Prominent EU Personalities Support Greece

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The voices of those who support Greece increase in number and volume day by day! Francois Olland, the French socialist candidate for the presidency, stated that if he is elected, he’ll renegotiate the terms and conditions of the economic package. Francois strongly supports the Greek people during these crucial and severe times for our country. He states that all the sacrifices that the Greeks have made so far and the progress that Athens has shown up to this stage should be rewarded…only to carry on by saying that a lot of foreign ministers already have doubts over the austerity measures that Germany wants to impose, not only on Greece, but on the rest of the EU countries.

Another French national turned Greek supporter is Patrick Hyaric, who is actually the president of the French newspaper “L’Humanite”, and the list doesn’t end there….

Even the Italian prime minister Mario Monti supported our country in one of his speeches declaring that “…Greece had serious responsibilities in the past, but she has made serious steps towards improvement and it’s only crucial to turn the page in her favor…” In a move that clearly shows dissatisfaction with the whole EU failure, Mario Monti has withdrawn Italy’s candidancy for the 2020 Olympic Games!

One can only wonder how this will end, or what dawns for every one of us…One thing is for certain…unity brings people together…isn’t that what Alexander The Great did after all? Where are You now to see the state of Your country? Where are You now to see the state that certain “prime ministers” have reduced Your country to?

I guess we have to close with what Patrick Hyaric wrote in his paper “… Yes we are Greeks through unity and solidarity, we are Greeks simply because we refuse to live in the very same misery they have to live in at the moment.”

YES WE ARE GREEKS!!! We should finally wake up and claim back OUR OWN COUNTRY!!!

Ιtalian Mayors Donate their Salaries in Support of Greece

In a symbolic act of  solidarity towards Greece and its people, plagued by the economic crisis and struck by their lender’s excessive demands, two mayors from Italy have announced their decision to donate their salaries in support of the Greek people.

Marco Galdi, mayor of the Cava de’ Tirreni, outside Salerno, offered his 1,100 Euros salary per month to the Greek people, as he stated in a letter to the President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, the President of the European Parliament, Martin Schultz, the Italian PM, Mario Monti, and the Greek PM, Lucas Papademos.

The payment of the mayor’s salary to Greece will commence in March.

In his letter, Galdi wrote that “only one people across Europe claim not having brothers or sisters, and those are the Greeks. And in this particular moment in history they are absolutely right. Nobody in the world treats the Greek people with any sentiment of brotherhood.”

The same solidarity gesture was repeated by the mayor of the small town of Baronissi, Giovanni Moscatiello, who offered his salary of 780 Euros per month to Greece.

“All leaders of Greece have definitely committed serious mistakes over the years. We would be as irresponsible as they were, if we did not support the country that gave birth to the Western European civilization in any way we could” read Moscatiello’s letter.

Med: 5+5; Immigration Top of Greek Delegation's Agenda

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The meeting of the 5+5 Dialogue for the Mediterranean, scheduled to take place in Rome on Monday, “will be a prime opportunity for political leaders from Athens to discuss recent developments in the region and especially in the eastern Mediterranean”. This was the position outlined by the Grigorios Delavecuras, spokesperson for Greece’s Foreign Ministry, as the country’s Foreign Minister, Stavros Dimas, prepares this evening to head to Rome.
Monday’s meeting, which will be the first one to be attended by Greece alongside Turkey and Egypt, “will also provide an opportunity to discuss how the EU’s role can best be utilised: it is a very important instrument we have for promoting cooperation between the northern and the southern shores of the Mediterranean,” the spokesperson added.
As Mr Delavecuras continued, the Rome meeting “will also provide an opportunity for new bilateral talks between Italy’s Foreign Minister, Terzi and ours, Dimas, which are sure to range across the themes of the Balkans to EU enlargement and the exploiting of the hydrocarbon reserves recently discovered by Cyprus, as well as Turkey’s threats in this regard”.
During the group stage – which will include the five countries of the northern shore: Italy, France, Spain, Malta and Portugal, and the five of the southern shore: Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Mauritania and Morocco – there are various matters on the agenda, including regional security, energy, protection of the environment, development and immigration. As the spokesperson pointed out, “The phenomenon of illegal immigration is one that Greece finds particularly important, bearing in mind that 90% of arrests of illegal immigrants occur on the border between our country and Turkey. These are figures way beyond Greece’s ability to act alone and there is not much more that we can do, despite the top class cooperation we get from Frontex,” the EU’s border control agency.
Despite the fact that our deep economic crisis is making the prospect of living in Greece less and less attractive, the problem of illegal immigration continues to affect the country and the influx of illegal migrants is not just continuing apace by is continuing to increase in volume, given that Greece remains a stop-over point on the route into other EU countries. According to figures from Greece’s police, the flow of illegal migrants crossing the River Evros on the border with Turkey is showing no signs of easing. Last year, the number of illegal immigrants into Greece rose by 16.77% year on year. Last year also saw 54,974 people arrested as they attempted to cross the river, compared to just 47,079 in 2010. One hundred and sixty people crossed into Greece just in the one night preceding the start of work in a proper wall over 10 km long to prevent illegal immigration across the Turkish border. Criticism has been voiced at the construction of a Greek wall over recent days at the Council of Europe, with some calling the project both futile and dangerous, as it could increase the number of lives lost in the attempt to cross. “Does Greece expect the Rome meeting to focus on this frontier wall, which, apart from anything else, will cost the Greek state between three and five million euros during this period of crisis?” Mr Delavecuras replied, “This wall protects the frontiers of our country and it is only one of the many means we have for curbing the inflow of illegal migrants. Apart from which, it is no more than a technical barrier: a device used with success by other countries in the past. We do not think that the Rome meeting will focus on this because we are also adopting a series of other measures to manage the enormous tide of illegal migrants. This is just one aspect of the issue. It is important to remember that, like other countries, Greece does not, unfortunately, have adequate infrastructure to cope properly with illegal migrants arriving on its territory”.
(source: ANSA)

Schaeuble Shows Sympathy for Greeks' Plight

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German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said he felt great sympathy for the people of Greece in their efforts to restart their economy and put their finances in order, in an interview to be published Sunday.
“I very much empathize with the Greek people,” Schaeuble told the Berlin daily Tagesspiegel, after sharp criticism of his comment that Greece should not hold early elections.
In a radio interview on Wednesday, Schaeuble had said: “Who will make sure that after the elections, for which the Greek parties have opted in April – and I find that very questionable – who will ensure that Greece will stand by what we have now agreed,” Schaeuble said.
Greek President Carolos Papoulias tore into Schaeuble over the remarks.
“I do not accept having my country taunted by Mr Schaeuble, as a Greek I do not accept it,” Papoulias said.
Schaeuble told the Tagesspiegel: “The large majority of those hit by the reforms and austerity measures – and let me express my great respect for them – are not responsible for the backlog of reforms, the loss of competitiveness or the unproductive use of funds in the past”.
But Schaeuble also said that while Greek anger and indignation about lower minimum wages were understandable, they would still be “about on the same level as those of Spain”.
And “what should people in eastern Europe and the Baltic countries say where the minimum salary is still much lower, but which also contribute to help Greece?” he added.
(source: AFP)

Cabinet Dacks Extra Austerity Measures

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Greece’s cabinet on Saturday approved a final set of austerity measures sought by the EU and IMF as a condition for a 130-billion euro rescue package, raising the chances of a deal next week to avert a chaotic default on its debt.
The approval was largely a formality after Athens last week unveiled details of the extra budget and public sector wage cuts worth 325 million euros to euro zone partners.
Lingering doubts over whether Greece can bring its mountain of debt down to more manageable levels in coming years could still hold up the rescue package. Some officials in the 17-nation currency union warn chances of a deal at a euro zone meeting on Monday are little higher than 50-50.
“The 325 million euros worth of measures were approved unanimously,” said one minister, speaking on condition of anonymity, about the cuts, part of a 3.3-billion-euro package of austerity measures that have triggered riots in Athens.
A government official said cabinet had also agreed to launch by March 8 a debt swap for private creditors with the aim of completing it by March 11. The swap is intended to accompany the rescue deal and will mean that creditors take a 70 percent cut in the real value of their holdings.
After months of often acrimonious negotiations, Greek hopes are rising that Monday’s meeting in Brussels will endorse the rescue which Athens needs to avoid bankruptcy on March 20 when major debt repayments fall due.
“The Greek people have done everything they can and we are determined to make good on our commitments,” Public Order Minister Christos Papoutsis said before the meeting.
In a statement, Prime Minister Lucas Papademos regretted that extra pension cuts could not be avoided, but said the impact was limited because it would only affect the part of the pension above a monthly threshold of 1,300 euros.
“We all agree the immediate support of economic activity is a priority of the government’s economic policy,” he added, while not detailing what growth measures were under consideration.
(source: Reuters)

Samaras, Papandreou Renege on Vows to Save Pensions

Greek pensioners protest against benefit cuts have fallen on deaf ears

ATHENS – Only days after they said they had saved pensioners from cuts as part of a second bailout of $169 billion – which still hasn’t been agreed up by international lenders – the leaders of the Socialist PASOK party, former Prime Minister George Papandreou, and his bitter rival New Democracy conservative leader Antonis Samaras, the only ones left in the country’s coalition government, have relented to demands the elderly have their benefits cut. The Troika of the European Union-International Monetary Fund-European Central Bank (EU-IMF-ECB) rejected Greece’s plan to cut defense spending instead and directed Greece to cut pensions as part of $427 billion in reductions to the 2012 budget.
The Troika has held up release of the bailout package until Greece earmarks the cuts. The second deal could see as much as 70 percent or more of the monies go back to banks and Germany and France, the biggest contributors, are major arms suppliers to Greece and could suffer if defense spending was cut. Interim Prime Minister Lucas Papademos, a former ECB Vice-President, admitted the government had given in to Troika demands and will cut both basic and supplementary pensions, the last lifeline for many elderly during the economic crisis, and some will see the benefits they paid for and earned over decades of contributions cut to as little as $394 a month, their only income. Papademos tried to downplay the change-of-heart and said the impact of pension cuts the government said it wouldn’t make would be “milder” than many expected.
There will be a 12 percent cut to primary pensions above $1,700 euros a month, with the exception of the seamen’s fund pension (NAT,), which will see reductions of 7 percent. These will include the “gilt-edged” pensions paid out by public utilities and banks. Pensioners receiving $263-$329 a month will have their benefits cut 10 percent, while those making $330-$394 will be cut 15 percent, and those above $395 will be cut 20 percent, reducing their benefits to $335 a month. Meanwhile, while a number of tax evaders costing the country $60 billion have been arrested, there have been no high-level prosecutions and one businessman accused of fraud and arranging $1 billion in unsecured loans from a bank in which he was a principal has not faced trial yet. The government said pensioners whose income is less than $263 a month won’t be cut but is proceeding with another Troika demand to cut the minimum wage as much as 32 percent, which Papandreou and Samaras agreed to in exchange for saving pensions, but now both will be cut.
They made no statements on the reversal in course and Samaras has agreed in writing to support the cuts he adamantly opposed when Papandreou was in power before the Socialist leader quit on Nov. 11, 2011 in the face of 18 months of protests, riots and strikes against the austerity measures the Troika said were needed  because PASOK and New Democracy had taken turns for more than 30 years packing public payrolls with political hires in return for votes and that the result is a hugely bloated public sector with hundreds of thousands of needless workers, some 150,000 of whom are now slated to be fired over the next three years.
Labor Ministry officials said the pension cuts could save as much as $526 million, although they could leave many pensioners destitute. Pensions are being cut more than earlier estimated because the government said it could not make cuts in other areas of the budget, although there will be salary reductions for “special” income earners such as doctors, judges, diplomats and the police, of as much as 20 percent, which could save another $131 million, while there will be $65 million in cuts for health.
Finance ministers of the Eurozone, the 17 countries that use the euro as a currency, will consider the package at a meeting in Brussels on Feb. 20. The government rammed through the reforms during violent demonstrations on Feb. 12 because Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos, who has doubled income and property taxes, said Greece would otherwise not meet a Feb. 15 deadline to get Eurozone approval and Papademos said the country would collapse into chaos otherwise. The deadline was missed without consequence, as have many others before it.

Greek Nuclear Scientist Turns Hail into Rain With his Computer

Greek nuclear scientist, Grigoris Lambrou, can interfere with natural phenomena through his computer and turn hail into rain.
Mr. Lambrou left Greece at the age of 17 to study nuclear physics in Italy.
His interest in employing the rapidly developing information technology of the 60’s to evolve his own studies soon rendered his name recognizable in the world of science.
To date, he has worked with major companies, such as Cincinatti Milacron and Olivetti, as well as with several research centres in Europe and the US.
Today, Mr. Lambrou lives and works in Greece, with his research interests focused in the field of telematics, or else, ICT.

Daily Mail Reports: Book a Greek Holiday as Soon as Greece Defaults

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Irish Daily Mail reporter Mary Ellen Synon wrote a caustic article on the Greek debt situation, noting that by the time Greece declares default, the first thing everyone should do is book a Greek holiday.
For the Daily Mail reporter the Greek default is only a matter of time. She commented that a Greek default would render Greece the top tourist attraction in Europe because of its low prices. It would be like winning the lottery for vacations because visiting tourists will pay in Euro, or else the UK currency.
Her recommendation to everyone is to buy a ticket to any Greek island as soon as Greece exits the Euro.
“On some Friday at 5pm – and it is going to have to be on a Friday evening, so the banks and every account in them can be frozen until Monday morning – the Athens government will announce it is pulling the country out of the single currency and re-establishing the drachma” wrote Mrs. Synon.
(Information from Daily Mail)

All the People of the World Become Greeks on February 18th

“We are all Greeks” day on Saturday, February 18, was a world-wide day of protest in support of the Greek people, who are going through harsh times at the moment.

The protest took place at 14:00 outside the Greek embassies and consulates in various cities of Europe and Australia, while a similar protest will be held Saturday night in NY by the Occupy New York movement.

Users of social networks that spread the solidarity message wrote on their posts that the Greek people need world support and solidarity to continue their fight against austerity and the tyranny of money.

The new package of EU/IMF austerity measures passed by the Greek coalition government will be a further strike to the already crippling average Greek family that is struggling to make ends meet with only some 500 per month salaries, while rent prices, food, oil and bills are ever on the rise.

Paris, London, Rome and Edinburgh united their supportive voices and expressed their concern for what may follow after the experimental case of Greece. The protesters around Europe denounced the anti-popular policies of Western society and demanded the restoration of democratic values.

One of the basic slogans asked Greeks to forgive the Europeans’ failed policies that did not manage to pull the country out of the crisis despite the sacrifices the Greek people have withstood.

The “We are all Greeks” initiative was triggered in France, when ordinary people asked to obtain Greek citizenship and claimed to “be Greeks too”.

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Sarkozy’s Election Poster Features the Aegean Sea

The news that the election poster of Nicolas Sarkozy features a shot from the Aegean Sea in its background has travelled throughout the Internet and has caused bitter comments from his opponents, who have criticized him both for using a Greek landscape instead of a French one and for the way he treated the Greek debt situation.

“La France Forte” (A strong France) is the title of the controversial election poster. A Twitter user managed to trace the unique number behind the picture, which also includes the place of shooting.

Sarkozy’s opponents made their own research and found out that the background picture belongs to the photo agency “Tetra Images” with the caption ‘Greece-Clouds above the Aegean Sea’.

The French President aimed at employing the sunset on a calm sea to convince the voters that he would be the “captain” that would lead France into serenity and stability if he would be reelected.

The news resulted in the creation of parody posters such as “La France Morte” (A dead France), where the background sea scenery hosts the Costa Concordia sinking ship, or “La Franc Fort”, by deleting the two e vowels from the original message, and thus making an a sound simile to the Frankfurter Würstchen.