Athens News Agency: News in English, 06-07-24

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

CONTENTS

[01] PM, education minister meet TEI heads

[02] Emporiki privatisation in crucial phase, FinMin says

[03] Liza Minelli in Athens for Hellenic Festival

[01] PM, education minister meet TEI heads

Afterwards, Yiannakou said the meeting had been productive and stressed that Greece's tertiary education system was based on the twin pillars of university studies and technological studies.

She reiterated that no TEI would close and that any mergers necessary would be carried out in collaboration with TEI presidents.

The minister said the discussion on Monday had covered the academic character of TEI and making their academic profile complete, which would include establishing independent postgraduate courses offered by TEI.

Also discussed were the professional rights of various TEI. The minister announced that decrees for the professional rights of two departments in northern Greece (for wood-processing, furniture and textiles studies) had already been published in the government gazette, while more decrees for nine economics departments and 14 IT departments were on their way toward publication.

The president of the TEI congress Panagiotis Kikilias said the presidents had raised current problems facing TEI during the meeting, such as funding and improvements to provide a comprehensive academic profile.

He said TEI heads were in favour of assessment for higher education institutes and agreed with the minimum passmark of 10, provided measures were taken to counteract negative repercussions.

According to Kilikias, Karamanlis had promised to keep funding at the same levels as the previous year, within the framework of the country's fiscal state.

Other TEI heads noted that this was the first time that the prime minister had received them and talked to them for such a long time (three hours), giving all present at the meeting a chance to present their problems and state their concerns.

[02] Emporiki privatisation in crucial phase, FinMin says

Speaking to reporters, the Greek minister said there was only one bid submitted for the purchase of Emporiki Bank, from Credit Agricole, which owns 9.0 percent in the Greek bank. "This offer is seriously examined while the government's consultants will examine if there are other candidates before a decision is taken with full transparency and designed to serve the state's interests," Alogoskoufis said.

A delegation of Credit Agricole's executives, headed by George Pauget, the French bank's chief executive officer, are expected in Athens on Tuesday to discuss its offer for Emporiki Bank.

[03] Liza Minelli in Athens for Hellenic Festival

At a press conference at a central Athens hotel, she expressed herself excited and proud to be in Greece - "a magical country that combines colour, romance and courtesy, lots of music and dance".

According to Hellenic Festival director Georgios Loukos, the organisers had saved the best for last and were closing the festival "with a superstar".

He thanked Minelli and U.S. Ambassador to Athens Charles Ries for his help in organising the two concerts by the multi-talented artist, which are taking place in collaboration with the American-Hellenic Arts Centre of Halandri and the American Community School (ACS) in Athens.

He said the revenue raised by the concerts would go to support the activities of the arts centre, since the U.S. Embassy supported cultural programmes in the conviction that Art was a universal language uniting all peoples.

This is the second time that Minelli will be performing in Athens, while her appearance here will be part of a major European tour that the artist began in February this year in Munich. After Athens, she is due to appear in Moscow and finally in Montreal.

Her Athens performances will also be an opportunity for Minelli to take a 10-day trip in Greece.

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