Athens News Agency: News in English, 10-04-06

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

CONTENTS

[01] Government on EU support mechanism

[02] Baby girl killed in tragic road accident

[01] Government on EU support mechanism

"There has never been any kind of action on the part of our country to change the terms of the recent European Counil agreement on the support mechanism," Greek Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou underlined in response to questions.

The minister said that the agreement was significant for both Europe and Greece, repeating that Greece has not yet asked for this mechanism to be activated.

Papaconstantinou also stated that the budget was unfolding as planned and that the country's fiscal course depended on properly executing the stability and development budget.

Structural reforms and especially the "Kallikratis" plan for local government are expected to dominate the government's agenda in the coming month, with the draft bill due to be tabled in Parliament by early May and be passed into law later the same month.

This will mean that local government elections will be held on the basis of the new map.

Also due to be completed in mid-April is the public debate on social insurance reforms and the discussion on the draft tax bill, while a ministerial committee to discuss opening the 'closed' professions will also be set up this month.

The government's target is to have tabled all the major bills in Parliament by May 15.

[02] Baby girl killed in tragic road accident

Police said the baby somehow fell out of her baby buggy onto the road while her mother's attention was occupied elsewhere, falling in front of the oncoming bus. The infant was rushed to Western Attica hospital, where doctors pronounced her dead on arrival.

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