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Monday, 23 December 2024
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Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 15-06-28Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>CONTENTS
[01] Greek parliament approves motion to hold referendum on July 5ANA - MPA -- The Greek parliament approved in the early hours of Sunday a motion to hold a referendum on the proposals submitted by the institutions to the government on July 5.Voting by roll call vote, 178 lawmakers approved the motion, 120 were against, while two were absent, Parliament President Zoi Konstantopoulou announced. Konstantopoulou also informed Greek president Prokopis Pavlopoulos of the result. [02] Finance ministry denied that Varoufakis called for capital controlsANA-MPA -- Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis at no time stated that the Greek government is in favour of imposing capital controls, a finance ministry press release said on Sunday. "On the contrary, the minister has repeatedly stated that the government considers capital controls imcompatible with the concept of monetary union," the announcement adds.[03] Eurogroup: 18 Finance ministers announce measures to secure eurozone's integrityBRUSSELS (ANA-MPA/Ch. Vasilaki) - The 18 eurozone finance ministers requested on Saturday measures to safeguard the integrity of the Eurozone and the Greek financial system, following their second meeting in Brussels which didn't include the Greek finance minister.The full statement of the Eurogroup is the following: "Ministers from eighteen euro area Member States and the institutions held an informal meeting to discuss the forthcoming expiration of the current EFSF financial arrangement with Greece, after the break-up of the negotiations with the Greek authorities. The strengthening of EMU has been instrumental in helping the euro area to overcome the legacy of the financial crisis. We have notably advanced fiscal consolidation, implemented ambitious structural reforms, improved our fiscal and economic governance, deepened financial integration and established efficient firewalls. We are in a much stronger position than during the crisis. Euro area Member States intend to make full use of all the instruments available to preserve the integrity and stability of the euro area. This will complement any actions the European Central Bank may take in full independence and in line with its mandate. EFSF and ESM remain the strong instruments with our full backing that they have always been. We commit to take all necessary measures to further improve the resilience of our economies. We stand ready to take decisive steps to strengthen the Economic and Monetary Union. We stress that the expiry of the EFSF financial arrangement with Greece, without immediate prospects of a follow-up arrangement, will require measures by the Greek authorities, with the technical assistance of the institutions, to safeguard the stability of the Greek financial system. The Eurogroup will monitor very closely the economic and financial situation in Greece and the Eurogroup stands ready to reconvene to take appropriate decisions where needed, in the interest of Greece as euro area member. We stand ready to assist and support Greece and the Greek people as required, following the expiration of the EFSF financial arrangement. [The statement is adopted by ministers from the euro area Member States, except Greece]." [04] Varoufakis to 'Bild': Greece still ready to negotiate with institutionsBERLIN (ANA-MPA/ F. Karaviti) The Greek government continues to be ready to negotiate, according to the headline of an interview given by Greece's Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis to the German newspaper "Bild" on Sunday, in which he explains why Greece could not agree to the creditors' proposal and why the Greek government called a referendum. Varoufakis also repeated a call to EU heads of state and government to take action, especially German Chancellor Angela Merkel. According to Greece's finance minister, as the head of the most important country, Merkel held the "key" to a solution. "I hope she uses it," he added. On the decision to call a referendum and let the Greek people decide, Varoufakis noted: "We couldn't assent to the proposal but neither could we simply reject it, given the importance of the issue for the future of Greece. Therefore, we decided to address the citizens, to present our own rejective position on this but to allow them the choice," he said. The Greek side is "open to new proposals from the institutions," the finance minister added, noting that these could at any time be the topic of the referendum if they were "significantly better" than the previous proposals. "Then we could at any time change our own recommendation and propose that the electorate vote in favour," he said, adding that the government is ready to negotiate until the voters are called to make a decision. "The institutions have no orders to combine difficult reforms with a smart policy for debt restructuring. The heads of the EU in Brussels are not made for political initiatives," Varoufakis said. Asked if Athens will present a new proposal, the Greek finance minister gave a negative reply: "We have already put our thoughts on the table," he said, adding that it was now up to the institutions to "show good will." Calling himself an "eternal optimist" concerning Europe's ability to find ways to overcome its disagreements, he nevertheless claimed that the institutions had been inflexible in the discussions held so far. "It has always been said to Greece on the side of the creditors that we can have any deal we want - but only if it is exactly that reflected in the institutions' memorandum," he said. Asked what will happen on July 1 when Greece's current programme expired without any agreement with the creditors, and whether this would involve capital controls or Grexit, Varoufakis replied: "If Europe allows such a frightening development, simply in order to humiliate our government...then Europeans must ask themselves the question that the Italian prime minister raised over the spectacular failure on the issue of migrants: 'Do we want such a Europe?'"Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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