Athens News Agency: News in English, 07-03-09

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

CONTENTS

[01] PASOK leader hails demolishing of wall in Nicosia

[02] Karamanlis on Lisbon strategy

[01] PASOK leader hails demolishing of wall in Nicosia

President Papadopoulos' statement followed the start a few hours earlier of the dismantling of the National Guard wall in this commercial street in the walled city of Nicosia, the world's last divided capital.

"Barricades and walls have no place in the European Union. The last wall in Europe is due exclusively and solely to the Turkish invasion and military occupation in Cyprus," Papandreou said in a statement.

"We hail the initiative by the Republic of Cyprus President Mr. Tassos Papadopoulos as a constructive move which contributes to the effort and wish of all of us to see Cyprus soon reunited," Papandreou concluded.

[02] Karamanlis on Lisbon strategy

"Greece fully embraces the efforts of the EU to boost its competitive position globally. There is no time to lose. We are continuing the reforms that have been planned. At the same time, we are ensuring that the benefits from this growth are spread to all society," he told reporters.

In statements outlining Greece's positions, Karamanlis welcomed the agreements reached on strengthening Europe's internal market, increasing its competitiveness, boosting employment and developing the European social model.

He also noted that the European economy's recent recovery was largely due to the reform efforts set in motion.

With regard to Greece, Karamanlis pointed to the strong growth it had enjoyed for several years while emphasising that his government had taken decisive steps to end "major uncertainties about the prospects of economic growth" that had existed in March 2004, when it had taken over power.

"We decided to put an end to the policies of the past and proceed with a different mix of economic policy. A mix based on fiscal discipline and transparency and on structural reforms. This policy is fully compatible with the principles we follow here, at the European Council, in recent years. I can say that our efforts are now being rewarded," the Greek premier said.

He pointed out that strong economic growth was continuing in Greece, while it was no longer based on state spending:

"Growth is now based on an increase in private investment and of exports, which have reached record levels, and on direct foreign investments that represent 2.2 pct of GDP. Unemployment has dropped by 3.0 percentage points in the past three years. We are creating the foundations for strong growth in the future and part of this effort is based on the fiscal adjustment we have achieved," the premier said.

Noting that the reform effort was ongoing and continuous, Karamanlis said that Greece's ailing social insurance system would be the next major reform effort after the next elections. In its first four-year term, the government had set a goal of dialogue in order to record the facts concerning this crucial issue, while the government emerging from the next elections must put forward a plan for reforming the social insurance system for the next generations, he added.

The premier additionally pointed to the marked reduction in Greece's public deficit, which fell from 7.8 pct of GDP to under 3 pct of GDP under New Democracy's government, noting that there were similar trends for public debt.

Asked whether Greece would exit the excessive deficit procedure, Karamanlis said the decision now rested with the European Commission and the European Council.

"We remain steadfast in our goals for fiscal reform, aiming to achieve balanced or surplus budgets by 2012," he added.

Regarding a proposal to reduce bureaucracy in the EU by 25 pct, Karamanlis said that Athens had been in favour:

"We did not refuse, we accepted and it is binding for us as for all the partners. We know that for us the effort will be greater because Greek public administration is in a much worse situation than the European average. I consider it the greatest challenge to press forward at an even faster pace," he said.

In response to other questions, the prime minister denied plans to offer pre-election handouts, saying that this would be counter to his "deepest political philosophy".

"The economy is doing better but needs even greater efforts to reach the point we want, to be a society that produces, exports, generates wealth that the government distributes more fairly to those in need," Karamanlis told reporters.

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article