Renegotiation with the Troika due to the recession

At the meeting of PASOK’s Parliamentary Labour Sector of Finance, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos said that the next two months will be difficult for the state's economy, blaming this on the continuing recession. But he also showed cautious optimism, taking into account the state of some indicators.

According to government sources, the Finance Minister has left an open possibility for renegotiation of the timetable and the objectives of the mid-term with the Troika because of the recession.

He informed PASOK members that he will send a letter to his European counterparts in the coming days, in consultation with the Eurogroup, asking them to ratify the agreement of July 21 as soon as possible.

The Finance Minister defended the negotiations with Finland, as they are required by the EU decisions and according to the same sources, said that New Democracy’s stance is immoral, since Samaras knew the attitude of the Finns, having discussed the issue with them some months ago, when the latter were still the opposition.

According to reports, he appeared troubled regarding the immediate privatization of state-owned enterprises already listed on the stock market because the index is very low.

During the debate, both Vasso Papandreou and other members asked Venizelos not  increase the catering VAT tax by 23%, and he promised to look at the tax rates again during the drafting of the National Tax Plan.

According to information, Mrs. Papandreou expressed her concern as to whether the implementation of the EU decisions of July 21 will proceed, citing the recent statement by the Finance Minister of Italy that they are borrowing at almost 7% and will lend Greece at 3,5%.