Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, the New Democracy Conservative leader, met with his coalition partners on April 23 in a bid to convince them to support a multi-faceted bill of reforms that the country’s international lenders are insisting be passed rapidly.
Samaras wants the Parliament his administration controls to adopt the measures by April 28 but rejected a request by one of his coalition members, PASOK Socialist leader Evangelos Venizelos, to be notified before any final decisions are made. The third coalition leader, Democratic Left (DIMAR) leader Fotis Kouvelis is in Brussels and unavailable to meet until next week.
Samaras decided instead to meet with leading officials from the ministries that will be most affected by the new legislation – including Administrative Reform Minister Antonis Manitakis, who was DIMAR’s choice to serve in the Cabinet, Development Minister Costis Hatzidakis of ruling New Democracy – to sort out differences.
The officials will be briefed by Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras as to the exact contents of the draft bill, which includes provisions for streamlining the civil service by dismissing 15,000 civil servants by the end of 2014 – one of the most divisive parts of the legislation.
The section on the civil servants’ layoffs is expected to be detailed with provisions aimed at speeding up the disciplinary process that public servants accused of offenses must go through. There will also be incentives for older employees to take early retirement.
The multi-bill will also outline the number of installments Greeks will be allowed to repay taxes or social security contributions and a 15 percent reduction on the emergency property tax that is perhaps the most hated of the austerity measures the government has taken over the last three years.
Stournaras said that Parliament would have to approve the measures in time for a meeting of Eurozone finance ministers on May 13 to decide whether Greece will get a 6 billion euros ($7.8 billion) installment. A pending delayed installment of 2.8 billion ($3.5 billion) as part of a second bailout of $173 billion is also in limbo.
The government is scrambling to get approval before the country enters the down period leading up to the Easter holiday on May 5, a time of the year when Parliament isn’t in session and Greeks take off for their villages or prepare for the most religious time of the year.
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