Athens News Agency: News in English, 08-02-06

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

CONTENTS

[01] PM Karamanlis departs for Romania

[02] Nat'l info campaign for 4th CSF

[03] SE central bankers in Thessaloniki

[01] PM Karamanlis departs for Romania

On Thursday morning Karamanlis will be received by the Patriarch of Romania before meeting meeting with his Romanian counterpart Calin Popescu-Tariceanu.

Afterwards, delegations from both sides will join the talks.

Alternate government spokesman Evangelos Antonaros noted on Wednesday that an agreement in the energy sector between Greece and Romania will be signed in Bucharest, with both premiers expected to make statements to the press.

A reception in Karamanlis' honour will be also held.

Karamanlis will also be received by Romanian President Traian Basescu.

[02] Nat'l info campaign for 4th CSF

The first presentation was held in the historic port city of Nafplio, in the eastern Peloponnese. The campaign will cover several cities around the country with the next presentation to be held in Tripolis, in the central Peloponnese, on April 16.

Presenting the programme, Alogoskoufis said the 4th CSF translates into 39.4 billion euros of funding -- Community funds, national resources and outlays from the Common Agriculture Policy -- for the country, a significant tool towards becoming more competitive, strengthening the provinces and achieving a fairer society.

The Greek minister also referred to the 3rd Community Support Framework programme, which he said was successfully being completing, with an absorption rate of more than 75 percent. Using this money, Greece has obtained modern infrastructure, improved competitiveness, boosted business activity and education, created new jobs and improved living standards, he noted.

Alogoskoufis said the 3rd CSF helped build 2,700 new class rooms, supported 37,000 students enrolling in an open university, created 130 new faculties in the country's universities, 5,000 laboratories and 300 modern libraries.

Also, he said CSF funding significantly improved the country's road network, some 22 ports, expanded the Athens metro system, upgraded 10 airports and improved the railway system.

Community funds also helped more than 27,000 enterprises, upgrading 140,000 hotel beds and creating five regional innovation centres.

Finally, he noted that the 2007-2013 programme would help Greece "change gear", allowing for a major leap forward with an integrated development plan.

Alogoskoufis said the government was awaiting a European Commission's response, on Feb. 22, on a request to extend a deadline for completing the 3rd CSF programme, following the devastating wildfires that ravaged large parts of southern Greece last August.

Caption: Economy and Finance Minister George Alogoskoufis in Nafplio on Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2008. ANA-MPA / N. Apostolopoulos.

[03] SE central bankers in Thessaloniki

The meeting is part of a multi-party memorandum of cooperation agreed to during the previous meeting of central bankers of Southeastern Europe (July 6, 2007 in Athens) to determine sectors and terms of cooperation for banking regulation authorities.

The Thessaloniki meeting will also discuss credit and macro-economic developments in southeastern Europe, prospects of accelerating convergence of supervisory practices - including those seeking to combat money laundering and funding of terrorism - along with risk evaluation methods at the cross-border level.

The meeting also seeks to contribute to ensuring effective cooperation of supervisory authorities at the regional level and strengthening credit stability in the region, taking advantage of the experience from a regulatory framework in the EU and the principles set out by the Basle Commission.

Caption: ANA-MPA file photo of Thessaloniki's landmark White Tower / P. SAITAS

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