Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 13-07-31

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

CONTENTS

[01] EFSF releases 4.0-bln-euro tranche to Greece

[02] Overdue debts of 4 billion euros paid by the state to private sector

[03] Tourism ministry draft law passed by Parliament

[01] EFSF releases 4.0-bln-euro tranche to Greece

In a statement, EFSF said the tranche included 2.5 billion euros from the Fund and 1.5 billion euros from profits made by European central banks through a Greek bond swap programme.

Claus Regling, president of ESM and EFSF, in a statement said that "the transfer of 1.5 billion euros from European central banks' profits to Greece is proof of additional solidarity shown by Eurozone states to the Greek people which makes significant efforts to exit the crisis".

Regling said that the release of 2.5 billion euros from the EFSF was made possible after Greece satisfied all 22 prior actions necessary. The 2.5 billion euros will be used for the funding of Greek budget and servicing the country's public debt obligations.

Greece has received 133.04 billion euros so far from the EFSF, from a sum of 144.6 billion euros envisaged by the programe.

[02] Overdue debts of 4 billion euros paid by the state to private sector

Alternate Finance Minister Christos Staikouras underlined that 68 pct of the amount earmarked has already been forwarded to public organizations to proceed with the payment of overdue debts, adding that efforts are being made to avoid any delays.

The state debts already paid off include payment of lump sum retirement benefits for a total of 16,342 public sector retirees, 89 pct of funding directed to the Hellenic Army Pension Fund and military hospitals, as well as, 77 pct of the debts owed to the suppliers of public hospitals, namely, 890 million euros of the 1.1 billion euros owed.

[03] Tourism ministry draft law passed by Parliament

The draft law covered a wide range of topics, from structural issues to licensing procedures with the title "Simplification of procedures to strengthen tourism entrepreneurship, restructure the Greek National Tourism Organisation (EOT) and other regulations."

The draft bill also tries to distinguish the responsibilities of the Ministry ofTourism and EOT, having the former focusing on planning tourism policy. The Ministry will take over from EOT the Special Service for Promotion and Licensure of Tourism Investments, and operate a one-stop shop for large investment projects.

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