09/07/2010

GREEK PARLIAMENT APPROVED SOCIAL REFORM BILL

The Parliament approved all individual provisions of the social security reform bill yesterday, after its endorsement in principle, on July 7. The bill - heavily criticized for sharply paring down the country’s welfare state by increasing the retirement age and reducing benefits - was backed by 159 deputies in the 300-seat house.

The legislation is considered by analysts as a major test of the government's ability to overhaul the Greek economy and constitutes a prerequisite for the second tranche of the EU-IMF loan.

Addressing the parliamentary debate just prior to the vote, Prime Minister George Papandreou assured that "when our economy stands on its feet, we will be able to improve pensions and provide better services to working people, the insured, and pensioners."

DEPUTY FM IN USA

Deputy Foreign Minister Spyros Kouvelis is on a two-day official visit (July 8-9) to Washington, during which he is expected to have a series of meetings with his U.S. counterparts on bilateral economic and trade cooperation issues.

He is to meet also with the representatives of the Greek-American community while yesterday he gave a speech at the Woodrow Wilson Centre, on "Greening the Mediterranean: Greek foreign policy against the backdrop of the Financial Crisis."

GREEK FINANCE MINISTER: OPTIMISTICALLY RESERVED

Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou, expressed "reserved optimism" concerning the country’s financial situation since the Greek economy is "on the right track” and the first tangible results "send a significant message" to the Greek society and the international markets alike.

Citing data for the state budget at a press conference on Monday, Papaconstantinou pointed to a 41,6 % reduction in the budget deficit and stressed that state revenues increased by 6,9% and expenses diminished by 15.4% compared against the target of 4.8%.

The Greek government is determined to cut the fiscal deficit to 8.1% of GDP by the end of 2010. The minister said that the second tranche of the €9 billion emergency loan would be drawn by September 2010.

Kathimerini Daily: Smiles emerge but risks linger; Greek News Agenda: State Budget Deficit Down; Bank of Greece: Central Government Net Borrowing Requirement on a cash basis: January-June 2010

GREECE IS ON COURSE

Greece is on the right track, concluded the "troika" (European Commission, the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank) following their visit in Athens from June 14 to 17. The interim review published on Tuesday by the European Commission highlighted that the fiscal consolidation is in line with the macroeconomic target, despite the fact that an increasing inflation rate is yet to be controlled.
According to the review, there has been significant progress in fiscal structural reforms, with effective measures taken against tax evasion and the creation of a single payment authority of public wages, while important pension legislative reforms were underway.

The Commission acknowledges also that the Greek government has initiated work on other structural reforms, such as the ones relating to the local government and transparency in public spending and the legislation to liberalise the road haulage sector. Also, satisfactory progress has also been recorded in preparing legislation towards the creation of a Financial Stability Fund. The tripartite mission is scheduled to visit Athens toward the end of July to assess progress, a prerequisite for the drawing of the second tranche of the loan.

European Commission: The Economic Adjustment of Greece-Interim Review

Greek News Agenda: FinMin- Optimistically Reserved

THIS IS ATHENS

“This is Athens" is an initiative of Breathtakingathens.com that invites readers to upload images of places in the city to create the largest photo collection of Athens ever made. “This photo-stream is not a mere collection of photos: it is a "never-ending medley of emotions and experiences."

For more information, please visit thisisathens.org.

LEARN A GREEK WORD EVERY DAY

It has been observed that relations of the Diaspora with the Greek language have been weakening over the years – especially with second and third generation migrants.

To help redress this, three friends from Chicago have designed an on-line Greek dictionary aiming to help English-speaking emigrants keep in touch with the language of the forefathers.

Greektionary.com was created to provide everyone with an opportunity to improve their Greek vocabulary on a daily basis.

Three words (beginner, intermediate and advanced) are chosen each day and displayed with their translations, pronunciation, examples, and recorded audio files (Mp3s). Those interested can sign-up and receive free Greek words everyday by e-mail!

BOOSTING TOURISM: NEW FERRY SERVICE

A new ferry-boat service linking the island of Lemnos in the North-eastern Aegean with the seaport of Çanakkale, in Turkey began operation on June 17 following the signing of a protocol between the prefectural authorities of the respective regions.

Ferries leave Çanakkale at 19:00 on Thursdays and Fridays and from Lemnos at 07:00 on Fridays and Saturdays. The journey lasts two hours and 15 minutes. The new service is expected to enhance tourism between the two coasts of the Aegean.

CITY OF ATHENS CULTURAL SUMMER 2010

The City of Athens Cultural Organisation has presented its programme of cultural activities and events which will run throughout the summer months.

The main features of Cultural Summer 2010 is the 'Culture for All' programme – including 282 events- the Athens Festival with 114 events, the 8th Athens International Dance Festival and the City of Athens Music Ensembles concerts.

8th Athens International Dance Festival

The 8th Athens International Dance Festival is being staged at the Technopolis venue until July 18, featuring some of Europe's best dance troupes.
The Gelabert Azzopardi Companyia de Danse from Barcelona will present the works "Sense fi" and "Conquassabit", Norway's Jo Stromgren Kompani will present "A Dance Tribute to the art of football" for the first time, while Germany's Folkwang Tanzstudio will present "Frauenballet" and "Schimmer".

Greece's Oktana Dance Theatre will be participating once again at the Athens Festival presenting Konstantinos Rigos' latest work, titled "Dressed Undressed".

INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF OLYMPIA

The Municipality of Olympia is organizing the International Festival of Olympia, spanning from June until the end of August 2010.

The festival will host theatrical performances, documentary screenings and the innovative Earth, Wind and Music Festival from July 14 -18. The latter is an eco- friendly event which aims at using art and music in order to raise environmental awareness by organising three major ecological concerts without consuming electric power.

Famous artists such as Stavros Xarhakos-Elli Paspala and Haris and Panos Katsimihas are participating in this vanguard happening in Ancient Olympia. The choice of venue is not accidental, but seeks to attract the public to this ancient site devastated by the 2007 fires.

International Festival of Olympia: Full Programme

CRETE, THE ISLAND OF MIRACLES

Crete, land of Daidalos and Ikaros, is the largest island of Greece, separating the Aegean from the Libyan Sea and marking the boundary between Europe and Africa. On Crete, the scenery is constantly changing.

Majestic mountains rise in its centre –the Lefka Ori, Psiloritis, Dikti- full of legends and history, while its plateaus are split by deep gorges, ending up in lush valleys.

This island’s fertile soil and towering peaks witnessed the development of one of the most important civilizations on earth, the Minoan (2800-1150 B.C.).

With its clear, warm sea, boundless beaches lined with tamarisks and mild starry nights, Crete is an idyllic place for vacation but for living as well, in bustling Iraklio, cosmopolitan Aghios Nikolaos, picturesque Rethymno or enchanting Chania.