Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 15-07-16

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

CONTENTS

[01] Parliament passes omnibus bill on prior actions demanded by Greece's lenders

[02] PM Tsipras: The country's enemy in progress is the old political establishment, with its intertwined interests and tax evasion

[03] FinMin Tsakalotos: It is a difficult agreement but we have commitment for debt restructuring

[04] Main opposition ND leader Meimarakis: Danger to Greece not over yet

[05] PASOK leader Gennimata to gov't: We will support you in the country's best interests

[06] FinMin Tsakalotos: 'The Left has to crush the old establishment, otherwise Greece has no future'

[07] Tsipras to SYRIZA MPs: It will be hard for me to be PM without your support

[08] PM Tsipras appealed to SYRIZA MPs for unity, sources say

[09] Gov't Vice President: Greece's partners did not find the courage to admit that their programme has failed

[10] Lafazanis: I will not vote third memorandum

[11] Energy Minister Lafazanis says SYRIZA's cohesion not threatened

[12] Alternate Finance Minister Valavani resigns

[13] Parliament President Konstantopoulou: Blackmail must not be completed

[14] ND leader Meimarakis says party will support deal with lenders

[15] "Of course I will speak in parliament" says Varoufakis

[16] SYRIZA parliamentary spokesman says he will not vote the draft law

[17] Dep. State Minister Terens Quick says he will not let Greece crash out of the euro

[18] Potami leader Theodorakis says the biggest battle is domestic, to defeat hypocrites

[19] Communist Party leader Koutsoumbas slams government for imposing third memorandum

[20] Communist Party to request roll call vote on prior actions debate in parliament

[21] Eurogroup to hold teleconference on Greece on Thursday

[22] French parliament overwhelmingly approves Greek bailout talks

[23] European Commission recommends substantial reprofiling of Greek debt

[24] German finance ministry says extending Greek debt maturity an option, rules out 'haircut'

[25] German FinMin insists on IOUs as solution to Greece's liquidity problem

[26] Merkel's spokesman confirms discussion with Tsipras in Riga, declines comment

[27] Op-ed by Ch. Gotsis - 'The right decision'

[28] European Commission reveals 35-billion-euro plan to support jobs and investments in Greece

[29] Bank holiday extended

[30] Greek import price index down 8.9 pct in May

[31] Greek consumer sentiment down in Q2, GfK report

[32] Greece crisis has depressed consumer demand in Austria, poll finds

[33] PPC to begin dividend payment on July 27

[34] Television van set on fire during anti-austertity rally in central Athens

[35] Fire breaks out on Aegina island after holidaymakers fire flares from sailboats

[36] Firm seeks 20,000 euros compensation for 16-year delay in issue of court ruling

[37] Fair on Thursday

[38] The Wednesday edition of Athens' dailies at a glance Politics

[01] Parliament passes omnibus bill on prior actions demanded by Greece's lenders

The bill, named "Emergency regulations for the negotiation and conclusion of agreement with the European Stability Mechanism (ESM)," passed on the strength of the votes from the ruling coalition of SYRIZA and Independent Greeks (ANEL), main opposition New Democracy, To Potami and PASOK.

Voting against it were 64 deputies: 32 of them belonged to the senior ruling coalition party SYRIZA and the rest from the extreme-right Golden Dawn and the Communist Party of Greece (KKE). Another 6 deputies, all from SYRIZA, voted "present".

The Greek parliament started at 21.15 local time on Wednesday the debate on the omnibus draft bill which includes the prior actions agreed upon by Greece and its lenders during the last summit meeting in Brussels.

The proposal was submitted by SYRIZA's parliamentary spokesman Nikos Filis and was approved with 10 votes. Seven voted against the move and two voted "present" (the representatives of the Communist party). Lawmakers from New Democracy, Potami, the Independent Greeks (ANEL) and PASOK voted in favour of the motion.

Before the start of the debate, SYRIZA MP Giorgos Kyritsis was sworn in with a political oath, replacing Nikos Chountis who resigned. Chountis will in turn replace MEP Manolis Glezos in the European parliament.

[02] PM Tsipras: The country's enemy in progress is the old political establishment, with its intertwined interests and tax evasion

Tsipras referred to a tough negotiating process, admitted that mistakes were made, and reiterated his personal responsibility for the struggle. "I personally feel proud because we selflessly fought a difficult battle against the established interests, and against powerful adversaries at that," he said, adding that "despite it all, we are leaving behind us a heritage of self-respect and democracy in Europe. This planting will bear fruit in Europe at some point."

The prime minister asserted that he was subjected to real blackmail which aimed at the government's collapse, and said the only choice he had was between disorderly bankruptcy and the acceptance of the "Schaeuble plan", of the German finance minister, for Grexit.

"I never believed that the evils of this country were due to foreigners," he noted. "The great adversary of progress and leftist forces is within the walls - it's the powers of oligarchy, cartels, state-fed businesses, intertwined interests and tax evasion, all of whom benefitted from the policies and rulers of this country. The government will go anything possible and work as hard as it has done until now to bring order to the country," Tsipras said.

Among other things, the prime minister said the agreement was difficult but could allow the country to exit the crisis before its conclusion, and charged the main opposition party New Democracy of belonging to the same political family as those who have targeted the Greek people, like German Chancellor Angela Merkel, while his government fought outside its political alliances.

[03] FinMin Tsakalotos: It is a difficult agreement but we have commitment for debt restructuring

"It is a difficult agreement, only time will tell if it is sustainable. It contains recessionary measures that, under conditions, and if the debt problem is solved and an investment programme exists and if the people see it with optimism that the Grexit has left forever, it can bring growth" he said.

When the negotiation is completed, in 3-4 weeks, we will see and evaluate the agreement and always with respect to the middle classes that have suffered very much" stated Tsakalotos addressing the deputies on the joint meeting of the parliament committees that discuss the draft law with the prior actions of the agreement with Greece's creditors.

[04] Main opposition ND leader Meimarakis: Danger to Greece not over yet

During debate on the bill related to prior actions demanded by Greece's lenders, Meimarakis clarified that although his party would vote for the bill, it would not agree to other issues, such as those of education or health.

The danger for the country has not passed, as Greece's lenders are expecting the next bill on Wednesday, this coming week, he said, and charged the government with blackmailing the opposition and with lack of courage to vote and apply the agreement.

On February 20 the government negotiated and signed that it would not take unilateral actions, Meimarakis said, and as for the Europeans' attitude, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras' government was treated better than ND was in the last six months of 2014, while the prior administration's plan was better than the one presented now after six months of delay.

[05] PASOK leader Gennimata to gov't: We will support you in the country's best interests

She also called for an end to ideas about early elections, asking him to put an end to rumours to such an event that would "prove catastrophic."

The PASOK leader said the government would have the party's support in the national effort. She made special mention of four main points - measures leading to the balancing of the budget, the need to restructure the debt, a final debt agreement and their application. "We will support you for the country's best interests. We need a national policy for a viable solution," she stressed.

[06] FinMin Tsakalotos: 'The Left has to crush the old establishment, otherwise Greece has no future'

"I know one thing. If the Left does not crush the old establishment, this country will have no future," the minister noted.

"We never embellished the situation," he said, adding that "it's too early to judge the agreement because a lot will depend on what will happen at a political level in Europe."

Tsakalotos said Europe will be tested in the next few years and one of the reasons will be the questions the Greek government has asked on "whether it respects democracy, solidarity and pluralism or not."

He also explained that to achieve growth in Europe and Greece, alliances will have to be formed to stop austerity. "So a lot will depend on the politicians and on how the political system will handle it." The minister also noted a lot will also depend on whether the flight of bank deposits will reverse and whether investors will return.

Another important factor is whether the Fund described in the deal will be growth oriented and whether a new relation will be formed between the State and society.

Commenting on the VAT hike, he said an increase in tax collection will allow the government to alleviate injustices, for example in taxing the islands.

[07] Tsipras to SYRIZA MPs: It will be hard for me to be PM without your support

Tsipras underlined that he was prime minister because there was a Parliamentary Group on which he could rely and depend. If he did not have this support from this Parliamentary Group, Tsipras said he would find it hard to be prime minister on the following day - to thunderous applause from the MPs below.

Earlier, the prime minister had also addressed the issue of whether he had been right to accept the ultimatum presented by Greece's Eurozone partners:

"One thing we must discuss is whether the dilemma presented to the Greek government between [this] agreement or Grexit was real or fake," he said, urging anyone who believed that he had been misled by a bluff or false dilemma to say so.

"If someone believes that this threat was real, however, then he must also consider the consequences of non-agreement," he then pointed out.

According to the same sources, Tsipras then turned to the issue of Greece's alternatives and said that the only alternative on offer was to accept plan presented by the German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble for a "consensual Grexit", as expressed by the MP Costas Lapavitsas.

He pointed out, however, that Schaeuble's plan also had a second element, which was to topple the government.

"Neither of these two outcomes is going to happen," Tsipras said, ahead of the crucial vote on Wednesday night that may well mark the disintegration of the ruling coalition and his government.

Passage of the omnibus bill being fast-tracked through Parliament, legislating for a raft of austerity measures and tax hikes demanded by Greece's creditors in order to start talks on a 3rd bailout, is essentially assured with the backing of the mainstream opposition parties New Democracy, PASOK and Potami.

Less certain, however, is how many within ruling SYRIZA will give their backing, after open revolt by both ministers and MPs. The wager for Tsipras now is whether he will be able to maintain sufficient cohesion within his party to allow him to weather the difficult days ahead, when his government must conclude an agreement with the country's Eurozone partners and lenders.

[08] PM Tsipras appealed to SYRIZA MPs for unity, sources say

Tsipras addressed SYRIZA MPs in a closed-door meeting of the Parliamentary Group, held ahead of a crucial vote on fast-tracked legislation demanded by Greece's creditors in order to begin talks on a 3rd Greek bailout.

The sources said that Tsipras fully acknowledged the issues, criticism, arguments and concerns voiced by MPs over the crushing austerity measures demanded by eurozone leaders in Brussels, describing the situation and the efforts made by the government during the past months of negotiations, as well as the dilemmas that emerged.

He said that he had exhausted all avenues of negotiation, examined every possible solution and then invited any MPs that disagreed with him to present some real and credible alternative that he may not have thought of or implemented, faced with the situation that emerged.

Throughout this time, he added, no one could doubt either the government's determination or the effort it had made to bring about a mutually beneficial agreement.

Outlining the events, Tsipras said that specific conservative circles in the eurozone had expressed a desire to expel Greece from the euro and to do so in a way that would not allow the country the benefits of having a national currency.

According to the same sources, the prime minister then underlined that the government had an obligation to avoid a serious worsening of the humanitarian crisis and economic disaster. For this reason, he had tried to negotiate to improve whatever he could during 17 long hours at the eurozone summit.

Tsipras also claimed that throughout the last six months and even more so, in recent days, there had been an active desire for the Greek government to fall, expressed both directly and indirectly, and for a new type of government to succeed it, adding that this was a plan worked on both in Greece and abroad.

[09] Gov't Vice President: Greece's partners did not find the courage to admit that their programme has failed

Referring to the referendum's result he estimated that it rekindled that revanchism on the part of Greece's creditors adding "The threat that we will exit from the eurozone is like the bee's threat that it stings and then dies" he said and noted that all possibilities were discussed during the negotiations.

"The acceptance of the deal was a necessary withdrawal. The agreement has not been completed yet, he said adding that an important element of the agreement is that safeguards the bank deposits "For us it was very important to protect the people that, for ideological reasons, did not send their money abroad or hide it in their houses" said Dragasakis.

Asked on former Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis' statements, Dragasakis said among others "Serious government is the government that plans a Plan B not the one that speaks of a Plan B'.

[10] Lafazanis: I will not vote third memorandum

[11] Energy Minister Lafazanis says SYRIZA's cohesion not threatened

"SYRIZA's cohesion is not being tested. Support to the government is a given. The government has the majority. We support the government but not the measures of the memorandum. This does not mean SYRIZA will be divided," Lafazanis told journalists following a meeting of the party's parliamentary group.

At the same time, the minister's associates rejected as "deplorable" media reports claiming Lafazanis was planning to take over the National Mint, arrest Bank of Greece Governor Yiannis Stournaras and expropriate billion of euros.

"Shame on them!" his associates said, adding that "the aim of these deplorable reports is not Panagiotis Lafazanis but the consistent anti-memorandum progressive positions he expresses."

[12] Alternate Finance Minister Valavani resigns

Valavani among others said that she supported the negotiation group on Friday because she was certain that there will not be an agreement.

"I still believe that there will not be an agreement. That the tactic of the sovereign circles in Germany is the total humiliation of the government and the country" said Valavani and thanked the prime minister for giving her the opportunity to serve their liberation effort.

"I want to believe that the fight continues" she concluded

[13] Parliament President Konstantopoulou: Blackmail must not be completed

"It is clear that the parliament can't agree with this procedure and with this agreement" noted Konstantopoulou expressing her full opposition to the agreement as well as to the urgent character of the draft law.

[14] ND leader Meimarakis says party will support deal with lenders

Arriving in a meeting of the party's parliamentary group, Meimarakis said: "New Democracy lawmakers have a conscience. They always vote according to their conscience, and their conscience says 'yes' to the country's European course."

[15] "Of course I will speak in parliament" says Varoufakis

Speaking to the press Varoufakis did not answer to questions regarding the existence of a plan B according to which the government could return to the national currency by taking 22 billion euros from the Bank of Greece to pay salaries and pensions and in the meantime it would print national currency.

[16] SYRIZA parliamentary spokesman says he will not vote the draft law

[17] Dep. State Minister Terens Quick says he will not let Greece crash out of the euro

"I will on no account allow Greece to become a country that is outside Europe, with another currency, at a time when many are talking about the consequences of a 'yes' but none of them are explaining the disastrous consequences of 'no'," he said in Parliament.

[18] Potami leader Theodorakis says the biggest battle is domestic, to defeat hypocrites

"These putschists who have appeared in the last few hours and don't quit their positions still enjoy the privileges of parliamentary democracy," Theodorakis said during a parliamentary debate on the omnibus bill that includes the prior actions demanded by Greece's lenders.

"They hide behind [PM] Alexis Tsipras. They claimed positions of power. Some of them took them. And now they tell us: 'We won't vote Tsipras' measures but we will continue to enjoy the privileges provided by Tsipras. This is immorality as politics," he noted.

The leader of Potami called on the prime minister to remove them from their positions, while noting that Greece has to fight domestically against the "hypocrites and the parasites".

"We have to say it out loud: The biggest battle is not just for Europe. We fight to defeat the parasites and the hypocrites, the liars and the populists."

He clarified his party will approve the government's draft bill and will fight to improve its negative points.

[19] Communist Party leader Koutsoumbas slams government for imposing third memorandum

"From the slogan 'there is money' by [former PM] George Papandreou we arrived to the barbaric memorandum ... of 2015. From the [government's] Thessaloniki programme when [PM Alexis] Tsipras said 'we'll tear up the memorandums' to the memorandum number three," Koutsoumbas said, while noting Prime Minister's Tsipras absence from parliament.

He also said that the people will pay the price for "Tsipras' miserable memorandum" adding "unfortunately for you, the fairy tale of the tough, proud negotiation is over. No one is convinced."

[20] Communist Party to request roll call vote on prior actions debate in parliament

Parliamentary spokesman Thanasis Pafilis said he wants the roll call both during the vote "in principle" as well as during the vote on each separate article.

[21] Eurogroup to hold teleconference on Greece on Thursday

"Confirmation just went out: Eurogroup teleconference tomorrow 10 am," Michel Reijns tweeted.

[22] French parliament overwhelmingly approves Greek bailout talks

The agreement is not a "blank check", Prime Minister Manuel Valls said, noting that "on the contrary, it demands a lot to be done on Greece's side, not to punish it, but to achieve an absolutely necessary economic recovery."

The presidents of the six political parties in parliament who spoke before the vote agreed that the deal was a "necessary evil" and that "there was no other way out", adding that it is "fragile".

Many also noted that the Greek case brought to light many problems in the European structure and the anti-democratic operation of the Eurozone .

[23] European Commission recommends substantial reprofiling of Greek debt

The European Commission on Wednesday raised "serious concerns" about the sustainability of Greek debt and recommended a reprofiling of the country's debt.

In a report released here, one day after a leaked International Monetary Fund (IMF) report that also raised concerns about Greek debt and the new bailout program requested by Greece, the Commission said it expected Greek debt to rise to 165 pct of GDP in 2020 and to 150 pct in 2022 if the government was to adopt satisfactory measures towards reducing its debt. In any other case, it warned, the Greek debt could reach 187 pct and 176 pct of GDP, respectively.

The Commission said the country will need debt-mitigating measures, such as a substantial reprofiling, but only after Greek authorities adopted a credible program and "demonstrate commitments to reform".

"A very substantial re-profiling, such as a long extension of maturities of existing and new loans, interest deferral, and financing at AAA rates would allow to cater for these concerns from a gross financing requirements perspective, though they would still leave Greece with very high debt-to-GDP levels for an extended period," the European Commission's analysis said.

The European Commission said it expected the country's GDP to shrink by 2-4 pct this year, instead of a 0.5 pct growth rate expected in spring and warned that a recession will continue in 2016 with the economy shrinking by 0.5 pct and 1.75 pct. The Greek economy is projected to return to positive growth rates in 2017 on the condition that political stability would be restored and capital control measures would gradually be withdrawn.

[24] German finance ministry says extending Greek debt maturity an option, rules out 'haircut'

Germany's finance ministry on Wednesday said that restructuring Greece's debt by extending maturities was an option, while once again ruling out a haircut in the face value of Greek debt.

Finance ministry spokesman Martin Jaeger said that the possibility "technically exists," but stressed that this must not amount to a haircut by the "backdoor".

"That is certainly an element that one can consider, but it will not be the solution if it leads to a significant reduction in the cash value (of the debt) as then we would in the end have nothing other than a debt haircut via the backdoor," he said.

Jaeger said that the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) assessment of Greek debt was known during the Eurogroup and summit meetings at the weekend and was nothing new. While noting that the IMF had very strict rules governing its participation in bailout programmes, Jaeger repeated that a haircut of debt was forbidden by EU treaties.

"In Greece, until the end of last year we saw that we could achieve the targets but in the last six months the situation has deteriorated. We continue, however, to believe that in Greece this path can be successful, in other words to generate economic growth through structural reforms and the privatisations fund as a new tool that can support debt sustainability."

[25] German FinMin insists on IOUs as solution to Greece's liquidity problem

Wolfgang Schaeuble has proposed the issue of IOUs in lieu of a bridge loan to Greece, the German finance minister's spokesman Martin Jaeger said on Wednesday. Jaeger denied that these amounted to a 'mini-Grexit,' saying they were a technical tool also used in other cases where liquidity problems existed, as in California.

"The Greek government must pay the country's obligations to ECB on July 20 and continues to delay its payment to the IMF. Greece must first pay the IMF because it is the preferred creditor. The question is how we can create liquidity for these payments. There are several different solutions, such as to issue securities for the domestic obligations in order to release funds for the external obligations. There are also other approaches on how liquidity could be created which are discussed in today's Eurogroup. I do not want to pre-empt the result and our intention is to find a solution," Jaeger said.

[26] Merkel's spokesman confirms discussion with Tsipras in Riga, declines comment

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert on Wednesday confirmed that a conversation had taken place between Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and the Chancellor in Riga "significantly before the expiration of negotiations on the second assistance programme."

He declined to comment on what was said, however, saying it was a confidential discussion.

Seibert was responding to questions about Tsipras' interview on Tuesday night, when the Greek premier said that Germany's Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble had offered 'Grexit' to his Greek counterpart Yanis Varoufakis, asking him to relay the offer to Tsipras. The Greek premier said that he then contacted Merkel, who assured him that 'Grexit' was not among her plans.

The spokesman said that he did not want to evaluate the Greek prime minister's interview, adding: "For us, the important statement is that he wants to implement the agreement and that the Greek Parliament will vote on it today."

[27] Op-ed by Ch. Gotsis - 'The right decision'

The trap was well set but Greece's prime minister did not fall in. Schaeuble's team did not accurately measure either the tolerance for their inappropriate pressures on the Greek government for additional measures nor the alliances that the Greek side had built up in the meantime. Finally, instead of a Grexit we reached an agreement that could remove this danger completely.

The agreement itself contains a host of measures that will undoubtedly act in the direction of ... intensifying the recession. The precise extent [of this recession] will depend on the repercussions that capital controls and the bank holidays have on the real economy.

Once again, the burden of the new programme will not fall only on the wealthy but also on low income classes, with increases in VAT on basic necessities, and real cuts to pensions.

Unfortunately, in politics one often has to choose between two bad solutions. The first is the danger that the country will enter a new recessionary cycle. The second would undoubtedly have led to a disorderly default, a national currency and isolation, with drastic repercussions lasting for decades.

The prime minister made the first choice and acted rightly but must now work hard to minimise the negative repercussions of his choice.

Charalambos Gotsis

Financial News

[28] European Commission reveals 35-billion-euro plan to support jobs and investments in Greece

As mandated by the summit on 12-13 July, this will help mobilize more than 35 billion euros to support the Greek economy up to 2020, the Commission said in a statement.

The so-called "Jobs and Growth Plan for Greece" is meant to flank the comprehensive set of reforms that could form part of a programme under the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) to be negotiated in the coming weeks between Greece and its international partners. Both elements - the reforms and the mobilization of funds for investment and cohesion - are essential preconditions for restoring jobs and growth in Greece and returning the country to prosperity. The plan is expected to help to invest in people and companies in Greece.

"Greece has already received more international financing than all of Europe did from the U.S. Marshall Plan after the Second World War. We are willing to step this up even further to help Greece unleash a significant economic rebound and to give the proposed reforms the best chance to work: these 35 billion can help make Greece an attractive location for investment and give hope to especially the younger generation," EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said.

"After at times painstaking months of negotiations, we now need to look to the future. This new start for jobs and growth is the Commission's contribution," he added, noting that he hoped the European Parliament and member-states will play their part to release the funds swiftly.

In relation to Greece the Commission proposed to use the European Financial Stability Mechanism (EFSM) to secure urgently needed bridge-financing before the new support programme kicks in.

On his side, Valdis Dombrovskis, Commission Vice-President, said the plan can provide much-needed support to help lift the Greek economy at a time of dramatic decline in investment. "This support alone will not be enough to ensure a lasting recovery. It needs to be underpinned by fundamental reforms that address long-standing structural weaknesses in the Greek economy."

Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina Cretu, noted the reforms agreed in the summit are absolutely necessary for growth and jobs, but must be coupled with ambitious investments. "The European Structural and Investment Funds can channel over 20 billion euros of investments on the ground in 2014-2020," she said.

[29] Bank holiday extended

[30] Greek import price index down 8.9 pct in May

The statistics service, in a report, attributed this development in the so-called imported inflation to a 0.4 pct decline in the import price index from Eurozone countries and to a 15.3 pct drop in the import price index from countries outside Eurozone.

The index grew 0.7 pct in May from April, after a 0.4 pct increase recorded in the same period last year.

[31] Greek consumer sentiment down in Q2, GfK report

The survey on "Consumer Climate Europe" showed that the consumer sentiment index grew by 27.4 points in the first quarter to 14.3 points, but fell to -9.9 points in June, falling 24.2 points in the second quarter.

GfK said uncertainty over the economic situation in the country was reflected on income expectations, with most Greek pessimistic over their incomes. Income expectations fell to -12.6 points at the end of the second quarter, although consumer intention for new purchases remained positive, rising by 19 points to -17.5 points, boosted by consumer hopes over a positive outcome in negotiations between Greek authorities and the country's creditors.

Prolonged negotiations between Greece and its creditors are also affecting consumer sentiment throughout Europe, while sentiment in Eastern European countries was also negatively affected by a Russian-Ukrainian crisis.

[32] Greece crisis has depressed consumer demand in Austria, poll finds

Despite expecting a rise in their income due to recent tax cuts, Austrians are reluctant to consume due to the extended crisis in Greece, according to the findings of a GfK poll in Austria.

The survey found that the crisis had curbed demand in the second trimester of 2015 in Austria and other European countries, especially those considered most exposed to Greek debt.

The index measuring expectations of recovery among the population fell to 19.9 pct from 23.2 pct last March and 34.9 pct the previous year.

In addition to the Greek crisis, which topped a list of causes for reducing willingness to consume, there were adverse effects from the Ukraine crisis, rising unemployment and economic stagnation.

Analysts predicted that willingness to consume will fall further over the summer months, chiefly in countries such as Germany, Italy, France and Spain.

[33] PPC to begin dividend payment on July 27

General News

[34] Television van set on fire during anti-austertity rally in central Athens

Earlier, protesters participating in a rally organized by leftist group ANTARSYA and civil servants union ADEDY threw petrol bombs and stones against riot police, who responded with tear gas.

The bulk of the rally has been dissolved, but scuffles are continuing in the corner of Amalias and Panepistimiou Avenue, on Syntagma square.

Communist-affiliated union PAME also held a rally demanding the rejection of the new bailout programme.

[35] Fire breaks out on Aegina island after holidaymakers fire flares from sailboats

Five fire fighting vehicles, 10 firefighters and two Canadair are battling the blaze which is burning low vegetation on the beach Klima-Kleidi.

[36] Firm seeks 20,000 euros compensation for 16-year delay in issue of court ruling

According to the firm, the case was then postponed by CoS judges on 19 occasions over 16 years, two months and nine days and the final verdict in the case was not delivered until May 2, 2014 and the decision was then not posted until December 29, 2014.

Citing the European Convention on Human Rights and precedents at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), the firm is seeking moral damages of 20,000 euros for violation of its right to reasonably swift justice.

Weather forecast

[37] Fair on Thursday

[38] The Wednesday edition of Athens' dailies at a glance

DIMOKRATIA: Grestart.

EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON: Burning measures.

ELEFTHEROS TYPOS: Civil war in SYRIZA.

ESTIA: SYRIZA divided between Euro and Drachma.

ETHNOS: The heavy burden.

IMERISSIA: All the new taxes.

KATHIMERINI: Day of the crisis for Tsipras in parliament.

NAFTEMPORIKI: The bill at 4.5 billion euros.

RIZOSPASTIS: Today we demonstrate with PAME (labour union affiliated to Communist Party) against the new antisocial measures.

36, TSOCHA ST. ATHENS 115 21 GREECE * TEL: 210 64.00.560-63 * FAX: 210 64.00.581-2 INTERNET ADDRESS: http://www.ana.gr * e-mail: anabul@ana gr * GENERAL DIRECTOR: MICHALIS PSILOS

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