Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-10-13

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

CONTENTS

[01] MEPs open letter to Moscovici for 'urgent' debt relief to Greece has widespread appeal, Papadimoulis reports

[02] Experts report sharp rise in mental health issues among children, teenagers

[03] Inheritance disclaimers sharply up in 2013-2015

[01] MEPs open letter to Moscovici for 'urgent' debt relief to Greece has widespread appeal, Papadimoulis reports

"The open letter to Mr. Moscovici, an initiative of the Progressive Caucus, has met with widespread resonance, not just within the European Parliament but over a broad political and social spectrum. Other, similar initiatives will follow," he said.

Papadimoulis, who was among the MEPs signing the letter, noted that "relief of Greek debt and implementation of the Eurogroup's decisions without delay...is the key not only for turning the Greek economy toward sustainable growth rates but also to a comprehensive handling of public debt as one of the major European issues."

The letter backed by socialist, green and leftist MPs called on the European Commission to secure debt relief terms for struggling Greece by the end of the year.

"Greece urgently needs to leave behind the vicious circle of recession and deflation, and move forward with policies that enable both public and private investments and creation of high quality jobs," the MEPs wrote, adding that "Any further delays regarding the beginning of a concrete and conclusive dialogue on debt relief could have devastating results on the Greek economy."

"Debt relief is an important step of the effort to put an end to Greek crisis. Debt relief discussions, as part of the agreement, have to be opened as soon as possible, concluding by the end of the year with a clear road map for debt relief for Greece," the MEPs said.

The letter to Moscovici in full is given below:

"Following the discussion on the «Commission Statement – Macroeconomic situation in Greece, structural reforms and their impact, as well as prospects for future negotiations within the Programme», that took place on Tuesday 4th of October in the Plenary of the European Parliament, as Members of the European Parliament, we would like to underline the importance of debt relief and the need for concrete measures which are going to strengthen Greece's economic, social and environmental development.

Greece urgently needs to leave behind the vicious circle of recession and deflation, and move forward with policies that enable both public and private investments and creation of high quality jobs.

The responsibility for this lays upon both the Greek government and the Institutions. Whereas there is a consensus today among leading economists regarding the need for debt sustainability, yet among the Institutions there are diverse views how this sustainability can be achieved. As you are aware, the IMF has a presented different analysis from that of the EU institutions on this matter. The resulting uncertainty hampers Greece recovery.

Any further delays regarding the beginning of a concrete and conclusive dialogue on debt relief could have devastating results on the Greek economy and counteract even the modest decrease of unemployment and poverty levels and delay any improvement of the social and economic situation for the coming period.

On 23rd September, the IMF has declared further debt relief based "realistic assumptions about Greece's ability to generate sustained surpluses and long-term growth" will be needed in order to restore sustainability.

Debt relief is an important step of the effort to put an end to Greek crisis. Debt relief discussions, as part of the agreement, have to be opened as soon as possible, concluding by the end of the year with a clear road map for debt relief for Greece. It is a precondition not only for the necessary economic and social boost, but also to limit the financial needs of the Greek Economy and therefore create fiscal space suitable for public and private investments.

We, the undersigned MEPs, strongly believe that Greece needs a stable macroeconomic environment. Therefore, Greece needs to leave behind the austerity measures once and for all, creating the conditions of exiting the programme, which should be the last one. Greece needs to focus on making the most out of the Structural Funds that have to be significantly increased especially for countries in crisis, and to surge the degree of security for the people, especially the most vulnerable ones.

In the context of the future negotiations between the EU Institutions and the Greek Government, we urge you to take these views into account, for the benefit of all societies and institutions."

[02] Experts report sharp rise in mental health issues among children, teenagers

Speaking at the event on Tuesday, the director of the Agia Sophia Children's Hospital Child Psychiatry Clinic Dr. Dimitris Anagnostopoulos reported an increased incidence of children and teenagers suffering from depression, internet addiction and other mental health disorders. He noted that the majority of Greeks on an individual and collective level were experiencing conditions that caused deep pain and despair, as a result of the extended economic crisis. An indication of the problem, he noted, was the fact that 30 pct of calls to helplines for depression were made by teenagers worried about their parents and trying to find ways to help them.

Speakers also referred at length to the World Health Organisation (WHO) theme for 2016 "Dignity in Mental Health: Psychological and Mental Health First Aid for All," noting that it should not be considered self-evident that this help will be forthcoming, partly due to ignorance but also due to discrimination against people with mental health issues.

Child psychiatrist Giorgos Nikolaidis highlighted the need to protect the rights of children coming forward to report abuse, noting that the present system required a child making such a report to repeat his story up to 14 times to various services.

[03] Inheritance disclaimers sharply up in 2013-2015

It is significant that in the largest district court of the country, the justice of Athens, inheritance disclaimers in 2015 amounted to 9,566, from 6,079 in 2013. Overall, inheritance disclaimers, based on data from district courts around the country, amounted in 2015 to 45,627 from 29,200 in 2013 and 41,386 in 2014.

In the district court of Thessaloniki, inheritance disclaimers amounted to 3,298 in 2013, to 4,465 in 2014 and 5,068 in 2015. In Piraeus disclaimers totaled 1,509 in 2013, 1,539 in 2014 and 1,692 in 2015.

The data showed that high rates of inheritance disclaimers were recorded not only in areas such as Kallithea where homes are sold at lower prices, but also in areas such as Halandri and Maroussi with higher property prices.

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