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Sunday, 24 November 2024
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Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 14-01-02Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>CONTENTS
[01] Government Vice-President Venizelos' interview to EuronewsANA-MPA -- The assumption of the EU presidency is a great opportunity for Greece to show that it is an equal and sovereign EU member state, which chairs the Council on behalf of all EU-28 member states, government Vice-President and PASOK leader Evangelos Venizelos said in an interview to Euronews on Wednesday."We need a new image, more attractive to European citizens, more optimistic and more secure for households and particularly for the younger generation, which thinks that in many countries Europe is the equivalent of austerity policies, unemployment, reduced incomes," he said while stressing the need to talk again about Europe's culture, history, democracy, rule of law, European welfare state, development and innovation. Venizelos underlined that Greece is struggling to exit the crisis and the memorandum, adding that it has the largest fiscal adjustment ever made in the history of Western economies. Regarding growth and unemployment, which are high on the agenda of the Greek EU Presidency, government vice-president said that "we want to work with the European Commission, which is always the key body for Europe, and the European Investment Bank, in order to give the boost that all countries need and not only countries that are in crisis and adjustment programmes or run the risk of being included in adjustment programmes." "All Europe, all EU needs a new model of production, growth and competitiveness to flee from the danger of recession or from an intermediate, moderate state that is close to zero growth," Venizelos stated. [02] Greece says EU funds' absorption rate surpassed targets in 2013Greece more than covered its targets for absorbing community funds in 2013, reaching 118 pct of the target set by a memorandum signed with the country's creditors, with another 5.8 billion euros remaining to be absorbed in the 2014-2015 period, Development and Competitiveness Minister Costis Hatzidakis said on Thursday.Presenting a report for the National Strategic Framework and the Public Investments Programe for 2013, Hatzidakis noted: "The results is a proof of what Greeks can achieve with systematic work. We can overcome expectations and dismiss myths circulating for our country abroad". Absorption of community funds totaled 4.6 billion euros last year, from a memorandum target of 3.89 billion euros, while total public spending -including national participation- surpassed 5.0 billion euros for an absorption rate of 74 pct. Hatzidakis stressed that total public spending surpassed 2012 spending by 47 pct to 5.007 billion euros, from 3.414 billion in 2012. Total spending was 16.5 billion euros, with spending in the last 18 months totaling the spending of the previous three-and-a-half years. The minister said absorption of community funds will intensify in 2014 while the country was awaiting the beginning of capital inflows from a new EU package. Hatzidakis said that a Public Investments Program spent all its money in 2013, distributing around 6.650 billion euros to the market, up from 6.113 billion in 2012. Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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