Athens News Agency: News in English, 10-01-20

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Border roadblocks discussed over the phone by Borissov, Samaras

[02] Police foil attempt to smuggle hashish via 'drug donkeys'

[03] Court ruling on Zammit case expected on Wed.

[04] Diamandouros re-elected as European Ombudsman

[05] New draft tax bill unveiled

[06] Stocks plunge 3.39% on Wed.

[01] Border roadblocks discussed over the phone by Borissov, Samaras

The Bulgarian prime minister called Samaras to reportedly thank him for the responsible position adopted by ND in handling the issue, according to reports.

[02] Police foil attempt to smuggle hashish via 'drug donkeys'

The drugs, loaded onto two donkeys, were confiscated but the suspect managed to escape by crossing the border with Albania. A search is underway for the suspect, conducted in cooperation with Albanian police.

[03] Court ruling on Zammit case expected on Wed.

A former bouncer is accused of intentional homicide in Zammit's death on the island of Mykonos in July 2008.

[04] Diamandouros re-elected as European Ombudsman

Diamandouros received 340 votes out of 678, while the other two candidates, Belgium's Pierre-Yves Monette and Italy's Vittorio Bottoli, received 289 and 19 votes, respectively.

Diamandouros was first elected to the post on April 1, 2003. He served as Greece's Ombudsman in the period 1998-2003.

The European Ombudsman's office investigates mismanagement complaints against EU bodies and agencies.

[05] New draft tax bill unveiled

Speaking to reporters, the minister said the governmentâs final decisions on a new tax system were expected to be announced by end-January or early February.

Papaconstantinou also said the countryâs fiscal deficit must be cut by two percentage points of GDP (around 5.0 billion euros) by June, according to the countryâs updated Stability and Growth Programme, and reiterated that the government was prepared to take additional action if any significant divergence from original goals would emerge. He categorically dismissed, however, that the government was examining plans to raise VAT rates or to impose additional taxes. The finance minister also said no decision has been taken as yet on imposing a tax to boost support to the countryâs pension system.

Papaconstantinou said the finance ministry was planning to cover 50 pct of its annual borrowing needs (around 26 billion euros) in the second quarter of the year and predicted a gradual decline in yield spreads between Greek and German state bonds. The government was examining all alternative scenarios to ensure success of its borrowing programme, he said, adding that a plan to issue a "popular bond" was not excluded. Papaconstantinou also announced the beginning of a round of road shows in Asia and the US to discuss the possibility of issuing state bonds in other currencies than the euro.

Commenting on a proposal by Sweden to impose a stability tax on banks, the Greek minister said the government was keen to discuss such a proposal on a European level, although the government did not have any such intention.

[06] Stocks plunge 3.39% on Wed.

The FTSE 20 index plunged 3.95 pct, the FTSE 40 index ended 2.49 pct lower and the FTSE 80 index fell 1.70 pct. With the exception of the Telecommunications index, which ended 0.79 pct higher, all other indices lost ground. The Banks (5.07 pct) and Raw Materials (5.06 pct) suffered the heaviest percentage losses of the day. Broadly, decliners led advancers by 159 to 36 with another 38 issues unchanged.

Plias (9.09 pct), Hellenic Fish Farms (9.09 pct), FHL Mermeren (8.40 pct) and Technical Publications (7.89 pct) were top gainers, while Envitec (19.87 pct), Lanakam (19.09 pct), Elfico (18.12 pct) and Klonatex (12.50 pct) were top losers.

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