A 3 1/2-hour showdown between Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and his coalition partners late on June 19 failed to reach an agreement on the court-ordered reopening of the national broadcaster ERT that the government summarily shut down on June 11, and talks will be resumed the night of June 20, leaving the fate of [...]
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Repatriated Pensioners Lose Greek Benefits
Greece’s Ombudsman said that complaints by repatriated Greeks who receive small pensions from the countries in which they formerly live – resulting in them losing Greek pensions – are justified. The Ombudsman’s office found that many elderly repatriated uninsured or pensioners who receive small pensions from their countries or those who have not completed 20 [...]
SOCAR Ups Bid For DESFA
With Greece’s privatization program staggered by the failure to get even a single offer for the natural gas company DEPA, the lone bidder for the distribution branch, DESFA – Azerbaijian’s state energy company SOCAR is said to hiked its offer to 400 million euros, some $535.6 million. Reports said SOCAR made the revision in a [...]
Greece Tells Troika Firings On Track
Greece has reportedly told envoys of international envoys that the firing of 2,656 workers at the state broadcaster ERT – suspended by the country’s highest court for now – nonetheless still meets the target of shedding public employees by the end of the summer and that plans are in the works to start firing lots [...]
Last Ditch Talks For Greek Coalition
While still ignoring a court order to restore the signal of the state broadcaster ERT which he summarily switched off on June 11, Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras will have another round of urgent talks on June 19 with his coalition partners, PASOK leader Evangelos Venizelos and Fotis Kouvelis of Democratic Left (DIMAR) who have [...]
Troika Sees Greek Health Care Hole
Envoys from Greece’s international lenders discussed with Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras on June 18 what they said were disturbing deficits in the funds of the health care provider EOPPY’s insurance system, a shortfall of some 1 billion euros ($1.34 billion) this year and 2.5 billion euros ($3.35 billion) for 2013-14. There were no answers how [...]
Greek Bailout Went To Wealthy, Investors
More than 75 percent of the 207 billion euros ($277.58 billion) that has so far come in through two bailouts to prop up Greece’s battered economy isn’t going to social services and citizens, but to banks and wealthy investors, according to a study by the activist group Attac that was published Monday in Suddeutsche Zeitung. [...]
Samaras, Troika Talk Taxes, Privatization
Still reeling from a decision by Greece’s high court suspending his decision to take the national broadcaster ERT off the air, Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras was scheduled to talk with officials from the country’s international lenders late on June 18 as he prepared for a meeting of Eurozone finance ministers on June 20, a [...]
Greek Court Leaves ERT, Coalition In Limbo
After Greece’s highest court effectively overturned his snap decision to shut down the country’s national broadcaster ERT, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras faces more crisis talks with his coalition partners who said they saw the ruling as a vindication for their opposition to its closing as the Premier hopes to convince them he still must go [...]
Grecovery and the Ditch Greece is Digging
“Not only are they afraid to give a vote of confidence to ‘Grecovery’, but they also bring up ‘Grexit’ again,” was cited in the Financial Times. On the occasion of the expulsion of the country form the MSCI World Index, which, as it is referred, was received with negative comments by investors, the publication completely [...]
Greek High Court Suspends ERT Closing
Greece’s highest court, the Council of State, dealt Prime Minister Antonis Samaras a blow when it ruled late on June 17 to overturn his decision to shut down the national broadcaster ERT last week. The decision means ERT can resume transmission until a final ruling is issued in the case. ERT’s union had brought the [...]
OPAP’s Privatization Hits A Snag
Already setback by the failure to get any bids for its state gas company during a privatization push, Greece now has run into a roadblock over last month’s sale of a 33 percent stake in the gambling monopoly OPAP because of a dispute between the new main shareholder, Emma Delta, and the state privatization fund, [...]
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Calendar – Exhibits, Concerts, Fun
- Taste of Paris in Athens June 19, 2013
- Video Captures ERT Workers Anguish June 19, 2013
- Greek-Australian Conferences in Thessaloniki, Lemnos June 18, 2013
- 35th River Party at Aliakmonas June 18, 2013
