Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 14-10-12

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Greek austerity programmes have failed, says SYRIZA lawmaker

[02] Greece secured 37.6 billion euros in investments in the past two years-study

[01] Greek austerity programmes have failed, says SYRIZA lawmaker

Giorgos Stathakis, who is also SYRIZA's shadow economy minister, also said Greece and Europe now need to find a new way forward.

The lawmaker was speaking at a conference organized by Bank of America and Merrill Lynch to coincide with the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

Stathakis also said here need to be a "mixture of changes" in European policy which will include "monetary easing, a revision of the fiscal framework and a new agenda for growth in order for the economy to exit from the crisis."

He also mentioned different sectors of the economy, emphasizing the need for growth.

[02] Greece secured 37.6 billion euros in investments in the past two years-study

The study, which is still ongoing, was discussed by the body's President, Nikolaos Filippas, in an interview with Greek daily Eleftheros Typos.

"However we have many examples, like those of (former) Hellenikon (airport) and Oxia (island) properties, which have been postponed due to court proceedings," Filippas noted.

"On privatizations, there were definitely significant delays while the interest was limited, mainly because of the increased risk and low credit rating of the country," he said.

Regarding the growth rate of the economy, Filippas says that KEPE's estimates are similar to those presented in the government's draft budget for 2015 (according to the draft, the economy is forecast to grow 2.9 percent).

Specifically for the first two quarters of 2015, growth rates of 1.85 percent and 2.07 percent respectively are expected.

The GDP growth rate will have substantial and psychological effects on the markets and also on society, as people will feel their sacrifices were not in vain, says the president of KEPE.

Filippas also noted that Greece successfully returned to the international markets in 2014 and presented "twin" surpluses for the first time since 1948.

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