Greece takes over EU presidency

The Greek premier Antonis Samaras told MEPs of the EU Parliament in Strasbourg that his government’s economic reforms were working.

“I know that many things have been said in this room- positive and negative- about this period. But we should keep one thing here: Greece kept its commitments and honored its signature. In other words: We delivered.”

One centre-right German MEP said Greece’s economic woes would not hamper its presidency.

“I do trust Greece. I had a meeting with Prime Minister Samaras and Vice Prime Minister Venizelos, I have the impression that they have clear idea and.priorities. And I think that Greece should have a chance as every presidency before.”

But for the leader of the far-left group, scant attention is being paid to the plight of ordinary people.
UKIP MEP Nigel Farage told parliamentarians that the country was not a real democracy whilst it had to answer to the troika.

“A country in the desperate state Greece is in, and much of it because of the idiotic decision to join the euro itself, the fact that Greece has taken over the presidency of the European Union, I mean frankly it is as much as I can do to stop myself laughing.

Samaras said that he planned to put structrual reforms to boost jobs and growth at the heart of his agenda over the next six months.

EU-Digest

Greece: PM: First signs of economic recovery already visible

The first signs of recovery of the Greek economy are already visible, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras stressed on Thursday, addressing a conference on the utilization of EU funds in the next programming period of 2014-2020, budgeted at 36 billion euros.
 
Addressing the 1st National Development Conference for the programming period 2014-2020, jointly organized by the Development Ministry and the European Commission, Samaras said that the year 2013 is a turning point that will lead to growth, given that the results of the measures taken by the government will begin to be clearly visible in the next quarter and become tangible on the market by the end of the year.

Indeed, Samaras made a specific reference to the fact that in February a positive balance between hirings and layoffs was posted for the first time in many years, which he said was a significant sign of recovery.

On the overall course of the economy, the premier said that Greece is not at risk of finding itself outside the Eurozone, but pointed out that the crisis has traumatized the European vision, especially in the South.

Read more: PM: First signs of economic recovery already visible

Greece to vote on euro 18 Billion in New Cuts - by L. Alderman and R . Donaldo

Destabilized by scandals yet held together by a lack of alternatives, the Greek government prepared to push a raft of politically toxic new austerity measures through Parliament on Wednesday, a move aimed at securing international financing and ensuring that the debt-wracked nation will remain in the euro zone.

But some members of Prime Minister Antonis Samaras’s fragile three-party coalition government were expected to break ranks and vote against the measures, reviving questions about how long the coalition can hold together. 

On the streets, austerity-weary Greeks kicked off two days of nationwide strikes on Tuesday to protest the new measures, which will total euro 18 billion (US $23 billion) over the next four years.

Read more: Greece to Vote on $23 Billion in New Cuts - NYTimes.com

European Leaders Step Up Talks

European leaders were taking their shuttle diplomacy into the next round on Tuesday, as markets indicated their growing impatience with the ongoing sovereign debt crisis with a fresh cut to the European Union’s credit outlook.

Angela Merkel the German chancellor, met with Herman van Rompuy, the E.U. president, in Berlin. No details were released about the talks, which had been expected to focus on ideas proposed in June for how to weave the Union more tightly together as part of efforts to create structures for an economic and monetary union.

The problems facing the Greek government had also been expected to figure in their talks, as Europe awaited the latest report from representatives of the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund, known as the troika, on whether to release the latest installment of funding to Athens.

Mr. Van Rompuy is to meet later in the week with the Greek prime minister, Antonis Samaras, and the French president, François Hollande, both of whom were recently in Berlin.

By short-term, Mr. Draghi said the debt maturities would be between one year and three years, said one of the lawmakers, who spoke on condition of anonymity as the meeting was supposed to be private. 

Mr. Draghi’s comments appeared to be laying the groundwork for a much-anticipated announcement at the monthly policy meeting of the E.C.B. on Thursday. Purchases of short-term maturities could be a key way for the E.C.B. to respond to calls to help Italy and Spain control their borrowing costs.

Read more: European Leaders Step Up Talks - NYTimes.com