Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 14-06-30

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

CONTENTS

[01] Single centre for issuing pensions by end-2014, Labour minister says

[01] Single centre for issuing pensions by end-2014, Labour minister says

This new body will be responsible for administering the pensions of all pension funds and will receive all applications for main and supplementary pensions and lump sums. According to the minister, "from now on, the granting of a pension with the support of the 'Atlas' IT system will be a matter of a few days".

The system will not require the applicant to be physically present and the entire process will begin with an online application, he added.

The new centre will be staffed with employees from all pension funds, who will have immediate access to the social insurance background of each person insured even when a succession of social insurance funds is involved.

"The long waits for a pension to come through will soon be just a bad memory," Vroutsis stressed, noting that the administrative unification of all pension funds will be completed this year but will not affect pensions or benefits. Asked about the repercussions of the new method for calculating pensions after January 1 for those that have secured a right to retire with more favourable age limits, Vroutsis noted that there were no plans for new changes that would alter the plans for thousands of citizens that had secure or would secure the right to retire.

He also ruled out the prospect of a zero-deficit clause for main pensions, similar to that for supplementary pensions and lump sums, noting that the main philosophy of the system would not change.

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