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Athens News Agency: News in English, 10-10-07Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>CONTENTS
[01] PM briefed on 'Clarity' programmeANA-MPA/Prime Minister George Papandreou visited the National Printing Office on Wednesday and was briefed by Interior Minister Yiannis Ragoussis on the programme "Clarity" (diavgeia) designed to promote transparency in the public sector. This will require that all laws and administrative acts by the public sector be posted on the Internet, at the government website http://et.diavgeia.gov.gr.Afterward, Papandreou stressed that the programme would help combat several bad practices "that we have all experienced". Had this programme been enforced earlier, he added, many of well-known scandals would have been prevented or at least stopped at a much earlier stage. Papandreou said that the programme would also help reveal weaknesses in the public sector that were not necessarily the result of corruption or graft but simply caused by a bad organisational structure, a surfeit of laws and overlapping legislation. The prime minister also stressed the programme's potential as a tool for growth, saying that the government intended to "raise the bar" and locate which problems were easily fixed and which required more radical change in order to create a simple and efficient public administration for all citizens and all investors, both Greeks and foreigners. Elaborating on this point, Papandreou said that many potential investors had expressed reservations about investing in Greece because of the lack of transparency, the multitude of overlapping laws and a labyrinthine public administration system. Congratulating the team responsible for the programme, he also stressed that ordinary citizens should participate in the effort by helping pinpoint the problems. More details on the subscriber's page of APE-MPE | Subscription request form [02] Samaras: PM deceived the electorateANA-MPA/Main opposition New Democracy (ND) party leader Antonis Samaras, speaking in the city of Lamia, central Greece, on Wednesday night, accused Prime Minister George Papandreou of "deceiving the electorate", and warned that "a lie has short legs, as our people say," commenting on a statement by German former finance minister Peer Steinbrueck on the state of the Greek economy."Today we were all informed by Mr. Peer Steinbrueck, the former finance minister of Germany, that Mr. Papandreou, who promised everything to win the elections, had been very well aware, as early as January 2009, of the state of the economy," he said. Continuing his address at the Labour Centre in Fthiotida, he further said "when therefore, he (Papandreou) was saying that 'money exists', he was lying purposely". "From this alone one can realise the responsibility and credibility of this government and draw one's conclusions as to what will follow if Mr. Papandreou considers the election result of November a good one," Samaras said, adding that "for this reason we shall send to them our message clearly in the upcoming local administration elections." More details on the subscriber's page of APE-MPE | Subscription request form [03] Gov't on armamentsANA-MPA/Government spokesman Giorgos Petalotis stated on Wednesday that "it would be advisable not to confuse the comments made by (Alternate Greek DM Panos) Beglitis with those made by (Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip) Erdogan."Petalotis spoke in response to a question by a reporter as regards an earlier statement by the Greek minister that "fortunes were made illegally from armaments transactions" and another statement by Erdogan, according to which "armaments were at the core of the Greek economic crisis." The spokesman stated that Beglitis voiced the government's determination to put an end to questionable practices as regards armaments, adding that objectivity and transparency in armaments transactions is guaranteed. More details on the subscriber's page of APE-MPE | Subscription request form [04] Flights delay on Thu.Dozens of domestic flights have been cancelled and several flights abroad will be delayed on Thursday due to a strike by Greek air-traffic controllers, who walk off the job for four hours at 14:00.Air-traffic controllers are joining in a 24-hour strike on Thursday by the Greek civil servants' union federation ADEDY in protest against an austerity package introduced by the government. Staff in schools, ministries, local authorities and government services are expected to join in the strike. More details on the subscriber's page of APE-MPE | Subscription request form [05] Athens Newspaper HeadlinesThe Thursday edition of Athens' dailies at a glanceThe economy, the Memorandum, and tax issues dominated the front pages of Athens' newspaper headlines on Thursday. ADESMEFTOS TYPOS: "They discontinued the pensions of 1,000 'unmarried daughters', another 20,000 being investigated". APOGEVMATINI: "End to the lies - Antonis Samaras (main opposition New Democracy leader), in Lamia visit, called on voters to condemn the government policy in the upcoming local administration elections". AVGHI: "Piranhas and Memorandum stripping the hospitals". AVRIANI: "Papandreou knew first hand about the size of the deficit since January 2009". ELEFTHEROS: "New tax trap by Finance ministry with receipts - Cold sweat for two million taxpayers". ELEFTHEROS TYPOS: "Presumed income proofs involving main home, holiday homes, cars - Secret provision to be effective as of this year". ELEFTHEROTYPIA: "The 45 traps of the tax system - Everything you need to be cautious of with the Tax Bureau". ESTIA: "Pogrom against businesses - The Chinese are coming, the Greeks are leaving". ETHNOS: "The changes to the presumed income proofs, taxes, receipts - Detailed guide for 2011 taxation". IMERISSIA: "Presumed income proofs/traps for real estate, cars". KATHIMERINI: "Eurostat 'operation' in Athens to clear up the Greek statistics - Worry over the effects of the revision (of the 2009 debt and deficit)". LOGOS: "The argument continues full swing - The deficit on the rise". NAFTEMPORIKI: "The revision of the economic data will bring new Memorandum". NIKI: "Settle your debts with 350 euros per month - Explosive proposal serves faits accomplis to banks". PONTIKI (weekly): "Unemployed to reach one million by end 2011". RIZOSPASTIS: "Aleka Papariga (Communist Party of Greece leader): Anti-monopoly vote in the upcoming elections". TA NEA: "The 2010 taxes - The secrets and the traps". TO VIMA: "What we will pay - Taxes, receipts". VRADYNI: "Lost in the receipts - All the changes to taxation in 2011". More details on the subscriber's page of APE-MPE | Subscription request form Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |