Greece's 2014 budget, which forecasts a return to growth after six consecutive years of deep recession, has been passed by MPs.
But its revenue and spending targets have been contested by the country's creditors who have provided more than 240 billion euros (£201bn) in bail-out aid since 2010 to keep the heavily-indebted nation from bankruptcy.
As expected, the government coalition of conservatives and socialists held together for the vote, with 153 MPs in the 300-member parliament voting for the budget, 142 voting against and one voting "present".
A deputy and ex-minister from the ruling conservative New Democracy party was absent and three MPs from the extreme-right Golden Dawn party, including its leader, could not vote, because they have been jailed pending trial charged with membership in a criminal organization.
"This is the first decisive step in exiting the bail-out," prime minister Antonis Samaras said in his speech that concluded a three-day debate.
Mr Samaras said his government had exceeded four of five major targets it had set this year, coming up short only on unemployment, which remains stuck above 27%. But he said, there were "revolutionary" developments in 2013, such as a small primary surplus of 800 million euros (£670m) and a current account surplus, both for the first time in decades.
Read ,ore: Greece passes 2014 'growth' budget - BelfastTelegraph.co.uk
But its revenue and spending targets have been contested by the country's creditors who have provided more than 240 billion euros (£201bn) in bail-out aid since 2010 to keep the heavily-indebted nation from bankruptcy.
As expected, the government coalition of conservatives and socialists held together for the vote, with 153 MPs in the 300-member parliament voting for the budget, 142 voting against and one voting "present".
A deputy and ex-minister from the ruling conservative New Democracy party was absent and three MPs from the extreme-right Golden Dawn party, including its leader, could not vote, because they have been jailed pending trial charged with membership in a criminal organization.
"This is the first decisive step in exiting the bail-out," prime minister Antonis Samaras said in his speech that concluded a three-day debate.
Mr Samaras said his government had exceeded four of five major targets it had set this year, coming up short only on unemployment, which remains stuck above 27%. But he said, there were "revolutionary" developments in 2013, such as a small primary surplus of 800 million euros (£670m) and a current account surplus, both for the first time in decades.
Read ,ore: Greece passes 2014 'growth' budget - BelfastTelegraph.co.uk
No comments:
Post a Comment