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Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 15-06-18
CONTENTS
[01] PM Tsipras arrives in St. Petersburg, to meet Putin on Friday
[02] Greece reports primary budget surplus of 1.506 billion euros
in Jan-May
[01] PM Tsipras arrives in St. Petersburg, to meet Putin on Friday
ANA-MPA -- Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras arrived in Russia on Thursday
to attend the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, where he is
to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.
Earlier, the Greek prime minister will be a guest speaker at the Economic
Forum, immediately after an opening speech by the Russian president.
The prime minister has been accompanied on the visit by a large
delegation of government ministers and other officials, including Economy,
Infrastructure, Shipping and Tourism Minister George Stathakis, Productive
Reconstruction, Energy and Environment Minister Panagiotis Lafazanis,
Alternate Finance Minister Nadia Valavani, Alternate Defence Minister
Kostas Isichos and government spokesman Gavriil Sakellaridis. A series
of meetings between Greek ministers and their Russian counterparts
are scheduled to take place on the sidelines of the forum, as well as
meetings between Greek and Russian businesses.
[02] Greece reports primary budget surplus of 1.506 billion euros
in Jan-May
ANA-MPA -- The Greek budget showed a primary surplus of 1.506 billion
euros in the January-May period, from a primary surplus of 707 million
in the same period last year and a budget target for a primary deficit
of 556 million euros.
Official figures on budget execution said that regular budget spending
fell by 1.939 billion euros compared with budget targets, while revenues
fell short by 964 million euros from targets. The general government's
deficit was 1.399 billion euros in the five-month period, from a deficit
of 1.990 billion last year and a budget target for a shortfall of 3.481
billion euros. Net state budget revenue totaled 18.626 billion euros
in the Jan-May period, down 2.8 pct from targets, while regular budget
net revenue totaled 17.048 billion euros, down 5.4 pct from targets. Tax
returns totaled 1.110 billion euros, down 71 million euros from targets,
while Public Investment Programme revenues reached 1.577 billion euros,
up 417 million from targets. State budget spending totaled 20.025 billion
euros in the five-month period, down 2.628 billion from targets, while
regular budget spending reached 19.053 billion euros, down 1.939 billion
from targets. Regular budget spending fell 3.8 pct compared with the same
period last year, while Public Investment Programme spending totaled 971
million euros, down 689 million from targets and down 809 million euros
from the same period in 2014. In May, state budget net revenue fell 24.6
pct compared with a monthly target, tax returns fell short by 50.6 pct
from targets. State budget spending totaled 3.7 billion euros in May,
down 591 million from targets, while regular budget spending totaled
3.550 billion euros, down 311 million from targets.
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