Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 13-12-19

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

CONTENTS

[01] Gov't to table draft bill extending home protection to end-2014

[01] Gov't to table draft bill extending home protection to end-2014

The draft bill aims to deal with a freeze on foreclosures that runs out on December 31, 2013 and will extend the measures to December 31, 2014. It will be discussed under emergency procedures in committee on Friday and in plenum on Saturday prior to a midnight vote.

According to the main provision, foreclosures and ensuing auctions of first homes will be suspended to end-year 2014, as long as certain criteria are fulfilled. These include that the home is not worth over 200,000 euros; family net income for all family members does not exceed 35,000 euros; total family assets do not total or exceed 270,000 euros (deposits and movable assets may not exceed 15,000 euros); and that for certain categories of people - families including three or more children and any person with disabilities above a certain level (67 percent) - the above ceilings are raised by 10 percent.

Hatzidakis said that despite the government's efforts, no agreement was reached with the troika of Greece's creditors on the issue, especially over the transitional regulations that were extended to end-2014.

"We explained at the start of negotiations that the government cannot accept the general lifting of the freeze on auctions, as the troika requested," the minister noted.

According to ministry data, he said, the transitional regulations will cover 90 percent of the cases, in both low- and middle-income levels, and assessed that there would probably be no auctions anyway.

Hatzidakis said that protecting those who could actually pay their debts could not continue, and said that those not meeting the criteria of the draft law could resort to older laws still in effect which provide court protection for people unable to meet loan payments (Laws 3869/2010 and 4161/2013).

The minister also provided examples of payments based on salaries that met the criteria set in the draft bill which he said included provisions for debtors who were wage earners, pensioners and unemployed with other sources of income.

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