Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 14-04-25

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

CONTENTS

[01] Hatzidakis presents six proposals for financing SMEs to EU cohesion policy council

[02] SYRIZA releases declaration ahead of Euroelections; gov't spokesman responds

[03] Defence minister, Navy General Staff chief attend ANZAC memorial service

[04] Health ministry amendment on EOPYY tabled in Parliament

[05] Euro Working Group to begin process on debt restructuring, official says‏

[06] TrainOSE to resume Thessaloniki's train linking with the Balkans on May 10

[07] Chinese couples, welcomed with Cretan music, exchange vows at Hania

[01] Hatzidakis presents six proposals for financing SMEs to EU cohesion policy council

In a press conference after the Athens meeting, given with European Commissioner for Regional Policy Johannes Hahn, Hatzidakis said that he had proposed setting up special financing instruments for SMEs, the use of new funding tools such as joint ventures, flexibility in adjusting financing programmes and action to ensure that funds went directly to business growth activities, rather than other purposes only indirectly related to growth.

As an example he cited infrastructure, pointing out that infrastructure was necessary but precedence should be given to direct financing of business actions and efforts. He also noted that programmes should be targeted to exploit competitiveness and enterprise.

Lastly, he referred to the negative repercussions for Greece of an EU rule that calculated funds to be given to each country on the basis of the years 2008 and 2010, stressing that businesses in Greece bore little resemblance to that period.

On this issue, Hahn noted that there was a clause for revising this rule but this was envisaged to take place in 2016, while in terms of financing through venture capital, he noted a weakness in the EU in utilising this financing instrument and underlined the importance of reducing the bureaucratic burden on businesses.

Hatzidakis stressed, also, that programmes must be adapted to the special needs of each economy, especially those experiencing crisis and that the special problems faced by businesses in these countries must not be overlooked, with changes to the ways EU competitiveness rules are implemented where necessary.

The council meeting focused on the need to adapt actions under the new 2014-2020 National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) in order to reflect the needs of SMEs and the individual characteristics, as well as use of financing tools to improve SMEs' access to grants, loans etc.

[02] SYRIZA releases declaration ahead of Euroelections; gov't spokesman responds

Under the motto "Enough is enough", the party's declaration refers extensively to the conditions having been created in Greece over the past few years, underlines the need for a change of policy, highlights the country's position in the euro, and reiterates that a SYRIZA government will not accept any blackmails.

"May Europarliament elections is the time to say "Enough is enough!" the declaration says and calls on all Greeks to send out a powerful message with their vote and initiate positive developments for a better future.

With their vote, the party's manifesto says, the Greek people are called:

"To give a clear order to the Greek coalition government of subordination and destruction: LEAVE!

To give a positive vote to the radically different proposal of SYRIZA and pave the way for a new Greece, a Greece of development, of popular sovereignty, social progress, without memoranda and any degrading supervision."

The declaration also made a specific reference to Alexis Tsipras' candidacy. "The European Left chose SYRIZA and its president Alexis Tsipras to represent a different Europe, to lead our paneuropean effort, to express… radical criticism and an alternative proposal."

SYRIZA's declaration stressed that the memoranda policy inaugurated a new era in the relations between Greece and the Eurozone and the EU and that the country was treated as a special case and a guinea pig despite the fact the debt crisis related to the whole of Europe.

According to SYRIZA, a government of the Left can set aside the four years of economic and social slump. A prerequisite for the achievement of the immediate objectives is the cancellation of memoranda and the political rational that enforces them, as well as dealing with debt.

As stated in the declaration, the debt repayment will be done with a development and social clause after ensuring that interest payments and installments are not paid for a sufficient period of time. In this regard, the declaration noted, SYRIZA is asking for a European conference on the standards of the 1953 London agreement regarding Germany's debt. The renegotiation process will begin immediately and will require the cancellation of the contracts' onerous terms.

In order to achieve these targets, the declaration says, all available tools will be used in a case of blackmail such as the suspension of payments and the termination of the agreement on the grounds of the damage caused to Greece in order to save the euro and the private banks.

"Additionally, we will activate an immediate the process of claiming the (World War II) occupation loan and German reparations, " the declaration noted.

As part of the pre-election campaign, SYRIZA postponed for the coming week the meeting of the party's Political Secretariat, which was scheduled for Friday. The Political Secretariat will finalise the party's ballot ticket for the upcoming europarliament elections after the return of Tsipras, who on Saturday launches a round of visits in Europe.

Government spokesman responds

"We will not let the sacrifices of the Greek people go to waste," government spokesman Simos Kedikoglou on Friday said, commenting on the declaration.

Kedikoglou underlined that it is clear that SYRIZA seeks the destabilisation of the country's economy.

The main opposition party repeats in its declaration that there will be "no sacrifice for the euro," the government spokesman underlined, noting that "the government leads Greece with steady steps to economic growth and out of the crisis".

SYRIZA replied to Kedikoglou's criticism, by asking "who expresses New Democracy? Candidate MEP Giorgos Kyrtsos who speaks about a 'non-existent' primary surplus or the prime minister who celebrates for achieving it".

"At some point, the government spokesman will have to tell the Greek people who is the official voice of the government and New Democracy," the SYRIZA statement noted.

[File photo of SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras greeting Manolis Glezos, who will run on the party's ticket for MEP]

[03] Defence minister, Navy General Staff chief attend ANZAC memorial service

[04] Health ministry amendment on EOPYY tabled in Parliament

The amendment allows each doctor up to 200 visits (per month), with each visit being reimbursed by the state with 10 euros. The number of doctors who are potentially covered with the specific arrangement is estimated at 3,000, while the expenditure for these contracts on a six-month basis has been budgeted at 36 million euros and will be covered by the credits in EOPYY's budget.

[05] Euro Working Group to begin process on debt restructuring, official says‏

The official said that following an update of Greece's primary surplus for 2013 by Eurostat, negotiations over a restructuring of Greek debt could now begin. This will happen in the framework of the next assessment of the Greek programme, during the summer. He added that a Eurogroup meeting on May 5 will ask from the Euro Working Group to launch all relative technical procedures. The official said the issue was expected to be introduced by the Greek Finance minister at the Eurogroup meeting, where he will call on eurozone states to adhere to commitments made in November 2012.

Commenting on an economic development plan for 2014-2021 presented by the Greek government during Thursday's meeting of the Euro Working Group, the official expressed his satisfaction over the Greek initiative as the country was drafting its own development strategy for the future based on increasing investments in small- and medium-sized enterprises and infrastructure.

[06] TrainOSE to resume Thessaloniki's train linking with the Balkans on May 10

The company suspended services linking Thessaloniki to the Balkan capitals in February 2011.

TrainOSE's decision to relaunch international trains is due to the improved economic situation of the company after having redefined its strategic options, the company told ANA-MPA.

[07] Chinese couples, welcomed with Cretan music, exchange vows at Hania

With the deep blue of the Sea of Crete as a background, the ceremony was simple but very impressive. Cretans wearing local costumes welcomed the couples at the main gate of the fortress under the sounds of the musical instruments of lyre and lute and showered them with flowers and rice in the Greek wedding tradition.

The ceremony, that was videotaped to be screened in China, was attended by Chinese and local authorities and was concluded with gift exchanges.

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