Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 13-03-08

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

CONTENTS

[01] Organ transplants successfully airlifted to Thessaloniki from Larnaca

[02] PM Samaras meets with representatives of business startups

[01] Organ transplants successfully airlifted to Thessaloniki from Larnaca

An Embraer aircraft took off from Elefsina Air Base for Larnaca on Thursday to pick up liver and kidney transplants to be delivered to Thessaloniki's Ippokrateio General Hospital following a request by the Emergency Prehospital Medicine Agency (EKAB).

A relevant permission was signed by the minister of defence. The transport expenses were covered by EKAB.amna

[02] PM Samaras meets with representatives of business startups

The decisions reached in the meeting included the establishment of a business start-ups committee for contacts with the ministry of development and facilitation of entrepreneurship through new ideas suggested by new enterprises that will participate in the planning of the new National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF).

The prime minister agreed that there is room for further development in the sectors of farming and innovation, particularly, in information technology and telecommunications, according to statements made after the meeting.

The development minister noted that the new entrepreneurs, when called by the prime minister to bring new ideas to the table, requested greater access to knowledge, suggesting that farmers should be offered higher education training courses at the University of Agronomics.amna

"Our goal is to inspire a new social contract between new entrepreneurs and the state," Prime Minister Antonis Samaras said during the meeting, adding that "new ideas should not be met with obstacles raised by the state."

On his part, Hatzidakis noted that the support of business efforts is a realistic strategy and a way out of the crisis.

Speaking in the meeting, the prime minister underlined the importance of state funding and the efforts to curb red tape in order to create a new culture.amna

"The state and the ministers of development will have to shape a friendly environment allowing for risk-taking that will turn the new idea into an investment. That is the way to create surplus value that will reset the economy," the prime minister commented, concluding that "this is the new blood, the new oxygen in the veins of the economy."

The meeting was also attended by Deputy Development Ministers Notis Mitarakis and Athanassios Skordas and Deputy Minister on NSRF Kiriakos Virvidakis.

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