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Athens News Agency: News in English, 10-11-16Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>CONTENTS
[01] FinMin on Greek statistical dataBRUSSELS (ANA-MPA) - Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou, turning up for the meeting of eurozone member-states in Brussels, expressed satisfaction over the lifting of reservations on the part of Eurostat regarding Greece's statistical data that have been fully ratified.Papaconstantinou said that taking into consideration that the deficit will be higher in 2009, Greece will achieve in 2010 the biggest fiscal effort that has ever been made in the EU, with a decrease in the deficit by six percentage points. He noted, however, that it is an unprecedented decrease in the deficit by 14 billion euros. Papaconstantinou then said that in 2010 Greece will begin from a higher starting point that it had initially desired regarding the amount of the deficit and added that in 2011 there shall be full respect of the targets set and stressed that Greece intends to take whatever measures are considered necessary. (ANA-MPA) More details on the subscriber's page of APE-MPE | Subscription request form [02] Greek bond market closing report(ANA-MPA) -- The yield spread between the 10-year Greek and German benchmark bonds widened to 912 basis points on Tuesday from 889 bps on Monday in the Greek electronic secondary bond market. The Greek bond yielded 11.71 pct and the German Bund 2.59 pct. (ANA-MPA) Turnover in the market totaled 59 million euros of which 50 million were sell orders and the remaining 9.0 million euros were buy orders. The 10-year benchmark bond was the most heavily traded security with a turnover of 30 million euros.In interbank markets, interest rates were largely unchanged. The 12-month rate was 1.54 pct, the six-month rate 1.27 pct, the three-month 1.04 pct and the one-month rate 0.84 pct. (ANA-MPA) More details on the subscriber's page of APE-MPE | Subscription request form [03] Papoulias to begin visit to Bulgaria on Wed.President Karolos Papoulias will pay an official visit to Bulgaria on Wednesday and Thursday.During his stay in Sofia, Papoulias will meet his Bulgarian counterpart Georgi Parvanov, Prime Minister Boiko Borisov, the mayor of the Bulgarian capital, Yordanka Fadakova, the Patriarch of Bulgaria Maximos, as well as the leaders of the political parties. Moreover, the presidents of Greece and Bulgaria will jointly inaugurate a Greek-Bulgarian business forum. The agenda of talks is expected to bilateral relations, developments in the European Union and NATO, as well as prospects for further development of economic cooperation. Papoulias will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas and Agricultural Development Minister Costas Skandalidis. More details on the subscriber's page of APE-MPE | Subscription request form [04] Health minister promises cuts of 1.4 bln euros by end 2011(ANA-MPA) -- Health Minister Andreas Loverdos on Tuesday received a delegation of "troika" inspectors and briefed them on the measures he intends to take to ensure cuts of roughly 1.4 billion euros in the public healthcare sector by the end of 2011."Whether the troika representatives will be convinced that we can pull this through will depend on whether the interventions we suggest will be deemed as satisfactory," Loverdos stated, clarifying however, that "the interventions in question are specific" and that "no more measures in store." The health minister stated that salaries and benefits in the healthcare sector will not be affected, while also ruling out hospital mergers. Loverdos said 840 million euros can be saved through the implementation of measures in the daily operation of public hospitals, the e-prescription system and (ANA-MPA) changes in "long embedded attitudes", as he said, stressing that civil servants will have use some 12,000 physicians employed by the their health fund and not outside physicians. He also stated that roughly 280 million euros can be saved through the reforms implemented in the specific fund and another 250 million through the timely payment of hospital suppliers. In addition, 150 million euros will be saved through changes implemented in the purchasing of 89 of the most expensive prescription drugs. The health minister pointed out that the uninsured and indigent in Athens and Thessaloniki will be able to seek healthcare in six designated public hospitals, four in Athens and two in Thessaloniki, in an effort to put an end to practices of over-prescription. (ANA-MPA) More details on the subscriber's page of APE-MPE | Subscription request form Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |