These are the 50 things that changed in Greece

By the motivation of their creditors the people in Greece are really changing things. Wherever you turn in Athens you can see that something is changing in everyday life or the public sector. The Die Welt newspaper speaks of 50 characteristic changes.

It can be assumed, the correspondent for the German newspaper in Athens writes, that in Greece something is changing, even if the 50 changes identified by the newspaper do not directly affect the ratings of the troika.

Here is a selection of the most characteristic changes, measures or government targets published by the German newspaper:

Receipts: There is no transaction in a store without receipts. Whether you buy a coffee, a newspaper, water or a drink, everyday life is full of receipts.

Taxes: Finance Ministry General Secretary Haris Theocharis has set a goal to collect more taxes in 2013 than planned.

Registry of civil servants: To reduce the number of civil servants as troika is asking, it is good to know how many employees you have. Civil servants were sent questionnaires asking them to describe their type of work and training.

Layoffs: Those taking a public sector salary without coming to their workplace are the first to lose their jobs.

Savings: The government seeks to limit as much as possible the cost of its six-month presidency of the EU. 50 million euros are estimated for hosting official guests and increased travels between Athens and Brussels.

Tourism: 17 million tourists visited Greece last year, an unprecedented number for the data of Greek tourism. The increase of visitors from Germany alone reached 10%.

Taxi: The basic rule of hospitality is you do not steal the stranger. Checks in Athens showed that no taxi driver asks for nonexistent surcharges and now are choosing the shorter rather than the longer route.

Purchasing power: The economic performance of the country is at a lower level than before the crisis, while the living standards have also fallen dramatically. "As much as ever, and nowhere in peacetime," the FinMin stresses, rejecting new austerity measures after the completion of the second bailout program.

Weak growth: 0.6% growth expected for 2014. "The recovery has started," a member of the Greek government says and adds that "at least we are not continuing the downward spiral."

Financing gap: The FinMin calculates the funding gap at 11 billion euros until 2015.

Exports: The crisis has decreased imports drastically. Meanwhile, a significant rise in the export of Greek products has also been recorded.

 Surplus: Excluding the servicing of loans the Greek budget will show a surplus of 1.2% this year, which is a prerequisite for a new aid package.

 Accounts: The government had raised more than 9 billion euros in unpaid bills in 2010. 7 billion have already been paid, government circles say.

 Privatizations: 4 billion euros have flowed into the treasuries from the use of public property. The aim was much higher.

Land Registry: To sell land or a house you should know to whom it belongs. With the help of Dutch experts the Land Registry of Greece is moving forward.

Culture: 12 million visitors recorded last year by museums and archaeological sites. "I promise that come Spring we will extend the working hours so that we can have more visitors," the Minister of Culture promises.

Bars - Pubs: The bars in Plaka are full, like the old days, but now the Greeks are holding a drink in their hand for over an hour…

Election campaign: Cuts everywhere! Both in local and European elections spending numbers now come at single figures.

The roots of terrorism: The crisis in Greece brings out extremist parties that regenerate violence.