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Sunday, 22 December 2024
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Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 13-11-26Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>CONTENTS
[01] Greece unveils 2014 EU presidency logoANA-MPA -- Greece is coming to a turning point, "the time to exit from the memorandum and the crisis," government Vice-President and Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos stressed on Monday as he unveiled the logo of Greece's presidency of the European Council in the first half of 2014.Highlighting the major sacrifices made by the Greek people from 2010 until the present, Venizelos said the Greek EU presidency intended to send a strong message, highlighting the positive signals that the crisis was finally ending after a lengthy and difficult time of effort. Among such signs, he pointed to the country's primary surplus, which he said was the highest in the Eurozone at 6 pct of GDP. "It is not easy. But it is important that Greece no longer appears to the European family and internationally as a country in crisis but as a country that is institutionally equal, as an old member-state of the EU and the Eurozone; a sovereign, independent and proud state that is experiencing the repercussions of the crisis but has the right to hope for the restoration of its normality," he said. [02] FinMin Stournaras: Greek fiscal gap has narrowed to 1 billion eurosANA-MPA - Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras said in an interview on private television station Mega on Monday evening that Greece and its international lenders have narrowed their differences over the 2014 fiscal gap to 1 billion euros without taking more horizontal (across-the-board) measures such as salary and pension cuts.Stournaras noted that representatives of the troika of Greece's lenders, who will visit Greece again on December 2, "has not yet agreed there is no need for further measures, but we have really strong arguments." However, he was really optimistic that after current negotiations with the troika, expected to have been completed before the Greek EU presidency, there will be a discussion on Greece's fiscal gap and debt relief. According to the Finance Minister, there is no need for a new bailout. "With the current programme, we have money until 2016," as he said. He added that 70 percent of the budget surplus (about 560 million euros) will be distributed to people in real need. As for the troika, he said that even if it keeps coming, it will have a very limited ability to pressure, due to Greece's better bargaining position. Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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