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Athens News Agency: News in English, 09-02-06
CONTENTS
[01] Parliament: Karamanlis on measures against poverty
[02] New car sales down 39.7 pct in January
[01] Parliament: Karamanlis on measures against poverty
The measures against poverty adopted by the government were the focal
point of a confrontation between Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis and
Popular Orthodox Rally (LAOS) President George Karatzaferis in
Parliament on Friday. The key points of the government's economic
policy are to protect jobs and strengthen vulnerable social groups,
Karamanlis said, stressing that the following months will be crucial
for all countries. He also issued an appeal for a fruitful dialogue
aimed at coping with the crisis and stressed that there are no magic
and cost-free solutions, adding that irresponsible danger-mongering
practices are not useful. On his part, Karatzaferis accused the prime
minister of not making any specific proposals.
[02] New car sales down 39.7 pct in January
New car sales fell 39.7 percent in January, compared with the same
month last year, totaling 20,247 units, evidence that an
international financial crisis is hitting the domestic car market.
Figures published by the Association of Car Importers and Dealers,
showed that almost all car brand names suffered heavy losses in the
first month of 2009, with Toyota reporting a 42.8 pct drop in sales
ranking second. VW rose 1.1 pct in January, ranking first, with Opel
in the third place despite a 38.1 pct decline in sales.
Car dealers are pressuring for more favourable financing programs
through banks and have launch offering large discounts (mainly on
used cars) with the aim to boost the market.
An IOBE report this week said that 90 pct of consumers were unlikely
to buy a car this year, with only 1.3 pct saying they intended to
buy a car in the next 12 months.
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