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Athens News Agency: News in English, 07-10-03Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>CONTENTS
[01] PM briefed over EU session on migration, NSRFPrime Minister Costas Karamanlis on Wednesday was briefed by Interior and Public Administration Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos over results of an EU ministers' meeting in Lisbon this week, which dealt with immigration, terrorism and related issues.The two men also discussed legislation that is due to be tabled on the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF), which outlines the management of 4th Community Support Framework funds. In statements after the meeting, Pavlopoulos said the EU interior and justice ministers' meeting had focused on illegal immigration but also civil protection, while he stressed that the foreign ministry was currently promoting a parallel initiative at the European Commission. Regarding the NSRF, the minister said that they had discussed how to immediately launch a Special Operational Programme for Public Administration. He stressed that the government placed great emphasis on this, especially in terms of simplifying procedures. In reply to questions regarding planned changes to the system for general elections, and whether the relevant law was ready, Pavlopoulos said the press would be informed as soon as the draft bill was prepared and had been approved by the inner Cabinet. He said the outline of the planned changes had already been described, and would seek to enhance government stability while preserving the fundamental elements of proportional representation. He also dismissed questions regarding the prospect early elections in less than 18 months after the new election law was passed, describing this whole line of thinking as "arbitrary". In addition to Pavlopoulos, Karamanlis also had a meeting on Wednesday with the secretary of ruling New Democracy's Parliamentary group Yiannis Tragakis. Caption: Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis. ANA-MPA [02] FinMin meets with Nobel Laureate YunusGreek Economy and Finance Minister George Alogoskoufis on Wednesday received visiting Nobel Peace Laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the founder of Bangladesh-based Grameen Bank and the so-called "bank of the poor". "Combating poverty and social exclusion is among the top priorities for state governments and society," Alogoskoufis said, stressing that the government has decided to boost the fight against poverty and social exclusion through the establishment of a Social Cohesion National Fund. Alogoskoufis added that talks focused on the effective operation of the fund based on Dr. Yunus' experience. Muhammad Yunus is a Bangladeshi banker and economist. A former professor of economics, he is famous for his successful application of the concept of microcredit, the extension of small loans to entrepreneurs too poor to qualify for traditional bank loans. In 2006, Dr. Yunus and the Grameen Bank he founded were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Caption: FinMin George Alogoskoufis (L) with Dr.Muhammad Yunus in Athens on Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2007. ANA-MPA / K. MAVRONA.Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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