Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 15-01-20

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

CONTENTS

[01] Potami leader Theodorakis meets central bank governor

[02] Support for Greens-DIM.AR cooperation with SYRIZA from Chrysogelos

[03] Greek current account deficit up in Nov‏ember

[01] Potami leader Theodorakis meets central bank governor

"My conclusion is that the situation is difficult but under control," Theodorakis said after the meeting which lasted about an hour.

"The bank of Greece in cooperation with the European Central Bank supports Greek banks and Greek citizens' deposits as long as Greeks stick to their commitments and cooperated with the Europeans on the settlement of the problems," he added.

"This is exactly what Potami as a responsible political force wants to secure in those elections: that Greece remains in the heart of Europe and is supported by Europe," he noted.

"I believe people should not be afraid because they have a big asset: their European course," he noted.

"Whether on Monday we will have a government or not, the only thing for sure is that Greeks have the will of being a member of the Eurozone and part of Europe. Therefore, I believe no one can question that," he concluded.

[02] Support for Greens-DIM.AR cooperation with SYRIZA from Chrysogelos

He stressed that Greens-DIM.AR, currently trailing well below the 3 pct mark needed to qualify for representation in Parliament in opinion polls, will seek to contribute to an alternative plan for Greece with a "progressive" direction, without austerity but with major structural and environmental reforms.

The Greens leader also warned that being dragged to a second general election will be a great trial for the country and that cooperation between DIM.AR and the Greens will not end on the night of the elections but continue on into the future.

Earlier, Democratic Left leader Fotis Kouvelis had asked for the reversal of the "debilitating" ovetaxation imposed by the government, stressing that this cannot be "covered up by pre-election promises and big words." He accused the government of not wanting to tackle the scourge of tax evasion, adding that it had the opportunity to create a stable and socially just taxation system with gradual rates because, as he said, nobody tried to stop it from broadening the taxation base limit and fairly allocating the burdens.

"It exhausted the citizens and tolerated tax avoidance. This unjust policy that culminated with the Uniform Real Estate Ownership Tax (ENFIA) must stop. This policy must change!" said Kouvelis.

[03] Greek current account deficit up in Nov‏ember

The central bank, in a report, said that the current transfers balance showed a small deficit in November, compared with a surplus in the same month of 2013. At the same time, a slight increase was recorded in the trade deficit and in the income account deficit. These changes were offset to some extent by an improvement in the services balance.

The trade deficit grew marginally by 10 million euros year-on-year, owing to the higher net oil import bill, which was for the most part offset by lower net payments for purchases of ships, while the trade deficit excluding oil and ships did not show any change. It should be noted that receipts from exports of goods recorded a rise in November 2014 (against a decrease in the same month of 2013), owing to an increase in non-oil exports of goods, while oil export receipts dropped.

The surplus of the services balance widened by 128 million year-on-year, on account of improvements mainly in the transport and, secondarily, in the travel and "other" services balances. Travel receipts increased by 30.7 pct, reflecting a significant rise of 53.9 pct in non-residents' arrivals. This increase in receipts was partly offset by a rise in travel spending by residents abroad.

In the January-November 2014 period, the current account balance showed a surplus of 2.5 billion euros, compared with 1.3 billion over the same period of 2013. It should be noted that, over the January-November 2014 period, total exports of goods and services rose by 8.4 pct (compared with 2.4 pct over the same period of 2013). In more detail, receipts from exports of goods increased by 4.7 pct, while receipts from services rose by 11.3 pct.

The trade deficit grew by 918 million euros, mainly on account of higher net payments for purchases of ships. The net oil import bill recorded only a slight increase, as did the trade deficit excluding oil and ships.

Moreover, in the January-November 2014 period, the income account deficit fell by 366 million, mainly as a result of lower net interest payments.

In the January-November 2014 period, the surplus of the capital transfers balance came to 2.3 billion euros, compared with 3.0 billion over the same period of 2013. In the January-November 2014 period, the combined current account and capital transfers balance showed a surplus of 4.8 billion, against 4.3 billion in the same period of 2013.

In the January-November 2014 period, non-residents' direct investment in Greece showed a net inflow of 1.4 billion, while residents' direct investment abroad showed a net outflow of 515 million.

At the end of November 2014, Greece's reserve assets stood at 4.9 billion euros, compared with 4.3 billion at end-November 2013.

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