Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras addressed the Greek parliament on Monday evening and outlined the agenda of the new Greek government during the first of three days of parliamentary sessions.
Tsipras set three straightforward priorities for the new Greek government in the economic realm: the reduction of the Greek debt, the recapitalization of the Greek banks and the creation of environment that fosters foreign investments to Greece.
“During the first six months of 2016, the economy will return to a positive growth trend, so that we can proceed with the necessary reforms for private investment and competitiveness,” he said and added that Greece will return to the financial markets within the next 20 months.
Tsipras noted that the agreed reforms of the third Greek bailout must be implemented for the achievement of these goals while he also admitted that a first review of the bailout must be completed before a reduction of the debt or the recapitalization of the Greek banks can materialize. He further proclaimed that Greek banks that are recapitalized with Greek state funds will also be managed by the Greek state to some extent.
The Greek premier said his government will negotiate with creditors to secure four major points. The first is the adjustment of loans that debtors cannot pay back. The protection of the first home is included in this adjustment. The second goal is the reinstatement of collective bargaining in the labor market along with a higher minimum wage.
The third goal is to maintain the public nature of state-owned utility company Public Power Corporation (DEI) and state-owned electricity operator ADMIE. The government’s final goal in this context is to establish a public asset fund that will utilize Greek public assets in a way that will service the public interest.
The country’s head of state also declared the creation of the new Public Growth Bank that will promote the growth of the tourist, shipping energy, agriculture and the country’s productive foundations.
Refugee Crisis
Tsipras did not leave untouched one of the major problems that developed during his first term as prime minister and that extend beyond the country’s borders, the refugee crisis, calling it one of the biggest challenges in Europe’s modern history.
“We have to manage a huge refugee crisis that brings to the surface the big political collisions that divide Europe from one end to the other but also each country separately,” he said urging Greece to show its humanitarian and solidary side amid this crisis.
The United Nations claimed at the end of last week that the number of migrants and refugees that have entered Greece in 2015 will soon reach the 400,000 mark.
Tsipras discussed the creation of five hot spots on the Greek islands that will allow Greece to utilize funds from the European Union for this crisis. He also made mention to the continued negotiations with European agencies to increase solidarity and the reconsideration of the Dublin Regulation as Greece’s primary concerns in the face of this international challenge.
Greece is at the centre of a widely destabilized area and should be a source of security and stability that has to take initiatives to help solve the region’s problems, the Greek statesman further asserted.
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