Titoli di Stato area Euro GRECIA Operativo titoli di stato - Cap. 1 (8 lettori)

[tommy271]

SEV: Eliminate 230 obstacles to business




(ANA-MPA) -- The Federation of Hellenic Enterprises (SEV) on Wednesday unveiled a detailed report listing, one by one, of what it cited as 230 bureaucratic obstacles and added costs blocking entrepreneurship in the debt- and deficit-plagued country.

The report was presented to Development and Competitiveness Minister Mihalis Chryssohoidis by SEV President Dimitris Daskalopoulos.

Amongst the high-profile proposals are work on Saturday with supplementary time off, along with a proposal for overtime work offset by an overall reduction of working time.

As regards labour relations, SEV suggests the reduction by half (from 8 to 4 pct) of the percentage of mandatory hirings concerning special categories of employees (the handicapped, heads of large families etc), revision of the so-called "hazardous and heavy" professions list and a reduction of social insurance contributions.

SEV also reiterates its standing criticism of excessive bureaucracy, citing scores of state interventions in the economy. It suggests, among others, abolition of fees and tax stamps, including the mandatory registration of businesses to relevant chambers, and the publication of business balance sheets in newspapers. Moreover, it calls for the abolition of the advertisement tax in favor of media pension funds (aggeliosimo) and the ERT levy (public radio and television) collected through a surcharge on power bills. In addition, all surcharges in favor of third parties included in prescription medicine prices, tuition fees, shipping fares, fuel prices, theatre tickets, olive oil prices and candles (in support of the clerics' fund) - to name a few - should be abolished, SEV states.

(ana.gr)

 

[tommy271]

25% of Greece’s electricity will come from wind by 2020-Minister of Energy



http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php...hl=it&q=greece&as_qdr=h&as_drrb=q&cf=all&tt=0 http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php...hl=it&q=greece&as_qdr=h&as_drrb=q&cf=all&tt=0 http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php...hl=it&q=greece&as_qdr=h&as_drrb=q&cf=all&tt=0

Balkan Business News Correspondent - 02.12.2010


As of 2005, 6.9% of Greece’s energy - 10% of its electricity - came from renewables. This 10% broke down into 8% hydro and 2% wind power. By the end of 2009, Greece had installed a cumulative total of 1,087 MW. Wind currently provides around 4% of Greece’s electricity. Greece has to reach 18% of its energy from renewables (40% of its electricity) by 2020 according to the 2009 EU Renewable Energy Directive. In its National Renewable Energy Action Plan, Greece stated that this 40% renewable electricity in 2020 would break down into 24% from wind, 9% from hydro, 4% PV, 1% biomass, 1% geothermal and 1% CSP. In its 2008 ‘Pure Power’ report, EWEA predicted that Greece would install 6,500- 8,500 MW of wind power capacity by 2020, providing between 22% and 29% of the country’s power.
In an interview wtih Greece's Energy Minister,Tina Birbili, EWEA asked the Minisetr what portion of the 20% do she expect wind energy to meet? The Minister answered " Our 2020 target for electricity from renewables is 40%. Out of that 40%, wind will account for 25% and the other 15% will come from other renewables. This results in 10% wind contribution in the overall 20% figure, when it comes to the total final energy consumption." additionally, the Minister said in regards to renewable energy measures "There are two critical things. The fi rst has to do with the new legislative framework we established by law in early June 2010 which a) accelerates permitting procedures, b) removes non-technical barriers for realising large projects, including grid interconnections, in order to exploit the huge wind potential of our Aegean sea islands, c) foresees years to one to 1.5 years and, most importantly, we have built a One-Stop-Shop in the ministry to accelerate the licensing procedures. We also did some indirect work regarding public acceptance by providing incentives, through the reduction of their electricity bill, to people living close to wind farms. We are aware that much more has to be done regarding public acceptance and awareness and we plan to put additional effort into that.
Source; EWEA


(Balkans.com)

 

[Jessica.]

***
Impegni a 360 gradi per Papandreou ... grandi progetti, forte innovazione, modernizzazione della società e dell'economia.
Ha una forza da ... Leonida .

Leonida pero' non fece una gran bella fine..

 

[tommy271]

Leonida pero' non fece una gran bella fine..

Le sue gesta sono scolpite nella storia ... .

 

[tommy271]

ATEBank Set To Enter Restructuring



ATEBank will reduce its workforce by 1,000 persons, cut payouts by 10%, shut down branches and sell all its non-bank holdings as part of its restructuring plan.

The state run bank will go through a triple merger with the Loans and Consignments Fund (LCF) and the Hellenic Postbank so as to create a strong state run banking pillar.

The plan includes restructuring of ATE, which must get rid of its non-bank holdings while the LCF will be cut in two. From this procedure, an SA in the form of a bank will emerge that will merge with ATEBank. Then, the new entity will be absorbed by the Hellenic Postbank.

Afterwards, the Greek government will sale a stake of the new bank.

(Capital.gr)

***
Corporate.

 

[tommy271]

Papandreou plays consensus card

PM suggests constitutional reform may be an area where political parties can find common ground



“Consensus but not any cost” seemed to be the government’s motto yesterday, as sources close to Prime Minister George Papandreou sought to play down the premier’s comments that PASOK would actively seek common ground with other parties on the issue of constitutional reform.

Speaking on Tuesday at a conference organized by the Hellenic-American Chamber of Commerce, Papandreou had suggested that the government was prepared to go to great lengths to reach agreement with the opposition parties. “We are pursuing broad consensus,” said the prime minister. “We will exhaust every avenue of negotiation and we have no objection to agreeing to changes to the Constitution.
“We have already said that there need to be significant changes to the Constitution.”

Papandreou’s suggestion of making changes to the Greek Constitution seem a little premature, given that the Parliament sitting now would have to vote in favor of such changes so the next batch of MPs voted in at general elections could make the changes.

However, it appears that the prime minister’s comments were more of an opening move in a bid to defuse the tension in the political system or to at least make the government appear to be open to the idea of increasing cooperation between at least the two main parties.

New Democracy’s decision to campaign on a platform opposed to the European Union-International Monetary Fund memorandum had polarized the atmosphere before the local elections last month. Also its leader, Antonis Samaras, indicated recently that he has no intention of making any effort to reach consensus with PASOK on some issues.

As such, Papandreou seems to think that he can steal a march on his rival by appearing more open to the idea of reaching across the political aisle. His aides played down the significance of the gesture, saying that seeking consensus is not an end in itself. They added that the government has nothing to gain from making empty gestures aimed at giving the impression of agreement between the parties when there is no basis for such cooperation. They said, for instance, that the prime minister has no intention of calling for a meeting of political leaders, as he did at the start of his premiership, when there was some agreement for dealing with corruption but which soon dissipated.


(Kathimerini.gr)

 

[tommy271]

Go-slow at dump, in trash collection


Municipal garbage trucks started collecting trash from overflowing dumpsters yesterday following a work-to-rule protest by staff at the capital’s main landfill in Ano Liosia, northwest of Athens. Meanwhile, incoming Athens Mayor Giorgos Kaminis requested a meeting with Interior Minister Yiannis Ragousis and Attica Regional Governor Yiannis Sgouros about how to tackle the enduring problem of trash management.

The action by landfill staff hampered efforts to clean up thousands of tons of trash that had accumulated on the streets of the capital during a six-day strike by municipal garbage collectors.

The landfill staff launched their action on Monday as an expression of solidarity with 100 workers whose short-term contracts are not being renewed. The municipal garbage collectors have been demanding better pay and job security.

Kaminis yesterday appealed for a resolution to both disputes, noting that failure to reach a consensus would result in Athenians spending Christmas with 200,000 tons of trash in their neighborhoods.

Many streets in central Athens and a number of suburbs were swamped in garbage yesterday, with Thiseio, Pangrati and Petralona among the worst-affected areas.

Giorgos Hardas, head of the landfill workers’ union, told Kathimerini yesterday that the skeleton staff on duty at the site had done all they could to keep it operating. But there were reports of garbage trucks waiting in lines outside the landfill that stretched several kilometers. Most of the trucks were turned away, with thousands of tons of trash. It is unclear whether this garbage was returned to dumpsters or disposed of elsewhere.


(Kathimerini.gr)


***
Un sottile filo rosso lega molte città mediterranee ...

 

[tommy271]

State revenues in sight of goal

Tax amnesty boosted income in November; ministry sources see a difficult month ahead as year winds up

By Prokopis Hatzinikolaou - Kathimerini


State revenues from a tax amnesty scheme and hike in value-added tax helped boost income in the first 11 months of 2010, placing the government closer to its goals for the first time this year.

The Finance Ministry is some 375 million euros short of its fiscal targets for the January to November period and will need to earn 6 billion euros in the last month of the year if it wants to meet 2010 goals.

In December last year, when the recession was not as severe as it is now, the government collected 5.2 billion euros in revenues.

According to provisional figures from the Finance Ministry, net revenue in November rose by an annual pace of 18 percent to 4.5 billion euros.

At the same time, revenues from VAT increased 10.4 percent over the same period last year.
For the 11-month period, revenues rose 5.1 percent, versus the 6 percent annual target, to 45.5 billion euros.
Greece’s initial target for annual revenue growth stood at 13.6 percent.

A deepening recession and poorly organized tax collection services forced the government recently to introduce further ways to boost income, such as offering taxpayers the right to pay for amnesty from possible future audits.

Without the money from the tax amnesty, income in November would have reached 3.8 billion euros, some 50 million euros higher than the same month last year, despite a recent rise in the VAT rate to 23 percent from 19 percent in 2010.
Ministry sources believe that December will be a difficult month to collect state revenues due to plunging consumption.

Cuts in allowances and salaries paid to public sector workers, along with other financial obligations that are paid to the state in December, such as road tax, have taken away from the resources consumers have to spend for the Christmas period.


(Kathimerini.gr)

 

[tommy271]

Greeks invest in dry-bulk market


By Nikos Bardounias - Kathimerini


Greek shipowners are maintaining their global lead in the sector, as in the year to end-October they have invested more than $6 billion in the purchase of newly built ships, mostly dry-bulk carriers.

Data compiled by Golden Destiny shipbrokers showed that in the period from January to October 2010, there were 231 orders placed by Greek shipowners at shipyards in China and South Korea, against just 36 in the same period in 2009 – a considerable increase year-on-year.

The investment activity of Greek shipowners in the purchase of used vessels has also been remarkable, as they have spent some $5.2 billion of a total of $22 billion invested in this market in the first 10 months of the year.

Greeks now account for 17.2 percent of the total number of used ship transactions, followed by the Chinese with 11.7 percent. Golden Destiny estimates that 2010 will see Greek and foreign shipowners turn even more toward used ships, especially in the dry-bulk carrier domain, with the Greeks maintaining their lead over the Chinese.

So why have the Greeks become so active this year? “A significant factor for the reactivation of Greek shippers in the market of new ships was the rebound of the shipping rates market concerning dry-bulkers, with the BDI rate index climbing over 4,000 points last month, up from 3,005 points in December 2009,” Golden Destiny stated in its report.

“Furthermore, the attractive prices the shipyards are offering after the credit crisis of 2008 are strengthening the decisions of Greek shipowners to renew their fleet by building new ships. Building a ship costs now up to 50 percent less than the record prices in 2008,” the report adds.


(Kathimerini.gr)


***
Un settore promettente dove la Grecia primeggia ...

 

[tommy271]

Finansbank may issue 1-billion-euro bond



ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Finansbank, the Turkish lender owned by National Bank of Greece (NBG), may issue a 1-billion-lira bond ($670 million) after its planned public offering, Finansbank’s chairman told Reuters.
Seeking to boost its balance sheet in the wake of the Greek debt crisis earlier this year, NBG, Greece’s largest lender, plans to sell up to 20 percent and retain a 75 percent stake in the Turkish bank.
“After the public offering, we can hold a 1-billion-lira bond issue,” Omer Aras said in an interview. NBG, which has said it aims to raise 2.8 billion euros ($3.86 billion), completed a 1.8-billion-euro cash call through a rights issue in October.

According to Aras, NBG had expected the Finansbank offering could raise a billion euros. Half the proceeds from the sale will go to NBG and half to Finansbank, Aras said. Turkish banks have been relatively unscathed by the global financial woes as a result of stringent policies imposed after a 2001 Turkish crisis.

Aras said NBG was not launching an exit strategy from Finansbank and said that its management would not change after the sale.

The public offering was targeted for the first half of February but could be delayed until the second quarter due to continuing market volatility in Europe, Aras said.