Athens News Agency: News in English, 08-07-17

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

CONTENTS

[01] PM Karamanlis confers with employment minister

[02] PASOK political council convenes

[03] Franchise college bill tabled

[01] PM Karamanlis confers with employment minister

Petralia explained that the initial unifications have been completed, while a second round of unifications will enter into force as of August 1, and by October first the entire program of unifications will have been completed.

"We will not overshoot the timetable by even a single day," the minister told reporters after the meeting.

She also announced that, as of September 1, a day-care program for infants and pre-schoolers will enter into operation for working mothers, for mothers without steady jobs, mothers of children with a disability, and for single-parent families.

Petralia said that a large portion of the EU funds for the 2007-2013 period are earmarked for active policies in support of the weaker strata and for the development of employment.

At this difficult international conjuncture, the government was introducing a social policy that would support each and every citizen, Petralia added.

[02] PASOK political council convenes

Greece, Papaconstantinou noted, "is experiencing two types of crisis: an institutional one through scandals and corruption and an economic crisis, which is felt by Greek citizens."

The spokesman reiterated that PASOK has already submitted "concrete proposals to lead the country out of the institutional crisis, proposals related to the Siemens scandal and the autonomy of politics."

He added that the main opposition party will propose, through its National Council, "concrete steps to take the country out of the economic crisis." PASOK's national council is due to convene in Thessaloniki this weekend.

According to Papaconstantinou, the political council meeting also agreed on proposals regarding the party's finances, which will be tabled for discussion at the national council's meeting on Friday, and which would "institutionally shield the party, widen transparency and offer a greater sense of accountability to citizens."

He added that the proposals include publication of all party incomes and expenditures, of the names of party contributors and the budget's approval by the national council.

Caption: File photo of George Papandreou. ANA-MPA.

[03] Franchise college bill tabled

The bill creates a new educational level, that of a 'college', which will be included in the existing system of post-secondary school education and puts the education ministry in charge of supervising the sector, instead of the development ministry as had previously been the case.

The 'colleges' under the bill will not be considered universities nor have their right to award tertiary education degrees, while they are strictly forbidden from using the term 'university' for themselves under any circumstances or risk being closed down.

They will have the right to offer courses in collaboration with foreign educational institutes, provided they are certified by the education ministry and fulfill the conditions for legal collaboration, again controlled by the education ministry.

The introduction to the draft bill stresses that it does not address issues relating to the recognition of academic or professional qualifications, and that this issue that concerned the embedding of Community directives into Greek law would be handled in a separate act of legislation.

Caption: People walk in front of the historic Sorbonne University in Paris in a photo dated Friday, 14 April 2006 . ANA-MPA/EPA/OLIVER WEIKEN

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