Athens News Agency: News in English, 08-04-23

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

CONTENTS

[01] PASOK leader discharged from hospital

[01] PASOK leader discharged from hospital

PASOK spokesman George Papaconstantinou said Papandreou was being released after making satisfactory progress in his recovery, adding that this was assisted by his good physical condition.

He said the party leader would be confined to his home for the next few days but would continue to carry out meetings and party business from there. According to the spokesman, Papandreou is expected to return to full activity at the head of the party after the Easter holiday but no exact date was specified.

PASOK on Greece's expulsion from Kyoto Protocol

Greece's expulsion from the Kyoto Protocol carbon-trading mechanisms was a major blow to the country's international image, main opposition PASOK spokesman George Papaconstantinou stressed on Wednesday.

He pointed out that the development would cause major problems to more than 150 Greek businesses that would not be able to buy carbon emission rights, among them nearly all power plants belonging to the Public Power Corporation (PPC).

The spokesman said the government was trying to shift its responsibility for this negative development onto others and demanded that Environment Minister George Souflias retract statements to this effect made by the deputy environment minister Stavros Kaloyiannis.

The spokesman also denounced what he said was an attempt to prevent PASOK officials from distributing leaflets on high prices at toll posts, saying that those in charge of the toll posts had called the police, while noting that cooler heads had prevailed and the leaflets were finally distributed as planned.

Papaconstantinou further accused the government of delaying four years in buying essential medical equipment for Evangelismos hospital in comments on the resignation of the hospital's director, who is the second director of Evangelismos to resign in a very short space of time.

He accused Health Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos of repeatedly announcing the hiring of new medical and nursing staff at state hospitals when the recruitments have never actually taken place, while huge problems existed in hospital procurements.

Finally, in response to government announcements regarding public administration, the spokesman dismissed these as "wishful thinking" and pointed out that Greece ranked alongside Hungary within the EU for bureaucracy and occupied the last place in Europe in fighting corruption.

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