Keep Talking Greece

Athens: Disabled on Wheelchairs Protest Welfare Cuts Outside Finance Ministry

September 13, 2012 1

Pictures of shame in the heart of the Greek capital: men and women on wheelchairs, blinds with walking sticks. They had to stage a protest rally in order to get an appointment with the Finance Minister. Knowing the famous “Greek reality” one can easily imagine, how they moved from one state …

Greece in IMF: 700K People With Zero-Income, 23.6% Unemployment in Q2/12, 700K With Zero-Income

September 13, 2012 3

One in five Greeks in best productive age are without work. 700,000 long-term jobless are without income as the unemployment allowance runs only for 12 months. Since last year, 1,000 people lose their work place and source of income – on a daily basis. these are the latest date published by Greek Statistics Authority …

Barroso: “United States of Europe” with “Pool Sovereignty”

September 13, 2012 10

The grandeur with the vision of an aspiring Orwellian Big Brother, the President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, revealed the plan of the “United States of Europe”: A federation of European member states, with common foreign and defense policy in addition to the ‘successful’ common economic and monetary union, …

Greeks are Rich: Heating Oil “on Fire” to be Sold at 1.40 Euro per Liter

September 13, 2012 9

In times when millions of households are suffering from sharp income decrease, Greeks will get confronted with a further economic bleeding expected to trim down their personal budget. As of October , the heating oil will be sold at 1.40 euro per liter from 1 euro/lite during last winter. The dramatic price …

“Death Penalty” For Cancer Patients in Greece as Health Care Collapses

September 12, 2012 Comments Off on “Death Penalty” For Cancer Patients in Greece as Health Care Collapses

Cancer patients have reached the point of not being able to take their medication because they have no money to buy them as pharmacists protest the national health care organisation EOPYY and do not give prescription medicine on credit. At the same time hospitals postpone cancer surgeries due to retention of physicians. The huge …

Athens: Members of Greek Armed Forces Protest Wages and Pensions Cuts

September 12, 2012 2

More than 2,000 active and retired members of the Greek Armed Forces wearing their uniforms gathered at Kolokotroni Square in Athens on Wednesday afternoon to protest upcoming cuts in their wages and pensions. In their first ever protest rally and holding banners the uniformed protesters marched to the Finance Ministry …

Israel Considers Leasing or Buying a Greek Island as Training Area for IDF

September 12, 2012 2

This could be a much more lucrative deal for Greeks than leasing an uninhabited island to some investors who wants to build a touristic paradise in the Aegean or the Ionian Sea. Then, there can be many island paradises, but training area for Israel Defense Forces is surely very rare. Israel saw …

€31.5-Billion Bailout Tranche for Greece to be Released in November?

September 12, 2012 1

This is a news coming through the indirect way: Greek Finance Minister Yiannis Stournaras allegedly briefed representatives from Municipalities that any discussion on economic demands could take place after the Troika report and the release of the bailout tranche in November. Costas Askounis, president of the Central Union of Municipalities …

Greece to Lease 40 Uninhabited Islands to Reduce Public Debt

September 12, 2012 3

Fourty uninhabited islands are ready to be leased to local or foreign investors, for up to 50 years. Greece is under pressure to fill state registers and targets revenues of 50 billion euro until 2020. Through the leasing of these islands that “offer good terrain, are close to the mainland …

33,000 EU-Employees & Officials to Get Salary Increases Despite Economic Crisis

September 12, 2012 1

I always knew, the EU officials had no idea about the real life in Europe, the real economic and social situation of EU- citizens and – taxpayers who come up for their expenses. And now this is officially confirmed, through an internal EU-Commission report asking for salary increases hikes and claiming “there …

German Constitutional Court Rules in Favor of Euro Rescue Fund (ESM)

September 12, 2012 10

The Euro Zone is relieved. Germany’s Constitutional Court ruled in favor of the Euro Rescue Fund – European Stability Mechanism (ESM). However the judges limited Germany’s fund liability up to 190 billion euro unless the German Parliament decides to make more funds available. The court said that condition for allowing the ESM-ratification was that any …

IMF Opposes “Special Economic Zones” in Greece!?

September 11, 2012 24

International Monetary Fund is allegedly against the establishment of “special economic zones” (SEZ) in debt-ridden Greece. This follows on a news posted in a Greek economic news portal about the meeting of Greek Development Minister Costis Chatzidakis with the representatives of IMF, EU and ECB – the Troika – on Tuesday. Taking into consideration …