riser calm: What's Up in Greece on March 12/10?

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

What's Up in Greece on March 12/10? | Keep Talking Greece

Posted by keeptalkinggreece in Very Mix

The second bailout agreement is expected to get the final approval at the Eurogroup meeting today. After the successful PSI. Today is also the day where Greek bond holders will proceed to the swap of the new ?haircut? Greek bonds. Greek media report that the Eurogroup will immediately release a ?sub-installment? of five billion euro.

The successful debt restructuring left PASOK with only one candidate for the new leadership: Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos. What?s the purpose of holding party elections then? Christos Papoutsis, former Minister for Citizens? Protection resigned from his post to candidate for the leadership. However he did not receive the?necessary ?99 support signatures. The elections will take place next Sunday, March 18, 2012. Venizelos is expected to?resign from his post during the week, between March 15-17th.?A new Finance Minister will undertake important duties until the parliamentary elections that will most likely take place in upcoming May. On Monday morning, there are rumorsthat PM Lucas Papademos will also take the post of the Finance Minister until the ealry elections.

With the signing of the second bailout agreement Papademos government will have completed its duty. Theoretically, the date for the early elections should be declared?. this week? next week?

The confusion concerning the emergency property tax continues. The Finance Ministry claimed that when consumers pay only the electricity consumption amount, this money goes to the state as ?emergency property tax?. State power company DEH claims otherwise. Go figure?

As the state is in dire need of money, it will send control units to live music halls and fine them for allowing?smokingwithout paying the ?smoking fee?. Big music halls have to pay a fee so that their customers smoke while enjoy music. The finance ministry had estimated to cash 40 million euro from the smoking fee, however the revenues had not exceeded the two million.

Health ministry will?fine doctors with one euro for every prescription they write per hand and not electronically. The last stand at IKA (3 months ago) was that the doctors did not have computers available to write electronically the prescriptions. The Ministry was asking them to buy laptops out of their own pockets. The Greek Physicians Federation strongly opposes this measures, speaks of ?attempts to terrorize the doctors? and claims that the electronic prescription system does not work properly.

The cabinet is meeting to take decisions for the parades at the national day, March 25th. The prime minister and the ministers are on high alert as the incidents of angry citizens ?attacking? politicians with yogurt are dramatically increasing.

As of today, the unemployment allowance drops from 450 to 359 euro.

A new flu strain is to blame for the death of 15 people ?across the country, says the Center of Disease Prevention (KEELPNO).? The flue vaccination does not cover?this new strain. The flu has sent many people in bed?with fever, headache?and coughing. It lasts 8 to?10 days.

For those worrying about the pensions after the PSI. The governor of Greece?s biggest social fund IKA, Rovertos Spyropoulos, told SKAI TV this morning, that the funds have money until next October.

The government seeks ways to find?11 billion euro until the year 2015. The new austerity measures will be applied in next June. By the next government.

Athens Stock Exchange is on fall with -1.15% as of 12:44 pm.

Weather: snow, rain and cold until Wednesday.

Have a great week