Greek Prime Minister and leader of the New Democracy (ND) party Antonis Samaras and Government Vice President and PASOK leader Evangelos Venizelos agreed on Wednesday on a policy platform of the two government coalition partners.
According to the text, which was distributed to the press on Wednesday evening following a meeting between the two leaders, the horizon of the present government remains the four-year term, aiming to rid the country from the EC/ECB/IMF bailout memorandum through the observance of Greece’s committments. The two coalition partners also make clear that after the achievemnt of a primary surplus, the Greek economy and society cannot bear any further horizontal measures and conclude by indicating that the present policy platform also constitutes the framework of negotiations with the EC/ECB/IMF troika of lenders.
The text further notes that ND and PASOK, despite their ideological and political differences and the different appreciations regarding crucial periods of the past, they cooperate in the resent government of national responsibility fully conscious of their historical responsibility in securing the country’s steady course within the European Union and the Eurozone and its definite exit from the crisis.
The first precondition for achieving the above national target is the government’s stability and the completion of its four-year term. The two leaders also note that they are fully aware of the situtaion prevailing in society after six years of recession, adding: “Our greatest agony and major objective is to safeguard social cohesion; contain unemployment and especially the unemployment among the young generations; protect vulnerable social groups; and, correct injustices that have been committed during the battle to keep our homeland upright.”
They underline that the solution will be given only through growth and indicate that the country’s top priority was to generate national wealth through the support of healthy entrepreneurship.
Greece must transform from a parasite economy to real production, as well as from the accumulation of super-profits to the productive investments and from the economy of “incomers” to the economy of innovative entrepreneurs.
The two leaders noted that dialogue and consultation with the country’s creative forces is a priority in order to establish a “responsible front” that will guarantee the success of changes and reforms.
Samaras and Venizelos make it clear to all directions that “now that Greece, thanks to the sacrifices of its citizens, is already posting a structural fiscal surplus and will meet the target of primary surplus, it can internationally say in a convincing manner that new fiscal measures that cut salaries and pensions neither should nor can be taken. Neither the society nor the economy can afford such further measures.”
Returning to a stable positive growth rate of GDP for all the coming years is the only safe way to cover any budget gap up to the conclusion of the adjustment program in 2016.
The two leaders list four major priorities:
implementation of the mid-term fiscal adjustment program and the annual budgets of the general government;
implementation of measures to contain unemployment, protect weak social groups and safeguard social cohesion;
going ahead with structural changes in the state and in the state’s relation with the economy; and,
supporting the real economy, businesses, growth and employment
Restarting the real economy, the text stresses, can only be achieved through a gradual, but as fast as possible, restoration of private and public investments to pre-crisis levels.
The primary objectives of the government in this respect include:
reducing the cost of money;
reducing energy costs;
full payment of overdue state debts to businesses;
the constant fight against bureaucracy;
reducing company tax, as part of an overall gradual reduction of all taxes
Special reference is also made to the combatting of unemployment and its reduction to average European levels and the strengthening of the social state’s structures.
The agreement refers to the creation of temporary jobs for unemployed persons (young people, middle aged people, women) and clarifies that the necessary resources have been secured to a considerable extent and will be supplemented through necessary procedures at national and EU level. The first relative programme for 50,000 posts already run in 2013, while the next are being prepared for 2014 with a prediction for 75,000 posts.
It refers to the arrangements of the tax and social insurance commitments and clarifies that the first house of the poor or average household that is struggling to arrange and serve its loans or is provenly in a state of inability, is and will be absolutely secured against auctions.
It anticipates that VAT decrease will also follow in all other categories as soon as the fiscal situation permits it.
They speak of “the shaping of a new national taxation system, simple and codified, that will systematically arrange, without gaps and contradictions, the income taxation of private individuals and legal entities, real estate, capital taxation etc” but stress that the completion of such a system requires that the fiscal crisis is folly overcome.
They also speak of evaluation in the public sector, reassuring, however, that no employee in the public sector who does his work properly need to worry.
They announce in advance that the two parties will undertake an initiative on the revision of the constitution aiming at the greatest possible consensus.
They also pledge that there will be a review of the overall immigration legislation, which has already started, including provisions for the granting of citizenship, according to European standards and corresponding to what is valid in other European countries with similar problems (European South).
They clarify that protection of democracy and of Parliamentarism from those exploiting the tolerance of democratic institutions to undermine and abuse Parliamentary democracy itself, and the institutional reaction against Nazism, racism and xenophobia is one of the principles included in the government’s policy platform.
The two leaders concluded that “this policy platform is at the same time the political framework for negotiations with the European partners, the European institutions and the IMF as well”.
(source: ana-mpa)
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