Athens News Agency: News in English, 05-11-01

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

CONTENTS

[01] Bill on e-communications approved

[02] Complaints over e-commerce rising

[03] Two more judges charged

[01] Bill on e-communications approved

Speaking to reporters, after the meeting, Transport and Communications Minister Mihalis Liapis noted that Greece was reacting rapidly to modern challenges in communications and stressed that the new bill would help upgrade living quality for citizens since it envisaged applications to combat bureaucracy and to facilitate access in education, health and banking transactions.

"We must conquer the highways of the future," Liapis said.

Deputy Minister Tasos Nerantzis said the draft bill aimed to improve Greece's position since the country's electronic communications factor was 0.8 compared with 7.8 of the European average. The Greek minister said the draft legislation would be unveiled on Wednesday.

[02] Complaints over e-commerce rising

Presenting a report on the European Internet market "Consumers' complaints in 2004", the Greek minister said although the report did not offer figures for Greece in 2004, the European Consumer Centre in Greece handled 139 cases in the first months of 2005, and 28 complaints in electronic transactions with companies in the EU, of which 14 for non-delivery of products. In seven cases consumers complained over hotel, ticket and travel reservation services with e-companies failing to refund money after consumers cancelled their reservations.

The European report, conducted by the European Consumer Centres and coordinated by the Irish and Swedish centres, showed that European consumers were increasingly complained over the quality of their electronic transactions, with non-delivery of goods accounting for 31 percent of complaints and complaints over the quality of delivered product with 25 percent.

Most European consumers prefer to buy products from electronic commerce sites based in neighbouring countries. Swedish and Finnish consumers filed the most complaints in 2004.

[03] Two more judges charged

After the meeting, Papaligouras announced that two more judicial functionaries have been charged with false declarations on their "source of wealth" forms and failing to declare assets.

The minister further said that investigations into six other judges and three lawyers had been completed and charges were due to be pressed immediately.

"There is a common and non-negotiable volition for definitive clean-up of the justice sector. And this volition is being proved daily in action. The investigations are continuing intensively, both in the judicial body and in the para-judicial circles," Papaligouras said.

"When the government says 'the knife will reach all the way to the bone', it means it, and this will happen," the minister added.

Linos said he had assured the minister that the effort for clean-up in the justice sector in every direction would continue, "because we want no shadow over it" (the justice system).

Kedikoglou said that the justice sector leadership, with the support of the State, was taking the necessary actins so that the Greek citizens would regain their confidence in the judicial functionaries, "the overwhelming majority of whom carry out their duties to the fullest".

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