Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 15-04-16

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

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

CONTENTS

[01] Police, anti-establishment rioters clash in central Athens

[02] Net revenues surpassed targets in March, Alt. FinMin Mardas reports

[03] Lagarde sees 'no delays' in repayment of Greece's debts to IMF

[01] Police, anti-establishment rioters clash in central Athens

The incidents were sparked when anti-establishment militants tried to enter the university and were repelled by a strong police contingent.

[02] Net revenues surpassed targets in March, Alt. FinMin Mardas reports

Speaking to reporters, Mardas pledged that the government will continue paying wages and pensions and expressed his optimism that an agreement will be reached between the country and its creditors. Responding to a question, Mardas did not exclude an obligatory transfer of cash reserves held by the wider public sector to the Bank of Greece and recalled the examples of the Netherlands, England and Portugal where a similar status quo exists.

Mardas said budget spending totaled 4.539 billion euros in March, down from a budget target of 5.212 billion euros, with the state budget deficit shrinking to 306 million euros, from a budget target for a shortfall of 2.041 billion euros.

The Greek minister said a working group has been set up in the ministry to focus on public overspending and noted that a new legislation – soon to be presented - will focus on cutting travel expenses in the public sector. Mardas said spending on travel expenses totaled 177 million euros annually. He added that a commission will work on setting revenue targets from combating fuel, alcohol smuggling and illegal gaming, while the government will present a medium-term programme envisaging a primary surplus of 1.5 pct of GDP this year.

[03] Lagarde sees 'no delays' in repayment of Greece's debts to IMF

"It's clearly not a course of action that would actually fit," she was quoted by AFP as saying during a press conference at the start of the joint IMF and World Bank spring meetings in Washington, adding: "We have never had an advanced economy ask for payment delays."

Lagarde's statement followed a request to comment on a report which claimed Greece had asked for a delay in the repayment of its May debt instalment towards the Fund.

She said payment delays are an exception in IMF's history and that whenever they happened, "that delay was not followed by very productive results."

Lagarde added these delays were never granted to developed economies and that she had spoken to Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis about this issue during their last meeting.

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