Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-05-08

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

CONTENTS

[01] Tax and pension reform bill to be voted late on Sunday

[02] Trade unions out in force against planned pension, tax reforms on Sunday

[03] Juncker: Greece has virtually met its targets and won't need new aid package

[01] Tax and pension reform bill to be voted late on Sunday

Labour and Social Insurance Minister George Katrougalos submitted a number of significant amendments to the draft bill during the course of the debate, including a transitional period until August 1 before the abolition of an advertising duty that currently finances journalists' social security and pension funds - to give them time to adjust to the new system - and two transitional months, until July 1, before new retirement rules for the armed and security forces go into effect.

He also agreed to a request that armed forces and security forces personnel be given pensions in the case of death, in the same way that disability pensions are currently given, due to their greater exposure to life-threatening situations in the course of their work.

Sunday's debate began with a heated exchange between Parliament President Nikos Voutsis and opposition MP Evi Christofilopoulou regarding an incident in the Parliament cafeteria between trade unionists and SYRIZA MPs, echoing the tone from the previous day. It is expected to conclude with the speeches of the political party leaders and the prime minister late on Sunday, after which the vote will take place.

Defending the bill on Saturday, Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos said that it delivered "what we promised, with solutions that are feasible and will create a clear path for citizens and investors to come and invest, so that we can finally exit the vicious cycle that ND and PASOK put us in and enter a virtuous cycle."

Regard the tax-free allowance, in particular, he noted that "this was and remains one of the highest in all of Europe" and denied that the tax burden would increase for the majority of tax-payers.

Similarly, Katrougalos said the pension reform was a radical change that "the country had needed for decades," and cited claims that financing pension fund deficits was responsible for "800 pct increase in debt".

"We are reducing the deficits as we promised not by cutting pensions but through the architecture of the system and the correspondence of contributions and benefits. We are establishing full parity before the law and the divergences that exist are there to protect the weak. We differentiate between welfare and social insurance benefits," he said.

The measures were universally blasted by the opposition parties, however, which were united in their decision not to back the bill.

[02] Trade unions out in force against planned pension, tax reforms on Sunday

The day's action will culminate in a rally and concert organised by the civil servants union federation ADEDY, starting at 18:00 in Syntagma Square as lawmakers continue the debate on the controversial bill, leading up to the late-night vote.

Earlier, representatives of ADEDY, pensioners and other trade unions, political parties and organisations attended the GSEE rally and took part in a march to Parliament.

PAME is also planning three "pre-rallies" later on Sunday at 19:00, at Omonia Square, the Old Parliament building and the Temple of Olympian Zeus, while it will hold a solidarity concert during events in Syntagma called "A song for the refugee".

Journalists also joined in the action, with their union federation POESY calling rally outside the Athens Journalists Union (ESHEA) at noon, followed by a march to Parliament. POESY and ESHEA were protesting against the abolition of an advertising duty that currently finances the journalists' social security and pension funds.

PAME's rally in Syntagma was addressed by KKE General Secretary Dimitris Koutsoumbas, who said that "capital and the governments were now trying to take back all the entitlements that the workers in our country and throughout the world had shed their blood to win. We must not do them the favour. The working class, the labour movement, in our country and in Europe, worldwide, must regroup, rally its forces and pass to a counter-attack."

Rallies were also held throughout Greece in Thessaloniki, the prefecture capitals in the Peloponnese, the port city of Patras, Agrinio, Mesologgi, Nafpaktos in western Greece, and the cities of Hania and Iraklio in Crete, among others.

[03] Juncker: Greece has virtually met its targets and won't need new aid package

"At this time we are at the stage of the first review of the programme and the targets have almost been achieved," Juncker said, noting that there would be a "first discussion" on how to make the Greek debt sustainable on Monday and ruling out a third aid programme.

He said the Commission expected a return to growth in the second half of 2016: "With the programme that Greece began last summer, it acquired the foundation for a return to permanent and stable economic growth," while adding that Greece's exit from the Euro was not an acceptable choice in the previous year "and is obviously not one today".

The Funke group includes the newspapers Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung, Berliner Morgenpost, Hamburger Abendblatt, Westfalische Rundschau and others.

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