Keep Talking Greece

Serifos wildfires: residents & tourists jumped in the water

July 28, 2013 Comments Off on Serifos wildfires: residents & tourists jumped in the water

The flames started to lick the first houses in the settlements Megalo Livadi and Koutalas on the island of Serifos, one of the Cyclades islands group. As the authrities were evacuating the settlements, residents and tourists with suitcases in their hands moved towards the coast. Some jumped into boats, while others …

Greeks gets 1.6% of bailout loans – 98.4% goes back to Troika

July 28, 2013 7

Only a tiny 1.6% of the bailout loans goes to Greece’s state budget, the real economy and the people. The rest 98.4% goes to serve the international creditors International Monetary Fund, European Union member states and European Central Bank. For the years 2010-20124, from the 236.8 billion euro bailout money …

EWG OKs €2.5bn to Greece, EU official sees €3.8bn program shortfall

July 26, 2013 Comments Off on EWG OKs €2.5bn to Greece, EU official sees €3.8bn program shortfall

A good news and a bad news: the Euro Working Group approved the 2.5 billion euro bailout tranche to Greece. The announcement was made via …Twitter! The Euro Working Group of finance officials has approved the disbursement of a E2.5 billion aid tranche for Greece, European Commission spokesman Simon O΄Connor …

Ioannina: unpaid stockbreeders break into dairy company demanding their money

July 26, 2013 Comments Off on Ioannina: unpaid stockbreeders break into dairy company demanding their money

Stones flew through the air and tear gas was fired when angry milk producers broke into a dairy company in Ioannina, western Greece. Hundreds of milk farmers gathered on Friday morning outside “Dodoni” milc factory demanding their money. “We have been unpaid for four months, we cannot feed our families,” …

Three years in IMF, there are still tax “untouchables”: the caste of Greek millionaires

July 26, 2013 Comments Off on Three years in IMF, there are still tax “untouchables”: the caste of Greek millionaires

Three years after Greece sought the money of IMF and drained every employee, pensioner and property owner with unbearable taxes, Finance Minister Yiannis Stournaras openly admits: there is still a caste of people the tax authorities do not dare to touch. People with millions in the bank who declare income below …

Greek FinMin criteria: You are suspect of tax evasion, if you’re nervous and change your appearance

July 25, 2013 5

Are you nervous? Did you change your appearance with a radical haircut or a weight loss (or even gain) of 30 kilos? Did you cut off your telephone connection? Do you often change address? You could be suspect of tax evasion… This is being clearly stated in a circular issued …

Euro zone delays bailout tranche to Greece due to 80 less teachers to be dismissed

July 25, 2013 2

On Wednesday I read in Greek media, the Euro zone minister (Euro Working Group) gave the green light for the 2.5 billion Greek bailout tranche. On Thursday I read that the euro zone has delayed its decision on whether to approve its next aid payment for Greece until Friday after …

Troika shuts down schools & kindergartens; more than 1,000 closed since 2011

July 25, 2013 Comments Off on Troika shuts down schools & kindergartens; more than 1,000 closed since 2011

A total 118 public elementary schools and kindergartens will be shut down this summer and another 29 will be merged after the Troika demands for “structural reforms”, “rationalization of state expenditure” – name it whatever you want. The 31 schools and 87 kindergartens to be shut down are located in …

Three little birds sitting …on a wire

July 24, 2013 Comments Off on Three little birds sitting …on a wire

It’s time for the birds. For angry birds, for hungry birds, for birds longing to move away and they can’t. There are several different hindering these birds from open wings and fly away. To other places with less financial distress, less trouble-causing bureaucracy. Somewhere where the state mechanism functions and …

Germany may delay €2.5 billion bailout tranche to Greece

July 24, 2013 Comments Off on Germany may delay €2.5 billion bailout tranche to Greece

Has Greece fulfilled all the conditions to receive the next bailout tranche of 2.5 billion euro? According to German deputy Finance Minister apparently not. In a letter to German Parliament (Bundestag) Steffen Kampeter claims, that the debt-ridden and slow-in-reforms country has completed 17 out of 22 required measures. While Athens …

Eurobarometer: 98% of Greeks say “economy poor”, 90% do not trust the government

July 23, 2013 Comments Off on Eurobarometer: 98% of Greeks say “economy poor”, 90% do not trust the government

98% of Greeks describe the situation of the national economy as “poor”, while 90% tend to not trust the government and 89% do not trust the parliament. These are among others the Greek results of an EU survey, the Eurobarometer. 98% of Greeks and 72% of EU citizens describe the …

Marfin Bank executives found guilty of manslaughter of 3 bank employees during anti-austerity arson

July 23, 2013 1

An Athens misdemeanors court ruled that three executives of Marfin Bank were guilty of manslaughter of three bank employees who died during a fire, when the bank they worked in was attacked by arsonists during anti-austerity protests in May 2010. The CEO of Marfin Bank, the head of bank security …