Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-07-18

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

CONTENTS

[01] Moscovici, Tsakalotos agree on need to move fast to meet September milestones

[02] Parliament to begin debating proposed changes to election law on Tuesday

[03] Court acquits 17 of 32 defendants in 'Noor 1' case; sentences on Wednesday

[01] Moscovici, Tsakalotos agree on need to move fast to meet September milestones

As for a Greek request to "relax" the primary surplus targets after 2019, currently set at 3.5 pct of GDP, Moscovici said he "did not want to have this discussion again" and that it had been raised during his meeting with Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.

"We must put everything on the table during the negotiation that will take place in the autumn," he noted, while pointing out that the discussion on what was needed for the current programme to succeed had taken more than year.

Referring to milestones still pending, Moscovici said tail-end issues from the first review, such a new privatisation fund, the new public revenues authority and the non-performing loans (NPLs), needed to be wrapped up quickly. The prior actions for the start of the second review included labour law, growth strategy, fighting tax evasion and improving tax collection," he added.

"Countries that deregulated their labour market were able to create new jobs," he said.

Tsakalotos said that primary surplus targets will be discussed but only after "we see how it affects the needs of the economy and find a solution in that context," noting that primary surpluses, measures for the debt and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) participation in the Greek programme, could all be factors.

The minister said an economic recovery appeared imminent on the basis on existing indicators, while promising to quickly conclude the September milestones so that the second review might start as soon as possible. There had to be results on the issue of the IMF's participation, primary surplus targets and measures for the debt before Christmas, he added, announcing that six or seven important bills making major changes will be tabled over the summer.

The prime minister had asked that the Greek government be given greater freedom of movement in his meeting with Moscovici, Tsakalotos said, and pointed out the contradiction of asking for more Greek ownership while the institutions continued to micro-manage the programme. Athens had also asked for more tools to promote growth, greater flexibility in the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) funds, the establishment of a development bank and measures to compensate for the loss of the EKAS low pension benefit.

Moscovici said support for those that lost EKAS was not a problem, provided it was fiscally compatible with the programme and expressed support for the IMF's return. He turned down Greek requests to change the law on bank managements, however, noting that the relevant legislation was only recently passed. He appeared confident of positive growth rates in the second half of this year and up to 2.7 pct growth in 2017 pct, provided Greece sticks to the agreements. Otherwise, he warned, the benefits will not become apparent to the people subjected to so many painful measures.

[02] Parliament to begin debating proposed changes to election law on Tuesday

The debate will be concluded with a vote next Thursday, after three evening sessions, in order to give all the parties time to fully present and explain their positions.

[03] Court acquits 17 of 32 defendants in 'Noor 1' case; sentences on Wednesday

Among those convicted were the two Greek nationals responsible for leasing the ship, Dubai shipping broker Giorgos Bourdouvalis, who arranged for its journey from the United Arab Emirates to Elefsina, and ship owner Efthymios Yiannousakis, owner of the Filothei villa where 500 kilos of drugs were found. The two were found guilty of joining a criminal organisation and for the transportation, storage and possession of narcotics.

Three Turkish nationals were also found guilty as members of a criminal gang, while three more Greeks were found guilty as accomplices for the transportation of drugs.

The ship's owner Pantelis Kalafatis was acquitted due to reasonable doubts, as were the rest of the crew - barring one Iranian man acting as an "escort" for the heroin, who was found guilty as an accomplice in the transportation of drugs.

The court is expected to read out the sentences on Wednesday morning, taking into account any mitigating circumstances raised by the counsel for the accused. Until the court's verdict, there is no change in the restrictions imposed on the defendants during the trial, despite the public prosecutor's proposal that those found guilty should be detained.

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