general secretariat of research and technology (Ministry of Culture), it is headquartered in Iraklio, and it consists of six research centres throughout Greece.Ed]
“Crete is a place large enough to accommodate a wide range of productive activities.
"Some people try to justify their policy choices which represent the interests of the few and the powerful, by telling us that inequality is in the nature of human society
"I don’t know where they have found that written down. What I do know is that the redistribution of wealth, social protection, support for the small against the big, for the powerless in the face of the strong constitute gains of our modern civilisation."
"These are gains much more recent than the primitive neoliberalism of the jungle, in which the stronger eats the weaker. This primitive neoliberalism is passed of by the leader of the official opposition as a perspective for development and a stable model for the country."
"So, we are here to move the wheel of history forward. To fight against inequalities.
The Region of Crete is a very good example for us to define what we mean when we talk about reconstruction, about a new productive model.
"Reconstruction is, first and foremost, the increase in productive capacity and the growth in employment, stable and permanent employment.
"The goal is to restore a decent standard of living for working people and to ensure the adequate supply of social services. This describes the term "Equitable Development", namely, development, whose benefits are diffused into society and it does not function as a tool of accumulating wealth for some few and powerful people.
" The more effect combining of the rural sector with the tourism sector could result in much more, the will exists and it is a matter of better organisation and planning which we must resolve.
"To this end, the Animal Husbandry-Manufacturing -Tourism Forum set up by the Ministry of Development, aiming to combine with specific policies and incentives the Animal Husbandry sector with manufacturing industry and the tourism cluster.
"The qualitative growth of agricultural production mainly relates to the improvement of the quality of exports, standardization and certification.
"In the new Development Law being implemented by the Government, industry, manufacturing and animal husbandry are priority sectors, a trend that is confirmed by investors.
The sector of the economy this year gave so much impetus to growth, that today the OECD has been forced to revise its predictions and to talk about percentages that will touch and will exceed 3% growth in the third and fourth quarter of the year.
These are among the four highest quarterly rates of growth across the eurozone.
"For us, equitable tourism development also means a substantial improvement in working conditions. For us tourism development and investment means jobs".
An issue of concern for working people in Crete also is undeclared work and particularly in apprenticeships in tourist enterprises.
From 2010 the arrangements had been in force specified by a Joint Ministerial Decision which allows for the employment of apprentices in tourist enterprises, at the rate of 17% up to a maximum of 40 employees. Furthermore the employment of apprentices from schools in other EU countries or even from third countries had been legislated on, since there are bilateral conventions.
Today the Government is preparing a new Joint Ministerial Decision which will redefine the proportions of workers to apprentices, and which will involves the review of the level of apprentice pay, at 60% of the minimum wage in the country. In addition, it will look at a ban on overtime.
"We are not in favour of entrepreneurship in general, but we are in favour of the entrepreneurship that respects workers’ rights and the natural environment.
We are not in favour of the sort of extortionists, nor of the Government-funded entrepreneurs who looted public wealth and exploited the labour force. We make a gift of those people to the governments of yesterday, whose interests they represented.
In contrast, this Government supports and encourages healthy entrepreneurship and those investors who come not to loot but to support the country, its people and its values.
Today the Government is in a position to present its plan that will result in the commencement of work on the Northern Axis Highway of Crete (BOAK), before the current term of Government is completed.
The study for BOAK which ensures a unified project design from Kastelli Kissamos to Siteia, will be put out to tender in October 2017. In particular, for the part of BOAK, from Chania to Agios Nikolaos, the tender for its construction will take place early in 2018, with the competitive dialogue procedure.
"We expect that the work will start at the beginning of 2019. And we'll be here, with the Regional Governor to find ourselves at the commencement of the work. The project will be completed in 4 to 5 years from its start.
With regard to the new airport at Kastelli, Heraklion, the form of the company that will take it over has been chosen as have the fees for local government and the Ministry of Infrastructure.
Also, an area of 1000 sqm has been defined that will be arranged appropriately for conducting conferences and exhibitions of local products. The realization of these projects and their operation will lead to considerable increase in employment.
Also in progress are other infrastructure projects, such as the junction at Agia Pelagia, the water project on the Lasithi Plateau, and improvements at Heraklion airport. Projects relating to routes to BOAK and also improvements at the airport of Chania.
Crete’s energy connectivity, which will turn it into an energy hub, increasing jobs and reducing households’s costs, is underway.
It is important for us to establish the role of Crete as an intermediate station along energy projects. Specifically, the Eurasia Interconnector cable which will link the electricity networks of Israel, Cyprus and Crete, but also the Eastmed pipeline that will transport natural gas from deposits in the Southeastern Mediterranean to Europe via Cyprus , Greece and Italy. A joint declaration between Greece, Cyprus and Israel has been signed for its promotion.
The exploitation of hydrocarbon deposits in the Southeastern Mediterranean, has placed Crete at the centre of the interest of oil companies.
"All these projects together will increase the importance of Crete, they will create jobs. Their construction will proceed under the strictest standards of international practice for the protection of the environment.
Within the framework of the Regional Conference, it has been agreed between the Ministry of education, the University, the Polytechnic, the Technological Education Institute of Crete and the Foundation for Technology and Research, for there to be a joint workshop, in order to determine the specific two-year programmes that will be implemented in Crete for High School graduates. The programmes that have been established by law for higher education, will give issue professional certificates of European qualifications.
[The workshop will be held in the last week of October and will be the first in the countryEd.]
The reform that will change the map of public health across the country is one that the Government is currently promoting this time and relates to Primary Health Care.
As part of this reform and in the first phase, Crete will be strengthened with 25 Local Health Units.
"There will be immediate results for the better functioning of the public health system as a whole, but also for the quality of life of local communities and to serve visitors to the island.
PM Tsipras closed by mentioning the project for the integrated management of urban waste in the Chania area, at a total cost of 9.1€ million which is being co-financed from public spending.
While visiting Iraklio…
The Government has placed special emphasis on research and technology, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said, during a visit to the Cretan premises of the Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas (FORTH) on Thursday.
“Alexis Tsipras has stressed that the government has chosen – from the very beginning of his leadership of Greece and despite the economic conditions – to support research and young scientists, increasing funding by 200€ million, to start with, and creating a favorable institutional framework,” a statement from the Prime Minister’s office said.
It is the first time in Greece that expenditures for research accounted for 1% of the GDP, the position of alternate minister focusing on research and technology has been established, and the Hellenic Centre of Research and Innovation (ELIDEK) has been founded, PM Tsipras said. He also added that new funding tools were being used, like the superfund for holding companies to fund innovative technology.
“Our country’s comparative advantage is its human capital,” the PM noted, “and we must invest in young people and in infrastructures,” adding that “for the next five years, the national target is ‘brain gain’, something we can achieve step by step.”
[FORTH was founded in 1983 and is one of the largest and best-equipped research institutions in Greece. It is overseen by the general secretariat of research and technology (Ministry of Culture), it is headquartered in Iraklio, and it consists of six research centres throughout Greece.Ed]
Eldorado Gold
Last Thursday the arbitration process was initiated after the finding by the Greek Government that Eldorado Gold’s subsidiary Hellas Gold is in violation of agreed obligations (2004) and environmental conditions (2011).
The case of the Greek Government (the Ministries of Finance and Environment & Energy) at the State Legal Council against Hellas Gold, the subsidiary of the Canadian multinational Eldorado Gold, documents fundamental breaches of the Contract of Transfer in 2003 of the mines of Cassandras, which was ratified by law in January 2004, and also records the trampling underfoot of environmental conditions that were adopted by a Joint Ministerial Decision in 2011.
The main breach and the focus of the conflict is a metal production technique known as "flash smelting." Despite the fact that the company was required to do so by the end of 2015, it has failed to demonstrate the appropriateness of this "flash smelting". "Flash smelting is only suitable for raw material with a low arsenic content," explains physicist Maria Kadoglou. "But in the case of the two mines in Skouries and Olympiada, the arsenic concentration is over 9%." "Flash smelting" is a metallurgical process designed to operate with an arsenic threshold below 0.4%.
During the flash smelting process, arsenic dust is released into the air – as much as 20,000 tons a year. The maximum permitted level is 20 kilos. There are no technologies to purify the air, says Ms. Kadoglou.
The mine is situated directly on top of a seismic fault. Were there to be an earthquake, millions of tons of poisonous waste could be released into the environment.
"To operate a mine like this you need a dry environment. So the groundwater has to be lowered. Yet the mountain in question is the most important water source in otherwise arid Chalkidiki, " she says.
Specifically, in the Appeal it is pointed out that the purpose of the Contract of Transfer was the exploitation of the national mining wealth and of the added value of this through the domestic production of pure metals manufactured on site at Μαντέμ Λάκκος the metalworking factory fed by concentrates from the mines of Olympiadas and Skouries.
The company’s technical study as submitted on 22.12.2014 “does not contain evidence of the implementation of the integrated metallurgical processing method, on which the licencing (both technical and environmental) of the construction and operation of the metalworking factory essentially relied.”
Other serious irregularities and gaps have been identified. There is no evidence that the final stages of production of pure metals - gold, copper and silver - are being undertaken and the fulfilment of its commitment to a vertically integrated production process is not reflected in company reports
Arbitration
Last Thursday the arbitration process was initiated after the finding by the Greek Government that Eldorado Gold’s subsidiary Hellas Gold is in violation of agreed obligations (2004) and environmental conditions (2011).
The decision will be issued within three months from the appointment of the arbitrator, is final and conclusive and enforceable immediately. It is not subject to any appeal and is binding on both parties.
Eldorado postpones decision
Eldorado Gold issued an announcement on Thursday saying it has entered “constructive dialogue” with the Greek Government and is postponing its decision.
“Eldorado Gold Corporation… has entered into constructive dialogue with Greece's Ministry of Energy and Environment with respect to the development of the company's subsidiary, Hellas Gold SA’s Kassandra Mine assets in Halkidiki, northern Greece,” the statement said.
“We are very pleased with the constructive dialogue that is underway with the Ministry of Energy and Environment,” said Eldorado President and CEO George Burns. “Furthermore, last week the Ministry issued a number of long overdue routine permits for our Olympias project. As a result of these developments we have decided to temporarily postpone our decision to place our assets in Halkidiki on care and maintenance.”
Last Thursday the arbitration process was initiated after the finding by the Greek Government that Eldorado Gold’s subsidiary Hellas Gold is in violation of agreed obligations (2004) and environmental conditions (2011).
The case of the Greek Government (the Ministries of Finance and Environment & Energy) at the State Legal Council against Hellas Gold, the subsidiary of the Canadian multinational Eldorado Gold, documents fundamental breaches of the Contract of Transfer in 2003 of the mines of Cassandras, which was ratified by law in January 2004, and also records the trampling underfoot of environmental conditions that were adopted by a Joint Ministerial Decision in 2011.
The main breach and the focus of the conflict is a metal production technique known as "flash smelting." Despite the fact that the company was required to do so by the end of 2015, it has failed to demonstrate the appropriateness of this "flash smelting". "Flash smelting is only suitable for raw material with a low arsenic content," explains physicist Maria Kadoglou. "But in the case of the two mines in Skouries and Olympiada, the arsenic concentration is over 9%." "Flash smelting" is a metallurgical process designed to operate with an arsenic threshold below 0.4%.
During the flash smelting process, arsenic dust is released into the air – as much as 20,000 tons a year. The maximum permitted level is 20 kilos. There are no technologies to purify the air, says Ms. Kadoglou.
The mine is situated directly on top of a seismic fault. Were there to be an earthquake, millions of tons of poisonous waste could be released into the environment.
"To operate a mine like this you need a dry environment. So the groundwater has to be lowered. Yet the mountain in question is the most important water source in otherwise arid Chalkidiki, " she says.
Specifically, in the Appeal it is pointed out that the purpose of the Contract of Transfer was the exploitation of the national mining wealth and of the added value of this through the domestic production of pure metals manufactured on site at Μαντέμ Λάκκος the metalworking factory fed by concentrates from the mines of Olympiadas and Skouries.
The company’s technical study as submitted on 22.12.2014 “does not contain evidence of the implementation of the integrated metallurgical processing method, on which the licencing (both technical and environmental) of the construction and operation of the metalworking factory essentially relied.”
Other serious irregularities and gaps have been identified. There is no evidence that the final stages of production of pure metals - gold, copper and silver - are being undertaken and the fulfilment of its commitment to a vertically integrated production process is not reflected in company reports
Arbitration
Last Thursday the arbitration process was initiated after the finding by the Greek Government that Eldorado Gold’s subsidiary Hellas Gold is in violation of agreed obligations (2004) and environmental conditions (2011).
The decision will be issued within three months from the appointment of the arbitrator, is final and conclusive and enforceable immediately. It is not subject to any appeal and is binding on both parties.
Eldorado postpones decision
Eldorado Gold issued an announcement on Thursday saying it has entered “constructive dialogue” with the Greek Government and is postponing its decision.
“Eldorado Gold Corporation… has entered into constructive dialogue with Greece's Ministry of Energy and Environment with respect to the development of the company's subsidiary, Hellas Gold SA’s Kassandra Mine assets in Halkidiki, northern Greece,” the statement said.
“We are very pleased with the constructive dialogue that is underway with the Ministry of Energy and Environment,” said Eldorado President and CEO George Burns. “Furthermore, last week the Ministry issued a number of long overdue routine permits for our Olympias project. As a result of these developments we have decided to temporarily postpone our decision to place our assets in Halkidiki on care and maintenance.”
New Democracy President Mitsotakis in Thessaloniki
New Democracy Leader, Kyriacos Mitsotakis, held his customary press conference at the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) on Sunday in which he outlined the set of policies he will implement if he succeeds in becoming Prime Minister at the next general election.
Mr.Mitsotakis pledged less taxes, a smaller public sector, a business-friendly environment, the promotion of investment and job creation for the country’s youth.
He vowed to negotiate with international creditors a reduction of Primary Surplus targets in order to cut taxes. To this end, he revealed that he plans to offer Greece’s creditors a programme of sweeping State spending cuts in exchange for lower taxation and lower social security contributions.
“I will demand and achieve a reduction in Primary Surpluses, because I will propose a set of reforms, and we will convince our partners that this is the right strategy for the country.”
“I am committed to a 20% reduction in business taxation within two months,” Mr. Mitsotakis said, adding that he is also committed to “a simplified licencing framework” for enterprises.
Specifically, Mitsotakis said, an ND government would reduce the hugely unpopular property tax, known as ENFIA, by 30 percent over two years. He also pledged a drastic simplification of tax laws, promising that the final framework would remain in place for five years in an attempt to reassure investors wary about frequent changes to tax regulations.
Referring to Eldorado Gold, Mr. Mitsotakis said "No country would leave mineral wealth untapped in the name of so-called environmental protection.""This kind of investment is positive for employment and Government revenue."
SYRIZA’s comment
"Mr. Mitsotakis has nothing new to say. His "rusty" policy proposal is well-known and proven to have dire consequences for the country and its citizens." That was the verdict of the SYRIZA press office on Mr. Mitsotakis’speech. The statement said:
"The President of New Democracy’s only plan remains exactly the same: to continue the disastrous neoliberal policy that bankrupted the country and the economy.
In Mr. Mitsotakis’s plan, the evaluation and the reconstruction of the public sector amounts to layoffs and the privatisation of public assets. In his new language, the sackings of public servants are called "liberalisation"! It is no secret that he wants to give schools and hospitals to the private sector. For Mr. Mitsotakis, the promotion of investment equals looting and the dissolving of labour rights, tax reductions mean new burdens on the middle and weaker social strata.
The funniest, yet most dangerous element of his speech is that it is his distinctive "seriousness" and "reliability" that he says will convince the creditors to reduce surpluses, with him promising new "reforms" in exchange – reforms which he does not specify – for after 2018!
In essence, Mr. Mitsotakis has pledged from the platform of the TIF a new memorandum-fortunately he will remain permanently in opposition!
It is certain that the country deserves better than the unrepentant neoliberal and dangerously populist Mr. Mitsotakis. Mr. Mitsotakis is convincing only as business salesman and not as a political leader, let alone as a candidate for Prime Minister."
New Democracy Leader, Kyriacos Mitsotakis, held his customary press conference at the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) on Sunday in which he outlined the set of policies he will implement if he succeeds in becoming Prime Minister at the next general election.
Mr.Mitsotakis pledged less taxes, a smaller public sector, a business-friendly environment, the promotion of investment and job creation for the country’s youth.
He vowed to negotiate with international creditors a reduction of Primary Surplus targets in order to cut taxes. To this end, he revealed that he plans to offer Greece’s creditors a programme of sweeping State spending cuts in exchange for lower taxation and lower social security contributions.
“I will demand and achieve a reduction in Primary Surpluses, because I will propose a set of reforms, and we will convince our partners that this is the right strategy for the country.”
“I am committed to a 20% reduction in business taxation within two months,” Mr. Mitsotakis said, adding that he is also committed to “a simplified licencing framework” for enterprises.
Specifically, Mitsotakis said, an ND government would reduce the hugely unpopular property tax, known as ENFIA, by 30 percent over two years. He also pledged a drastic simplification of tax laws, promising that the final framework would remain in place for five years in an attempt to reassure investors wary about frequent changes to tax regulations.
Referring to Eldorado Gold, Mr. Mitsotakis said "No country would leave mineral wealth untapped in the name of so-called environmental protection.""This kind of investment is positive for employment and Government revenue."
SYRIZA’s comment
"Mr. Mitsotakis has nothing new to say. His "rusty" policy proposal is well-known and proven to have dire consequences for the country and its citizens." That was the verdict of the SYRIZA press office on Mr. Mitsotakis’speech. The statement said:
"The President of New Democracy’s only plan remains exactly the same: to continue the disastrous neoliberal policy that bankrupted the country and the economy.
In Mr. Mitsotakis’s plan, the evaluation and the reconstruction of the public sector amounts to layoffs and the privatisation of public assets. In his new language, the sackings of public servants are called "liberalisation"! It is no secret that he wants to give schools and hospitals to the private sector. For Mr. Mitsotakis, the promotion of investment equals looting and the dissolving of labour rights, tax reductions mean new burdens on the middle and weaker social strata.
The funniest, yet most dangerous element of his speech is that it is his distinctive "seriousness" and "reliability" that he says will convince the creditors to reduce surpluses, with him promising new "reforms" in exchange – reforms which he does not specify – for after 2018!
In essence, Mr. Mitsotakis has pledged from the platform of the TIF a new memorandum-fortunately he will remain permanently in opposition!
It is certain that the country deserves better than the unrepentant neoliberal and dangerously populist Mr. Mitsotakis. Mr. Mitsotakis is convincing only as business salesman and not as a political leader, let alone as a candidate for Prime Minister."
“We must show our determination to conclude the Third Assessment as soon as possible.”
The greatest possible speed is expected to be made by the Government in the coming period in order to have implemented 80% of the required measures before November to conclude the Third Assessment.
The Prime Minister told his Cabinet, “We must show our determination to conclude the third review as soon as possible.” “I would like us to have completed most of the reforms demanded under the Third Assessment by November, to avoid giving anyone excuses, at home or abroad.”
The Cabinet was briefed by Euclid Tsakalotos on the outcomes of the Eurogroup, with the Finance Minister describing as positive the meeting of Eurozone Finance Ministers. Minister Tsakalotos said that no further fiscal measures were discussed, however, he did ask for the speedy implementation of the required measures to conclude the Third Assessment on time.
In televised remarks, the Greek Prime Ministers said that the country was on course to outperform budget targets set by creditors, for the second year running.
He said that Greece’s surplus, before debt servicing costs has been taken into account, will be higher than the 1.75% of GDP required by the Agreement.
He said that exiting the bailout programme was not just a calendar milestone, but a process of transition from a state of economic crisis to dynamic growth, a reorganisation of production, job recovery and the foundation for a strong welfare state.
He stressed that the steps taken in this direction are significant, and that the country has returned to positive growth rates.
Referring to the economy and investments, Tsipras stressed that “we are working to make the most of this positive momentum for the Greek economy.”
European Investment in Greece planned
European Investment Bank (EIB) plans to invest around 7€ billion in Greece in the period 2018-2020. The EIB’s Deputy Managing Director and Head of the Investment Group for Greece, Nicholas Jennett said last week that “Greece is one of the top countries which has benefited so far from a Juncker Plan, with projects approved worth 1.2€ billion, leading to investments of 3.7€ billion through private leverage”. This positive climate is expected to be confirmed during the inauguration of EIB’s new offices in Athens, September 29, by the bank’s head Werner Hoyer.
The press report said that EIB will approve investment projects worth more than 7€ billion over the next three years and noted that this money could double or even triple with the leverage process.
Greece signed funding agreements worth 1.516€ billion as part of the so-called Juncker Plan in 2016 and disbursements totaled 1.420€ billion. For 2017, agreements and disbursements are expected to exceed 2€ billion euros putting Greece at the sixth place for absorption rates after Italy, France, Spain, Germany and the UK.
Labour Inspectorate at work
184 companies have been called upon to provide written explanations for identified breaches of labour legislation and sanctions are pending.
Under the programme of targeted inspections of companies operating in the tourism sector, Inspectors from the Labour Inspectorate (ΣΕΠΕ) conducted 4,209 checks on island and mainland regions between May 1st and 30th August.
In 751 cases of fines were imposed for infringements of labour legislation totalling 4,683,392.90€, while 39 reports recommending charges were submitted.
ΣΕΠΕ announced that the programme of checks in the tourism industry will continue over the next period. At the same time it is calling on workers to bring forward named or anonymous accusations about violations of labour legislation using the phone number 15512 or at the local office of the Labour Inspectorate.
Greece backs “Equalisation Tax”
Greece is among ten countries which have signed a statement calling on the European Commission to examine the feasibility of the so-called equalisation tax, a tax of large internet companies on their turnover in each EU state, rather than their profits, proposed by France.
The letter – signed by the finance ministers of Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Romania, Austria, France and Germany – proposes internet companies should pay a tax on their turnover that would “reflect some of what these companies should be paying in terms of corporation tax”.
France wants to tax companies like Google and Facebook on their turnover, rather than profits, to increase revenue from global online groups, accused of paying too little in Europe.
Six countries opposed the idea, while the rest say there is a problem, but question if equalisation tax is the way to deal with it. According to one diplomat, the strongest level of opposition came from Ireland, Malta and Cyprus.
Others, including the UK argued caution, as the proposal could antagonise other non-EU countries, in particular the United States, and urged continuing work through the G20 and OECD process to reform the global corporation tax regime.
The greatest possible speed is expected to be made by the Government in the coming period in order to have implemented 80% of the required measures before November to conclude the Third Assessment.
The Prime Minister told his Cabinet, “We must show our determination to conclude the third review as soon as possible.” “I would like us to have completed most of the reforms demanded under the Third Assessment by November, to avoid giving anyone excuses, at home or abroad.”
The Cabinet was briefed by Euclid Tsakalotos on the outcomes of the Eurogroup, with the Finance Minister describing as positive the meeting of Eurozone Finance Ministers. Minister Tsakalotos said that no further fiscal measures were discussed, however, he did ask for the speedy implementation of the required measures to conclude the Third Assessment on time.
In televised remarks, the Greek Prime Ministers said that the country was on course to outperform budget targets set by creditors, for the second year running.
He said that Greece’s surplus, before debt servicing costs has been taken into account, will be higher than the 1.75% of GDP required by the Agreement.
He said that exiting the bailout programme was not just a calendar milestone, but a process of transition from a state of economic crisis to dynamic growth, a reorganisation of production, job recovery and the foundation for a strong welfare state.
He stressed that the steps taken in this direction are significant, and that the country has returned to positive growth rates.
Referring to the economy and investments, Tsipras stressed that “we are working to make the most of this positive momentum for the Greek economy.”
European Investment in Greece planned
European Investment Bank (EIB) plans to invest around 7€ billion in Greece in the period 2018-2020. The EIB’s Deputy Managing Director and Head of the Investment Group for Greece, Nicholas Jennett said last week that “Greece is one of the top countries which has benefited so far from a Juncker Plan, with projects approved worth 1.2€ billion, leading to investments of 3.7€ billion through private leverage”. This positive climate is expected to be confirmed during the inauguration of EIB’s new offices in Athens, September 29, by the bank’s head Werner Hoyer.
The press report said that EIB will approve investment projects worth more than 7€ billion over the next three years and noted that this money could double or even triple with the leverage process.
Greece signed funding agreements worth 1.516€ billion as part of the so-called Juncker Plan in 2016 and disbursements totaled 1.420€ billion. For 2017, agreements and disbursements are expected to exceed 2€ billion euros putting Greece at the sixth place for absorption rates after Italy, France, Spain, Germany and the UK.
Labour Inspectorate at work
184 companies have been called upon to provide written explanations for identified breaches of labour legislation and sanctions are pending.
Under the programme of targeted inspections of companies operating in the tourism sector, Inspectors from the Labour Inspectorate (ΣΕΠΕ) conducted 4,209 checks on island and mainland regions between May 1st and 30th August.
In 751 cases of fines were imposed for infringements of labour legislation totalling 4,683,392.90€, while 39 reports recommending charges were submitted.
ΣΕΠΕ announced that the programme of checks in the tourism industry will continue over the next period. At the same time it is calling on workers to bring forward named or anonymous accusations about violations of labour legislation using the phone number 15512 or at the local office of the Labour Inspectorate.
Greece backs “Equalisation Tax”
Greece is among ten countries which have signed a statement calling on the European Commission to examine the feasibility of the so-called equalisation tax, a tax of large internet companies on their turnover in each EU state, rather than their profits, proposed by France.
The letter – signed by the finance ministers of Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Romania, Austria, France and Germany – proposes internet companies should pay a tax on their turnover that would “reflect some of what these companies should be paying in terms of corporation tax”.
France wants to tax companies like Google and Facebook on their turnover, rather than profits, to increase revenue from global online groups, accused of paying too little in Europe.
Six countries opposed the idea, while the rest say there is a problem, but question if equalisation tax is the way to deal with it. According to one diplomat, the strongest level of opposition came from Ireland, Malta and Cyprus.
Others, including the UK argued caution, as the proposal could antagonise other non-EU countries, in particular the United States, and urged continuing work through the G20 and OECD process to reform the global corporation tax regime.
China is the honoured country
at the 82nd Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF)
16.9.2017
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Chinese Ambassador to Greece Zou Xiaoli cut the ribbon for the opening ceremony of the 82nd Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) on September 9th 2017.
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras hailed Sino-Greek cooperation last Saturday, expressing confidence for the further deepening of bilateral ties, during the opening of China's pavilion at Greece's top annual trade fair in Thessaloniki.
China is the honoured country at the 82nd Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) which is the largest in terms of participants and visitors in the past decade, according to the Greek organizers. 250,000 visitors from 17 countries are expected to visit the Fair with its 1,500 exhibitors.
Addressing the event, the PM praised China's One Belt, One Road initiative, reiterated Greece's strong support and underlined the key role of Chinese investments in Greece's efforts to overcome the debt crisis and restore growth.
China’s honourary status at the 82nd Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) this year is the culmination of a relationship that has strengthened in recent years and has much to offer in the years to come, PM Tsipras said.
"The Chinese Government’s strategic initiative to invest more than one trillion dollars globally with the ‘New Silk Road’ finds Greece in a phase of recovery from the economic crisis, at a time when it must use its most important comparative advantage, which is that our country is at the convergence point of three continents, to become a global transit, trade and energy hub. It will also broaden the prospects for development and give a boost to economic progress throughout the Balkans and the southeastern Mediterranean."
The Prime Minister called on Chinese companies to invest in Greece. “COSCO’s large investment at the port of Piraeus was followed by an important expression of interest for a series of investments at a moment when the Greek economy is eager for investments. The presence of Chinese companies is particularly important and it is welcome,” he added.
PM Tsipras said there is also great potential for cooperation in tourism and welcomed the introduction of a direct airline service from Athens to Beijing on September 30th. He welcomed Chinese companies exhibiting their products at the 82nd TIF and remarked: "I wish their participation in the 82nd TIF to mean further strengthening of relationships and for Thessaloniki and Northern Greece, following Piraeus, to play a stand-out role in strengthening relationships and attracting investment."
He stressed also the need for the peoples and the civilizations of Greece and China to tread together the path to a vision for a better world.
Addressing the ceremony, the Chinese Ambassador to Greece, Zou Xiaoli, noted that it was the first time after 19 years that China is the honoured country at Greece's most prestigious trade fair.
"This is a clear sign of the progress achieved in mutual understanding and trust between the two countries and peoples and of the joint efforts we make to address challenges to the benefit of all sides."
Ambassador Zou Xiaoli spoke about PM Tsipras’ recent visit to Beijing describing it as a “milestone” for the two countries which allowed the creation of a mutually beneficial relationship.
After the opening, accompanied by several Greek ministers, the Greek PM toured the Fair including China's exhibition hall which occupies an area of six acres, with about 170 companies including those representing major sectors of the Chinese economy.
The entire exhibition site, as well as the streets of Thessaloniki, had been decorated with 5,000 traditional Chinese red lanterns by the Municipality of Thessaloniki this year.
The Greek Prime Minister was welcomed with enthusiasm, informed about the products on display and in some cases offered to him as gifts.
At the start he saw an ultramodern model of a high-speed train, at the booth of COSCO, they offered him two animatronics (of the company's mascot) for his children; he visited the pavilions of high-tech companies, where they offered him a mobile phone; he examined a robot that brings articles to people and he tasted Chinese tea.
He also visited the booth of Chinese Telecommunications Company ZTE with which Digital Policy Minister Nikos Pappas signed an agreement of cooperation when he visited Beijing with the Prime Minister.
China is the honoured country at the 82nd Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) which is the largest in terms of participants and visitors in the past decade, according to the Greek organizers. 250,000 visitors from 17 countries are expected to visit the Fair with its 1,500 exhibitors.
Addressing the event, the PM praised China's One Belt, One Road initiative, reiterated Greece's strong support and underlined the key role of Chinese investments in Greece's efforts to overcome the debt crisis and restore growth.
China’s honourary status at the 82nd Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) this year is the culmination of a relationship that has strengthened in recent years and has much to offer in the years to come, PM Tsipras said.
"The Chinese Government’s strategic initiative to invest more than one trillion dollars globally with the ‘New Silk Road’ finds Greece in a phase of recovery from the economic crisis, at a time when it must use its most important comparative advantage, which is that our country is at the convergence point of three continents, to become a global transit, trade and energy hub. It will also broaden the prospects for development and give a boost to economic progress throughout the Balkans and the southeastern Mediterranean."
The Prime Minister called on Chinese companies to invest in Greece. “COSCO’s large investment at the port of Piraeus was followed by an important expression of interest for a series of investments at a moment when the Greek economy is eager for investments. The presence of Chinese companies is particularly important and it is welcome,” he added.
PM Tsipras said there is also great potential for cooperation in tourism and welcomed the introduction of a direct airline service from Athens to Beijing on September 30th. He welcomed Chinese companies exhibiting their products at the 82nd TIF and remarked: "I wish their participation in the 82nd TIF to mean further strengthening of relationships and for Thessaloniki and Northern Greece, following Piraeus, to play a stand-out role in strengthening relationships and attracting investment."
He stressed also the need for the peoples and the civilizations of Greece and China to tread together the path to a vision for a better world.
Addressing the ceremony, the Chinese Ambassador to Greece, Zou Xiaoli, noted that it was the first time after 19 years that China is the honoured country at Greece's most prestigious trade fair.
"This is a clear sign of the progress achieved in mutual understanding and trust between the two countries and peoples and of the joint efforts we make to address challenges to the benefit of all sides."
Ambassador Zou Xiaoli spoke about PM Tsipras’ recent visit to Beijing describing it as a “milestone” for the two countries which allowed the creation of a mutually beneficial relationship.
After the opening, accompanied by several Greek ministers, the Greek PM toured the Fair including China's exhibition hall which occupies an area of six acres, with about 170 companies including those representing major sectors of the Chinese economy.
The entire exhibition site, as well as the streets of Thessaloniki, had been decorated with 5,000 traditional Chinese red lanterns by the Municipality of Thessaloniki this year.
The Greek Prime Minister was welcomed with enthusiasm, informed about the products on display and in some cases offered to him as gifts.
At the start he saw an ultramodern model of a high-speed train, at the booth of COSCO, they offered him two animatronics (of the company's mascot) for his children; he visited the pavilions of high-tech companies, where they offered him a mobile phone; he examined a robot that brings articles to people and he tasted Chinese tea.
He also visited the booth of Chinese Telecommunications Company ZTE with which Digital Policy Minister Nikos Pappas signed an agreement of cooperation when he visited Beijing with the Prime Minister.
PM Tsipras’ Annual Policy Speech at TIF
The Greek Government is friendly toward healthy entrepreneurship. Greece can converse with Russia, China and the Arab world. These were two of the themes of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’ in his annual policy speech at the 82nd Thessaloniki International Fair.
"The timing of the completion of the Assessment is a very crucial issue. We are determined to move forward with great speed as part of the agreement," he stressed, disclosing that he would very soon convene the Cabinet so that the Government can make the necessary interventions in relation to the completion of the Assessment.
"We firmly believe that the European side will have a clear position against possible obstructions to the completion of the Third Assessment."
At the same time he requested the IMF to show its cards and decide its position in relation to the programme, putting forward the timescale as the end of the year.
"The aim is to promote the Greece of creativity and the Greece of hard work. Only with reforms and a change of the policy mix in favour of the most vulnerable, can we leave behind seven years of the Stewardship," he stressed, pointing out that in a year from now, the 83rd TIF will be held with the country out of Memoranda.
At the same time he estimated that with the targets for years 2016 and 2017 being exceeded and by the reduction of tax evasion and smuggling, it is possible to meet the targets and also to again give a dividend to the financially weakest.
But he conceded that signs of economic growth had not been felt so far by the majority of Greeks.
PM Tsipras added that around 500,000 jobs have been created since 2015 - "a record for the last 16 years".
Greece’s economy is expected to grow by about 2% in 2018, a sign that sacrifices are bearing fruit, Alexis Tsipras said outlining initiatives to boost employment and fight a brain drain.
PM Tsipras said the state would give financial incentives to employers to hire more younger workers and spend 156€ million to subsidise social security contributions of employers who will turn contractors into full-time staff. Unregistered work and contract jobs have increased during the debt crisis, as businesses are desperate to cut costs.
The Government will also pay 100€ million euros to subsidise unpaid workers in struggling sectors and businesses, he said, promising to fight labour law violations.
"A French businessman who came to Greece with my French counterpart this week approached me and told me that we have managed to transform Grexit to Grinvest not only for the French but for the rest of Europe," he said.
"The heightened interest for investments in Greece is not something that has happened by chance," he said recalling recent visits by French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
"We will have the fiscal space of a 3.5% Primary Surplus to make the necessary adjustments from 2019 and beyond. In addition to those that we have already made, I am referring to the adoption of the so-called countermeasures for 2019 and 2018 which is 1% of GDP for areas of social support in 2019 and in 2020 a further 1% in tax reductions. In 2016 we achieved a fantastic over-performance and that was one of the reasons that we were able to meet certain requirements of our lenders.
And in 2017 we had a positive over-achievement close to 1€ billion in the first seven months. We must be prudent during the next period but the overall picture is that we are over target, and we will again this year see to it that there is a dividend to the weakest."
"I see a creative Greece that, if it invests in innovation and in new technologies, can work wonders."
He reiterated again that for the Government, entrepreneurship and equitable development go hand in hand with the protection of the environment and of labour.
"2016 was a record for direct foreign investments with the highest rate since 2009. in 2017 it is expected that we will make an even bigger record."
"We are making a very great effort to combat pathologies such as the bureaucracy and the delay in issuing legal judgments that happened before our term of office. The difference we have with the neoliberal view is that we want a healthy business environment so we can protect labour relations and the environment. If we destroy the environment and human capital we will not have productivity in the country."
"Inertia and fear in the face of responsibility are pervasive in the Public Sector. Fear of signing anything." said Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras answering a question about his choice to put himself at the head of the investment Task Force.
"We want to create a climate and show the determination to move ahead with certain plans, of course, within the legal framework.", he stressed and added that there is a big discussion about the simplification of the legal framework and the acceleration of procedures to be announced by the Finance Ministry."
"We will only have won when Greece becomes bone of contention between investment strategies", he commented in response to a question about the investments from China and the increased European investment interest supported by President Macron’s initiative.
Greece has a unique advantage in its strategic location between three continents. Greece must become the country that will have its roots in the Eurozone but which will be able to spread its branches both to the East and to the North and to the South. And that is what we are trying to make a doctrine of a multidimensional and pro-active foreign policy. Greece is within the Eurozone, a pillar of European policy but at the same time a country that, as much as any other, can communicate and converse with Russia and with China and with the Arab world. Few countries can do this."
The Greek Government is friendly toward healthy entrepreneurship. Greece can converse with Russia, China and the Arab world. These were two of the themes of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’ in his annual policy speech at the 82nd Thessaloniki International Fair.
"The timing of the completion of the Assessment is a very crucial issue. We are determined to move forward with great speed as part of the agreement," he stressed, disclosing that he would very soon convene the Cabinet so that the Government can make the necessary interventions in relation to the completion of the Assessment.
"We firmly believe that the European side will have a clear position against possible obstructions to the completion of the Third Assessment."
At the same time he requested the IMF to show its cards and decide its position in relation to the programme, putting forward the timescale as the end of the year.
"The aim is to promote the Greece of creativity and the Greece of hard work. Only with reforms and a change of the policy mix in favour of the most vulnerable, can we leave behind seven years of the Stewardship," he stressed, pointing out that in a year from now, the 83rd TIF will be held with the country out of Memoranda.
At the same time he estimated that with the targets for years 2016 and 2017 being exceeded and by the reduction of tax evasion and smuggling, it is possible to meet the targets and also to again give a dividend to the financially weakest.
But he conceded that signs of economic growth had not been felt so far by the majority of Greeks.
PM Tsipras added that around 500,000 jobs have been created since 2015 - "a record for the last 16 years".
Greece’s economy is expected to grow by about 2% in 2018, a sign that sacrifices are bearing fruit, Alexis Tsipras said outlining initiatives to boost employment and fight a brain drain.
PM Tsipras said the state would give financial incentives to employers to hire more younger workers and spend 156€ million to subsidise social security contributions of employers who will turn contractors into full-time staff. Unregistered work and contract jobs have increased during the debt crisis, as businesses are desperate to cut costs.
The Government will also pay 100€ million euros to subsidise unpaid workers in struggling sectors and businesses, he said, promising to fight labour law violations.
"A French businessman who came to Greece with my French counterpart this week approached me and told me that we have managed to transform Grexit to Grinvest not only for the French but for the rest of Europe," he said.
"The heightened interest for investments in Greece is not something that has happened by chance," he said recalling recent visits by French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
"We will have the fiscal space of a 3.5% Primary Surplus to make the necessary adjustments from 2019 and beyond. In addition to those that we have already made, I am referring to the adoption of the so-called countermeasures for 2019 and 2018 which is 1% of GDP for areas of social support in 2019 and in 2020 a further 1% in tax reductions. In 2016 we achieved a fantastic over-performance and that was one of the reasons that we were able to meet certain requirements of our lenders.
And in 2017 we had a positive over-achievement close to 1€ billion in the first seven months. We must be prudent during the next period but the overall picture is that we are over target, and we will again this year see to it that there is a dividend to the weakest."
"I see a creative Greece that, if it invests in innovation and in new technologies, can work wonders."
He reiterated again that for the Government, entrepreneurship and equitable development go hand in hand with the protection of the environment and of labour.
"2016 was a record for direct foreign investments with the highest rate since 2009. in 2017 it is expected that we will make an even bigger record."
"We are making a very great effort to combat pathologies such as the bureaucracy and the delay in issuing legal judgments that happened before our term of office. The difference we have with the neoliberal view is that we want a healthy business environment so we can protect labour relations and the environment. If we destroy the environment and human capital we will not have productivity in the country."
"Inertia and fear in the face of responsibility are pervasive in the Public Sector. Fear of signing anything." said Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras answering a question about his choice to put himself at the head of the investment Task Force.
"We want to create a climate and show the determination to move ahead with certain plans, of course, within the legal framework.", he stressed and added that there is a big discussion about the simplification of the legal framework and the acceleration of procedures to be announced by the Finance Ministry."
"We will only have won when Greece becomes bone of contention between investment strategies", he commented in response to a question about the investments from China and the increased European investment interest supported by President Macron’s initiative.
Greece has a unique advantage in its strategic location between three continents. Greece must become the country that will have its roots in the Eurozone but which will be able to spread its branches both to the East and to the North and to the South. And that is what we are trying to make a doctrine of a multidimensional and pro-active foreign policy. Greece is within the Eurozone, a pillar of European policy but at the same time a country that, as much as any other, can communicate and converse with Russia and with China and with the Arab world. Few countries can do this."
President Macron in Athens
On Thursday, France's President Macrond warned the International Monetary Fund to refrain from demanding cuts beyond those already agreed, in upcoming talks.
“The IMF’s role in these talks must be in good faith and without adding further conditions,” Macron told journalists in a joint news conference with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.
“We should not exhaust our Ministers and officials with nights and weeks of talks about the (Greek) growth rate over the next 20-25 years down to the last decimal point,” he added.
In an exchange with Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos also on Thursday, Macron suggested that the IMF should not “intervene” in European affairs and looked towards the creation of a European Monetary Fund.
In a speech on Pnyx Hill on Thursday night, President Macron proposed the creation of a “road map” to “rebuild the European Union” and attributed Greece’s crisis partly to a lack of European solidarity, calling it “a failure of Europe.”
Completing his two-day visit to Athens on Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his support for further French investments in Greece and encouraged authorities to press on with economic reforms.
“I personally guarantee French support,” President Macron said at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre, where he and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras co-chaired a meeting of Greek and French entrepreneurs.
He urged European firms to step up their investments in Greece to “help reduce the country’s growing reliance on non-European countries, notably China”.
Addressing a round-table of Greek and French business leaders on Friday, Macron said Greece was “forced” to choose non-European investors “because the Europeans were not there.”
“We want Korean, Chinese and American investments, these are very important,” he said. “But if there are no European investors, then we are forced to select non-European investors.”
A failure to respond, he said, would show that Europeans have “no faith in Europe.”
President Macron called on French companies that have had a presence in the country for years to “give new energy, new dynamism to investments in Greece.”
He also underlined the importance of European solidarity in Greece. “We pushed Greece toward non-European investments and that does not gratify me,” he said.
PM Tsipras for his part, noted that Greece was finally “turning a page” after seven years of recession and was open for investments, describing the country as “an attractive destination for investors.”
He added that his Government was intent on creating a healthier environment for investments “by means of a plan for constant reforms” with the ultimate goal of generating much-needed jobs.
Greek government sources indicated that they were satisfied with the visit by Macron, noting that his references to the need for more democracy in Europe pointed to a close alignment with positions that have been expressed by PM Tsipras.
On Thursday, France's President Macrond warned the International Monetary Fund to refrain from demanding cuts beyond those already agreed, in upcoming talks.
“The IMF’s role in these talks must be in good faith and without adding further conditions,” Macron told journalists in a joint news conference with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.
“We should not exhaust our Ministers and officials with nights and weeks of talks about the (Greek) growth rate over the next 20-25 years down to the last decimal point,” he added.
In an exchange with Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos also on Thursday, Macron suggested that the IMF should not “intervene” in European affairs and looked towards the creation of a European Monetary Fund.
In a speech on Pnyx Hill on Thursday night, President Macron proposed the creation of a “road map” to “rebuild the European Union” and attributed Greece’s crisis partly to a lack of European solidarity, calling it “a failure of Europe.”
Completing his two-day visit to Athens on Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his support for further French investments in Greece and encouraged authorities to press on with economic reforms.
“I personally guarantee French support,” President Macron said at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre, where he and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras co-chaired a meeting of Greek and French entrepreneurs.
He urged European firms to step up their investments in Greece to “help reduce the country’s growing reliance on non-European countries, notably China”.
Addressing a round-table of Greek and French business leaders on Friday, Macron said Greece was “forced” to choose non-European investors “because the Europeans were not there.”
“We want Korean, Chinese and American investments, these are very important,” he said. “But if there are no European investors, then we are forced to select non-European investors.”
A failure to respond, he said, would show that Europeans have “no faith in Europe.”
President Macron called on French companies that have had a presence in the country for years to “give new energy, new dynamism to investments in Greece.”
He also underlined the importance of European solidarity in Greece. “We pushed Greece toward non-European investments and that does not gratify me,” he said.
PM Tsipras for his part, noted that Greece was finally “turning a page” after seven years of recession and was open for investments, describing the country as “an attractive destination for investors.”
He added that his Government was intent on creating a healthier environment for investments “by means of a plan for constant reforms” with the ultimate goal of generating much-needed jobs.
Greek government sources indicated that they were satisfied with the visit by Macron, noting that his references to the need for more democracy in Europe pointed to a close alignment with positions that have been expressed by PM Tsipras.
Eldorado Gold : “The issue is to have rules, to have tools and targeting, about what investments you want, what kind of conditions you apply”
On Monday Canadian Multinational Eldorado Gold Corporation announced plans to suspend investment at its operating mines, development projects and exploration assets in Greece.
In a press conference, George Burns, President and CEO of Eldorado Gold stressed that if the company is not granted the licenses it is entitled to by September 21st, it will cease investment in Greece. CEO Burns said that the licences had not been granted for “unknown bureaucratic reasons.”
Eldorado, which is targeting copper, gold, lead, silver and zinc, bought the Greek assets for nearly $2 billion in 2012. SYRIZA opposed Eldorado’s investment before taking office in 2015. The Government now says it wants it as long as it is “environmentally and economically sound”.
Eldorado’s plans to develop its mining operations in Halkidiki have also provoked protests by locals who fear it will ruin a landscape of pristine beaches and lush forests and destroy the region’s tourism.
Differences have dragged on for years, especially over compliance with environmental regulations.
Defence Minister, Panos Kammenos said “The country doesn’t need investment that leads to environmental catastrophes”, adding that he hoped the company would sit down for talks in order for its investment to continue.
On Monday Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos pointed to New Democracy as the possible instigator of Eldorado’s decision in order to create problems for the Government after Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’ pro-business speech at the Thessaloniki International Fair on Saturday. Referring to the announcement by the Canadian multinational, he said: "For the third time in the last two years, Eldorado Gold is threatening an investment “freeze”. Four days before the start of the appeal to arbitration at the State Legal Council this coming Friday, Eldorado Gold is threatening to suspend its operations in Halkidiki on the 22nd of September, unless in the meantime the Government has issued "routine" licenses needed for it to proceed unhindered in its work. For the third time it is also obvious that the motivation is to use the employees as hostages, threatening them with dismissal if Eldorado Gold’s operation does not come off. They are also reaching the point, completely in tune with New Democracy, of posing the question of a change of Government! The correct thing is to have rules and tools about what investments you want."
Government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos told Skai TV that the Eldorado management had a meeting a few days earlier with Mr. Mitsotakis.
"New Democracy insists on identifying itself with business interests, an act that does not fit with a liberal-oriented party. They do not know the crux of the case or the issues at stake. The company has not submitted the clarifications requested by the Ministry for a technical study. We suggested that we go to arbitration and Eldorado does not accept that perhaps because they fear that they will be defeated. It is the third time that the company has announced the end of its investment activities. We want investment to be made on the basis of national and European legislation. The Greek Government can not accept ultimatums. For issues on which we have different perspectives with the company there is the institutional process of arbitration.
"It is not just a matter of a big investor coming, seeing a Minister and saying what they want to do. The issue is to have rules, to have tools and targeting, about what investments you want, what kind of conditions you apply so that the country can leave the crisis without returning to the period before 2009."
"Eldorado Gold is probably not used to working in European countries," Energy and Environment Minister George Stathakis commented bitingly. He sent Eldorado Gold a message in response to its ultimatum. "The licensing process is at just the stage that I announced yesterday [Monday Ed], Skouries is at 60% of completion and Olympiada is at 100%...
"It should be clear to all that this investment should abide by the two inviolate rules in the basic contract it has with the Greek State.
"Firstly, to be environmentally safe - and this has immense importance because the process of producing an ore also generates quantities of arsenic tens of times above the permissible limits means the highest environmental security is needed for us not to experience an ecological disaster. The highest environmental standards must be guaranteed as stipulated by the European and Greek legislation firstly and secondly the company must vertically integrate all its activities, that is to say it must do the metallurgy in Greece. This is a key issue and the subject of controversy because the method they are proposing to use has not yet been licensed, so as to benefit the Greek economy ... [the Greek Supreme Court currently rejects the precise methodology that deals with the arsenic produced by the mining method Ed.]
So our position is simple, these are the two conditions. There are issues that still have not been resolved by the company and by the State. Instead of the technical dialogue proposed by the company to resolve them, we suggested arbitration. The arbitration takes place this week, the State Legal Council is responsible, so we have proceeded in a co-ordinated way to the best solution."
"New Democracy and its satellites are insisting on the turbulent development model that is shaped by business interests at the expense of the public interest, indifference to the environment and the full deregulation of the labour market."
“Is New Democracy interested in how the investment of millions of euros in tourism infrastructure in Halkidiki will be affected if the company does not comply with the environmental rules? Or is it just about creating impressions at the expense of the public interest?”
SYRIZA’s Director of Economic Policy and Deputy Finance Minister, Trifon Alexiadis told SKAI TV that "The Contract states that when there is a dispute, the parties will go to arbitration. The company cannot say “no” to arbitration."
On Thursday Canada's Eldorado Gold Corporation said it had received formal notice of arbitration.
The arbitration notice alleges the company’s technical study for the Madem Lakkos metallurgical plant, for treating Olympias and Skouries oress is deficient and therefore violates the project's environmental terms. The Government says the ores to be processed will contain arsenic well above accepted levels, and the Government has to make sure the company fully conforms to environmental standards.
Eldorado said it is confident that its study meets the contractual requirements.
On Monday Canadian Multinational Eldorado Gold Corporation announced plans to suspend investment at its operating mines, development projects and exploration assets in Greece.
In a press conference, George Burns, President and CEO of Eldorado Gold stressed that if the company is not granted the licenses it is entitled to by September 21st, it will cease investment in Greece. CEO Burns said that the licences had not been granted for “unknown bureaucratic reasons.”
Eldorado, which is targeting copper, gold, lead, silver and zinc, bought the Greek assets for nearly $2 billion in 2012. SYRIZA opposed Eldorado’s investment before taking office in 2015. The Government now says it wants it as long as it is “environmentally and economically sound”.
Eldorado’s plans to develop its mining operations in Halkidiki have also provoked protests by locals who fear it will ruin a landscape of pristine beaches and lush forests and destroy the region’s tourism.
Differences have dragged on for years, especially over compliance with environmental regulations.
Defence Minister, Panos Kammenos said “The country doesn’t need investment that leads to environmental catastrophes”, adding that he hoped the company would sit down for talks in order for its investment to continue.
On Monday Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos pointed to New Democracy as the possible instigator of Eldorado’s decision in order to create problems for the Government after Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’ pro-business speech at the Thessaloniki International Fair on Saturday. Referring to the announcement by the Canadian multinational, he said: "For the third time in the last two years, Eldorado Gold is threatening an investment “freeze”. Four days before the start of the appeal to arbitration at the State Legal Council this coming Friday, Eldorado Gold is threatening to suspend its operations in Halkidiki on the 22nd of September, unless in the meantime the Government has issued "routine" licenses needed for it to proceed unhindered in its work. For the third time it is also obvious that the motivation is to use the employees as hostages, threatening them with dismissal if Eldorado Gold’s operation does not come off. They are also reaching the point, completely in tune with New Democracy, of posing the question of a change of Government! The correct thing is to have rules and tools about what investments you want."
Government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos told Skai TV that the Eldorado management had a meeting a few days earlier with Mr. Mitsotakis.
"New Democracy insists on identifying itself with business interests, an act that does not fit with a liberal-oriented party. They do not know the crux of the case or the issues at stake. The company has not submitted the clarifications requested by the Ministry for a technical study. We suggested that we go to arbitration and Eldorado does not accept that perhaps because they fear that they will be defeated. It is the third time that the company has announced the end of its investment activities. We want investment to be made on the basis of national and European legislation. The Greek Government can not accept ultimatums. For issues on which we have different perspectives with the company there is the institutional process of arbitration.
"It is not just a matter of a big investor coming, seeing a Minister and saying what they want to do. The issue is to have rules, to have tools and targeting, about what investments you want, what kind of conditions you apply so that the country can leave the crisis without returning to the period before 2009."
"Eldorado Gold is probably not used to working in European countries," Energy and Environment Minister George Stathakis commented bitingly. He sent Eldorado Gold a message in response to its ultimatum. "The licensing process is at just the stage that I announced yesterday [Monday Ed], Skouries is at 60% of completion and Olympiada is at 100%...
"It should be clear to all that this investment should abide by the two inviolate rules in the basic contract it has with the Greek State.
"Firstly, to be environmentally safe - and this has immense importance because the process of producing an ore also generates quantities of arsenic tens of times above the permissible limits means the highest environmental security is needed for us not to experience an ecological disaster. The highest environmental standards must be guaranteed as stipulated by the European and Greek legislation firstly and secondly the company must vertically integrate all its activities, that is to say it must do the metallurgy in Greece. This is a key issue and the subject of controversy because the method they are proposing to use has not yet been licensed, so as to benefit the Greek economy ... [the Greek Supreme Court currently rejects the precise methodology that deals with the arsenic produced by the mining method Ed.]
So our position is simple, these are the two conditions. There are issues that still have not been resolved by the company and by the State. Instead of the technical dialogue proposed by the company to resolve them, we suggested arbitration. The arbitration takes place this week, the State Legal Council is responsible, so we have proceeded in a co-ordinated way to the best solution."
"New Democracy and its satellites are insisting on the turbulent development model that is shaped by business interests at the expense of the public interest, indifference to the environment and the full deregulation of the labour market."
“Is New Democracy interested in how the investment of millions of euros in tourism infrastructure in Halkidiki will be affected if the company does not comply with the environmental rules? Or is it just about creating impressions at the expense of the public interest?”
SYRIZA’s Director of Economic Policy and Deputy Finance Minister, Trifon Alexiadis told SKAI TV that "The Contract states that when there is a dispute, the parties will go to arbitration. The company cannot say “no” to arbitration."
On Thursday Canada's Eldorado Gold Corporation said it had received formal notice of arbitration.
The arbitration notice alleges the company’s technical study for the Madem Lakkos metallurgical plant, for treating Olympias and Skouries oress is deficient and therefore violates the project's environmental terms. The Government says the ores to be processed will contain arsenic well above accepted levels, and the Government has to make sure the company fully conforms to environmental standards.
Eldorado said it is confident that its study meets the contractual requirements.
Safeguards for Working People now State Law
"The Ministry of Labour, Social Security and Social Solidarity’s Bill which puts in place the necessary safeguards for working people, was passed on Thursday and is now state law", said the Minister Effie Achtsioglou.
At the same time, the Minister noted that the necessary conditions are now in place to deal effectively with the phenomenon of undeclared, of under-declared and unpaid work. "The Law also includes regulations about national insurance and very important regulations about the rights of people with disabilities, which should help them substantially in their daily lives."
The Minister also gave special emphasis to the regulation in the Law, according to which no employer and no business that violates labour laws, will have access to public money either national resources or EU funds or to any other sort of grant. "This is now the law of the State," she said.
It is now State Law that, employee, who have not been paid, may be considered as sacked, so they can immediately take unemployment benefit. The Law includes the provision for a summary judgment against an employer for wages due to employees and makes a drastic reduction in the cost of the procedures for employees to claiming pay arrears.
These settings are accompanied by a strenthened Labour Inspectorate (ΣΕΠΕ). "Over the last period, we have strengthened the ΣΕΠΕ with more staff, the key control mechanism, which intervenes in the labour market. There has been some recruitment and there will be more. Its tools have also been strengthened. Now it has an informational system that allows it to make targeted and effective checks. Furthermore, it has also been strengthened financially, as approved a short time ago, using an ESPA stream by 7.5€ million, in order to implement pilot checks and strengthen the provision of legal advice to working people".
"This law is a further step in an overall strategy being developed by the Ministry of Labour. The regulations place a very serious incentive and priority on consistent employers and on consistent businesses."
"The Ministry of Labour, Social Security and Social Solidarity’s Bill which puts in place the necessary safeguards for working people, was passed on Thursday and is now state law", said the Minister Effie Achtsioglou.
At the same time, the Minister noted that the necessary conditions are now in place to deal effectively with the phenomenon of undeclared, of under-declared and unpaid work. "The Law also includes regulations about national insurance and very important regulations about the rights of people with disabilities, which should help them substantially in their daily lives."
The Minister also gave special emphasis to the regulation in the Law, according to which no employer and no business that violates labour laws, will have access to public money either national resources or EU funds or to any other sort of grant. "This is now the law of the State," she said.
It is now State Law that, employee, who have not been paid, may be considered as sacked, so they can immediately take unemployment benefit. The Law includes the provision for a summary judgment against an employer for wages due to employees and makes a drastic reduction in the cost of the procedures for employees to claiming pay arrears.
These settings are accompanied by a strenthened Labour Inspectorate (ΣΕΠΕ). "Over the last period, we have strengthened the ΣΕΠΕ with more staff, the key control mechanism, which intervenes in the labour market. There has been some recruitment and there will be more. Its tools have also been strengthened. Now it has an informational system that allows it to make targeted and effective checks. Furthermore, it has also been strengthened financially, as approved a short time ago, using an ESPA stream by 7.5€ million, in order to implement pilot checks and strengthen the provision of legal advice to working people".
"This law is a further step in an overall strategy being developed by the Ministry of Labour. The regulations place a very serious incentive and priority on consistent employers and on consistent businesses."
Alexis Tsipras welcomes
President Macron
9.9.2017
At an event held on the Pnyx Hill on Thursday to welcome French President Emmanuel Macron to Athens on an official two-day visit, both leaders delivered key note speeches.
"Your Prime Minister and your Government always wanted to keep Greece in Europe, despite all the pressure" he said, and announced that he is planning initiatives that will lead to "a more social Europe".
He went on to explain that the aim is for Greece to regain its economic sovereignty and live through growth. "The time has come for Greece to look towards the future, and not implement rules decided by others,” he said.
President Macron also urged the International Monetary Fund to step back from its role in European bailouts. “I don’t think it was the right method for the IMF to supervise European programmes and intervene in the way it did,” he said. “Let’s work within Europe and not turn to outside agencies.”
He said the European Stability Mechanism should play the lead role in financial support within the eurozone. “We must rediscover the enthusiasm that the Union was founded upon and change, not with technocrats and not with bureaucracy.” He backed Germany’s idea of a European Monetary Fund (EMF) to counter economic shocks in euro zone member states but stressed the ultimate goal of deeper integration should remain a euro zone budget.
The visit includes a significant business delegation consisting of approximately 100 executives and representatives of enterprises and organisations. Approximately sixty executives representing Greek businesses and organizations of both the private and public sectors will participate in a working round-table meeting with the French business leaders at Stavros Niarchos Cultural Center on Friday.
Shipping, banking, energy, constructions, food, telecom, tourism and pharmaceuticals are among the Greek industries to be represented.
During his speech, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras stressed the need to promote a dialogue for “a new democratic contract in Europe”, to restore solidarity and equality between states and among citizens. “We can achieve fiscal unification if we achieve political and economic integration,” he said, adding he supports President Macron’s proposal for the appointment of a Eurozone Finance Mminister. He added however that Eurozone will also need a Social Justice Minister.
Optimism at Euro Working Group
EU Finance Ministers (EWG) met on Monday afternoon in Brussels. They sent out optimistic signals as regards the course of the Greek economy and endorsed the European Commission's proposal for Greece to exit the excessive deficit procedure, taking the first step towards its final approval in the course of September by the Committee of the Permanent Representatives of the EU Governments (COREPER).
As the Bailout Programme enters its last months and in view of the informal Eurogroup next Friday in Tallinn, the EWG examined the implementation of the reforms and the prospects for the Third Assessment. The technical teams are expected to return to Athens next week, while the Institutions’ chiefs are expected in mid-October. Well-informed sources estimated that the cooperation of all parties in the next Assessment will be close and take place in a positive atmosphere.
Improving the image
The EWG found that the economic situation in Greece has improved. Achieving a Primary Surplus of about 1.75% is possible, bank deposits are recovering and growth this year could exceed 1.8%. With regard to the next Assessment, this will include 95 requirements, most of which relate to the implementation of the reforms already legislated.
When it comes to the repayment of the arrears of Government debts to individuals, amounting to 800€ million, pending since the previous Assessment, the Greek side is next week expected to send further data about what has been cleared up until now. Following the audit of that data, the European Stability Mechanism is expected to approve the staged repayments.
Problem with the IMF
It seems, both the Greek and the European sides want Greece to exit the Memoranda. There is concern that the IMF could still put forward further unreasonable demands, such as the reduction of tax-free allowances being applied from 2019 and not 2020, or the deferral of the countermeasures until 2023 or the auditing of the capital adequacy of Greek banks.
Already, the Governor of the Bank of Greece Yannis Stournaras seems worried by the prevailing atmosphere and was quick to declare in Sunday’s “To Bema”: “If the IMF wants to leave [the Bailout Programme Ed], let it leave. We don't need them anymore”.
"Your Prime Minister and your Government always wanted to keep Greece in Europe, despite all the pressure" he said, and announced that he is planning initiatives that will lead to "a more social Europe".
He went on to explain that the aim is for Greece to regain its economic sovereignty and live through growth. "The time has come for Greece to look towards the future, and not implement rules decided by others,” he said.
President Macron also urged the International Monetary Fund to step back from its role in European bailouts. “I don’t think it was the right method for the IMF to supervise European programmes and intervene in the way it did,” he said. “Let’s work within Europe and not turn to outside agencies.”
He said the European Stability Mechanism should play the lead role in financial support within the eurozone. “We must rediscover the enthusiasm that the Union was founded upon and change, not with technocrats and not with bureaucracy.” He backed Germany’s idea of a European Monetary Fund (EMF) to counter economic shocks in euro zone member states but stressed the ultimate goal of deeper integration should remain a euro zone budget.
The visit includes a significant business delegation consisting of approximately 100 executives and representatives of enterprises and organisations. Approximately sixty executives representing Greek businesses and organizations of both the private and public sectors will participate in a working round-table meeting with the French business leaders at Stavros Niarchos Cultural Center on Friday.
Shipping, banking, energy, constructions, food, telecom, tourism and pharmaceuticals are among the Greek industries to be represented.
During his speech, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras stressed the need to promote a dialogue for “a new democratic contract in Europe”, to restore solidarity and equality between states and among citizens. “We can achieve fiscal unification if we achieve political and economic integration,” he said, adding he supports President Macron’s proposal for the appointment of a Eurozone Finance Mminister. He added however that Eurozone will also need a Social Justice Minister.
Optimism at Euro Working Group
EU Finance Ministers (EWG) met on Monday afternoon in Brussels. They sent out optimistic signals as regards the course of the Greek economy and endorsed the European Commission's proposal for Greece to exit the excessive deficit procedure, taking the first step towards its final approval in the course of September by the Committee of the Permanent Representatives of the EU Governments (COREPER).
As the Bailout Programme enters its last months and in view of the informal Eurogroup next Friday in Tallinn, the EWG examined the implementation of the reforms and the prospects for the Third Assessment. The technical teams are expected to return to Athens next week, while the Institutions’ chiefs are expected in mid-October. Well-informed sources estimated that the cooperation of all parties in the next Assessment will be close and take place in a positive atmosphere.
Improving the image
The EWG found that the economic situation in Greece has improved. Achieving a Primary Surplus of about 1.75% is possible, bank deposits are recovering and growth this year could exceed 1.8%. With regard to the next Assessment, this will include 95 requirements, most of which relate to the implementation of the reforms already legislated.
When it comes to the repayment of the arrears of Government debts to individuals, amounting to 800€ million, pending since the previous Assessment, the Greek side is next week expected to send further data about what has been cleared up until now. Following the audit of that data, the European Stability Mechanism is expected to approve the staged repayments.
Problem with the IMF
It seems, both the Greek and the European sides want Greece to exit the Memoranda. There is concern that the IMF could still put forward further unreasonable demands, such as the reduction of tax-free allowances being applied from 2019 and not 2020, or the deferral of the countermeasures until 2023 or the auditing of the capital adequacy of Greek banks.
Already, the Governor of the Bank of Greece Yannis Stournaras seems worried by the prevailing atmosphere and was quick to declare in Sunday’s “To Bema”: “If the IMF wants to leave [the Bailout Programme Ed], let it leave. We don't need them anymore”.
Looking Forward to the 82nd Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF)
At least 200 Chinese companies will participate in the 82nd Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) to be held on September 9th -17th , with the participation of China as an “honoured country”.
A series of meetings between Greek and Chinese companies have been planned in an effort to attract investments, strengthen economic ties and enhance cooperation between the two countries.
A key event of the 82nd TIF will be the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to be signed between the China Development Bank (CDB) and the Public Power Corporation (PPC) during a conference organised within the framework of the fair.
Environment and Energy Minister Giorgos Stathakis, Chinese Ambassador Zou Xiaoli, the Head of the European Commission Representation in Greece Panos Karvounis, as well as representatives of companies and banks from China and SE Europe will speak at the conference.
On its part, China Development Bank is planning investments involving more than 900 projects in the 64 countries along the route of Silk Road.
The participation of COSCO, which is planning to invest around 600€ million in the port of Piraeus over the next decade, is also expected to attract the interest of visitors. Its decision to choose Piraeus as a gateway for Chinese products to enter the EU market is an important initiative for both the Greek economy and for relations between China and the EU.
Other companies that have registered to hold meetings within the framework of the fair are CEFC China Energy Company Limited, China Corporate United Investment Holding, ΙNESA, Shanghai Feilo Acoustics, Shanghai Electric Group Shanghai Building Materials, Ezi Surg Medical, Shenda International Trade, Shanghai Silk Group Culture Development and Shanghai Rainbowfish Ocean Technology.
This follows an initiative of TIF and Enterprise Greek Invest and Trade in order to identify companies that share common features and facilitate them in their efforts to plan their meetings.
Chinese companies are mostly interested in the sectors of energy, food, tourism, scientific innovation, culture, real estate and health care.
Another important development to be announced is the launch by Air China of new direct flights linking Athens and Beijing, starting September 30th.
In total, more than 1,500 exhibitors are expected to participate in the conference, the managing director of TIF-Helexpo Kyriakos Pozrikidis told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency.
“The economic indicators are positive”
At a meeting with the leadership of the Hellenic Bank Association (HBA) on Friday, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said the economic indicators are positive and the figures released by the Hellenic Statistical Authority are encouraging,
ELSTAT’s second quarter provisional figures showed a strong recovery even before the conclusion of the Second Programme Assessment. The Greek economy grew by 0.5% compared to the first quarter of 2017 and by 0.8% compared to the second quarter of 2016.
Announcing these figures, the Government Statement said “This trend was further reinforced after the conclusion of the Second Programme Assessment, Greece’s successful return to the [bond Ed]markets and the upgrades of the Greek economy by the international rating agencies. We continue to strive for equitable growth with protection of the labour market and for building a new production model.”
“If we continue to have the same positive rates as we have had in the first two quarters and especially the third, we can reach growth rates in 2017 that approach 2%, which the Greek economy has not seen in more than a decade,” Alexis Tsipras said.
“What is needed,” he said, “is to maintain the fiscal balance, provide liquidity tools and increase demand to help the Greek economy grow.” Banks can play a very useful role in this effort, the Prime Minister added, while noting that trust in Greek banks must be rebuilt, both among investors and among depositors.
The talks also focused on conditions in the banking sector and the improvements made there, with banks returning to profit after almost a decade of losses, a gradual recovery of deposits and a slow but steady reduction of bad loans. On the other side, the banks noted slow credit expansion due to low demand by households, the continuing restrictions imposed by capital controls, and the challenge still posed by the reduction of Non-Productive Loans (NPLs).
Later that day the PM received the leadership of the Hellenic Confederation of Professionals, Craftsmen & Merchants (GSEVEE).
“The main issue is to have a convergence between good macroeconomic indicators and growth rates and the real situation, as experienced by SMEs, merchants and craftspeople, because sometimes we can get carried away,” he said.
GSEVEE President Giorgos Kavvathas referred to a survey carried out in July 2017, which showed a real improvement in indicators by about 10%, though he did say this was not enough.
After the meeting, Mr. Kavvathas said that he had raised the key problems facing GSEVEE members, including overtaxation, social insurance issues, financing and the need for a development bank focused on SMEs and micro-businesses, the need for “unseizable” business bank accounts and the outstanding debts of some 300,000 entrepreneurs.
In an earlier meeting with the leadership of the Hellenic Confederation of Commerce and Entrepreneurship (ESEE), PM Tsipras noted that Greece needs a new production model, a new development model and has to rebuild small and medium-sized enterprise on a healthier foundation.
According to the President of ESEE Vassilis Korkidkis, the Prime Minister told them that there is still hope and he would continue to work with the Government’s economic staff in order to persuade Greece’s creditors to agree to “unseizable” business bank accounts.
Greek Manufacturing
Growth in Greek manufacturing activity accelerated in August for the third consecutive month as rising demand at home and abroad led firms to add jobs and increase production, a survey showed on Friday. Markit’s Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for manufacturing, which accounts for about 10% of the economy, rose to 52.2 from 50.5 in July, its highest print since August 2008.
Readings above 50 denote expansion in activity. The pickup in growth was driven by a solid increase in new business, the sharpest since May 2014, with export orders also rising for the first time in a year. “Having endured years of economic malaise, the latest data will be music to the ears of many concerned with Greek manufacturing,” said IHS Markit economist Alex Gill.
To keep pace with rising client demand, companies increased staffing numbers for the fourth straight month in August, at the most marked pace in more than 17 years. “Underlying the expansion were robust increases in new business, contributing to the sharpest round of job creation since January 2000. This will buoy hopes for a reduction in the country’s high unemployment,” Gill said. While input price inflation remained solid, strong client demand boosted manufacturers’ pricing power, leading to higher factory gate prices on average, the survey showed.
As production grew, manufacturers increased purchasing activity at a rate that hit a nine-year high. “The strong degree of optimism can at least partially account for the rise in demand and is indicative of a more positive narrative surrounding the Greek economy, spurred on by the country’s return to bond markets in July,” Mr. Gill said.
The Numbers
* GDP increased by 0.8%
* Consumption increased by 1.2%
* Exports grew by 9.5%
* Imports rose by 3.1% rise
* Manufacturing recorded a 9 year high (since
August 2008) of increased exports.
* There was a 17 year record (since January 2000)
of increased Jobs
Data supplied by ELSTAT and Markit (a global financial information and services company)
Public Sector Reform
Speaking on television, Olga Gerovasili, the Minister for Administrative Reconstruction, stressed that "just with the digital signature [The Digital Signature is a mathematical system used to prove the authenticity of a digital message or document Ed], the State is saving 200€ million. That is how we will get the rationalization of the public sector and not with redundancies."
On the reform of the Public Administration, she stressed that the Government has adopted a system of evaluation in the Public Sector that has objective and transparent criteria. The evaluation, she said, "must be objective and merit-based and must do away with the system of clientelism".
The reform of the Public Administration, she continued, "comes to improve relationships between the state, society, the citizen, undertaking a series of measures such as reducing bureaucracy, speeding up procedures, using the digital signature, etc."
"We are streamlining the State to make it friendly to the citizen and to business. The National Strategy for Administrative Reform aims to make the public administration a tool for development".
As an example of removing party political influence, she spoke of the upcoming competition in September for the posts of Ministerial General Secretaries.
As regards contracted staff, she reported that, within the framework of the financial obligations and commitments of the country, “appointments must be targeted and involve employees who have for years covered for fixed and permanent needs in the context of supporting the welfare State and the citizen.
Finally she underlined that "we want to rationalise the public sector and not to the increase it, so that it can serve as a tool for development".
Labour Legislation
The Bill on the Protection of Working People was adopted in principle by Parliamentary Committee. The parties of the Government Coalition voted in favour of the Bill, the Communist Party voted "present" [i.e. abstained Ed], while all the other parties reserved their positions for the Plenary meeting of Parliament when the Bill will be introduced for final voting.
Presenting the Articles of the Bill, Labour Minister Effie Achtsioglou spoke about the legislation being a positive sign for the society, "the Ministry of Labour’s first purely protective Bill since the beginning of the crisis until today" and she made specific reference to the three central principles, which are moving in that direction.
She referred to the Social Insurance system, which, as she said, is solving some chronic problems and is responding to legitimate demands of specific social groups.
Also, she focused on the reforms on labour issues, with separate provisions for undeclared, unpaid and underdeclared work and an extension of employment rights to groups which have not enjoyed them as they should have, as well as on provisions for the expansion of the rights of people with disabilities, which constitute the third axis of the Bill.
"Behind every one of the reforms in the Bill there are real stories of workers who need support," Minister Achtsioglou said. She announced that the Labour Inspectorate will be strengthened by a further 150 people, while under New Democracy, staff had been reduced by 200. She noted that rules existed in current employment law but previous Governments had not applied them.
"Those employers who have property but do not pay wages, after 15 days the employees will be able to claim part of that property".
Referring to the funding of the reforms, she said that a tranche of 7.5€ million had been authorised in order to strengthen a mixed range of checks but also to provide services where citizens can be informed of their rights.
She added that the EFKA [The Unified Social Security Service which is being formed by the merging of all former social insurance funds Ed] is in surplus and will support the effort of the Government.
Minister Achtsioglou noted that if a worker remains unpaid for months, they will be able to bring to the Labour Force Employment Organisation [ΟΑΕΔ Ed] an out-of-court statement against the employer and will receive unemployment pay, while it is expected that the trial date will be set a maximum period of 6 months ahead.
Referring to the financial burden on the OAED, the Minister said that the Government has decided to shift the risk to the Agency. "The OAED protects the employee and not the worker the OAED."
For the mentally ill who get an allowance or pension and who find work, she said they will continue to receive it.
PM Tsipras opens Ionian Highway
Officially inaugurating the Ionian Highway, a brand new road running across northwestern Greece, the PM Tsipras described it as “a strategic project for all Greece and the Epirus region, which upgrades the country’s role in the wider region.” “Projects such as this will help usher in a new era of equitable growth, whose benefits will spread all the way to the weakest members of society. The Ionian Highway which links up to the Egnatia Highway,he said, would help upgrade trade, tourism and transport for all western Greece and Epirus, lifting the region out of its present isolation.
The benefits from the Ionian Highway will be maximized if it is included in a wider plan, which includes the construction of a new port in Igoumenitsa, a connection linking the Ionian Highway with Preveza and Agrinio and its extension to Kakavia on the Greek-Albanian border, PM Tsipras stated.
The Prime Minister underlined that with the Ionian Highway, the airport of Ioannina is being upgraded into a hub airport for tourists. “The country is well on its way out of the economic crisis,” he stressed, adding that Greece is turning a page.
“A project of historic significance and enormous economic, commercial and geopolitical value”
On Wednesday (6th September) Greece and Bulgaria signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the construction of a high-speed railway, a project which aims to attract foreign investment and establish strong links in a region historically known for divisions and antagonism between neighbours.
Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Bouko Borissov met Alexis Tsipras in Kavala, northern Greece, and signed the agreement on a railway line that will connect three ports in Greece (Thessaloniki, Kavala, Alexandroupolis) with three Bulgarian ports (Burgas and Varna on the Black Sea and Ruse on the Danube).
The Bulgarian Government said the project, named “Sea2Sea”, was expected to attract huge investor interest from the Middle East, China, Russia and other major markets.
Speaking at a joint press conference after their meeting, Tsipras said it was a project of historic significance and enormous economic, commercial and geopolitical value.
“We are opening new commercial routes and extending the trans-European transport network linking the Aegean Sea to the Danube and the Black Sea,” he said, noting that the project was a “big step” that allows the Balkan countries to be transformed into an area of economic prosperity.
Bulgaria’s PM Borissov said the region was starting with smaller things, referring to the infrastructure projects at the level of motorways and rail connections that are in progress. “If this plan is implemented, Kavala will be able to develop trade relations with the port of Ruse, and a large inland economy.” Ruse is the largest Bulgarian city on the Danube, with a road and railway bridge to Romania. Bucharest is only 60 km away. “We are looking at our [forthcoming EU Ed]presidency as a Balkan presidency. We have a rare chance to prove that there are reasonable people who will put an end to the contradictions, and from a powder keg, the region will become an area of prosperity”, PM Borissov said. He added: “With Alexis Tsipras we can play an important role in shaping a Balkan policy within the framework of the EU”.
Speaking on television, Olga Gerovasili, the Minister for Administrative Reconstruction, stressed that "just with the digital signature [The Digital Signature is a mathematical system used to prove the authenticity of a digital message or document Ed], the State is saving 200€ million. That is how we will get the rationalization of the public sector and not with redundancies."
On the reform of the Public Administration, she stressed that the Government has adopted a system of evaluation in the Public Sector that has objective and transparent criteria. The evaluation, she said, "must be objective and merit-based and must do away with the system of clientelism".
The reform of the Public Administration, she continued, "comes to improve relationships between the state, society, the citizen, undertaking a series of measures such as reducing bureaucracy, speeding up procedures, using the digital signature, etc."
"We are streamlining the State to make it friendly to the citizen and to business. The National Strategy for Administrative Reform aims to make the public administration a tool for development".
As an example of removing party political influence, she spoke of the upcoming competition in September for the posts of Ministerial General Secretaries.
As regards contracted staff, she reported that, within the framework of the financial obligations and commitments of the country, “appointments must be targeted and involve employees who have for years covered for fixed and permanent needs in the context of supporting the welfare State and the citizen.
Finally she underlined that "we want to rationalise the public sector and not to the increase it, so that it can serve as a tool for development".
Labour Legislation
The Bill on the Protection of Working People was adopted in principle by Parliamentary Committee. The parties of the Government Coalition voted in favour of the Bill, the Communist Party voted "present" [i.e. abstained Ed], while all the other parties reserved their positions for the Plenary meeting of Parliament when the Bill will be introduced for final voting.
Presenting the Articles of the Bill, Labour Minister Effie Achtsioglou spoke about the legislation being a positive sign for the society, "the Ministry of Labour’s first purely protective Bill since the beginning of the crisis until today" and she made specific reference to the three central principles, which are moving in that direction.
She referred to the Social Insurance system, which, as she said, is solving some chronic problems and is responding to legitimate demands of specific social groups.
Also, she focused on the reforms on labour issues, with separate provisions for undeclared, unpaid and underdeclared work and an extension of employment rights to groups which have not enjoyed them as they should have, as well as on provisions for the expansion of the rights of people with disabilities, which constitute the third axis of the Bill.
"Behind every one of the reforms in the Bill there are real stories of workers who need support," Minister Achtsioglou said. She announced that the Labour Inspectorate will be strengthened by a further 150 people, while under New Democracy, staff had been reduced by 200. She noted that rules existed in current employment law but previous Governments had not applied them.
"Those employers who have property but do not pay wages, after 15 days the employees will be able to claim part of that property".
Referring to the funding of the reforms, she said that a tranche of 7.5€ million had been authorised in order to strengthen a mixed range of checks but also to provide services where citizens can be informed of their rights.
She added that the EFKA [The Unified Social Security Service which is being formed by the merging of all former social insurance funds Ed] is in surplus and will support the effort of the Government.
Minister Achtsioglou noted that if a worker remains unpaid for months, they will be able to bring to the Labour Force Employment Organisation [ΟΑΕΔ Ed] an out-of-court statement against the employer and will receive unemployment pay, while it is expected that the trial date will be set a maximum period of 6 months ahead.
Referring to the financial burden on the OAED, the Minister said that the Government has decided to shift the risk to the Agency. "The OAED protects the employee and not the worker the OAED."
For the mentally ill who get an allowance or pension and who find work, she said they will continue to receive it.
PM Tsipras opens Ionian Highway
Officially inaugurating the Ionian Highway, a brand new road running across northwestern Greece, the PM Tsipras described it as “a strategic project for all Greece and the Epirus region, which upgrades the country’s role in the wider region.” “Projects such as this will help usher in a new era of equitable growth, whose benefits will spread all the way to the weakest members of society. The Ionian Highway which links up to the Egnatia Highway,he said, would help upgrade trade, tourism and transport for all western Greece and Epirus, lifting the region out of its present isolation.
The benefits from the Ionian Highway will be maximized if it is included in a wider plan, which includes the construction of a new port in Igoumenitsa, a connection linking the Ionian Highway with Preveza and Agrinio and its extension to Kakavia on the Greek-Albanian border, PM Tsipras stated.
The Prime Minister underlined that with the Ionian Highway, the airport of Ioannina is being upgraded into a hub airport for tourists. “The country is well on its way out of the economic crisis,” he stressed, adding that Greece is turning a page.
“A project of historic significance and enormous economic, commercial and geopolitical value”
On Wednesday (6th September) Greece and Bulgaria signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the construction of a high-speed railway, a project which aims to attract foreign investment and establish strong links in a region historically known for divisions and antagonism between neighbours.
Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Bouko Borissov met Alexis Tsipras in Kavala, northern Greece, and signed the agreement on a railway line that will connect three ports in Greece (Thessaloniki, Kavala, Alexandroupolis) with three Bulgarian ports (Burgas and Varna on the Black Sea and Ruse on the Danube).
The Bulgarian Government said the project, named “Sea2Sea”, was expected to attract huge investor interest from the Middle East, China, Russia and other major markets.
Speaking at a joint press conference after their meeting, Tsipras said it was a project of historic significance and enormous economic, commercial and geopolitical value.
“We are opening new commercial routes and extending the trans-European transport network linking the Aegean Sea to the Danube and the Black Sea,” he said, noting that the project was a “big step” that allows the Balkan countries to be transformed into an area of economic prosperity.
Bulgaria’s PM Borissov said the region was starting with smaller things, referring to the infrastructure projects at the level of motorways and rail connections that are in progress. “If this plan is implemented, Kavala will be able to develop trade relations with the port of Ruse, and a large inland economy.” Ruse is the largest Bulgarian city on the Danube, with a road and railway bridge to Romania. Bucharest is only 60 km away. “We are looking at our [forthcoming EU Ed]presidency as a Balkan presidency. We have a rare chance to prove that there are reasonable people who will put an end to the contradictions, and from a powder keg, the region will become an area of prosperity”, PM Borissov said. He added: “With Alexis Tsipras we can play an important role in shaping a Balkan policy within the framework of the EU”.
"The overriding focus of our strategy is the freeing of public administration from political party influence."
Alexis Tsipras
2.9.2017
"The national strategy for administrative reform is part of the overall plan for post-Memorandum Greece," said the Prime Minister in his speech at the Benaki Museum, in Athens. He added that "the ultimate goal of this plan is a Greece with its national sovereignty fully recovered ".
"The Administrative Reform will lay the foundations for a State that provides a real service to the citizen, a State that will bear no relationship to what we have experienced to date and with what we know today," he stressed.
"The concept of the State as loot and as a tool of clientelist management has continued for decades until the years of the crisis. This perception of the State as loot is shown today by the cunning and supposedly liberal cries of some for the application to the State of the constitutional protection of permanent unchangeability."
At the same time, he added, "in the years of crisis the State from being a "child of the system" became its "stepson", onto which some people tried to off-load their own sins. We saw the culmination of the attempt to incriminate the Public Administration collectively in 2015 when the current leader of New Democracy was the Minister when we learned that reform does not mean meritocracy but redundancies."
There have been positive steps, despite their being piecemeal, such as the establishment of the Supreme Council for Civil Personnel Selection (ΑΣΕΠ), the National School of Public Administration, of KEP and the establishment of Διαύγεια [the Government Information Website Ed].
"The overriding focus of our strategy is the freeing of public administration from political party influence."
"In the coming months Greece will become one of the first countries worldwide in which the process of licencing businesses will be fully digitized [computerised Ed]."
"From mid-2018 we will bring forward the announcement of written competitions through ΑΣΕΠ to attract young professionals to the Public Sector. We are seriously considering putting in place additional incentives for the repatriation of young graduates. By 2020 all transactions with the Public will be made electronically.
"With the reform which we are presenting for the first time with a holistic vision for the Administration and with the valuable contribution of France, we are on the way to laying the foundations for a structural reform of a historic character.
"Perhaps it constitutes a new beginning for the Greek State or, to put it more ambitiously, the beginning of a new Greek State.
"I don't want to say “why didn’t it happen for so many years”, but I will say that we believe in this, we will try and we will make it happen."
"The Administrative Reform will lay the foundations for a State that provides a real service to the citizen, a State that will bear no relationship to what we have experienced to date and with what we know today," he stressed.
"The concept of the State as loot and as a tool of clientelist management has continued for decades until the years of the crisis. This perception of the State as loot is shown today by the cunning and supposedly liberal cries of some for the application to the State of the constitutional protection of permanent unchangeability."
At the same time, he added, "in the years of crisis the State from being a "child of the system" became its "stepson", onto which some people tried to off-load their own sins. We saw the culmination of the attempt to incriminate the Public Administration collectively in 2015 when the current leader of New Democracy was the Minister when we learned that reform does not mean meritocracy but redundancies."
There have been positive steps, despite their being piecemeal, such as the establishment of the Supreme Council for Civil Personnel Selection (ΑΣΕΠ), the National School of Public Administration, of KEP and the establishment of Διαύγεια [the Government Information Website Ed].
"The overriding focus of our strategy is the freeing of public administration from political party influence."
"In the coming months Greece will become one of the first countries worldwide in which the process of licencing businesses will be fully digitized [computerised Ed]."
"From mid-2018 we will bring forward the announcement of written competitions through ΑΣΕΠ to attract young professionals to the Public Sector. We are seriously considering putting in place additional incentives for the repatriation of young graduates. By 2020 all transactions with the Public will be made electronically.
"With the reform which we are presenting for the first time with a holistic vision for the Administration and with the valuable contribution of France, we are on the way to laying the foundations for a structural reform of a historic character.
"Perhaps it constitutes a new beginning for the Greek State or, to put it more ambitiously, the beginning of a new Greek State.
"I don't want to say “why didn’t it happen for so many years”, but I will say that we believe in this, we will try and we will make it happen."
The national strategy for Administrative Reform 2017-2019
The Minister for Administrative Reconstruction, Olga Gerovasili presented "The National Strategy for Administrative Reform 2017-2019".
“Our policy is to combat every instance of clientelist logic and today we are giving answers as to how we see things and what we are doing to reform the present and the future of public administration.
So that the public administration is not an opaque mesh of bureaucratic mechanisms which for years has served the few. But, instead, to be an efficient, friendly, orderly, modern, productive and unbiased public institution, with its gaze exclusively directed to the needs of the many and to the public interest".
At a crucial turning point for the Greek economy, at a time when international rating agencies are certifying our upward trajectory, the administrative reorganisation comes to cure chronic pathologies, participating actively in the effort to achieve the reconstruction of the productive capacity of the country.
Believing deeply that human resources are crucial for the success of any national plan for the Public Administration, we have put in place and are implementing, with open and objective procedures, a set of actions which relate to the internal functioning of the public sector, such as Mobility, Assessment, the Registry of Staff Remuneration, the Selection of Senior Managers, Job Descriptions and Target-setting … We are investing in the promotion of the appropriate employee to the appropriate job.
The new reality in the operation of the State in 2020 will help to improve State-Citizen relations, gradually putting a collective, social stamp on the work of civil servants with an emphasis on efficiency, helpfulness, kindness, fairness and the protection of the dignity of those dealing with the public services.
The reform of the public sector does not pretend to be another spurious reform, nor a reform of a reform. We have all heard about reform many times and we have become addicted to doubt as a reflex when the political leadership proclaims reforms relating to the Public Administration. It is one of the worst residues left to us by the political system that ruled our country in previous years.
The same political system bequeathed to us rigid commitments and a suffocating stewardship, anticipating that we would not cope with the Assessments and that we would be a small left hiccup in modern political life. Anticipating that we would lose our social moorings, spreading propaganda that we are all the same.
As they were shown to be wrong in their planning for a left hiccup - and the era of Memoranda is ending once and for all as a result of our Government’s political handling - so they will be shown to be wrong also about us all being the same.”
The Minister for Administrative Reconstruction, Olga Gerovasili presented "The National Strategy for Administrative Reform 2017-2019".
“Our policy is to combat every instance of clientelist logic and today we are giving answers as to how we see things and what we are doing to reform the present and the future of public administration.
So that the public administration is not an opaque mesh of bureaucratic mechanisms which for years has served the few. But, instead, to be an efficient, friendly, orderly, modern, productive and unbiased public institution, with its gaze exclusively directed to the needs of the many and to the public interest".
At a crucial turning point for the Greek economy, at a time when international rating agencies are certifying our upward trajectory, the administrative reorganisation comes to cure chronic pathologies, participating actively in the effort to achieve the reconstruction of the productive capacity of the country.
Believing deeply that human resources are crucial for the success of any national plan for the Public Administration, we have put in place and are implementing, with open and objective procedures, a set of actions which relate to the internal functioning of the public sector, such as Mobility, Assessment, the Registry of Staff Remuneration, the Selection of Senior Managers, Job Descriptions and Target-setting … We are investing in the promotion of the appropriate employee to the appropriate job.
The new reality in the operation of the State in 2020 will help to improve State-Citizen relations, gradually putting a collective, social stamp on the work of civil servants with an emphasis on efficiency, helpfulness, kindness, fairness and the protection of the dignity of those dealing with the public services.
The reform of the public sector does not pretend to be another spurious reform, nor a reform of a reform. We have all heard about reform many times and we have become addicted to doubt as a reflex when the political leadership proclaims reforms relating to the Public Administration. It is one of the worst residues left to us by the political system that ruled our country in previous years.
The same political system bequeathed to us rigid commitments and a suffocating stewardship, anticipating that we would not cope with the Assessments and that we would be a small left hiccup in modern political life. Anticipating that we would lose our social moorings, spreading propaganda that we are all the same.
As they were shown to be wrong in their planning for a left hiccup - and the era of Memoranda is ending once and for all as a result of our Government’s political handling - so they will be shown to be wrong also about us all being the same.”
Forest Fires on Zakynthos
The recent wildfires on Zakynthos island were the work of arsonists, the Deputy Citizen Protection Minister Nikos Toskas said on Tuesday. Speaking on radio Real FM, he said that the number of fires that broke out simultaneously in different parts of the island indicated that there was an arson plan being carried out. He suggested that the arsonists may have being trying to create space for hotels in protected forest areas.
Specifically, the Deputy Minister said, 22 fires were recorded simultaneously on Zakynthos, the Ionian island, over the weekend, and that there had been 84 fires in total on the island this summer. The 18 fires that were burning on Tuesday were under control, with 200 firefighters remaining on alert.
He noted that most of the fires occurred in the northern part of the island, where, he said, there are plots that can be very profitable if they are built on.
The Deputy Minister revealed that firefighting helicopter pilots had reported seeing people trying to set fires. “In most cases the fires appear to have been the result of arson – this is what everything points to,” he said. However, he added, some of the fires were accidental.
The recent wildfires on Zakynthos island were the work of arsonists, the Deputy Citizen Protection Minister Nikos Toskas said on Tuesday. Speaking on radio Real FM, he said that the number of fires that broke out simultaneously in different parts of the island indicated that there was an arson plan being carried out. He suggested that the arsonists may have being trying to create space for hotels in protected forest areas.
Specifically, the Deputy Minister said, 22 fires were recorded simultaneously on Zakynthos, the Ionian island, over the weekend, and that there had been 84 fires in total on the island this summer. The 18 fires that were burning on Tuesday were under control, with 200 firefighters remaining on alert.
He noted that most of the fires occurred in the northern part of the island, where, he said, there are plots that can be very profitable if they are built on.
The Deputy Minister revealed that firefighting helicopter pilots had reported seeing people trying to set fires. “In most cases the fires appear to have been the result of arson – this is what everything points to,” he said. However, he added, some of the fires were accidental.
Preparing for the 82nd Thessaloniki Trade Fair
In his meeting with the Business Leaders of Thessaloniki, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras made extensive reference to the positive course of the Greek economy.
He referred to the prospects of the country, especially in Northern Greece, after the completion of the Second Assessment, ahead of his speech at the opening of the 82nd Thessaloniki Trade Fair (TIF).
The PM reported on the positive situation of the Greek economy, the successful return to the Bond Markets, the upgrade of Greece by the Ratings Agencies, the improvement of the indicators of confidence in the Greek economy, as well as the improved macroeconomic indicators, improvements which are expected to be confirmed by the very positive trends of economic growth in the second and third quarter of 2017.
The Prime Minister described the current year as critical, while he also referred to the Greek Government’s objectives for the next period, after leaving the strict Stewardship. He picked out as significant the continuation of reforms in the public administration, in health, in education, in the markets and in services, while he also referred to the Government's efforts to attract capital and support Greek enterprises, in order to stimulate private investment, but also to strengthen public investment in the area of infrastructure.
With regard to the reduction of corporate and personal taxation, that was put forward by the Business Leaders’ representatives, the Prime Minister said that this is included in the countermeasures that the Government has already voted on. He added that the fiscal space, expected on the basis of the medium-term programme forecasts, after 2019, will be important and will be used for a further reduction of the rates of direct and indirect taxes.
He went on to refer to the measures to improve the business climate by opening up markets and services, further simplifying procedures for setting up companies, reducing bureaucracy and the beneficial effects of out-of-court settlements [of debts Ed].
On the key issue of financing business, he said the establishment of a Development Bank was extremely important as are the new tools for the financing of small and medium-sized enterprises.
Especially for Northern Greece and Thessaloniki, he stressed that the Government has changed the way it deals with the city, bringing forward projects that had become a joke, like the Thessaloniki Metro, the completion of the Tempe tunnel and the changes in the Thessaloniki Urban Transport Organization (ΟΑΣΘ). He pointed out that the resolution of chronic problems has been set in train and is being implemented, such as the extension of the runway of the airport, the northern links of the Egnatia Highway and the development of the city’s port.
More Positive Signs
The Greek Finance Ministry announced that on Wednesday the Government raised 1.138€ billion during the latest six-month Treasury Bill sale. The T-bills were sold at a 2.4% interest rate [The interest the Government must pay Ed], down from the 2.5% in the previous similar sale held a few weeks ago, according to the Public Debt Management Agency (PDMA).
Greece runs a monthly treasury bill auction in parallel with the three bailout programs launched between 2010 and 2015, in order to cover its financing needs.
On July 25th, the country made a successful first test return to bond markets in three years.
Greece has been shut out of international bond markets since 2010, and the Greek Government and foreign lenders expect it to fully return to those markets in 2018 when the current bailout programme ends.
Property Taxes
ΕΝΦΙΑ
The total amount of the Property Tax to be levied by the Treasury on a monthly basis from September 2017 to January 2018 is around 630€ million.
Statements showing each taxpayer’s Property Tax liability (ΕΝΦΙΑ) for 2017 have been posted on the Taxisnet website ( https://login.gsis.gr/sso/pages/login.jsp ).
Taxpayers will pay the tax in five instalments, the first at the end of September 2017 and the last by the end of January 2018.
Legalisation: Building Legalisations raise 1.9€ billion
More than a million applications have been submitted to legitimise infractions of zoning and building regulations since 2011, according to data from the Technical Chamber.
Legislation passed in 2011 and 2013 has led to the legalisation of violations, such as the conversion of balconies into rooms and a host of other infractions, concerning slightly more than a million properties.
The total revenue generated from the fees to legalize these constructions and additions currently stands at more than 1.9€ billion.
Under the present law, property owners can submit applications to legalize their buildings or additions made to them until September 23rd 2017.
Most of these legalizations – 274,111 – were in the Attica region and concern a total of 21 million square metres of property. Taking the average size of a home as 80 square meters, the total amount of violations would represent 267,500 homes. The lion’s share of infractions in Attica are in Eastern Attica, with 76,612 illegal constructions. Thessaloniki follows with 66,911 property owners having broken the rules, representing a total area of 6.2 million square metres. The neighboring popular holiday resort area of Halikidiki is also a bastion of zoning violations, with 27,232 recorded, representing a total area of 2.1 million square metres.
Larissa and Corinth are the other two mainland areas where zoning violations are rampant.
With regard to the islands, most infractions were reported on Crete, with 41,418 recorded zoning violations, representing 6 million square metres.
The island’s capital, Iraklion, is where the most – 16,338 – violations occurred, covering almost 3 million square metres.
The island of Evia follows close behind with 23,783 violations, ahead of the region covering Rhodes, Symi, Tilos, Halki and Kastelorizo in the southeastern Aegean.
A BREXIT Note
British pensioners who have retired to other EU countries will continue to have their healthcare paid for by the NHS post-Brexit, after a deal in principle was agreed by negotiators in Brussels.
In one of the few advances made in discussions about EU citizens’ future rights, the Brexit secretary, David Davis, said there had been agreement on reciprocal healthcare for British and EU retirees affected by BREXIT.
The agreement will also allow a British pensioner who has retired in another EU country to travel to other EU countries on holiday and use the existing European Health Insurance Card should they need medical attention.
In his meeting with the Business Leaders of Thessaloniki, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras made extensive reference to the positive course of the Greek economy.
He referred to the prospects of the country, especially in Northern Greece, after the completion of the Second Assessment, ahead of his speech at the opening of the 82nd Thessaloniki Trade Fair (TIF).
The PM reported on the positive situation of the Greek economy, the successful return to the Bond Markets, the upgrade of Greece by the Ratings Agencies, the improvement of the indicators of confidence in the Greek economy, as well as the improved macroeconomic indicators, improvements which are expected to be confirmed by the very positive trends of economic growth in the second and third quarter of 2017.
The Prime Minister described the current year as critical, while he also referred to the Greek Government’s objectives for the next period, after leaving the strict Stewardship. He picked out as significant the continuation of reforms in the public administration, in health, in education, in the markets and in services, while he also referred to the Government's efforts to attract capital and support Greek enterprises, in order to stimulate private investment, but also to strengthen public investment in the area of infrastructure.
With regard to the reduction of corporate and personal taxation, that was put forward by the Business Leaders’ representatives, the Prime Minister said that this is included in the countermeasures that the Government has already voted on. He added that the fiscal space, expected on the basis of the medium-term programme forecasts, after 2019, will be important and will be used for a further reduction of the rates of direct and indirect taxes.
He went on to refer to the measures to improve the business climate by opening up markets and services, further simplifying procedures for setting up companies, reducing bureaucracy and the beneficial effects of out-of-court settlements [of debts Ed].
On the key issue of financing business, he said the establishment of a Development Bank was extremely important as are the new tools for the financing of small and medium-sized enterprises.
Especially for Northern Greece and Thessaloniki, he stressed that the Government has changed the way it deals with the city, bringing forward projects that had become a joke, like the Thessaloniki Metro, the completion of the Tempe tunnel and the changes in the Thessaloniki Urban Transport Organization (ΟΑΣΘ). He pointed out that the resolution of chronic problems has been set in train and is being implemented, such as the extension of the runway of the airport, the northern links of the Egnatia Highway and the development of the city’s port.
More Positive Signs
The Greek Finance Ministry announced that on Wednesday the Government raised 1.138€ billion during the latest six-month Treasury Bill sale. The T-bills were sold at a 2.4% interest rate [The interest the Government must pay Ed], down from the 2.5% in the previous similar sale held a few weeks ago, according to the Public Debt Management Agency (PDMA).
Greece runs a monthly treasury bill auction in parallel with the three bailout programs launched between 2010 and 2015, in order to cover its financing needs.
On July 25th, the country made a successful first test return to bond markets in three years.
Greece has been shut out of international bond markets since 2010, and the Greek Government and foreign lenders expect it to fully return to those markets in 2018 when the current bailout programme ends.
Property Taxes
ΕΝΦΙΑ
The total amount of the Property Tax to be levied by the Treasury on a monthly basis from September 2017 to January 2018 is around 630€ million.
Statements showing each taxpayer’s Property Tax liability (ΕΝΦΙΑ) for 2017 have been posted on the Taxisnet website ( https://login.gsis.gr/sso/pages/login.jsp ).
Taxpayers will pay the tax in five instalments, the first at the end of September 2017 and the last by the end of January 2018.
Legalisation: Building Legalisations raise 1.9€ billion
More than a million applications have been submitted to legitimise infractions of zoning and building regulations since 2011, according to data from the Technical Chamber.
Legislation passed in 2011 and 2013 has led to the legalisation of violations, such as the conversion of balconies into rooms and a host of other infractions, concerning slightly more than a million properties.
The total revenue generated from the fees to legalize these constructions and additions currently stands at more than 1.9€ billion.
Under the present law, property owners can submit applications to legalize their buildings or additions made to them until September 23rd 2017.
Most of these legalizations – 274,111 – were in the Attica region and concern a total of 21 million square metres of property. Taking the average size of a home as 80 square meters, the total amount of violations would represent 267,500 homes. The lion’s share of infractions in Attica are in Eastern Attica, with 76,612 illegal constructions. Thessaloniki follows with 66,911 property owners having broken the rules, representing a total area of 6.2 million square metres. The neighboring popular holiday resort area of Halikidiki is also a bastion of zoning violations, with 27,232 recorded, representing a total area of 2.1 million square metres.
Larissa and Corinth are the other two mainland areas where zoning violations are rampant.
With regard to the islands, most infractions were reported on Crete, with 41,418 recorded zoning violations, representing 6 million square metres.
The island’s capital, Iraklion, is where the most – 16,338 – violations occurred, covering almost 3 million square metres.
The island of Evia follows close behind with 23,783 violations, ahead of the region covering Rhodes, Symi, Tilos, Halki and Kastelorizo in the southeastern Aegean.
A BREXIT Note
British pensioners who have retired to other EU countries will continue to have their healthcare paid for by the NHS post-Brexit, after a deal in principle was agreed by negotiators in Brussels.
In one of the few advances made in discussions about EU citizens’ future rights, the Brexit secretary, David Davis, said there had been agreement on reciprocal healthcare for British and EU retirees affected by BREXIT.
The agreement will also allow a British pensioner who has retired in another EU country to travel to other EU countries on holiday and use the existing European Health Insurance Card should they need medical attention.
Lessons from the Wildfires:
“The essential point and the primary issue is not the emphasis on formalism and bureaucratic appearances but effectiveness”
26.8.2017
Rena Dourou, the Regional Governor of Attica, issued this statement:
“Over the last forty years we have experienced a particular "normality", which puts our country bottom in the ranking of EU countries in terms of its response to natural disasters. Now there has taken shape a singular, informal calendar on the basis of snowfall, fires and floods that acts as a catalyst to the detriment of local societies, undermining the present and future of citizens, destroying property and damaging the environment. The fact that we lament fewer and fewer fatalities is of course a positive – but constant alertness is a must, to start with by maintaining it and, secondly for the inclusion of the country in the real normality, that of effective interventions aimed at minimizing their negative consequences and preventing the repetition of mistakes. A common goal, for which the Region of Attica is working systematically with actions and proposals, must be the emergence from the vicious circle that citizens and the environment have been condemned to, the so-called "predetermined"- in winter or summer - snowfalls or forest fires.
Because the consequences of forest fires (as well as other natural disasters) can be prevented and limited provided there exists serious planning, preparedness, coordination and effective action. Obvious things, solved decades ago in other countries, but in our homeland they are part of a wider time lag and of the malfunctions of a Public Sector which for many years was used as a tool for the development of patronage of the parties in power and not as a mechanism for the healthy development of the country.
Overlapping responsibilities for taking action and of roles between the public bodies involved, whether it is about Central Government or the Local Authorities (the Regions, the Municipalities), the bureaucratic obstacles which act as a brake on the immediate implementation of decisions of the Administration, the unclear legal framework – these are the characteristics of this ailing State, characteristics which exist, on a small scale, when I it comes to tackling fires. This is the situation we need to correct. Already, this year the circular (2132/17.3.2017) of the General Secretariat for Civil Protection has attempted to clarify the roles and responsibilities of each institution concerned (Central Government, Regional Administrations, Local Authorities, Government Bodies). This is the starting point of a long-term serious and systematic course of action aimed at the effective cooperation of all agencies involved, whether it be Central Government bodies or decentralized institutions of Civil Protection of the Regions and the Municipalities, in connection with the existing institutional framework and with available fire protection resources.
In the Attica Region we are systematically implementing these statutory obligations with regard to prevention, preparedness, response and recovery from the consequences and damage from forest fires.
A key responsibility is the assistance of the Fire Department on the basis of its demands for the allocation of the necessary resources and equipment in the Region. So, in the recent fire in Eastern Attica, the Attica Region assisted the fire-fighting forces, at the request of the Fire Service, with 26 water wagons, 10 heavy earth-moving machines while tracked heavy earthmoving machinery of the army with special platforms transferred them to the frontline of the fires. Already the first decision to cover the related expenditure stands at 850,000€.
A responsibility of the Region is also to propose to the General Secretariat of Civil Protection the declaring of a state of emergency in an area – which the Region of Attica has done twice this summer (in the cases of Kythera and Oropos).
At the same time the level of prevention, the Attica Region has brought forward the establishment and operation, in each Regional Entity, the Coordinating Civil Protection Institutions (ΣΟΠΠ), for the deployment and coordinated action of the necessary resources and equipments for the prevention, preparedness, response and recovery from disasters - in the planning and implementation of projects for the prevention of fires along the road networks of its area of responsibility, in the preventive clearing of vegetation in forests and parks of its area, on the provision of information on civil protection activities for preventing forest fires, etc.
In terms of the damage to businesses and business premises (the responsibility for destroyed houses lies with the Municipalities), the Region of Attica has launched with effect from 14th August the relevant procedures of recording and valuing losses from the recent fire. At the same time it is the Region that submits a related request to the Ministry responsible for the demarcation of the affected areas (with the use of the data sent by the Municipalities).
Is this sufficient?
Despite the fact that Attica is moving both preventively, (e.g. is in process, as requested by the Fire Department, of supplying 35 fire vehicles of various types, following our decision to include the relevant Act, with a 5€ million budget, in the Operational Programme of Attica 2014 – 2020), the response cannot be positive because we must go beyond the formal approach that ignores the substance. The essential point and the primary issue is not the emphasis on formalism and bureaucratic appearances but effectiveness. Effectiveness achieved through the demonstration of the role of the Regions, on the basis of harmonised cooperation with other services involved, in dealing with a natural disaster like fires, which does not forgive incomplete prevention, negligence in decision-making, or lack of implementation.
So for the effective prevention and management of forest fires, the Attica Region submits for public debate these specific proposals/interventions.
For example:
1. The institutional clarification, with the publication of a relevant circular by the General Secretariat for Civil Protection, of the role and responsibilities of each service involved (the Fire Brigade, Civil Protection Volunteer Groups, the Regions, the Municipalities, Forest Authorities,the Police, the Armed Forces) in relation to the decision and implementation of preventive exclusion of traffic and the exclusion of citizens from woodlands, forests and "vulnerable areas".
2. The activation, either with a relevant Presidential Decree or by a normal decision of the Minister of the Interior, of the operation of the Metropolitan Coordinating Institution of Civil Protection, already provided for in article 210 of the Kallikrates Law (N. 3852/2010) the appropriate operating standards and competences of which, given the metropolitan scope of the Attica Region’s operations are pending publication by the Ministry.
Also:
3. The implementation, with special legislation, of the long-standing demand by voluntary organisations of Civil Protection for the elimination or reduction of the road tax for fire-fighting vehicles used in emergency situations, since the assistance of volunteers in tackling fires is a social contribution for the protection of the environment and of the property of citizens.
4. The activation, by a normal decision of the Ministry of the Interior, of the legislated provision (Article 115 of Law 4249/2014), that exists for funding of the Regions during the fire season
5. The activation, by decision of the Ministry responsible, of the provision of Article 118 of Law 4249/2014 on the establishment and functioning of the National School of Civil Protection for the training of Civil Protection volunteers and officers based on European standards,
6. The establishment, with special legislation, of the obligation to support voluntary organisations of civil protection which are included in the a register of the General Secretariat for Civil Protection.
These are some suggestions that might help, not just to solve a "problem", but to lay the groundwork for overcoming a chronic malaise of the Public Service. Because tackling forest fires has a twofold meaning. It presents both a significant challenge to the environment and the very functioning of public administration. It relates to the future of our country. Precisely for these reasons we cannot afford to lose this challenge.”
“Over the last forty years we have experienced a particular "normality", which puts our country bottom in the ranking of EU countries in terms of its response to natural disasters. Now there has taken shape a singular, informal calendar on the basis of snowfall, fires and floods that acts as a catalyst to the detriment of local societies, undermining the present and future of citizens, destroying property and damaging the environment. The fact that we lament fewer and fewer fatalities is of course a positive – but constant alertness is a must, to start with by maintaining it and, secondly for the inclusion of the country in the real normality, that of effective interventions aimed at minimizing their negative consequences and preventing the repetition of mistakes. A common goal, for which the Region of Attica is working systematically with actions and proposals, must be the emergence from the vicious circle that citizens and the environment have been condemned to, the so-called "predetermined"- in winter or summer - snowfalls or forest fires.
Because the consequences of forest fires (as well as other natural disasters) can be prevented and limited provided there exists serious planning, preparedness, coordination and effective action. Obvious things, solved decades ago in other countries, but in our homeland they are part of a wider time lag and of the malfunctions of a Public Sector which for many years was used as a tool for the development of patronage of the parties in power and not as a mechanism for the healthy development of the country.
Overlapping responsibilities for taking action and of roles between the public bodies involved, whether it is about Central Government or the Local Authorities (the Regions, the Municipalities), the bureaucratic obstacles which act as a brake on the immediate implementation of decisions of the Administration, the unclear legal framework – these are the characteristics of this ailing State, characteristics which exist, on a small scale, when I it comes to tackling fires. This is the situation we need to correct. Already, this year the circular (2132/17.3.2017) of the General Secretariat for Civil Protection has attempted to clarify the roles and responsibilities of each institution concerned (Central Government, Regional Administrations, Local Authorities, Government Bodies). This is the starting point of a long-term serious and systematic course of action aimed at the effective cooperation of all agencies involved, whether it be Central Government bodies or decentralized institutions of Civil Protection of the Regions and the Municipalities, in connection with the existing institutional framework and with available fire protection resources.
In the Attica Region we are systematically implementing these statutory obligations with regard to prevention, preparedness, response and recovery from the consequences and damage from forest fires.
A key responsibility is the assistance of the Fire Department on the basis of its demands for the allocation of the necessary resources and equipment in the Region. So, in the recent fire in Eastern Attica, the Attica Region assisted the fire-fighting forces, at the request of the Fire Service, with 26 water wagons, 10 heavy earth-moving machines while tracked heavy earthmoving machinery of the army with special platforms transferred them to the frontline of the fires. Already the first decision to cover the related expenditure stands at 850,000€.
A responsibility of the Region is also to propose to the General Secretariat of Civil Protection the declaring of a state of emergency in an area – which the Region of Attica has done twice this summer (in the cases of Kythera and Oropos).
At the same time the level of prevention, the Attica Region has brought forward the establishment and operation, in each Regional Entity, the Coordinating Civil Protection Institutions (ΣΟΠΠ), for the deployment and coordinated action of the necessary resources and equipments for the prevention, preparedness, response and recovery from disasters - in the planning and implementation of projects for the prevention of fires along the road networks of its area of responsibility, in the preventive clearing of vegetation in forests and parks of its area, on the provision of information on civil protection activities for preventing forest fires, etc.
In terms of the damage to businesses and business premises (the responsibility for destroyed houses lies with the Municipalities), the Region of Attica has launched with effect from 14th August the relevant procedures of recording and valuing losses from the recent fire. At the same time it is the Region that submits a related request to the Ministry responsible for the demarcation of the affected areas (with the use of the data sent by the Municipalities).
Is this sufficient?
Despite the fact that Attica is moving both preventively, (e.g. is in process, as requested by the Fire Department, of supplying 35 fire vehicles of various types, following our decision to include the relevant Act, with a 5€ million budget, in the Operational Programme of Attica 2014 – 2020), the response cannot be positive because we must go beyond the formal approach that ignores the substance. The essential point and the primary issue is not the emphasis on formalism and bureaucratic appearances but effectiveness. Effectiveness achieved through the demonstration of the role of the Regions, on the basis of harmonised cooperation with other services involved, in dealing with a natural disaster like fires, which does not forgive incomplete prevention, negligence in decision-making, or lack of implementation.
So for the effective prevention and management of forest fires, the Attica Region submits for public debate these specific proposals/interventions.
For example:
1. The institutional clarification, with the publication of a relevant circular by the General Secretariat for Civil Protection, of the role and responsibilities of each service involved (the Fire Brigade, Civil Protection Volunteer Groups, the Regions, the Municipalities, Forest Authorities,the Police, the Armed Forces) in relation to the decision and implementation of preventive exclusion of traffic and the exclusion of citizens from woodlands, forests and "vulnerable areas".
2. The activation, either with a relevant Presidential Decree or by a normal decision of the Minister of the Interior, of the operation of the Metropolitan Coordinating Institution of Civil Protection, already provided for in article 210 of the Kallikrates Law (N. 3852/2010) the appropriate operating standards and competences of which, given the metropolitan scope of the Attica Region’s operations are pending publication by the Ministry.
Also:
3. The implementation, with special legislation, of the long-standing demand by voluntary organisations of Civil Protection for the elimination or reduction of the road tax for fire-fighting vehicles used in emergency situations, since the assistance of volunteers in tackling fires is a social contribution for the protection of the environment and of the property of citizens.
4. The activation, by a normal decision of the Ministry of the Interior, of the legislated provision (Article 115 of Law 4249/2014), that exists for funding of the Regions during the fire season
5. The activation, by decision of the Ministry responsible, of the provision of Article 118 of Law 4249/2014 on the establishment and functioning of the National School of Civil Protection for the training of Civil Protection volunteers and officers based on European standards,
6. The establishment, with special legislation, of the obligation to support voluntary organisations of civil protection which are included in the a register of the General Secretariat for Civil Protection.
These are some suggestions that might help, not just to solve a "problem", but to lay the groundwork for overcoming a chronic malaise of the Public Service. Because tackling forest fires has a twofold meaning. It presents both a significant challenge to the environment and the very functioning of public administration. It relates to the future of our country. Precisely for these reasons we cannot afford to lose this challenge.”
Fitch Ratings – “Outlook for the Greek economy positive”
Credit Rating Agency, Fitch Ratings - a company that assigns credit ratings on the basis of a debtor's ability to make timely interest payments to repay debt and the likelihood of their default, upgraded Greece’s credit rating from CCC to B- on Friday [18.8.2017].
Greece’s Third Bailout Programme Assessment is due in the autumn and Fitch Ratings said that the outlook for the Greek economy was positive and that it expects talks with the country’s international creditors to be concluded “without creating instability.”
According to Fitch, the Eurogroup is expected to grant Greece substantial debt relief next year. That would boost market confidence and help Greece finance itself directly by issuing bonds after its current bailout programme ends in August 2018.
Furthermore, Fitch said Greece’s political situation had become more stable and that there was “limited” risk that the government would not implement the necessary austerity reforms.
Fitch predicts that Greek debt sustainability would improve as the country is complying to the European Stability Mechanism rules. Furthermore, the ESM will take over the more expensive loans from the IMF. It also considers positive the “development clause” that links Greek economic growth with debt relief measures.
Fitch noted that Greece’s public finances are improving, with a Primary Surplus of 3.9% of GDP in 2016 versus an ESM programme target of 0.5%. Fitch is projecting that the Greek Government will have an average Primary Surplus of 2.8% of GDP from 2017 to 2019. Other positives were also cited. These included pent-up investment demand and a declining unemployment rate. A continued clearance of government arrears are also said to be setting the stage to support domestic demand. Externally, growth recovery in the Euro zone is expected to support Greece’s export performance.
The yield [ie the interest Greece must pay Ed] on Greek Government bonds fell to 3.25%, close to its lowest level since 2009, following the announcement.
The Finance Ministry issued a statement: "The Government is continuing to work at a steady pace and with the aim of achieving equitable growth, so that the world of work, which bore the brunt of the crisis, shares in the benefits of development."
Dealing with Tax Evasion
Managers and staff at a taverna in the Cretan port of Iraklion on Tuesday threatened and heckled tax inspectors from the Independent Authority for Public Revenue (IAPR) who visited the premises to conduct an on-the-spot check. The inspectors reported the incident to the local police who escorted them on a second visit to the premises which resulted in the imposition of a fine for failing to issue receipts.
The restaurant will remain closed until the penalty is paid.
The incident came just days after IAPR chief Giorgos Pitsilis announced that laws aimed at protecting Greek tax inspectors will be tightened following a spate of cases involving business owners threatening officials.
Credit Rating Agency, Fitch Ratings - a company that assigns credit ratings on the basis of a debtor's ability to make timely interest payments to repay debt and the likelihood of their default, upgraded Greece’s credit rating from CCC to B- on Friday [18.8.2017].
Greece’s Third Bailout Programme Assessment is due in the autumn and Fitch Ratings said that the outlook for the Greek economy was positive and that it expects talks with the country’s international creditors to be concluded “without creating instability.”
According to Fitch, the Eurogroup is expected to grant Greece substantial debt relief next year. That would boost market confidence and help Greece finance itself directly by issuing bonds after its current bailout programme ends in August 2018.
Furthermore, Fitch said Greece’s political situation had become more stable and that there was “limited” risk that the government would not implement the necessary austerity reforms.
Fitch predicts that Greek debt sustainability would improve as the country is complying to the European Stability Mechanism rules. Furthermore, the ESM will take over the more expensive loans from the IMF. It also considers positive the “development clause” that links Greek economic growth with debt relief measures.
Fitch noted that Greece’s public finances are improving, with a Primary Surplus of 3.9% of GDP in 2016 versus an ESM programme target of 0.5%. Fitch is projecting that the Greek Government will have an average Primary Surplus of 2.8% of GDP from 2017 to 2019. Other positives were also cited. These included pent-up investment demand and a declining unemployment rate. A continued clearance of government arrears are also said to be setting the stage to support domestic demand. Externally, growth recovery in the Euro zone is expected to support Greece’s export performance.
The yield [ie the interest Greece must pay Ed] on Greek Government bonds fell to 3.25%, close to its lowest level since 2009, following the announcement.
The Finance Ministry issued a statement: "The Government is continuing to work at a steady pace and with the aim of achieving equitable growth, so that the world of work, which bore the brunt of the crisis, shares in the benefits of development."
Dealing with Tax Evasion
Managers and staff at a taverna in the Cretan port of Iraklion on Tuesday threatened and heckled tax inspectors from the Independent Authority for Public Revenue (IAPR) who visited the premises to conduct an on-the-spot check. The inspectors reported the incident to the local police who escorted them on a second visit to the premises which resulted in the imposition of a fine for failing to issue receipts.
The restaurant will remain closed until the penalty is paid.
The incident came just days after IAPR chief Giorgos Pitsilis announced that laws aimed at protecting Greek tax inspectors will be tightened following a spate of cases involving business owners threatening officials.
Henry Dunant Hospital Scandal
Anti-corruption investigator M.Tsironis, who ordered Andreas Martinis, the former Chairman of the "Henry Dunant" Hospital to be detained in prison, reversed his previous decision and instead imposed restrictions forbidding him to leave the country and his compulsory appearance twice a month at the Police Department of the region of his residence.
Mr. Martinis was released after 15 months in prison because he is suffering from serious health problems. In a request for bail presented on 31st July, the former President of the Henry Dunant referred again to his serious health problems which were confirmed by documents from the Disability Verification Centre (ΚΕΠΑ), according to which he has more than a 75% disability.
Andreas Martinis has twice been remanded in custody, once standing accused of bribery in a case involving “Hospitalia International” and then again for malpractice in providing hospitalization services at the “Henry Dunant” to prominent politicians, Media figures and others either with "unprofitable" discounts on the cost or completely free, practices which according to the indictment cost the Foundation 1.75€ million.
Mr. Martinis maintains that the millions of euros which he had allegedly taken in bribes from the company “Hospitalia International” is legal money and came from his wife's assets.
Anti-corruption investigator M.Tsironis, who ordered Andreas Martinis, the former Chairman of the "Henry Dunant" Hospital to be detained in prison, reversed his previous decision and instead imposed restrictions forbidding him to leave the country and his compulsory appearance twice a month at the Police Department of the region of his residence.
Mr. Martinis was released after 15 months in prison because he is suffering from serious health problems. In a request for bail presented on 31st July, the former President of the Henry Dunant referred again to his serious health problems which were confirmed by documents from the Disability Verification Centre (ΚΕΠΑ), according to which he has more than a 75% disability.
Andreas Martinis has twice been remanded in custody, once standing accused of bribery in a case involving “Hospitalia International” and then again for malpractice in providing hospitalization services at the “Henry Dunant” to prominent politicians, Media figures and others either with "unprofitable" discounts on the cost or completely free, practices which according to the indictment cost the Foundation 1.75€ million.
Mr. Martinis maintains that the millions of euros which he had allegedly taken in bribes from the company “Hospitalia International” is legal money and came from his wife's assets.
Prime Minister Tsipras expresses gratitude to firefighters
on behalf of Greek society
19.08.2017
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras visited the areas in eastern Attica affected by the major fires.
He flew over the burnt areas in a military helicopter. He then visited the fire ravaged area where he spoke with Fire Department representatives as well as EMAK forces – the Special Rescue Unit.
By radio, the Prime Minister addressed all the firefighters who are on stand by across the wider region in case other fires occur due to the wind. He expressed thanks and gratitude on behalf of Greek society as a whole.
Afterwards, PM Tsipras convened a meeting at the Maximos Mansion where support, in the form of compensation and tax relief, was decided for the victims. Flood protection works and initiatives for the restoration of the burned forest areas were also decided.
The meeting, chaired by the Prime Minister, was attended by the Ministers of Interior, Digital Policy, Infrastructure and Transport, Panos Skourletis, Nikos Pappas, Christos Spirtzis, the Deputy Ministers for the Protection of the Citizen and the Environment, Nikos Toskas and Socrates Famelos respectively, as well as the Ministers of State Alekos Flambouraris and Dimitris Tzanakopoulos. Rena Dourou, Attica Regional Governor, was also present.
Deputy Minister of Environment and Energy Socrates Fammelos made a statement to morning radio in which he stressed that the forest maps are not affected by the fires, the burned areas are declared readily re-developable and their potential use is not changed. The goal - he added - is to prevent all causes of the fires.
“All findings of the Fire Brigade will be evaluated to give a full picture of the causes of the fires. Fires are not only a natural phenomenon, but to a large extent they are due to people and we must take into account both of these points. We are alert to abuses of forested areas”, the Deputy Minister said.
He flew over the burnt areas in a military helicopter. He then visited the fire ravaged area where he spoke with Fire Department representatives as well as EMAK forces – the Special Rescue Unit.
By radio, the Prime Minister addressed all the firefighters who are on stand by across the wider region in case other fires occur due to the wind. He expressed thanks and gratitude on behalf of Greek society as a whole.
Afterwards, PM Tsipras convened a meeting at the Maximos Mansion where support, in the form of compensation and tax relief, was decided for the victims. Flood protection works and initiatives for the restoration of the burned forest areas were also decided.
The meeting, chaired by the Prime Minister, was attended by the Ministers of Interior, Digital Policy, Infrastructure and Transport, Panos Skourletis, Nikos Pappas, Christos Spirtzis, the Deputy Ministers for the Protection of the Citizen and the Environment, Nikos Toskas and Socrates Famelos respectively, as well as the Ministers of State Alekos Flambouraris and Dimitris Tzanakopoulos. Rena Dourou, Attica Regional Governor, was also present.
Deputy Minister of Environment and Energy Socrates Fammelos made a statement to morning radio in which he stressed that the forest maps are not affected by the fires, the burned areas are declared readily re-developable and their potential use is not changed. The goal - he added - is to prevent all causes of the fires.
“All findings of the Fire Brigade will be evaluated to give a full picture of the causes of the fires. Fires are not only a natural phenomenon, but to a large extent they are due to people and we must take into account both of these points. We are alert to abuses of forested areas”, the Deputy Minister said.
The Government returns to work next week with preparations for two key events at the top of its agenda: a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron scheduled for September 7th and 8th and Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’s speech at the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) a few days after that.
For the first time in more than two years, the focus of those meetings will not be economic reforms being demanded by creditors but will be an attempt to shape a new narrative of opening the country up to investment.
A scheduled visit by Macron to Athens in the first week of September, which was confirmed by his office on Thursday, is expected to bolster that narrative as the French President and his administration have supported Greek calls for debt relief and the easing of austerity policies championed by the German Government.
According to sources at the Elysee Palace quoted by Reuters, Macron is aiming to build momentum behind a drive to deepen European integration. His aides said the French leader has a “very European” agenda starting next week with scheduled trips to Austria, Romania and Bulgaria before plans to host the leaders of Germany, Spain and Italy the week after.
On the weekend of September 9th and 10th, PM Tsipras will address the country’s political and business leaders elite at the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF).
Sources close to the PM have indicated that he will announce investment plans, either during Macron’s visit or in his Thessaloniki speech. It is likely that Tsipras will be in a position to unveil concrete details about the interest of French companies in the Thessaloniki Port Authority by that time.
Meanwhile, the next series of regional conferences are being planned which aim to assess the economic priorities of different regions as part of a broader goal to boost growth. The first two events were held in recent weeks in Kozani, northern Greece, and the central town of Lamia. Next on the agenda will be Crete, followed by Thrace and Thessaly.
Debts to the Greek State pursued
In an effort to catch up with some 3.8 million taxpayers who owe an estimated total of 95€ billion in overdue debts to the Greek state, the Independent Authority for Public Revenue is intensifying inspections on all those whose arrears exceed 500€, accessing their bank accounts and Land Registry details.
To collect much-needed revenue, the Finance Ministry is planning a new crackdown on debtors – both individuals and companies. The Ministry’s will focus its efforts first on those who clearly have the money to pay their debts but are choosing not to, before moving on to those who are in financial difficulties.
The Ministry is sending out notices as soon as a debt becomes overdue. The scheme aims to link the Ministry’s public revenue service to the Land Register to ensure that inspectors have an overview of the properties owned by debtors. In the event that there are no available deposits in bank accounts, tax authorities will have the option of seizing debtors’ properties.
“For the first time, we will have a full picture of the properties of taxpayers which could potentially lead to the imposition of taxes for those who have forgotten to declare them on the tax office’s E9 form,” the revenue authority said in a statement.
Authorities will also have access to insurance company data.
In the second phase of the scheme, Greek authorities will seek to exchange information with their counterparts in other countries about debtors’ foreign bank accounts.
For the first time in more than two years, the focus of those meetings will not be economic reforms being demanded by creditors but will be an attempt to shape a new narrative of opening the country up to investment.
A scheduled visit by Macron to Athens in the first week of September, which was confirmed by his office on Thursday, is expected to bolster that narrative as the French President and his administration have supported Greek calls for debt relief and the easing of austerity policies championed by the German Government.
According to sources at the Elysee Palace quoted by Reuters, Macron is aiming to build momentum behind a drive to deepen European integration. His aides said the French leader has a “very European” agenda starting next week with scheduled trips to Austria, Romania and Bulgaria before plans to host the leaders of Germany, Spain and Italy the week after.
On the weekend of September 9th and 10th, PM Tsipras will address the country’s political and business leaders elite at the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF).
Sources close to the PM have indicated that he will announce investment plans, either during Macron’s visit or in his Thessaloniki speech. It is likely that Tsipras will be in a position to unveil concrete details about the interest of French companies in the Thessaloniki Port Authority by that time.
Meanwhile, the next series of regional conferences are being planned which aim to assess the economic priorities of different regions as part of a broader goal to boost growth. The first two events were held in recent weeks in Kozani, northern Greece, and the central town of Lamia. Next on the agenda will be Crete, followed by Thrace and Thessaly.
Debts to the Greek State pursued
In an effort to catch up with some 3.8 million taxpayers who owe an estimated total of 95€ billion in overdue debts to the Greek state, the Independent Authority for Public Revenue is intensifying inspections on all those whose arrears exceed 500€, accessing their bank accounts and Land Registry details.
To collect much-needed revenue, the Finance Ministry is planning a new crackdown on debtors – both individuals and companies. The Ministry’s will focus its efforts first on those who clearly have the money to pay their debts but are choosing not to, before moving on to those who are in financial difficulties.
The Ministry is sending out notices as soon as a debt becomes overdue. The scheme aims to link the Ministry’s public revenue service to the Land Register to ensure that inspectors have an overview of the properties owned by debtors. In the event that there are no available deposits in bank accounts, tax authorities will have the option of seizing debtors’ properties.
“For the first time, we will have a full picture of the properties of taxpayers which could potentially lead to the imposition of taxes for those who have forgotten to declare them on the tax office’s E9 form,” the revenue authority said in a statement.
Authorities will also have access to insurance company data.
In the second phase of the scheme, Greek authorities will seek to exchange information with their counterparts in other countries about debtors’ foreign bank accounts.
Action on Plastic Bags
From January 1st 2018, 3 cents will be charged for lightweight plastic bags such as those currently given away at supermarkets and other stores. The charge will rise to 7 cents from January 1st 2019.
The aim of the measure is to drastically reduce the number of plastic bags in Greece. At the moment each person in Greece uses an average of nearly 400 plastic bags per year. Authorities want to reduce this number to 90 by 2020.
The special charge that will apply from next year will be collected by the Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE) and the funds will then be transferred to the Hellenic Recycling Agency (EOAN). If there are problems meeting the targets that have been set, the sale of some types of bags may be banned completely.
The measure, agreed by the Finance Ministry and AADE, relates to polythene bags whose thickness is no more than 50 microns. Businesses will be allowed to charge customers for thicker carrier bags, measuring between 50 and 70 microns. Retailers will be allowed to provide customers with free reusable bags as long as this is part of a scheme to collect lightweight plastic bags so they can be recycled.
The decision taken by authorities also bans the use of oxo-degradable bags as these are deemed to contribute to pollution when they break up into smaller particles. Biodegradable bags can continue to be supplied to customers free of charge.
Kiosks and other outdoor businesses, such as produce sellers at open-air markets, will be able to continue to provide their customers with lightweight plastic bags free of charge after January 1st next year. However, the carrier bags that they provide will have to have a serial number and a sign that displays the place and time of production, as well as the producer’s ID number from the national registry.
If businesses are found to be ignoring the new regulation, they face fines of between 200€ and 5,000€. Producers of plastic bags can be fined between 1,000€ and 10,000€ if they do not comply.
The funds raised by the environmental charge, as well as any fines collected, will be used by EOAN to provide incentives for the wider use of reusable bags and to run awareness programmes in association with the Municipalities.
From January 1st 2018, 3 cents will be charged for lightweight plastic bags such as those currently given away at supermarkets and other stores. The charge will rise to 7 cents from January 1st 2019.
The aim of the measure is to drastically reduce the number of plastic bags in Greece. At the moment each person in Greece uses an average of nearly 400 plastic bags per year. Authorities want to reduce this number to 90 by 2020.
The special charge that will apply from next year will be collected by the Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE) and the funds will then be transferred to the Hellenic Recycling Agency (EOAN). If there are problems meeting the targets that have been set, the sale of some types of bags may be banned completely.
The measure, agreed by the Finance Ministry and AADE, relates to polythene bags whose thickness is no more than 50 microns. Businesses will be allowed to charge customers for thicker carrier bags, measuring between 50 and 70 microns. Retailers will be allowed to provide customers with free reusable bags as long as this is part of a scheme to collect lightweight plastic bags so they can be recycled.
The decision taken by authorities also bans the use of oxo-degradable bags as these are deemed to contribute to pollution when they break up into smaller particles. Biodegradable bags can continue to be supplied to customers free of charge.
Kiosks and other outdoor businesses, such as produce sellers at open-air markets, will be able to continue to provide their customers with lightweight plastic bags free of charge after January 1st next year. However, the carrier bags that they provide will have to have a serial number and a sign that displays the place and time of production, as well as the producer’s ID number from the national registry.
If businesses are found to be ignoring the new regulation, they face fines of between 200€ and 5,000€. Producers of plastic bags can be fined between 1,000€ and 10,000€ if they do not comply.
The funds raised by the environmental charge, as well as any fines collected, will be used by EOAN to provide incentives for the wider use of reusable bags and to run awareness programmes in association with the Municipalities.
"The Organisation and Functioning of Higher Education, Arrangements for Research"
12.8.2017
Following the successful passing of the Government’s Higher Education Bill by Parliament, Minister of Education, Research & Religious Affairs, Kostas Gavroglou gave this interview last week.
"When all is said and done, is the Left opposed to excellence? On the occasion of the decision for the standard bearer [in parades on National Days Ed] to be identified in Primary Schools by lottery, from the first moment, New Democracy spoke about "the leadership of the Ministry of Education being faithful to the dogma of levelling downwards"; the River party talked about an ideological allergy to any form of recognition and excellence etc.
These are the words of those who really fear excellence and so they trivialize it. How many times we have called on them to take a position publicly about a phenomenon that every Greek family knows: are there or are not parents who oppressively pressurise teachers to give their children grades which they do not qualify for? A few parents, but enough to create many problems for teachers. The result is to have a large number of "Ariston" [“Excellent” Ed] and today there is a lottery to distinguish between them. Is this excellence? Why don't the Opposition denounce these phenomena? Why don’t they protect teachers? Why may a child with a disability not be able to become a standard-bearer? And why should the responsibility not be shared and in that way respect for the flag shared by all the children of the class, tomorrow's citizens with the same rights and the same obligations? The Left is primarily in favour of social justice and equal opportunities for all, especially when talking about a social good like education. A sense of fair play must be cultivated but in terms of a moral code of values rather than in terms of market forces. Our school system is not Darwinian. And it does not have to be."
Our aim must be to discover the different interests and skills of each student and in this framework to strive for excellence.
Education aims to cultivate learning in all citizens. This is our basic starting difference with the neoliberalism of today’s New Democracy of Mr. Mitsotakis.
Excellence for us is for all children to be able to get an education at school, whichever one suits them, and above all, for them to be able to get the experience of the joy of knowledge."
What is the most important change in relation to the existing law for the universities?
"The change in philosophy. It is the first law since the 1974 law that goes into not just administrative arrangements, but establishes new institutions and sets up procedures that ensure a genuine accessibility of Higher Education. The creation of Regional Academic Councils with the participation in them of representatives of the Universities, Institutions of Technical Education (ΤΕΙs) and Research Centres, the establishment in each Higher Educational Institution of a Training Centre and a Centre for Life-Long Learning, the possibility of establishing biennial structures for providing accreditation for professional European certificate qualifications and the route-map of procedures for sorting out the professional rights of Higher Education graduates are some of the innovations in the law to ensure the further strengthening of relationships between Higher Education and the society. The image of deregulation brought by the previous law has led the Universities to the brink of dissolution. It had to change. And this we have done by legislating academic rules.
There are many important changes relating to the Higher Education and therefore society. I don't want to single out any single one of these important changes, since together all constitute a single whole with which our policy is marked. We are establishing academic rules restoring once more the significance of the public University and barring the way for those who off their own bat use the institution of the University for their own benefit. The law gives for the first time the ability to register for Postgraduate Programmes without the economically disadvantaged students paying tuition fees. At the same time it obliges those graduate programmes needing additional staff to first approach young scientists. It satisfies a decades’ old demand by Polytechnics for the academic upgrading of their five-year degrees and it creates the conditions for the definitive arrangement of the professional rights of Engineering graduates of Higher Education. It provides university departments with the possibility of setting up undergraduate foreign language studies in collaboration with the International University, where they meet certain academic criteria. It restores the democratic achievement of the University asylum for ideas and the student representation on governing bodies, the establishment of the Chancellor’s Council and the participation of all sections in the University Senate. It introduces for the first time the Regional Academic Councils in which the representatives of the Universities, the Institutions of Technical Education (ΤΕΙs) and the Research Centres will participate together in every region of the country.
It is the first law that launches the gradual creation of a Single Sector of Higher Education and Research. It establishes, in every University and Institute of Technical Education (TEI), Training and Lifelong Learning Centres. Lifelong learning is for the first time normalized under the scientific supervision of Higher Education Institutions. It sets down the election of Chancellors and Vice-Chancellors on separate ballots, ensuring the widest representatiion on the University body.
New Democracy has said a lot - and inexcusably so in certain cases - during the whole time the public debate on the Bill was going on. And unfortunately they also said it in Parliament. No one understood what New Democracy wanted. Don’t they want to change anything in the Postgraduate Studies Programme? Don’t they want to change anything in the way it is administered? Don’t they want the new institutions that we are establishing to ensure outward orientation, institutions like the Regional Academic Councils and the biennial structures that will provide professional accreditation? Don’t they want the National Council for Education and Human Resources? Do they want everyone regardless of their financial situation to pay tuition fees? Do they want the tuition fees on Postgraduate Programmes at a public University to be determined on the basis of demand rather than on cost as we are proposing? And New Democracy accuses us of being backward-looking? Have they understood exactly what they are defending?
Let's be very clear and let New Democracy understand. We will do our utmost to upgrade the public universities. And we will demonstrate every kinds of resistance to their gradual privatisation.
Declare a champion of consensus in the area of Education.
It is difficult but we will strive for a consensus. I have said many times and on each occasion that consensus does not mean complete unanimity. But on all those educational issues on which we can agree, let us agree and take a step forward. Unfortunately, I see that in this political bloc of New Democracy, the Democratic Coalition [PASOK, the Democratic Left and the Movement of Democratic Socialists (KIDISO) ] and the River, an extreme nationalist-populist and neoliberal discourse is dominating.
With such extreme cries that we are hearing, unfortunately consensus cannot be achieved. Of course, because these parties are not in a position to enter into all-out conflict with academia, apart from the bullies that would repeal the law etc, they voted for a remarkably large number of the Articles!
You come from academia. What is your view of the Greek universities and the level of education that they provide?
My personal opinion coincides fully with what the reality tells us: the Greek students who complete Greek University are highly sought after not only by all of the major universities of the world but also in the global labour market. This says it all. Furthermore, as you know the Greek universities hold high positions in global institutional assessment lists. It is very high in relation to their success in securing research programmes. And because we're in the seventh year of economic crisis, let's point out that this was not due to the assistance provided by the State during these years to academics and researchers. It is the feat of the vast majority of my fellow teachers, of the young researchers and all those who silently decided that the responsibility was theirs for the Universities and our Research Centres not to buckle. The State owes them a generous thank you. We owe it to them because it is very difficult in a bankrupt country to manage, with less money, to maintain a high level of university education. However, this recognition of the decisive role of professors and researchers, goes hand in hand with with the public commitment that we will do everything to establish an everyday life that is governed by academic rules. We undertook this with the law that was passed. We have also strengthened the Universities with additional funding.
What is the next step in the changes that you want to bring to education?
We are committed to change in the High School and the system of access to Higher Education. The intention of the Ministry of Education is for the system that is totally anti-education to soon become a thing of the past. A system of access to Further Education will be brought in based on a rigorous National Baccalaureate. The current system of Panhellenic Examinations, even if it is fair, has run its course and is one of the biggest thorns that undermines the educational and pedagogic functioning of the Lyceum as an autonomous Secondary School level of education. That is why it is imperative for the Examinations to be removed to restore the educational autonomy of the Lyceum. Everyone agrees that today we do not have a High School. Don't we want a High School? I don't think anyone can support the proposition of us being the only European country without a High School. The serious debate is exactly this and already the Educational Policy Institute has submitted its proposals, which the Ministry will process and will arrive at final decisions. Students are not going to be caught unawares. However it will be a system with pedagogical characteristics as sovereign and, certainly, a more humane one and more friendly to young people than the current system can be categorised.
On the issues of the Church ... regarding the utilization of its assets, is there any progress?
We have created together with the Deputy Minister of Development, Mr. Alexis Haritsis, a joint committee with the Church to record the property of the Church, and we are starting from the Metropolises that have already completed this project. Immediately after that we will see what the problems are that exist as to the status of experiences of each property and we will embark on a process to unravel the cases’ legal tangle. And then we proceed. Already, though, the first two steps are very time consuming but also very important.
Minister Gavroglou studied Physics at the Universities of Lancaster, Cambridge and London
where he received his doctorate . He has taught Physics at the National Technical University of Athens , the Universities of Patras , Cambridge, Harvard , MIT , Boston and the Polytechnic of Constantinople. He was Emeritus Professor of History of Science in the Department of Methodology, History and Theory of Science (MITE) of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.
"When all is said and done, is the Left opposed to excellence? On the occasion of the decision for the standard bearer [in parades on National Days Ed] to be identified in Primary Schools by lottery, from the first moment, New Democracy spoke about "the leadership of the Ministry of Education being faithful to the dogma of levelling downwards"; the River party talked about an ideological allergy to any form of recognition and excellence etc.
These are the words of those who really fear excellence and so they trivialize it. How many times we have called on them to take a position publicly about a phenomenon that every Greek family knows: are there or are not parents who oppressively pressurise teachers to give their children grades which they do not qualify for? A few parents, but enough to create many problems for teachers. The result is to have a large number of "Ariston" [“Excellent” Ed] and today there is a lottery to distinguish between them. Is this excellence? Why don't the Opposition denounce these phenomena? Why don’t they protect teachers? Why may a child with a disability not be able to become a standard-bearer? And why should the responsibility not be shared and in that way respect for the flag shared by all the children of the class, tomorrow's citizens with the same rights and the same obligations? The Left is primarily in favour of social justice and equal opportunities for all, especially when talking about a social good like education. A sense of fair play must be cultivated but in terms of a moral code of values rather than in terms of market forces. Our school system is not Darwinian. And it does not have to be."
Our aim must be to discover the different interests and skills of each student and in this framework to strive for excellence.
Education aims to cultivate learning in all citizens. This is our basic starting difference with the neoliberalism of today’s New Democracy of Mr. Mitsotakis.
Excellence for us is for all children to be able to get an education at school, whichever one suits them, and above all, for them to be able to get the experience of the joy of knowledge."
What is the most important change in relation to the existing law for the universities?
"The change in philosophy. It is the first law since the 1974 law that goes into not just administrative arrangements, but establishes new institutions and sets up procedures that ensure a genuine accessibility of Higher Education. The creation of Regional Academic Councils with the participation in them of representatives of the Universities, Institutions of Technical Education (ΤΕΙs) and Research Centres, the establishment in each Higher Educational Institution of a Training Centre and a Centre for Life-Long Learning, the possibility of establishing biennial structures for providing accreditation for professional European certificate qualifications and the route-map of procedures for sorting out the professional rights of Higher Education graduates are some of the innovations in the law to ensure the further strengthening of relationships between Higher Education and the society. The image of deregulation brought by the previous law has led the Universities to the brink of dissolution. It had to change. And this we have done by legislating academic rules.
There are many important changes relating to the Higher Education and therefore society. I don't want to single out any single one of these important changes, since together all constitute a single whole with which our policy is marked. We are establishing academic rules restoring once more the significance of the public University and barring the way for those who off their own bat use the institution of the University for their own benefit. The law gives for the first time the ability to register for Postgraduate Programmes without the economically disadvantaged students paying tuition fees. At the same time it obliges those graduate programmes needing additional staff to first approach young scientists. It satisfies a decades’ old demand by Polytechnics for the academic upgrading of their five-year degrees and it creates the conditions for the definitive arrangement of the professional rights of Engineering graduates of Higher Education. It provides university departments with the possibility of setting up undergraduate foreign language studies in collaboration with the International University, where they meet certain academic criteria. It restores the democratic achievement of the University asylum for ideas and the student representation on governing bodies, the establishment of the Chancellor’s Council and the participation of all sections in the University Senate. It introduces for the first time the Regional Academic Councils in which the representatives of the Universities, the Institutions of Technical Education (ΤΕΙs) and the Research Centres will participate together in every region of the country.
It is the first law that launches the gradual creation of a Single Sector of Higher Education and Research. It establishes, in every University and Institute of Technical Education (TEI), Training and Lifelong Learning Centres. Lifelong learning is for the first time normalized under the scientific supervision of Higher Education Institutions. It sets down the election of Chancellors and Vice-Chancellors on separate ballots, ensuring the widest representatiion on the University body.
New Democracy has said a lot - and inexcusably so in certain cases - during the whole time the public debate on the Bill was going on. And unfortunately they also said it in Parliament. No one understood what New Democracy wanted. Don’t they want to change anything in the Postgraduate Studies Programme? Don’t they want to change anything in the way it is administered? Don’t they want the new institutions that we are establishing to ensure outward orientation, institutions like the Regional Academic Councils and the biennial structures that will provide professional accreditation? Don’t they want the National Council for Education and Human Resources? Do they want everyone regardless of their financial situation to pay tuition fees? Do they want the tuition fees on Postgraduate Programmes at a public University to be determined on the basis of demand rather than on cost as we are proposing? And New Democracy accuses us of being backward-looking? Have they understood exactly what they are defending?
Let's be very clear and let New Democracy understand. We will do our utmost to upgrade the public universities. And we will demonstrate every kinds of resistance to their gradual privatisation.
Declare a champion of consensus in the area of Education.
It is difficult but we will strive for a consensus. I have said many times and on each occasion that consensus does not mean complete unanimity. But on all those educational issues on which we can agree, let us agree and take a step forward. Unfortunately, I see that in this political bloc of New Democracy, the Democratic Coalition [PASOK, the Democratic Left and the Movement of Democratic Socialists (KIDISO) ] and the River, an extreme nationalist-populist and neoliberal discourse is dominating.
With such extreme cries that we are hearing, unfortunately consensus cannot be achieved. Of course, because these parties are not in a position to enter into all-out conflict with academia, apart from the bullies that would repeal the law etc, they voted for a remarkably large number of the Articles!
You come from academia. What is your view of the Greek universities and the level of education that they provide?
My personal opinion coincides fully with what the reality tells us: the Greek students who complete Greek University are highly sought after not only by all of the major universities of the world but also in the global labour market. This says it all. Furthermore, as you know the Greek universities hold high positions in global institutional assessment lists. It is very high in relation to their success in securing research programmes. And because we're in the seventh year of economic crisis, let's point out that this was not due to the assistance provided by the State during these years to academics and researchers. It is the feat of the vast majority of my fellow teachers, of the young researchers and all those who silently decided that the responsibility was theirs for the Universities and our Research Centres not to buckle. The State owes them a generous thank you. We owe it to them because it is very difficult in a bankrupt country to manage, with less money, to maintain a high level of university education. However, this recognition of the decisive role of professors and researchers, goes hand in hand with with the public commitment that we will do everything to establish an everyday life that is governed by academic rules. We undertook this with the law that was passed. We have also strengthened the Universities with additional funding.
What is the next step in the changes that you want to bring to education?
We are committed to change in the High School and the system of access to Higher Education. The intention of the Ministry of Education is for the system that is totally anti-education to soon become a thing of the past. A system of access to Further Education will be brought in based on a rigorous National Baccalaureate. The current system of Panhellenic Examinations, even if it is fair, has run its course and is one of the biggest thorns that undermines the educational and pedagogic functioning of the Lyceum as an autonomous Secondary School level of education. That is why it is imperative for the Examinations to be removed to restore the educational autonomy of the Lyceum. Everyone agrees that today we do not have a High School. Don't we want a High School? I don't think anyone can support the proposition of us being the only European country without a High School. The serious debate is exactly this and already the Educational Policy Institute has submitted its proposals, which the Ministry will process and will arrive at final decisions. Students are not going to be caught unawares. However it will be a system with pedagogical characteristics as sovereign and, certainly, a more humane one and more friendly to young people than the current system can be categorised.
On the issues of the Church ... regarding the utilization of its assets, is there any progress?
We have created together with the Deputy Minister of Development, Mr. Alexis Haritsis, a joint committee with the Church to record the property of the Church, and we are starting from the Metropolises that have already completed this project. Immediately after that we will see what the problems are that exist as to the status of experiences of each property and we will embark on a process to unravel the cases’ legal tangle. And then we proceed. Already, though, the first two steps are very time consuming but also very important.
Minister Gavroglou studied Physics at the Universities of Lancaster, Cambridge and London
where he received his doctorate . He has taught Physics at the National Technical University of Athens , the Universities of Patras , Cambridge, Harvard , MIT , Boston and the Polytechnic of Constantinople. He was Emeritus Professor of History of Science in the Department of Methodology, History and Theory of Science (MITE) of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.
"A new vision for Higher Education"
Two different worlds: The Higher Education Institutions of knowledge as against neoliberal competition
5.8.2017
e model of the democratic university of knowledge on Tuesday found itself in Parliament pitted against the model of neoliberal university of competition. The two basic directions which exist for Higher Education were outlined clearly in Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’ introduction of the Bill relating to universities.
The political confrontation between the Government and the Οpposition was clear. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras stressed that it is "a day of effort at restarting the country’s universities and Higher Technical Institues" and described "a new vision for education". "The philosophy of the Bill is more democracy, the establishment of educational standards, opening up Universities to the economically weaker sections of the population and linking institutions with the reconstruction of economic production," he said.
The new measures are designed to strengthen the role of students in the management of universities while making it more difficult for police to enter university grounds. Another provision foresees 40% of students enrolled in postgraduate programme being exempt from having to pay university and college fees.
Article 3 of the new law restored older provisions that prevent police interventions on university campuses except in cases of serious offences. “We must safeguard free access to all ideas and free expression in the universities with respect to the democratic procedures. The only way to solve the problem is dialogue in the universities and not by police interventions that remind us of other historical periods”, said Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras alluding to the repression of students protesting against the military dictatorship.
The Bill, as the Prime Minister said, removed the administration councils "to restore democracy and the self-management of university foundations".
“Evaluation ‘yes’, jungle ‘no’: the model of “destructive assessment” that promotes "University Darwinism" and the "academic survivor" is rejected. "Progress can come from solidarity and cooperation and not from destructive competition, not from one trying to gouge out the eye of the other and the survival of the strongest with the best connections."
"At Postgraduate level we have put a stop to the very high level of tuition costs. There will be strict conditions for setting the amount of tuition fees "and above all, we set out that no student who has been accepted as a Postgraduate will be excluded if there is a proven inability to pay tuition fees."
"On this occasion, New Democracy had an alternative: for everything to be private and, if possible, at a cost. Private schools. Private universities. Private hospitals. Private insurance. Private cleaning services and private prisons. We do not favour this option which feeds on the holes in public policy and in the end results in costing citizens more."
Finance Minister, Euclid Tsakalotos, intervening in the debate of the Bill "The Organisation and Functioning of Higher Education, Arrangements for Research" said "The new law does not provide all the answers, but it does set the stage for us to discuss the sort of university we want."
He also referred to the dark sides of institutions abroad, highlighting the debt problem that has been created for many students because they take out loans to cover the costs of their studies, including high tuition fees.
"Do we want a business model with competitive fees? Do we want the commercialisation of higher education? The one who pays, influences the course content and methodology. This means that knowledge is not open to everyone."
He made particular reference to the issue of evaluation: "in England, university academics are leaving because they are fed up with filling out evaluation forms instead of teaching." He also talked about "little tricks" which American and European universities resort to in order to achieve better performance in their assessment. He pointed out the need to protect higher education from private interests. "Competitiveness has no place in the University. Education has nothing to do with competition. Education is a public undertaking."
The political confrontation between the Government and the Οpposition was clear. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras stressed that it is "a day of effort at restarting the country’s universities and Higher Technical Institues" and described "a new vision for education". "The philosophy of the Bill is more democracy, the establishment of educational standards, opening up Universities to the economically weaker sections of the population and linking institutions with the reconstruction of economic production," he said.
The new measures are designed to strengthen the role of students in the management of universities while making it more difficult for police to enter university grounds. Another provision foresees 40% of students enrolled in postgraduate programme being exempt from having to pay university and college fees.
Article 3 of the new law restored older provisions that prevent police interventions on university campuses except in cases of serious offences. “We must safeguard free access to all ideas and free expression in the universities with respect to the democratic procedures. The only way to solve the problem is dialogue in the universities and not by police interventions that remind us of other historical periods”, said Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras alluding to the repression of students protesting against the military dictatorship.
The Bill, as the Prime Minister said, removed the administration councils "to restore democracy and the self-management of university foundations".
“Evaluation ‘yes’, jungle ‘no’: the model of “destructive assessment” that promotes "University Darwinism" and the "academic survivor" is rejected. "Progress can come from solidarity and cooperation and not from destructive competition, not from one trying to gouge out the eye of the other and the survival of the strongest with the best connections."
"At Postgraduate level we have put a stop to the very high level of tuition costs. There will be strict conditions for setting the amount of tuition fees "and above all, we set out that no student who has been accepted as a Postgraduate will be excluded if there is a proven inability to pay tuition fees."
"On this occasion, New Democracy had an alternative: for everything to be private and, if possible, at a cost. Private schools. Private universities. Private hospitals. Private insurance. Private cleaning services and private prisons. We do not favour this option which feeds on the holes in public policy and in the end results in costing citizens more."
Finance Minister, Euclid Tsakalotos, intervening in the debate of the Bill "The Organisation and Functioning of Higher Education, Arrangements for Research" said "The new law does not provide all the answers, but it does set the stage for us to discuss the sort of university we want."
He also referred to the dark sides of institutions abroad, highlighting the debt problem that has been created for many students because they take out loans to cover the costs of their studies, including high tuition fees.
"Do we want a business model with competitive fees? Do we want the commercialisation of higher education? The one who pays, influences the course content and methodology. This means that knowledge is not open to everyone."
He made particular reference to the issue of evaluation: "in England, university academics are leaving because they are fed up with filling out evaluation forms instead of teaching." He also talked about "little tricks" which American and European universities resort to in order to achieve better performance in their assessment. He pointed out the need to protect higher education from private interests. "Competitiveness has no place in the University. Education has nothing to do with competition. Education is a public undertaking."
Greece’s return to the Bond Market
In an interview with Kathimerini newspaper, Greek Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos said the Government must prove its credibility by fully implementing the reforms agreed with its international creditors. Commenting on the recent return to bond markets, he said “it was a successful foray, as was seen in the statements by the Institutions [the European Central Bank, European Commission and European Stability Mechanism] and the media.”
“Our future target is not just to reduce the cost of borrowing but to return Greece to normalcy with regards to market access, which will force borrowing rates in the private sector downwards and allow banks and businesses to borrow again on better terms.”
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras last week hailed Tuesday’s sale of Greek bonds, the first in three years, as a milestone on the country's way to exiting the crisis and international bailouts. The bond issue, which raised 3€ billion, is “the most important message and the most significant step in order to finish this unpleasant adventure of the Memorandum,” he said.
Addressing SYRIZA's Central Committee on Friday, he Tsipras outlined the strategy: "To implement the Agreement, to restore conditions of stability that will allow a rapid recovery of the economy, to reestablish the social state and to confront the "state within the state" – that is the state of corruption and graft."
"Greece's credibility and prestige has been restored, not only because of the wide-ranging reforms to the state, public administration and tax mechanisms but also through the battles that the Government has fought, its determination during both its first and its second term."
New Auction for TV Licences
The National Council of Radio and Television (ESR) has set the starting price for each of seven national terrestrial television licences to be put up for auction at 35€ million.
In a letter sent to Digital Policy and Media Minister Nikos Pappas, the ESR said the decision was taken unanimously and takes into account the tendering process held in 2016.
It also noted that the television broadcasting spectrum i.e. the number of licences possible, was not “unlimited”.
Alternate Finance Minister George Chouliarakis on Friday signed a Joint Ministerial Decision setting the starting price for each of the seven national television content broadcasting licences to be offered by the Greek state. The licences are for the provision of national-range terrestrial digital broadband free reception television content.
Πόθεν έσχες for Channel Owners too!
Owners of private television stations will have to submit declarations listing the provenance of all of their assets, a form known as “pothen esches” in Greek [Literally “Where did you get that from?” Ed], after the Council of State on Wednesday rejected a request by their union, EITISEE, that they should be exempt from the obligation. These declarations are part of the Government’s drive to stop money laundering and capital flight.The country’s Supreme Court said that there were no grounds for the union’s argument that businesspeople involved in broadcasting would be exposed to damage if the provenance of their wealth is made public
The Struggle against Corruption continues
Former PASOK Transport Minister, Tassos Mantelis was found guilty on Friday of money laundering over contracts between Siemens Hellas and the then state-controlled telecomms group OTE.
Allegations that Greek politicians and political parties received bribes during successive administrations to grant German industrial giant Siemens lucrative contracts in the run-up to the 2004 Olympics have dominated local media for years.
The Court ruled that Mr. Mantelis had concealed a 450,000 deutsche mark back-hander he had demanded of Siemens via a third party to approve a contract with OTE. The money, which was received in two instalments in 1998 and 2000, was deposited in a Swiss bank.
Mantelis, who was alleged to have committed the offence while he was transport minister from 1996-2000 in the PASOK Government of Costas Simitis, was found guilty of money laundering and given an eight-year suspended sentence.
In 2010, Mr. Mantelis had told an investigating parliamentary committee that he had accepted the money from Siemens while in office as a "campaign donation."
In the same case, a former Executive at Siemens Hellas, Ilias Georgiou was found guilty of bribery and money laundering and handed a 12-year suspended prison sentence with orders not to leave the country.
Siemens ended one of the biggest corporate corruption probes in history when it agreed in 2008 to pay about 1€ billion in fines and penalties after investigations by U.S. and German authorities into bribes it paid to win contracts.
In an interview with Kathimerini newspaper, Greek Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos said the Government must prove its credibility by fully implementing the reforms agreed with its international creditors. Commenting on the recent return to bond markets, he said “it was a successful foray, as was seen in the statements by the Institutions [the European Central Bank, European Commission and European Stability Mechanism] and the media.”
“Our future target is not just to reduce the cost of borrowing but to return Greece to normalcy with regards to market access, which will force borrowing rates in the private sector downwards and allow banks and businesses to borrow again on better terms.”
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras last week hailed Tuesday’s sale of Greek bonds, the first in three years, as a milestone on the country's way to exiting the crisis and international bailouts. The bond issue, which raised 3€ billion, is “the most important message and the most significant step in order to finish this unpleasant adventure of the Memorandum,” he said.
Addressing SYRIZA's Central Committee on Friday, he Tsipras outlined the strategy: "To implement the Agreement, to restore conditions of stability that will allow a rapid recovery of the economy, to reestablish the social state and to confront the "state within the state" – that is the state of corruption and graft."
"Greece's credibility and prestige has been restored, not only because of the wide-ranging reforms to the state, public administration and tax mechanisms but also through the battles that the Government has fought, its determination during both its first and its second term."
New Auction for TV Licences
The National Council of Radio and Television (ESR) has set the starting price for each of seven national terrestrial television licences to be put up for auction at 35€ million.
In a letter sent to Digital Policy and Media Minister Nikos Pappas, the ESR said the decision was taken unanimously and takes into account the tendering process held in 2016.
It also noted that the television broadcasting spectrum i.e. the number of licences possible, was not “unlimited”.
Alternate Finance Minister George Chouliarakis on Friday signed a Joint Ministerial Decision setting the starting price for each of the seven national television content broadcasting licences to be offered by the Greek state. The licences are for the provision of national-range terrestrial digital broadband free reception television content.
Πόθεν έσχες for Channel Owners too!
Owners of private television stations will have to submit declarations listing the provenance of all of their assets, a form known as “pothen esches” in Greek [Literally “Where did you get that from?” Ed], after the Council of State on Wednesday rejected a request by their union, EITISEE, that they should be exempt from the obligation. These declarations are part of the Government’s drive to stop money laundering and capital flight.The country’s Supreme Court said that there were no grounds for the union’s argument that businesspeople involved in broadcasting would be exposed to damage if the provenance of their wealth is made public
The Struggle against Corruption continues
Former PASOK Transport Minister, Tassos Mantelis was found guilty on Friday of money laundering over contracts between Siemens Hellas and the then state-controlled telecomms group OTE.
Allegations that Greek politicians and political parties received bribes during successive administrations to grant German industrial giant Siemens lucrative contracts in the run-up to the 2004 Olympics have dominated local media for years.
The Court ruled that Mr. Mantelis had concealed a 450,000 deutsche mark back-hander he had demanded of Siemens via a third party to approve a contract with OTE. The money, which was received in two instalments in 1998 and 2000, was deposited in a Swiss bank.
Mantelis, who was alleged to have committed the offence while he was transport minister from 1996-2000 in the PASOK Government of Costas Simitis, was found guilty of money laundering and given an eight-year suspended sentence.
In 2010, Mr. Mantelis had told an investigating parliamentary committee that he had accepted the money from Siemens while in office as a "campaign donation."
In the same case, a former Executive at Siemens Hellas, Ilias Georgiou was found guilty of bribery and money laundering and handed a 12-year suspended prison sentence with orders not to leave the country.
Siemens ended one of the biggest corporate corruption probes in history when it agreed in 2008 to pay about 1€ billion in fines and penalties after investigations by U.S. and German authorities into bribes it paid to win contracts.
Registered - Cleaning - use of Manta Net - Sea Bed Camera - Sampling
Plastic Pollution in Greek Seas – new research
Sampling of microscopic plastics has been carried out in the Ionian, Cretan and Aegean Seas. There have been visits to remote and inaccessible beaches, as well as video inspections of the sea bed in the caldera of Santorini and north of Mykonos.
Telltale evidence of the magnitude of the problem of plastic pollution in Greek seas was published by Greenpeace. "Distress signals are being sent out by our seas, according to the findings of the survey, both from the beaches of caretta caretta turtles in Zakynthos to the more secluded beaches of Irakleia and Mykonos, and from the bottom of the Caldera of Santorini to the open sea, plastics are found everywhere, driving the delicate ecosystem of the Mediterranean close to the point of no return", the Organization announced.
Upon completion of the tour of the legendary ship, the Rainbow Warrior to Greece, Greenpeace is publishing the preliminary results of the scientific research which it conducted with the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (ΕΛΚΕΘΕ), during its 12 day tour.
The first pictures [of the sea bed Ed.] showed that plastics are found everywhere and are broken down into tiny pieces, even to a size that is not visible to the human eye. They never leave the environment and remain in terrestrial and marine ecosystems, while they get into the food chain through marine organisms that ingest them.
"Plastic has invaded everywhere, even where no human being sets foot. Plastic pollution is a disease that has spread, literally, to every corner of our seas, and, as with any disease, the best solution is prevention, i.e. the drastic reduction in the use of plastic,"said Alkis Kafetzis, campaign manager of Greenpeace for the marine environment.
"The problem of the appearance of plastics in Greek seas started to be recorded only in the last five years," said the researcher of the ΕΛΚΕΘΕ, Vassilis Gerovassiliou, who participated in the surveys. "Within the framework of the current cooperation between Greenpeace and the ΕΛΚΕΘΕ, but also from previous research, large concentrations of plastics have been recorded in protected habitats with rich biodiversity and important areas of conservation.
A huge variety of rubbish, particularly of plastics, has been observed at the bottom of the Greek seas, often far away from the source of the pollution, while pieces of plastic bags and other objects even end up inside underwater caves,"he added.
Specifically, at a depth of 317 metres the underwater camera in the Caldera of Santorini recorded 84 items of rubbish, which, for the most part, were plastic bags, cups and lids for cups of coffee and other single-use objects.
In two small inaccessible beaches of Irakleia, inside the bay of the North Cave, a total of 514 plastic objects were counted. In a small secluded beach between Armenisti and Avlemona of Mykonos 821 plastic objects were counted.
In the vast majority of the 13 samples collected from the surface of the sea were found plastic fragments and plastic fibres visible with the naked eye. The analyses which the ΕΛΚΕΘΕ will conduct will reveal more information, especially about those that require special procedures to identify them.
During the cleanup of beaches Brontonero, Laganas (inside the Zakynthos National Park) and Kryoneri on Zakynthos, over 50 60-litre bags were collected, with the majority of rubbish being plastic single-use objects.
"What the example of Syros shows us is that a major change in the daily practices of the citizens can be achieved with simultaneous information campaigns among the public and shops. This can be achieved in other places. Supportive measures from the Government, as well as voluntary agreements with big supermarket chains have a direct affect and act as a guide for behaviour change at the national level, making change easier for the citizen" commented Antigone Dalamagka, Director of Ecological Recycling Company.
Greenpeace is calling on the State to ensure that the evolving European legislation will reduce the major causes of plastic pollution and will take steps in our country to drasticly reduce the production of single-use plastic objects disposable, and to change consumer behaviours and foster innovation.
Sampling of microscopic plastics has been carried out in the Ionian, Cretan and Aegean Seas. There have been visits to remote and inaccessible beaches, as well as video inspections of the sea bed in the caldera of Santorini and north of Mykonos.
Telltale evidence of the magnitude of the problem of plastic pollution in Greek seas was published by Greenpeace. "Distress signals are being sent out by our seas, according to the findings of the survey, both from the beaches of caretta caretta turtles in Zakynthos to the more secluded beaches of Irakleia and Mykonos, and from the bottom of the Caldera of Santorini to the open sea, plastics are found everywhere, driving the delicate ecosystem of the Mediterranean close to the point of no return", the Organization announced.
Upon completion of the tour of the legendary ship, the Rainbow Warrior to Greece, Greenpeace is publishing the preliminary results of the scientific research which it conducted with the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (ΕΛΚΕΘΕ), during its 12 day tour.
The first pictures [of the sea bed Ed.] showed that plastics are found everywhere and are broken down into tiny pieces, even to a size that is not visible to the human eye. They never leave the environment and remain in terrestrial and marine ecosystems, while they get into the food chain through marine organisms that ingest them.
"Plastic has invaded everywhere, even where no human being sets foot. Plastic pollution is a disease that has spread, literally, to every corner of our seas, and, as with any disease, the best solution is prevention, i.e. the drastic reduction in the use of plastic,"said Alkis Kafetzis, campaign manager of Greenpeace for the marine environment.
"The problem of the appearance of plastics in Greek seas started to be recorded only in the last five years," said the researcher of the ΕΛΚΕΘΕ, Vassilis Gerovassiliou, who participated in the surveys. "Within the framework of the current cooperation between Greenpeace and the ΕΛΚΕΘΕ, but also from previous research, large concentrations of plastics have been recorded in protected habitats with rich biodiversity and important areas of conservation.
A huge variety of rubbish, particularly of plastics, has been observed at the bottom of the Greek seas, often far away from the source of the pollution, while pieces of plastic bags and other objects even end up inside underwater caves,"he added.
Specifically, at a depth of 317 metres the underwater camera in the Caldera of Santorini recorded 84 items of rubbish, which, for the most part, were plastic bags, cups and lids for cups of coffee and other single-use objects.
In two small inaccessible beaches of Irakleia, inside the bay of the North Cave, a total of 514 plastic objects were counted. In a small secluded beach between Armenisti and Avlemona of Mykonos 821 plastic objects were counted.
In the vast majority of the 13 samples collected from the surface of the sea were found plastic fragments and plastic fibres visible with the naked eye. The analyses which the ΕΛΚΕΘΕ will conduct will reveal more information, especially about those that require special procedures to identify them.
During the cleanup of beaches Brontonero, Laganas (inside the Zakynthos National Park) and Kryoneri on Zakynthos, over 50 60-litre bags were collected, with the majority of rubbish being plastic single-use objects.
"What the example of Syros shows us is that a major change in the daily practices of the citizens can be achieved with simultaneous information campaigns among the public and shops. This can be achieved in other places. Supportive measures from the Government, as well as voluntary agreements with big supermarket chains have a direct affect and act as a guide for behaviour change at the national level, making change easier for the citizen" commented Antigone Dalamagka, Director of Ecological Recycling Company.
Greenpeace is calling on the State to ensure that the evolving European legislation will reduce the major causes of plastic pollution and will take steps in our country to drasticly reduce the production of single-use plastic objects disposable, and to change consumer behaviours and foster innovation.
Greece makes a successful return to Money Markets
29.07.2017
Οn Monday the Government began the process of issuing a government bond. The notes were to be issued on Tuesday, and the target was a yield below 4.95%.
Athens had mandated BNP Paribas, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs and HSBC as joint lead managers for a five-year euro bond. At the same time, Greece invited holders of its current 4.75% percent bonds maturing in 2019 to tender them for cash, along with a plan to offer new five-year paper.
The bond sale – Greece’s first since 2014 - followed an upgrade of the country’s sovereign credit rating outlook to positive from stable by Standard & Poor’s last Friday.
On Tuesday Greece’s return to the financial markets after three years was a success. The country sold 3€ billion worth of a new five-year bond, at a yield of 4.625%, lower than the targeted 4.95% of its last five-year bond sale in 2014.
Greek Government sources called the sale an "absolute success" which confirms the positive course of the Greek economy and leads to the step-by-step exit from the economic crisis.
The same source revealed that there were more than 200 official offers for the new paper, worth 6.5€ billion euros, saying the majority were "real investors" and not speculation funds.
Speaking during a meeting with Europe’s Economics Commissioner, Pierre Moscovici, in Athens on Tuesday, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said that “investors were welcoming the Greek bond sale.”
“It is now time to talk about the future of Greece, about how we shall work together so that the programme can come to a successful conclusion next year,” PM Tsipras said. “We must make plans about Greece in the post-programme period.”
Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos stated that the sale was satisfactory, adding that it proved doubters wrong. He also revealed that Greece will go back to the market for a second and a third time before the bailout programme ends in 2018.
Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos said after meeting with Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras:
“It was something more than we expected,” while putting emphasis on the “quality” of the investors that had shown an interest.
“We came out with a coupon of 4.375%, which is roughly 0.3% less than the last time we tried to access the markets.” he noted. The number and quality of the investors that had shown an interest in the issue “shows us that there are the first steady steps of confidence in the Greek economy,” he added.
Minister Tsakalotos was critical of the Opposition’s reaction to the bond issue, saying the Opposition parties had been proved wrong. According to the Minister, what had happened on Tuesday was not the end but a beginning “that we discussed at length…with responsibility, in order to find the right time to return to the markets. We decided that the conditions were right today and we returned in this satisfactory way.”
“We know that the Greek people have suffered greatly, have suffered more than they deserved, but I think also that we have laid the first stone, the first process for accessing the markets. There will be a second and third, so that we can approach August 2018 with confidence and exit the memoranda on different terms, so that our Government can do the things it has promised.”
Athens had mandated BNP Paribas, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs and HSBC as joint lead managers for a five-year euro bond. At the same time, Greece invited holders of its current 4.75% percent bonds maturing in 2019 to tender them for cash, along with a plan to offer new five-year paper.
The bond sale – Greece’s first since 2014 - followed an upgrade of the country’s sovereign credit rating outlook to positive from stable by Standard & Poor’s last Friday.
On Tuesday Greece’s return to the financial markets after three years was a success. The country sold 3€ billion worth of a new five-year bond, at a yield of 4.625%, lower than the targeted 4.95% of its last five-year bond sale in 2014.
Greek Government sources called the sale an "absolute success" which confirms the positive course of the Greek economy and leads to the step-by-step exit from the economic crisis.
The same source revealed that there were more than 200 official offers for the new paper, worth 6.5€ billion euros, saying the majority were "real investors" and not speculation funds.
Speaking during a meeting with Europe’s Economics Commissioner, Pierre Moscovici, in Athens on Tuesday, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said that “investors were welcoming the Greek bond sale.”
“It is now time to talk about the future of Greece, about how we shall work together so that the programme can come to a successful conclusion next year,” PM Tsipras said. “We must make plans about Greece in the post-programme period.”
Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos stated that the sale was satisfactory, adding that it proved doubters wrong. He also revealed that Greece will go back to the market for a second and a third time before the bailout programme ends in 2018.
Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos said after meeting with Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras:
“It was something more than we expected,” while putting emphasis on the “quality” of the investors that had shown an interest.
“We came out with a coupon of 4.375%, which is roughly 0.3% less than the last time we tried to access the markets.” he noted. The number and quality of the investors that had shown an interest in the issue “shows us that there are the first steady steps of confidence in the Greek economy,” he added.
Minister Tsakalotos was critical of the Opposition’s reaction to the bond issue, saying the Opposition parties had been proved wrong. According to the Minister, what had happened on Tuesday was not the end but a beginning “that we discussed at length…with responsibility, in order to find the right time to return to the markets. We decided that the conditions were right today and we returned in this satisfactory way.”
“We know that the Greek people have suffered greatly, have suffered more than they deserved, but I think also that we have laid the first stone, the first process for accessing the markets. There will be a second and third, so that we can approach August 2018 with confidence and exit the memoranda on different terms, so that our Government can do the things it has promised.”
PM Tsipras: Alpha TV Interview
In his first interview after the return of Greece to the financial markets on Alpha TV, Prime Minister Tsipras said "The completion of the Assessment, the decision about the debt and the return to the financial markets constitute a steady journey for the end of the Memoranda." "We are working with a plan to build a new, sustainable and fair productive model."
"This will be a quieter summer, but we should not be complacent," he said, stressing that it had been many years since the world press had such positive comments about Greece.
According to the Prime Minister, the return to the financial markets has opened a new road, "a chink of hope". "The test return must be repeated successfully for us to go permanently to the markets in the summer of 2018," he said, for us to have a gradual reduction of interest rates, so that in a year from now the country can finance its needs.
"We have taken an important step which is the beginning of the end of an adventure," "The biggest difficulties we have left behind us"
"We have all begun to see a recovery of confidence in investments and in jobs. In the last two years more than 300,000 jobs have been created, while in the years of crisis we had lost 900,000. We have covered one third of the destruction." "The road is long".
"There is no need to celebrate. What we are saying is that we have made a start; we are not complacent "The foundations have been laid" and the PM expressed the view that after the German elections the measures for debt relief will be quantified.
"The IMF is insisting on further debt relief" he pointed out, noting that the process was not complete and underlining that the Eurogroup of 15th June secured not only the growth clause for Greece but also and the “locking-in” of the algorithm for the sustainability of the public debt.
He stressed that "we are in uncharted waters," - "the objective of inclusion in the quantitative easing programme remains and, indeed, after returning to the financial markets, this possibility comes closer.
"If our partners deliver on their commitments, and we will deliver on ours"
The PM explained that he expects the measures for debt relief to be implemented before the country’s obligations regarding the measures and countermeasures. " These are of equal weight and will start on 1.1.2019. But the measures on the debt will begin immediately after the end of the programme in August 2018. So, first we see if our partners fulfill their commitments partners and after that we will implement what we have pledged, having, however, exited the Programme and having regained degrees of our freedom."
"The next day will not be worse. We have an obligation to reduce the tax-free allowance, but what we collect will be given in tax deductions at the same time. Exactly what we take is what we will give."
In addition, he noted that the positive growth rates will give the possibility of creating some financial leeway. "We will return it to society and to the economy. In the budget for 2019 we will have the possibility of giving relief to those who have borne the greatest brunt."
"We are building a surplus in EFKA"
Referring to National Insurance, he stated that 80% of the insured and 90% of farmers are paying less contributions while underlined that "we are building a surplus in EFKA," noting however that "there is a percentage of workers who are being squeezed by insurance contributions and taxes". "Some economically strong in the previous period were keeping a low profile," he added.
On tax evasion, he recalled the Bill for the voluntary declaration of incomes while he underlined that controls have been stepped up and he stressed that the political will exists to combat it.
"I did not expect the struggle of an entire people to be dealt with with such cynicism," stressed the Prime Minister referring to the European partners. "I waged this battle with all my strength to vindicate the people's mandate to negotiate. The opposition accuses us of being liars. If we were liars, we would not have go on to the end to see that there is no tomorrow," he commented about the first half of 2015.
Referring to Yannis Varoufakis, he was tight lipped, wishing him "good sales with his book". "Mr. Varoufakis has written a book three months ago. I am struck how three newspapers on the same Sunday decided to have the same subject. It is an attempt by the Opposition and the media which support it to change the agenda." "We are the ones who are leading the country out of the Stewardship and many do not want that."
"An independent judiciary is one thing, an unscrutinised judiciary is another"
"There is no Government-Judiciary confrontation, there are problems in the Judiciary, which I discussed with the judges," said the Prime Minister, noting that he could not blame all the judges and stressing that there are some "who commit perjury" and there are decisions that are inconsistent with the society’s common legal sense.
"The separation of powers is not disputed by anyone and should not be questioned. The fact that justice must be independent is not disputed and nor should it be. "An independent judiciary is one thing, an unscrutinised judiciary is another"
"Greece is a security pillar"
"We are the safest capital in Europe. Greece is a pillar of security"said the Prime Minister referring to security and crime, stressing that the problems observed in Exarchia and in other areas, such as Menidi, won't be solved with repression and police interventions. "Civil society, the inhabitants, the Municipality have a role to play," he stressed, pointing to the millions of tourists who enjoy safe holidays in our country.
On foreign policy and the challenges of Turkey, PM Tsipras replied that our country has a multi-dimensional foreign policy and a pragmatic approach. "To protect the country's security, you must take care of peace" Prime Minister stressed and stressed that "Greece is a country that, despite the economic crisis, holds an important geopolitical position, which has been enhanced." He reiterated that "we are ready to defend the national interests of the country".
In his first interview after the return of Greece to the financial markets on Alpha TV, Prime Minister Tsipras said "The completion of the Assessment, the decision about the debt and the return to the financial markets constitute a steady journey for the end of the Memoranda." "We are working with a plan to build a new, sustainable and fair productive model."
"This will be a quieter summer, but we should not be complacent," he said, stressing that it had been many years since the world press had such positive comments about Greece.
According to the Prime Minister, the return to the financial markets has opened a new road, "a chink of hope". "The test return must be repeated successfully for us to go permanently to the markets in the summer of 2018," he said, for us to have a gradual reduction of interest rates, so that in a year from now the country can finance its needs.
"We have taken an important step which is the beginning of the end of an adventure," "The biggest difficulties we have left behind us"
"We have all begun to see a recovery of confidence in investments and in jobs. In the last two years more than 300,000 jobs have been created, while in the years of crisis we had lost 900,000. We have covered one third of the destruction." "The road is long".
"There is no need to celebrate. What we are saying is that we have made a start; we are not complacent "The foundations have been laid" and the PM expressed the view that after the German elections the measures for debt relief will be quantified.
"The IMF is insisting on further debt relief" he pointed out, noting that the process was not complete and underlining that the Eurogroup of 15th June secured not only the growth clause for Greece but also and the “locking-in” of the algorithm for the sustainability of the public debt.
He stressed that "we are in uncharted waters," - "the objective of inclusion in the quantitative easing programme remains and, indeed, after returning to the financial markets, this possibility comes closer.
"If our partners deliver on their commitments, and we will deliver on ours"
The PM explained that he expects the measures for debt relief to be implemented before the country’s obligations regarding the measures and countermeasures. " These are of equal weight and will start on 1.1.2019. But the measures on the debt will begin immediately after the end of the programme in August 2018. So, first we see if our partners fulfill their commitments partners and after that we will implement what we have pledged, having, however, exited the Programme and having regained degrees of our freedom."
"The next day will not be worse. We have an obligation to reduce the tax-free allowance, but what we collect will be given in tax deductions at the same time. Exactly what we take is what we will give."
In addition, he noted that the positive growth rates will give the possibility of creating some financial leeway. "We will return it to society and to the economy. In the budget for 2019 we will have the possibility of giving relief to those who have borne the greatest brunt."
"We are building a surplus in EFKA"
Referring to National Insurance, he stated that 80% of the insured and 90% of farmers are paying less contributions while underlined that "we are building a surplus in EFKA," noting however that "there is a percentage of workers who are being squeezed by insurance contributions and taxes". "Some economically strong in the previous period were keeping a low profile," he added.
On tax evasion, he recalled the Bill for the voluntary declaration of incomes while he underlined that controls have been stepped up and he stressed that the political will exists to combat it.
"I did not expect the struggle of an entire people to be dealt with with such cynicism," stressed the Prime Minister referring to the European partners. "I waged this battle with all my strength to vindicate the people's mandate to negotiate. The opposition accuses us of being liars. If we were liars, we would not have go on to the end to see that there is no tomorrow," he commented about the first half of 2015.
Referring to Yannis Varoufakis, he was tight lipped, wishing him "good sales with his book". "Mr. Varoufakis has written a book three months ago. I am struck how three newspapers on the same Sunday decided to have the same subject. It is an attempt by the Opposition and the media which support it to change the agenda." "We are the ones who are leading the country out of the Stewardship and many do not want that."
"An independent judiciary is one thing, an unscrutinised judiciary is another"
"There is no Government-Judiciary confrontation, there are problems in the Judiciary, which I discussed with the judges," said the Prime Minister, noting that he could not blame all the judges and stressing that there are some "who commit perjury" and there are decisions that are inconsistent with the society’s common legal sense.
"The separation of powers is not disputed by anyone and should not be questioned. The fact that justice must be independent is not disputed and nor should it be. "An independent judiciary is one thing, an unscrutinised judiciary is another"
"Greece is a security pillar"
"We are the safest capital in Europe. Greece is a pillar of security"said the Prime Minister referring to security and crime, stressing that the problems observed in Exarchia and in other areas, such as Menidi, won't be solved with repression and police interventions. "Civil society, the inhabitants, the Municipality have a role to play," he stressed, pointing to the millions of tourists who enjoy safe holidays in our country.
On foreign policy and the challenges of Turkey, PM Tsipras replied that our country has a multi-dimensional foreign policy and a pragmatic approach. "To protect the country's security, you must take care of peace" Prime Minister stressed and stressed that "Greece is a country that, despite the economic crisis, holds an important geopolitical position, which has been enhanced." He reiterated that "we are ready to defend the national interests of the country".
Nikos Pappas, the Minister for Digital Policy, Media and Telecommunication gave a wide-ranging interview to EURACTIV.com
The Second Assessment of the bailout programme was successfully concluded. What is your next step?
From now on, a growth plan must be implemented that does not repeat the mistakes of the past. These mistakes are related to excessive borrowing on both public and household accounts, but also the huge inequalities that arose from a model of economic policy that put both European societies and political leaderships to the test.
Greece is at a unique point on the map, regaining its role internationally and taking advantage of its geostrategic position. It can be a telecommunications, commerce and transport hub, but in order to do that in a compact and reliable way, it needs modern networks.
We have already completed major motorways and we are now entering the process of building modern internet networks. The high-speed internet networks for all Greeks will bring the country into a new phase. These technologies can make all sectors of the Greek economy more efficient and productive. They are in a position to revolutionise the way in which Greek producers produce, the way consumers consume and the way the Greek businesses operate.
Is Europe convinced that Greece has turned the page? There are still voices which claim the opposite.
You are right to point it out, but I think the pessimists that see the glass half-empty are becoming ever smaller in number as time passes, under the unbearable weight of a growing economic reality.
This reality says that Greece has increased employment by 320,000 jobs in two-and-a-half years, while unemployment has dropped 5.5% compared to the previous coalition Government of centre-right New Democracy and the Pan-Hellenic Socialist Movement. In addition, the budget is in order and exports and investments have increased.
Industrial production, for example, according to official statistics, has risen this month by 19% compared to last year. Consequently, the signs of economic recovery are strengthening and I think whatever solution is chosen and should be pursued, it should not undermine these growth prospects.
What could be a major obstacle to the continuation of the country’s recovery?
I think any new delay, but it does not seem that will be the case. Because all sides have understood that it is in everyone’s interest to complete the negotiations about the medium-term debt relief measures that will be implemented after the end of the programme.
We need to note that, with the Eurogroup decision, two very important steps have been taken.
Firstly, it’s the provision for the implementation of the Greek debt growth clause and its repayment. The economic logic changes. In the two previous programmes, we had to restrain the economy to service the debt, even at the cost of recession. Now the debt is serviced by growth, so we become partners with our partners in the prospect of economic growth.
The second important issue is the final paragraph of the decision, which provides for the creation of the proper reserves that will guarantee Greece’s return to the financial markets without any other conditions. The European Stability Mechanism (ESM), Europe’s financial arm and its political leaderships, guarantee the smooth financing of a country in a programme. This is a huge step.
The first successful return to the markets shows that the country is on the rise.
We have difficult and complicated negotiations for Brexit ahead. Some believe that Europeans will have one voice; others claim that there will be significant divisions. How does Greece see it?
Europe is faced with some choices that have long been leading to these deadlocks. There is a governance problem.
Europe has lost its ability to persuade people that it works in their interest. Of course, we must say that the critical political developments of the last year, a year that some looked at with curiosity and others with horror – the British Referendum, a French and a Dutch election – has come and gone without the European project being dismantled. Therefore, it has to be recognised that the EU project has more stamina than anyone could have believed.
The solution, in my opinion, lies in a progressive federalism; this is the road that Europe has to take. The progressive ones who perceive this as a priority need to consolidate their initiatives so that policies can be implemented in this direction.
At what stage is the issue of the tender for TV licenses?
Here we have made some positive steps in the last few weeks. Greece’s independent regulatory authority, the National Council for Radio and Television (NCRTV), which was set up last October, seems to be determined to make progress.
We will soon have the notice for a new TV licence auction. The first necessary steps have been taken, the number of licences has been set and there seems to be a willingness to complete this process and to close a wound for the country, which has been open for decades.
What often makes it difficult for our negotiating team or the Greek Prime Minister himself during discussions at European level is that the negotiating counterparts do not understand why there may be some special categories of citizens who do not meet their obligations.
What do you mean exactly?
Apart from the owners of the television stations, who for 30 years have been doing business without a licence, we also have the example of some lawyers who feel that their profession cannot be subject to the Electronic Transactions Act, because, as they claim, privacy issues arise from the cases they undertake. The same opinion is shared by some “high-ranking” doctors. Let’s not forget that some judges have also claimed the right not to file a wealth statement, as most civil servants do.
This is a distortion that dates back to the period when New Democracy and PASOK were in power, but I am optimistic that we will make a breakthrough.
We all have to understand this. Such wounds cannot be left open in a Greece that is trying and ultimately emerging from the crisis, slowly but surely. The current Government will not allow these wounds to remain open. We should show our partners and ourselves and send a message to society that we will not repeat these mistakes.
Recently, a TV station (Star Channel) filed a lawsuit against the State for “loss of profits” due to the loss of its television programming. Specifically, it blamed last year’s television licence auction. How do you comment on this legal move?
It is clear now. After this lawsuit and the announcements of the owners of the television stations, they [the TV channel owners] do not want a new auction to take place in order to get legal licences for their operations. And above all, they do not want to put their hands in their pockets to pay for their use of public property.
Our answer is clear. The implementation of the laws and the Constitution will not accept any exemptions. No matter how many attacks we receive, we do not back down.
As for the actions of the channels, you should also ask the Opposition parties. Can a television station, which for many years has broadcast without a legal licence, seek compensation – after 30 years – for the first auction for television licences? Can it demand the preservation of this lawlessness, taking advantage of the irresponsibility of New Democracy and PASOK which did not enforce the licencing of the channels?
A response from these political parties would also be interesting in the sense that the owners of the TV stations recently claimed to have been ‘hostages to insecurity’ for decades. What does this mean and how exactly did the two parties behave when they were in power?
They should finally take a position. Mr Mitsotakis [leader of New Democracy] and Ms Gennimata [Leader of PASOK] should not bury statements suggesting that their parties ‘kept the Press hostage’.
TV channel owners have now opened a new row with the Government when they asked the country’s Supreme Court to exempt their top executives from filing a wealth statement, citing privacy concerns.
What has been happening with the Greek justice system lately? The opposition blames you for attacking its independence.
There was a judicial decision recently which asserted that the non-payment of employees’ salaries does not constitute an unfavorable change in the employment contract. This goes beyond what we consider to be the European norm.
We are entitled to judge it, even in public. Justice representatives’ assessments are not beyond criticism.
If this is seen as an attack on the independence of the institution, we should also look at the cases of interference, as perhaps – according to press reports – we had in the past.
The opposition also accuses you of having imposed excessive taxation; that the state’s debt to individuals is huge and calls for elections to follow a different policy mix.
The elections will be held at the end of our term. Alexis Tsipras will be the first Prime Minister since the country joined the bailout programme to stay until the end of the four-year mandate. Such a development would be a signal of stability and recovery. We challenge the main Opposition party to stop focusing on nonsense and talk about the essence of politics. It should come to the table and discuss the hard core of policy and the results we bring. But because it cannot stand this debate, as the reality is clear and resounding, it brings up other issues that provoke ridicule and mockery among the Greek people.
The Second Assessment of the bailout programme was successfully concluded. What is your next step?
From now on, a growth plan must be implemented that does not repeat the mistakes of the past. These mistakes are related to excessive borrowing on both public and household accounts, but also the huge inequalities that arose from a model of economic policy that put both European societies and political leaderships to the test.
Greece is at a unique point on the map, regaining its role internationally and taking advantage of its geostrategic position. It can be a telecommunications, commerce and transport hub, but in order to do that in a compact and reliable way, it needs modern networks.
We have already completed major motorways and we are now entering the process of building modern internet networks. The high-speed internet networks for all Greeks will bring the country into a new phase. These technologies can make all sectors of the Greek economy more efficient and productive. They are in a position to revolutionise the way in which Greek producers produce, the way consumers consume and the way the Greek businesses operate.
Is Europe convinced that Greece has turned the page? There are still voices which claim the opposite.
You are right to point it out, but I think the pessimists that see the glass half-empty are becoming ever smaller in number as time passes, under the unbearable weight of a growing economic reality.
This reality says that Greece has increased employment by 320,000 jobs in two-and-a-half years, while unemployment has dropped 5.5% compared to the previous coalition Government of centre-right New Democracy and the Pan-Hellenic Socialist Movement. In addition, the budget is in order and exports and investments have increased.
Industrial production, for example, according to official statistics, has risen this month by 19% compared to last year. Consequently, the signs of economic recovery are strengthening and I think whatever solution is chosen and should be pursued, it should not undermine these growth prospects.
What could be a major obstacle to the continuation of the country’s recovery?
I think any new delay, but it does not seem that will be the case. Because all sides have understood that it is in everyone’s interest to complete the negotiations about the medium-term debt relief measures that will be implemented after the end of the programme.
We need to note that, with the Eurogroup decision, two very important steps have been taken.
Firstly, it’s the provision for the implementation of the Greek debt growth clause and its repayment. The economic logic changes. In the two previous programmes, we had to restrain the economy to service the debt, even at the cost of recession. Now the debt is serviced by growth, so we become partners with our partners in the prospect of economic growth.
The second important issue is the final paragraph of the decision, which provides for the creation of the proper reserves that will guarantee Greece’s return to the financial markets without any other conditions. The European Stability Mechanism (ESM), Europe’s financial arm and its political leaderships, guarantee the smooth financing of a country in a programme. This is a huge step.
The first successful return to the markets shows that the country is on the rise.
We have difficult and complicated negotiations for Brexit ahead. Some believe that Europeans will have one voice; others claim that there will be significant divisions. How does Greece see it?
Europe is faced with some choices that have long been leading to these deadlocks. There is a governance problem.
Europe has lost its ability to persuade people that it works in their interest. Of course, we must say that the critical political developments of the last year, a year that some looked at with curiosity and others with horror – the British Referendum, a French and a Dutch election – has come and gone without the European project being dismantled. Therefore, it has to be recognised that the EU project has more stamina than anyone could have believed.
The solution, in my opinion, lies in a progressive federalism; this is the road that Europe has to take. The progressive ones who perceive this as a priority need to consolidate their initiatives so that policies can be implemented in this direction.
At what stage is the issue of the tender for TV licenses?
Here we have made some positive steps in the last few weeks. Greece’s independent regulatory authority, the National Council for Radio and Television (NCRTV), which was set up last October, seems to be determined to make progress.
We will soon have the notice for a new TV licence auction. The first necessary steps have been taken, the number of licences has been set and there seems to be a willingness to complete this process and to close a wound for the country, which has been open for decades.
What often makes it difficult for our negotiating team or the Greek Prime Minister himself during discussions at European level is that the negotiating counterparts do not understand why there may be some special categories of citizens who do not meet their obligations.
What do you mean exactly?
Apart from the owners of the television stations, who for 30 years have been doing business without a licence, we also have the example of some lawyers who feel that their profession cannot be subject to the Electronic Transactions Act, because, as they claim, privacy issues arise from the cases they undertake. The same opinion is shared by some “high-ranking” doctors. Let’s not forget that some judges have also claimed the right not to file a wealth statement, as most civil servants do.
This is a distortion that dates back to the period when New Democracy and PASOK were in power, but I am optimistic that we will make a breakthrough.
We all have to understand this. Such wounds cannot be left open in a Greece that is trying and ultimately emerging from the crisis, slowly but surely. The current Government will not allow these wounds to remain open. We should show our partners and ourselves and send a message to society that we will not repeat these mistakes.
Recently, a TV station (Star Channel) filed a lawsuit against the State for “loss of profits” due to the loss of its television programming. Specifically, it blamed last year’s television licence auction. How do you comment on this legal move?
It is clear now. After this lawsuit and the announcements of the owners of the television stations, they [the TV channel owners] do not want a new auction to take place in order to get legal licences for their operations. And above all, they do not want to put their hands in their pockets to pay for their use of public property.
Our answer is clear. The implementation of the laws and the Constitution will not accept any exemptions. No matter how many attacks we receive, we do not back down.
As for the actions of the channels, you should also ask the Opposition parties. Can a television station, which for many years has broadcast without a legal licence, seek compensation – after 30 years – for the first auction for television licences? Can it demand the preservation of this lawlessness, taking advantage of the irresponsibility of New Democracy and PASOK which did not enforce the licencing of the channels?
A response from these political parties would also be interesting in the sense that the owners of the TV stations recently claimed to have been ‘hostages to insecurity’ for decades. What does this mean and how exactly did the two parties behave when they were in power?
They should finally take a position. Mr Mitsotakis [leader of New Democracy] and Ms Gennimata [Leader of PASOK] should not bury statements suggesting that their parties ‘kept the Press hostage’.
TV channel owners have now opened a new row with the Government when they asked the country’s Supreme Court to exempt their top executives from filing a wealth statement, citing privacy concerns.
What has been happening with the Greek justice system lately? The opposition blames you for attacking its independence.
There was a judicial decision recently which asserted that the non-payment of employees’ salaries does not constitute an unfavorable change in the employment contract. This goes beyond what we consider to be the European norm.
We are entitled to judge it, even in public. Justice representatives’ assessments are not beyond criticism.
If this is seen as an attack on the independence of the institution, we should also look at the cases of interference, as perhaps – according to press reports – we had in the past.
The opposition also accuses you of having imposed excessive taxation; that the state’s debt to individuals is huge and calls for elections to follow a different policy mix.
The elections will be held at the end of our term. Alexis Tsipras will be the first Prime Minister since the country joined the bailout programme to stay until the end of the four-year mandate. Such a development would be a signal of stability and recovery. We challenge the main Opposition party to stop focusing on nonsense and talk about the essence of politics. It should come to the table and discuss the hard core of policy and the results we bring. But because it cannot stand this debate, as the reality is clear and resounding, it brings up other issues that provoke ridicule and mockery among the Greek people.
43rd Anniversary of end of Military Dictatorship
In a message on Monday marking the toppling of the seven-year military junta in 1974, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said the 43rd anniversary since democracy was restored in Greece coincides with the final restoration of economic stability and the recovery of the country.
“This is a day to honour the thousands of citizens that resisted the dictatorship and our people’s struggles for popular rule, independence and social justice,” PM Tsipras said, while noting that the country’s path toward realizing these goals in the years that followed “was not always easy, nor straight.”
“In the distant 1974, the issue was national independence, popular sovereignty and social justice. This fight is ongoing, despite the setbacks of the Memoranda.
Today's anniversary is overshadowed by the jarring chords of an extreme opposition which in defiance of reality maintains that the Government is circumventing democracy.
“The extensive intertwining of powerful economic interests with centres and ‘circles’ of power, the lack of accountability and social control and, of course, the multiple repercussions of the economic crisis have raised serious obstacles, especially in recent years,” he noted.
It was now everyone’s collective duty to avoid the mistakes of the past in order to build Greece anew, he added, into a country freed of the games of major interests, petty politics and intolerance. “A Greece of democracy, productive reorganization and social solidarity. A Greece of justice,” he added.
This will require determination and a political will for major reforms and clashes with established interests, he said, “in order to restore a sense of justice to the Greek people.” He called for more active participation by citizens in decision-making centres, restoring the lost credibility of the political system and “giving content to the concept of democracy,” while noting that this was owed not only to the younger generations “but also to those that have devoted their lives to democracy and freedom in our country.”
In a message on Monday marking the toppling of the seven-year military junta in 1974, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said the 43rd anniversary since democracy was restored in Greece coincides with the final restoration of economic stability and the recovery of the country.
“This is a day to honour the thousands of citizens that resisted the dictatorship and our people’s struggles for popular rule, independence and social justice,” PM Tsipras said, while noting that the country’s path toward realizing these goals in the years that followed “was not always easy, nor straight.”
“In the distant 1974, the issue was national independence, popular sovereignty and social justice. This fight is ongoing, despite the setbacks of the Memoranda.
Today's anniversary is overshadowed by the jarring chords of an extreme opposition which in defiance of reality maintains that the Government is circumventing democracy.
“The extensive intertwining of powerful economic interests with centres and ‘circles’ of power, the lack of accountability and social control and, of course, the multiple repercussions of the economic crisis have raised serious obstacles, especially in recent years,” he noted.
It was now everyone’s collective duty to avoid the mistakes of the past in order to build Greece anew, he added, into a country freed of the games of major interests, petty politics and intolerance. “A Greece of democracy, productive reorganization and social solidarity. A Greece of justice,” he added.
This will require determination and a political will for major reforms and clashes with established interests, he said, “in order to restore a sense of justice to the Greek people.” He called for more active participation by citizens in decision-making centres, restoring the lost credibility of the political system and “giving content to the concept of democracy,” while noting that this was owed not only to the younger generations “but also to those that have devoted their lives to democracy and freedom in our country.”
"The most significant positive news in recent years is the steady decline in unemployment rates and the growth in full-time employment"
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras at the Ministry of Labour
22.7.2017
The Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras described his visit to the Ministry of Labour as a special moment, noting that it is the most crucial Ministry with regard to the outcome of the battle to tackle the crisis.
He unveiled a programme that will see the Government subsidize social security payments providing that employers switch freelance contracts with permanent ones for their employees. The programme will aim to correct the current situation where thousands of salaried employees appear to be self-employed.
In a joint press conference with Labour Minister Effi Achtsioglou, the PM said employers will be required to register their staff with the special platform of the EFKA social security fund. Those who employ uninsured staff will face strict penalties as the Government seeks to crack down on the rampant “undeclared” labour market.
The new programme will run for 12 months per employee with 350€ per month subsidized by the State. It will initially affect 40,000 employees. Employers will be obliged to keep staff on the books for a certain amount of time after the 12-month period expires.
According to the Prime Minister, the recently established EFKA fund is performing well, allaying fears and doomsday scenarios that it has already run into huge debt. “In 2015 we were handed a 1.5€ billion cash deficit… the Fund now has a surplus of approximately 150€ million.”
PM Tsipras went on to point out that social security spending increased from 780€ million in 2015 to 1.57€ billion in 2017 while in 2019 it is expected to exceed 2.5€ billion.
"My visit today may help us understand the difference between the supposed success story of the governments of New Democracy and PASOK and the real success which is leading to recovery which can be felt in people's daily lives," he said, adding that unemployment in Greece will drop by 2.5% annually in the next few years, while State programmes will help 120,000 jobless Greeks by the end of this year alone.
“The most significant positive news in recent years is the steady decline in unemployment rates and the growth in employment. This is the most important success of the Government.”
The Prime Minister talked about the effort being made to recover jobs and to build the new social State; he noted in his speech that the unemployment level fell to 21.7% at the end of April compared to 27.2% two years earlier. He said that the unemployment rate would fall by 2.5 percentage points per year over the coming years. He also said the Government will spend 100€ million on a retraining programme for some 50,000 people.
Programmes to address unemployment, all in all by the end of the year, will cover 120,000 unemployed people, he said.
“To tackle unemployment we are implementing programmes that don't waste money on middlemen and perpetual training. Over the 1/3 of the people participating in the community service programmes which provide training, are finding work after the end of the programmes and this is one of the highest rates in Europe.”
“It is no exaggeration for me to say that most important national goal is the recovery of jobs and the creation of a new social state that can respond to the needs of citizens.
“When there exists the political will, you are not afraid of conflicts with “names” with great political influence or banks which refuse to pay their fines.
We are promoting legislation which will exclude businesses that systematically break the law from any kind of State funding.
The National Insurance reform addresses the enduring lack of transparency, the irrationality and fragmentation that characterised the insurance system.”
“According to official figures, over the last period, we have seen in the private sector a 9.34% increase in the average monthly salary.
As regards the protection of employees, he said "From the first moment, we upgraded the Labour Inspectorate which is a critical authority with regard to workers' protection. We are not afraid to deal with employers who took the crisis as an opportunity to violate labour legislation."
"Soon, we will bring forward for legislation in Parliament a set of arrangements for dealing with violations of labour legislation, a comprehensive action plan to combat undeclared, under-declared work and unpaid work, a framework which will set rules in agriculture as well, putting a definitive end to repetitions of the Manolada incident.[In April 2013, farmers in Manolada on the Peloponnesos shot and wounded 28 Bangladeshi strawberry pickers when they asked to be paid. The case highlighted issues of human trafficking and the enslavement of migrant workers in Greece Ed.]
He unveiled a programme that will see the Government subsidize social security payments providing that employers switch freelance contracts with permanent ones for their employees. The programme will aim to correct the current situation where thousands of salaried employees appear to be self-employed.
In a joint press conference with Labour Minister Effi Achtsioglou, the PM said employers will be required to register their staff with the special platform of the EFKA social security fund. Those who employ uninsured staff will face strict penalties as the Government seeks to crack down on the rampant “undeclared” labour market.
The new programme will run for 12 months per employee with 350€ per month subsidized by the State. It will initially affect 40,000 employees. Employers will be obliged to keep staff on the books for a certain amount of time after the 12-month period expires.
According to the Prime Minister, the recently established EFKA fund is performing well, allaying fears and doomsday scenarios that it has already run into huge debt. “In 2015 we were handed a 1.5€ billion cash deficit… the Fund now has a surplus of approximately 150€ million.”
PM Tsipras went on to point out that social security spending increased from 780€ million in 2015 to 1.57€ billion in 2017 while in 2019 it is expected to exceed 2.5€ billion.
"My visit today may help us understand the difference between the supposed success story of the governments of New Democracy and PASOK and the real success which is leading to recovery which can be felt in people's daily lives," he said, adding that unemployment in Greece will drop by 2.5% annually in the next few years, while State programmes will help 120,000 jobless Greeks by the end of this year alone.
“The most significant positive news in recent years is the steady decline in unemployment rates and the growth in employment. This is the most important success of the Government.”
The Prime Minister talked about the effort being made to recover jobs and to build the new social State; he noted in his speech that the unemployment level fell to 21.7% at the end of April compared to 27.2% two years earlier. He said that the unemployment rate would fall by 2.5 percentage points per year over the coming years. He also said the Government will spend 100€ million on a retraining programme for some 50,000 people.
Programmes to address unemployment, all in all by the end of the year, will cover 120,000 unemployed people, he said.
“To tackle unemployment we are implementing programmes that don't waste money on middlemen and perpetual training. Over the 1/3 of the people participating in the community service programmes which provide training, are finding work after the end of the programmes and this is one of the highest rates in Europe.”
“It is no exaggeration for me to say that most important national goal is the recovery of jobs and the creation of a new social state that can respond to the needs of citizens.
“When there exists the political will, you are not afraid of conflicts with “names” with great political influence or banks which refuse to pay their fines.
We are promoting legislation which will exclude businesses that systematically break the law from any kind of State funding.
The National Insurance reform addresses the enduring lack of transparency, the irrationality and fragmentation that characterised the insurance system.”
“According to official figures, over the last period, we have seen in the private sector a 9.34% increase in the average monthly salary.
As regards the protection of employees, he said "From the first moment, we upgraded the Labour Inspectorate which is a critical authority with regard to workers' protection. We are not afraid to deal with employers who took the crisis as an opportunity to violate labour legislation."
"Soon, we will bring forward for legislation in Parliament a set of arrangements for dealing with violations of labour legislation, a comprehensive action plan to combat undeclared, under-declared work and unpaid work, a framework which will set rules in agriculture as well, putting a definitive end to repetitions of the Manolada incident.[In April 2013, farmers in Manolada on the Peloponnesos shot and wounded 28 Bangladeshi strawberry pickers when they asked to be paid. The case highlighted issues of human trafficking and the enslavement of migrant workers in Greece Ed.]
Effie Achtsioglou the Minister of Labour
“In conditions of financial stringency and the trusteeship, this Ministry is supporting as a priority the Welfare State on four pillars: the Labour Inspectorate (ΣΕΠΕ) –the Social Security Office (ΕΦΚΑ) – a revamped Farmers’ National Insurance Scheme (νέος ΟΓΑ) – the Employment Service (ΟΑΕΔ).”
Labour Minister, Effie Achtsiogloy, as part of her speech during the PM’s visit to the Ministry announced:
"On the basis of these institutional interventions, there will be a strengthening and updating of the Labour Inspectorate (ΣΕΠΕ) as the key institutional mechanism for intervention in the labour market and improving working relations."
In the area of social solidarity, she stressed that a nationwide network for social protection is being established. "This is a huge reorganization of the sector of social solidarity, which removes the clientelist relationships of the past and gives the weakest social strata the dignity they deserve in their contacts with the State."
"From the moment this Government took office, the Labour Ministry set specific key objectives: To deal with the rapid impact of the crisis, the unemployment that had jumped to a huge percentage and the humanitarian crisis that swept through Greek society in the 2010-2014 period, and to lay the foundations of the Welfare State, which historically our country has been without. An extremely difficult undertaking, because we have been called upon to make it happen not in normal circumstances, not in conditions of normality, but in conditions of strict budgetary constraints and, many times, asphyxiating supervision. I think, that with collective work and a plan, we are getting ever closer to these objectives."
"The primary central political commitment undertaken by this Government was the immediate response to the humanitarian crisis and the sharp impoverishment suffered by a large proportion of the population in the period 2010-2014. And to this commitment our Government responded with absolute consistency. With the first law that we brought to Parliament, Law 4320/2015, in early 2015, a lattice of measures was put in place to meet the pressing needs of 405,000 people: prepaid cards for basic necessities, free electricity and a rent subsidy to households that were in a precarious housing situation.
This intervention was not temporary, but has evolved into a structural programme, the Social Solidarity Income (ΚΕΑ), which more than 570,000 of our fellow citizens currently receive. In asphyxiating financial circumstances, we created a programme that is something much more than a subsistence allowance. It seeks to be the tool for impoverished people to return to a social life, - and here is the qualitative difference, - the connection of this programme with the return to work. Because, already within 2017, a significant proportion of unemployed beneficiaries of the Social Solidarity Income will be absorbed into work programmes. This is the main goal, the inclusion in work and not trapping them in poverty. It is about a huge social relief intervention and a hallmark of the reorganization of the Welfare State and of public policy in the field of social protection.
"Our second central political commitment was to make an effective intervention to reduce unemployment," said Labour Minister, expressing the view that on this front "things are going quite well".
According to ELSTAT, she said, the unemployment rate in April 2017 was 21.7%, about five percentage points down from the beginning of 2015, when this Government started its work. "And I must say that this outcome did not just happen nor was it easy. The positive data recorded in the last period are the result of a complex effort with many factors contributing; they are the result of the great effort that this Government is making to stabilize the economy; they are the result of integrated plans of programmes of work, based on labour market needs, programmes that are being implemented by the upgraded Employment Service (ΟΑΕΔ); they are, in the end, the result of both the systematic work being done to tackle undeclared work and to end a situation of widespread lawlessness and arbitrariness in the labour market, a situation that peaked in the 2010-2014 period, due not only to the complete collapse of the whole framework of labour protection, but also the policy choices of the previous Governments to tolerate the phenomena of arbitrary employer behaviour."
"And this brings me to the third central commitment: a basic commitment of our Government and of the political leadership of this Ministry was not just to create new jobs, but also to intervene in industrial relations themselves for the benefit of working people, imposing legality in the workplace, so that gradually quality jobs are taking shape. Because a strategic objective of this Government is not the achievement of a development in terms of simply numerical growth, returning to a model of development that we have seen in previous decades, a development that exacerbated social inequalities and did not respect the labour relations, but the achievement of a development, with labour placed at its core. And to meet this commitment we have been working hard and in a coordinated way from the first moment. In particular, recently, through the intensification of SEPE's interventions, we targeted undeclared, under-declared and unpaid work. Already, since the beginning of 2015 until today, trilateral conciliatory meetings have been held at the Ministry of Labour, between employers, workers and the State, in the presence of the political leadership, on more than 300 employment issues, when in the previous three years not even half that number had been held. In the vast majority of them, these meetings resulted in satisfying the demands of workers whether they related to revoking dismissals, or the payment of accrued earnings."
"From the first moment of this Government’s term of office, and despite the restrictive financial conditions, we put into operation the contingency allowance of economic support for workers, giving out more than 4€ million in the two-year period 2015-2016, (a tool that previous Governments kept inactive). At the same time, in the two-year period 2015-2016, thanks to the interventions of SEPE, more than 24€ million have been paid out of the accrued amounts owed to employees. The imposition of fines on banks for labour rights breaches, amounting to 1.9€ million, demonstrates our political will and determination to combat law-breaking. We are demonstrating that there is no more immunity, there are no “no-go areas” for control mechanisms."
"And it was precisely the combination of all of these pathogens that we have opposed over the last two and a half years and which previous political forces chose not to address, that led the public social security system to the verge of collapse. A system that we are committed to get back on its feet, making a truly titanic effort.
"The fact is that in the first stage of its operation were revealed all the mistakes and the bad management of the past. The insurance system was characterized from time immemorial by red-tape, clientelist arrangements, variations and inequalities. The utter lack of information and computerised systems and of an organized registry of insured persons had led to huge delays in the payment of pensions, with the result that in January 2015 there were piled up 160,000 retirement requests pending, while there were many cases of widespread mismanagement. We imposed rules on the system, we paid overdue payments, we closed the wounds of the past and today we are working to go to the next level to upgrade the public social security system and to recover its lost credibility. And, more significantly, a positive outlook is opening up. The reduction of unemployment and the ending of the dismantling of labour relations constitute the missing link in the connection between work and social security."
"In addition, however, to these central interventions, at the Ministry of Labour, we have concerned ourselves from the first moment also with a set of issues that remained 'unseen' to the previous Governments, such as resolving the issue of social housing, which concerns 36,000 of our fellow citizens, the substantive use of the fixed assets of the insurance funds using social benefit criteria, creating a node for information and service to citizens on labour issues, and the substantial upgrading of audits and of the framework for health and safety at work. Initiatives that may seem small, but which will have a substantial effect on the everyday life of thousands of citizens."
"From the first moment this Government took office, we set specific goals in the Labour Ministry. In the previous period, we concentrated on the first goal, social relief, flagging up, however, at the same time, the second objective, the reorganization of the Welfare State and public policy in the area of social protection. On this pillar we are now focussing with institutional interventions which we are implementing today and which we are striving for them to be the solid foundations of the Welfare State, interventions which will rolled out by 2019. In conditions of financial stringency and the trusteeship, this Ministry is supporting as a priority the Welfare State on four pillars: the Labour Inspectorate (ΣΕΠΕ) –the Social Security Office (ΕΦΚΑ) – a revamped Farmers’ National Insurance Scheme (νέος ΟΓΑ) – the Employment Service (ΟΑΕΔ). It is a great investment at work and in social protection, an investment in social cohesion, an investment in the credibility of institutions and of democracy. We hope that in the next period our efforts here will be felt in the everyday lives of citizens."
Primary Health Care Units
Speaking at a workshop about Primary Public Health Care, organized in Heraklion by the 7th Health Region of Crete, Health Minister Andreas Xanthos announced that 1,700 doctors and 1,300 ancillary workers will staff the new structure that will operate in the second half of 2017.
He said that Primary Care is one of the key objectives of the political leadership of the Ministry and the Government.
"We have got agreement with the Institutions and by August 5th we will legislate for the first Local Health Units."
"The necessary resources have been found from European funds, and funding is guaranteed for four years.
"In public health policies a new model is being applied, we are not talking about miserly management. And obviously it is not privatization, as many critics maintain."
The universal and free health coverage of the population, the provision of high quality health services, the outward looking functioning of Primary Health Care Structures and the whole person approach with the emphasis on prevention and health education in the community, are the key elements of this reform.
Germany Profits…
Germany’s Finance Ministry has published details of the profits Germany has made on loans to Greece and its debt buying programmes: €1.34bn since 2009, according to a report in the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung.
The German development bank KfW has taken some €393m in interest payments on a loan of €15.2bn that it made to Athens in 2010. Between 2010 and 2012, a state debt-buying scheme by the Eurozone’s central banks brought the Bundesbank a profit of €952m. The European Central Bank collected more than €1.1 billion in 2016 in interest payments on the nearly €20 billion-worth of Greek bonds it holds.
Eurozone members had agreed to hand any profits back to the Greek central bank as a point of EU solidarity. But this pay-back operation was brought to a halt in 2015 when the SYRIZA-ANEL Government took office.
“It may be legal the way Germany deals with the crisis in Greece. It is not legitimate in the moral sense of solidarity,” the speaker for budgetary affairs in the Bundestag for the Green Party, Sven Christian Kindler said.
“ Finally the interest gained must be paid to Greece. It can not be that (German Finance Minister) Wolfgang Schaeuble wants to rehabilitate the German budget using Greek interest,” said the Greens’ EU expert in the Bundestag, Manuel Sarrazin.
IMF
The International Monetary Fund on Thursday approved in principle a $1.8 billion standby loan arrangement for Greece, making a conditional commitment to help underpin the country's long-running bailout programme for the first time in two years.
But the IMF's approval-in-principle means the Fund will not make any money available until after it receives "specific and credible assurances" from Greece's European lenders that ensure the sustainability of the country's debt. The current bailout funds are currently provided exclusively by European institutions.
“In conditions of financial stringency and the trusteeship, this Ministry is supporting as a priority the Welfare State on four pillars: the Labour Inspectorate (ΣΕΠΕ) –the Social Security Office (ΕΦΚΑ) – a revamped Farmers’ National Insurance Scheme (νέος ΟΓΑ) – the Employment Service (ΟΑΕΔ).”
Labour Minister, Effie Achtsiogloy, as part of her speech during the PM’s visit to the Ministry announced:
"On the basis of these institutional interventions, there will be a strengthening and updating of the Labour Inspectorate (ΣΕΠΕ) as the key institutional mechanism for intervention in the labour market and improving working relations."
In the area of social solidarity, she stressed that a nationwide network for social protection is being established. "This is a huge reorganization of the sector of social solidarity, which removes the clientelist relationships of the past and gives the weakest social strata the dignity they deserve in their contacts with the State."
"From the moment this Government took office, the Labour Ministry set specific key objectives: To deal with the rapid impact of the crisis, the unemployment that had jumped to a huge percentage and the humanitarian crisis that swept through Greek society in the 2010-2014 period, and to lay the foundations of the Welfare State, which historically our country has been without. An extremely difficult undertaking, because we have been called upon to make it happen not in normal circumstances, not in conditions of normality, but in conditions of strict budgetary constraints and, many times, asphyxiating supervision. I think, that with collective work and a plan, we are getting ever closer to these objectives."
"The primary central political commitment undertaken by this Government was the immediate response to the humanitarian crisis and the sharp impoverishment suffered by a large proportion of the population in the period 2010-2014. And to this commitment our Government responded with absolute consistency. With the first law that we brought to Parliament, Law 4320/2015, in early 2015, a lattice of measures was put in place to meet the pressing needs of 405,000 people: prepaid cards for basic necessities, free electricity and a rent subsidy to households that were in a precarious housing situation.
This intervention was not temporary, but has evolved into a structural programme, the Social Solidarity Income (ΚΕΑ), which more than 570,000 of our fellow citizens currently receive. In asphyxiating financial circumstances, we created a programme that is something much more than a subsistence allowance. It seeks to be the tool for impoverished people to return to a social life, - and here is the qualitative difference, - the connection of this programme with the return to work. Because, already within 2017, a significant proportion of unemployed beneficiaries of the Social Solidarity Income will be absorbed into work programmes. This is the main goal, the inclusion in work and not trapping them in poverty. It is about a huge social relief intervention and a hallmark of the reorganization of the Welfare State and of public policy in the field of social protection.
"Our second central political commitment was to make an effective intervention to reduce unemployment," said Labour Minister, expressing the view that on this front "things are going quite well".
According to ELSTAT, she said, the unemployment rate in April 2017 was 21.7%, about five percentage points down from the beginning of 2015, when this Government started its work. "And I must say that this outcome did not just happen nor was it easy. The positive data recorded in the last period are the result of a complex effort with many factors contributing; they are the result of the great effort that this Government is making to stabilize the economy; they are the result of integrated plans of programmes of work, based on labour market needs, programmes that are being implemented by the upgraded Employment Service (ΟΑΕΔ); they are, in the end, the result of both the systematic work being done to tackle undeclared work and to end a situation of widespread lawlessness and arbitrariness in the labour market, a situation that peaked in the 2010-2014 period, due not only to the complete collapse of the whole framework of labour protection, but also the policy choices of the previous Governments to tolerate the phenomena of arbitrary employer behaviour."
"And this brings me to the third central commitment: a basic commitment of our Government and of the political leadership of this Ministry was not just to create new jobs, but also to intervene in industrial relations themselves for the benefit of working people, imposing legality in the workplace, so that gradually quality jobs are taking shape. Because a strategic objective of this Government is not the achievement of a development in terms of simply numerical growth, returning to a model of development that we have seen in previous decades, a development that exacerbated social inequalities and did not respect the labour relations, but the achievement of a development, with labour placed at its core. And to meet this commitment we have been working hard and in a coordinated way from the first moment. In particular, recently, through the intensification of SEPE's interventions, we targeted undeclared, under-declared and unpaid work. Already, since the beginning of 2015 until today, trilateral conciliatory meetings have been held at the Ministry of Labour, between employers, workers and the State, in the presence of the political leadership, on more than 300 employment issues, when in the previous three years not even half that number had been held. In the vast majority of them, these meetings resulted in satisfying the demands of workers whether they related to revoking dismissals, or the payment of accrued earnings."
"From the first moment of this Government’s term of office, and despite the restrictive financial conditions, we put into operation the contingency allowance of economic support for workers, giving out more than 4€ million in the two-year period 2015-2016, (a tool that previous Governments kept inactive). At the same time, in the two-year period 2015-2016, thanks to the interventions of SEPE, more than 24€ million have been paid out of the accrued amounts owed to employees. The imposition of fines on banks for labour rights breaches, amounting to 1.9€ million, demonstrates our political will and determination to combat law-breaking. We are demonstrating that there is no more immunity, there are no “no-go areas” for control mechanisms."
"And it was precisely the combination of all of these pathogens that we have opposed over the last two and a half years and which previous political forces chose not to address, that led the public social security system to the verge of collapse. A system that we are committed to get back on its feet, making a truly titanic effort.
"The fact is that in the first stage of its operation were revealed all the mistakes and the bad management of the past. The insurance system was characterized from time immemorial by red-tape, clientelist arrangements, variations and inequalities. The utter lack of information and computerised systems and of an organized registry of insured persons had led to huge delays in the payment of pensions, with the result that in January 2015 there were piled up 160,000 retirement requests pending, while there were many cases of widespread mismanagement. We imposed rules on the system, we paid overdue payments, we closed the wounds of the past and today we are working to go to the next level to upgrade the public social security system and to recover its lost credibility. And, more significantly, a positive outlook is opening up. The reduction of unemployment and the ending of the dismantling of labour relations constitute the missing link in the connection between work and social security."
"In addition, however, to these central interventions, at the Ministry of Labour, we have concerned ourselves from the first moment also with a set of issues that remained 'unseen' to the previous Governments, such as resolving the issue of social housing, which concerns 36,000 of our fellow citizens, the substantive use of the fixed assets of the insurance funds using social benefit criteria, creating a node for information and service to citizens on labour issues, and the substantial upgrading of audits and of the framework for health and safety at work. Initiatives that may seem small, but which will have a substantial effect on the everyday life of thousands of citizens."
"From the first moment this Government took office, we set specific goals in the Labour Ministry. In the previous period, we concentrated on the first goal, social relief, flagging up, however, at the same time, the second objective, the reorganization of the Welfare State and public policy in the area of social protection. On this pillar we are now focussing with institutional interventions which we are implementing today and which we are striving for them to be the solid foundations of the Welfare State, interventions which will rolled out by 2019. In conditions of financial stringency and the trusteeship, this Ministry is supporting as a priority the Welfare State on four pillars: the Labour Inspectorate (ΣΕΠΕ) –the Social Security Office (ΕΦΚΑ) – a revamped Farmers’ National Insurance Scheme (νέος ΟΓΑ) – the Employment Service (ΟΑΕΔ). It is a great investment at work and in social protection, an investment in social cohesion, an investment in the credibility of institutions and of democracy. We hope that in the next period our efforts here will be felt in the everyday lives of citizens."
Primary Health Care Units
Speaking at a workshop about Primary Public Health Care, organized in Heraklion by the 7th Health Region of Crete, Health Minister Andreas Xanthos announced that 1,700 doctors and 1,300 ancillary workers will staff the new structure that will operate in the second half of 2017.
He said that Primary Care is one of the key objectives of the political leadership of the Ministry and the Government.
"We have got agreement with the Institutions and by August 5th we will legislate for the first Local Health Units."
"The necessary resources have been found from European funds, and funding is guaranteed for four years.
"In public health policies a new model is being applied, we are not talking about miserly management. And obviously it is not privatization, as many critics maintain."
The universal and free health coverage of the population, the provision of high quality health services, the outward looking functioning of Primary Health Care Structures and the whole person approach with the emphasis on prevention and health education in the community, are the key elements of this reform.
Germany Profits…
Germany’s Finance Ministry has published details of the profits Germany has made on loans to Greece and its debt buying programmes: €1.34bn since 2009, according to a report in the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung.
The German development bank KfW has taken some €393m in interest payments on a loan of €15.2bn that it made to Athens in 2010. Between 2010 and 2012, a state debt-buying scheme by the Eurozone’s central banks brought the Bundesbank a profit of €952m. The European Central Bank collected more than €1.1 billion in 2016 in interest payments on the nearly €20 billion-worth of Greek bonds it holds.
Eurozone members had agreed to hand any profits back to the Greek central bank as a point of EU solidarity. But this pay-back operation was brought to a halt in 2015 when the SYRIZA-ANEL Government took office.
“It may be legal the way Germany deals with the crisis in Greece. It is not legitimate in the moral sense of solidarity,” the speaker for budgetary affairs in the Bundestag for the Green Party, Sven Christian Kindler said.
“ Finally the interest gained must be paid to Greece. It can not be that (German Finance Minister) Wolfgang Schaeuble wants to rehabilitate the German budget using Greek interest,” said the Greens’ EU expert in the Bundestag, Manuel Sarrazin.
IMF
The International Monetary Fund on Thursday approved in principle a $1.8 billion standby loan arrangement for Greece, making a conditional commitment to help underpin the country's long-running bailout programme for the first time in two years.
But the IMF's approval-in-principle means the Fund will not make any money available until after it receives "specific and credible assurances" from Greece's European lenders that ensure the sustainability of the country's debt. The current bailout funds are currently provided exclusively by European institutions.
“The Greek economy is improving and very soon it will return to competitive and sustainable levels in terms of its borrowing.”
8.7.2017
Speaking in Parliament on Monday, PM Alexis Tsipras defended the recent Eurogroup agreement and expressed optimism on the prospects for the economy. He attacked the Opposition who have criticized the agreement saying that they are “prophets of disaster”.
“The Greek economy is improving and very soon it will return to competitive and sustainable levels in terms of its borrowing.” “The agreement is a positive landmark towards the conclusion of the programme because it includes, for the first time, commitments not just promises about the settlement of the Greek debt.”
“The debt settlement measures will start to be implemented immediately after the conclusion of the programme.”
He also said that investors know how to read the agreement and for this reason they “throw any attempts at scaremongering in the dustbin.”
Greece’s return to the money markets would not be feasible without the debt settlement, Tsipras stated adding that in the negotiations the Government had secured lower Primary Surplus targets and had made the creditors commit to the alleviation of the debt.
He also said that the terms and conditions for a sustainable and definitive return to the money markets have been given shape adding that the Government’s plan for reducing unemployment is bearing fruit.
PM Tsipras referred to the re-building of the social state by reminding Parliament of the offset measures voted by the Government which will start to be implemented from 2019.
"Greece will not become either the Chile of Pinochet nor the Britain of Thatcher"
Referring to the economy, the Prime Minister spoke of "accessing the money markets without haste and above all not for publicity purposes".
"Our analysis is not confined to accessing the money markets. We think the country needs a plan of reconstruction with work at its core and not with the aim of crushing labour." "Greece will not become either the Chile of Pinochet nor the Britain of Thatcher". "We have brought forward an effective model of economic strength and high value with emphasis on the quality of the product and not on the reduction of production costs." The Prime Minister recalled some of the "fruits" of the programme: " In the period of Papandreou’s Government 500,000 jobs were lost, under Papademos 93,000 and under Samaras 293,000. Under SYRIZA, 230,000 jobs have been gained.
"For the first time we have a positive indicator of an increase in wages. For the first time the balance is tilting in favour of full-time employment. The proportion of flexible employment to full-time employment from being 60%-40% is 45%-55%."
"We have an economy that "is turning the page". "A fabrication of doom-mongering with dystopias and false predictions had been erected. But now … events have intervened to contradict them:
-"the Greek Government Bonds are at their lowest levels since 2009 and the Stock Market shows that it is returning to stability".
-"Moody's [the Bond Credit Rating Agency Ed.] which constitutes the most rigorous evaluation has upgraded the economy. The economy is correcting its position and soon enough will have recovered from the moment when the absence of the political factors shaped its image. The fundamental economic indicators do not reflect the current level of the bonds."
"We have positive trends of economic growth; indicators of production, employment, consumption and work are positive."
As regards the decision by the Eurogroup, Alexis Tsipras noted that " it is a convincing response to the reservations of the markets concerning the sustainability of the debt in stark contrast Mitsotakis’ view that we gave everything and got nothing."
"The facts about what we obtained from the Eurogroup are
(a) The Borrowing Requirements of the Treasury are not to exceed 15% of GDP. "We have a ceiling as to the annual financing needs of the debt which we will not exceed whatever happens."
b) As to the Primary Surpluses over the medium term, we have agreed on 2% after 2022. "Greece will be the only country in the Eurozone that will be a positive exception to the Stability Pact." "New Democracy have got a nerve talking about Primary Surpluses. New Democracy had committed the country to a Primary Surplus of 4% up to 2030."
(c)) the final quantification of the medium-term measures [“reforms” Ed]
d) "We have a locked algorithm for the reduction of the debt. Anyone who wants to can study the algorithm and calculate the reduction. The financial investors want to be able to do this and that's why they have thrown the doom-mongering in the rubbish bin."
Addressing the President of New Democracy Kyriakos Mitsotakis, he said "The people will compare your actions with our actions, our proposals with your proposals."
Responding to Mr. Mitsotakis’ reference to the "institutional crudeness" of the Government, he said "You are not some troll on social media; you are the leader of the official opposition. I was expecting you to have something of substance to say but you have a poverty of arguments about the economy. You spoke about the institutional crudeness of the Government. It is not institutional crudeness when someone makes a criticism about respected Judicial decisions. Institutional crudeness is when you talk about tax evasion and lists that you had in your drawer while offering immunity to the Big Shots, the sea of debt, the SIEMENS kickbacks that ended up in the coffers of your party. Institutional crudeness is making a gift of the Dunant Hospital to private interests but not before you took care to have members of your family treated for free or for your family members to “work” there in sinecures that required little or no work, and not before taking care to get personal or business loans borrowed and not repaid…Institutional crudeness is to turn your party into the servant of business interests.
Referring to the fight against tax evasion, Alexis Tsipras pointed out to New Democracy that "from the joy you got from the decision of the Council of State (ΣτΕ) [which stated that debts to the Greek State were constitutionally subject to a Statute of Limitations, thereby threatening to make it impossible for the Government to recover unpaid taxes from those on the Lagarde and Borgian Lists of wealthy Greeks banking abroad Ed] I understand that probably you are siding with those who want to avoid paying up". PM Tsipras announced these confirmed fines
- for fuel and tobacco smuggling: as from January 1st 2015 the fines total 711€ million. (in the previous period they were approximately 150€ million).
-on the Lagarde list, the fines are up from 26€ million in the period of Samaras to 267€ million.
-on the Borgian list: fines have reached 12,710,000€.
-from the voluntary disclosure of undisclosed income: we managed, with our approach, to get 3.7€ billion declared. We expect you to support us to collect these fines and not to rejoice that there might be a smal
“The debt settlement measures will start to be implemented immediately after the conclusion of the programme.”
He also said that investors know how to read the agreement and for this reason they “throw any attempts at scaremongering in the dustbin.”
Greece’s return to the money markets would not be feasible without the debt settlement, Tsipras stated adding that in the negotiations the Government had secured lower Primary Surplus targets and had made the creditors commit to the alleviation of the debt.
He also said that the terms and conditions for a sustainable and definitive return to the money markets have been given shape adding that the Government’s plan for reducing unemployment is bearing fruit.
PM Tsipras referred to the re-building of the social state by reminding Parliament of the offset measures voted by the Government which will start to be implemented from 2019.
"Greece will not become either the Chile of Pinochet nor the Britain of Thatcher"
Referring to the economy, the Prime Minister spoke of "accessing the money markets without haste and above all not for publicity purposes".
"Our analysis is not confined to accessing the money markets. We think the country needs a plan of reconstruction with work at its core and not with the aim of crushing labour." "Greece will not become either the Chile of Pinochet nor the Britain of Thatcher". "We have brought forward an effective model of economic strength and high value with emphasis on the quality of the product and not on the reduction of production costs." The Prime Minister recalled some of the "fruits" of the programme: " In the period of Papandreou’s Government 500,000 jobs were lost, under Papademos 93,000 and under Samaras 293,000. Under SYRIZA, 230,000 jobs have been gained.
"For the first time we have a positive indicator of an increase in wages. For the first time the balance is tilting in favour of full-time employment. The proportion of flexible employment to full-time employment from being 60%-40% is 45%-55%."
"We have an economy that "is turning the page". "A fabrication of doom-mongering with dystopias and false predictions had been erected. But now … events have intervened to contradict them:
-"the Greek Government Bonds are at their lowest levels since 2009 and the Stock Market shows that it is returning to stability".
-"Moody's [the Bond Credit Rating Agency Ed.] which constitutes the most rigorous evaluation has upgraded the economy. The economy is correcting its position and soon enough will have recovered from the moment when the absence of the political factors shaped its image. The fundamental economic indicators do not reflect the current level of the bonds."
"We have positive trends of economic growth; indicators of production, employment, consumption and work are positive."
As regards the decision by the Eurogroup, Alexis Tsipras noted that " it is a convincing response to the reservations of the markets concerning the sustainability of the debt in stark contrast Mitsotakis’ view that we gave everything and got nothing."
"The facts about what we obtained from the Eurogroup are
(a) The Borrowing Requirements of the Treasury are not to exceed 15% of GDP. "We have a ceiling as to the annual financing needs of the debt which we will not exceed whatever happens."
b) As to the Primary Surpluses over the medium term, we have agreed on 2% after 2022. "Greece will be the only country in the Eurozone that will be a positive exception to the Stability Pact." "New Democracy have got a nerve talking about Primary Surpluses. New Democracy had committed the country to a Primary Surplus of 4% up to 2030."
(c)) the final quantification of the medium-term measures [“reforms” Ed]
d) "We have a locked algorithm for the reduction of the debt. Anyone who wants to can study the algorithm and calculate the reduction. The financial investors want to be able to do this and that's why they have thrown the doom-mongering in the rubbish bin."
Addressing the President of New Democracy Kyriakos Mitsotakis, he said "The people will compare your actions with our actions, our proposals with your proposals."
Responding to Mr. Mitsotakis’ reference to the "institutional crudeness" of the Government, he said "You are not some troll on social media; you are the leader of the official opposition. I was expecting you to have something of substance to say but you have a poverty of arguments about the economy. You spoke about the institutional crudeness of the Government. It is not institutional crudeness when someone makes a criticism about respected Judicial decisions. Institutional crudeness is when you talk about tax evasion and lists that you had in your drawer while offering immunity to the Big Shots, the sea of debt, the SIEMENS kickbacks that ended up in the coffers of your party. Institutional crudeness is making a gift of the Dunant Hospital to private interests but not before you took care to have members of your family treated for free or for your family members to “work” there in sinecures that required little or no work, and not before taking care to get personal or business loans borrowed and not repaid…Institutional crudeness is to turn your party into the servant of business interests.
Referring to the fight against tax evasion, Alexis Tsipras pointed out to New Democracy that "from the joy you got from the decision of the Council of State (ΣτΕ) [which stated that debts to the Greek State were constitutionally subject to a Statute of Limitations, thereby threatening to make it impossible for the Government to recover unpaid taxes from those on the Lagarde and Borgian Lists of wealthy Greeks banking abroad Ed] I understand that probably you are siding with those who want to avoid paying up". PM Tsipras announced these confirmed fines
- for fuel and tobacco smuggling: as from January 1st 2015 the fines total 711€ million. (in the previous period they were approximately 150€ million).
-on the Lagarde list, the fines are up from 26€ million in the period of Samaras to 267€ million.
-on the Borgian list: fines have reached 12,710,000€.
-from the voluntary disclosure of undisclosed income: we managed, with our approach, to get 3.7€ billion declared. We expect you to support us to collect these fines and not to rejoice that there might be a smal