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Wednesday, 24 April 2019

Eurostat: Greece debt the highest in Eurozone in 2018, at 132.2% of GDP; up from 131.4% in 2017

Greece and Italy, among Eurozone member-states, saw their external debt actually increase in 2018, in contrast with the rest of the euro area pack, which witnessed a reduction in their…

‘Electric shock’ after PPC announces massive 2018 losses

Ernst & Young auditors this week referred to substantial “concern” over the fate of Greece’s dominant electricity utility, the state-run and ATHEX-listed Public Power Corp. (PPC), after Tuesday’s annual results…

Reports: SSM to request higher provisions by Greek banks; e-platform for primary residence protection no sooner than June

By E. Sakellari [email protected] The ECB’s Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM) is expected to request higher provisions by Greek systemic banks for mortgages, given the poor performance in the specific loan…

Two of the world’s newest cruise ships in Piraeus this week

Two of the newest and state-of-the-art cruise ships in the world arrived in Piraeus this week, with the Cosco-managed Piraeus Port Authority’s leadership welcoming the officers and crews of the…

Tuesday, 23 April 2019

Mitsotakis to Bloomberg: We’ll cut taxes, push through reforms and privatizations; SYRIZA over-taxed middle classes

Center-right Greek political leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis outlined his leitmotif of lower taxes, more reforms and lower fiscal targets – with creditors’ acquiescence – to Bloomberg TV on Tuesday, detailing an…

Cruise ship operators urge new port location on Santorini, need for second cable car

The leadership of the Union of Cruise Ship Owners & Associated members (EEKFN) has urged regional and local officials on the iconic holiday island of Santorini (Thira) to design and…

Sen. Bob Menendez continues official visit to Greece; meeting with PM Tsipras on Tues.

US Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) was received by Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Tuesday at the Maximos Mansion in Athens, as the ranking member of the US Senate foreign…

Censure motion in Parliament against minister who criticized wheelchair-bound rival over healthcare system hiring

The latest inflammatory statement by the alternate health minister, this time taking issue with a European Parliament candidate from rival New Democracy (ND) for using favorable provisions to acquire appointment…

Survey: 80 percent of residents in Greece pay out-of-pocket for primary healthcare

Some 80 percent of residents in Greece pay for primary healthcare from their pockets, while one in two residents finds it difficult to cover health-related expenditures, according to a nationwide…

Reduced market share, greater losses for PPC utility in 2018

State-run Public Power Corp. (PPC) experienced another disappointing year in 2018, posting reduced revenue, higher costs for emission rights and increased provisions for compound interest rates on arrears owed by…

Statistics authority: Primary budget surplus at 4.4% of GDP in 2018, far exceeding fiscal target

The Greek state’s primary budget surplus for 2018 reached 4.4 percent of GDP, according to the country’s statistics authority, EL.STAT. The figure exceeds the already high 3.9-percent performance posted in…

Clawback costs pharmaceuticals in Greece 5.3 bln€ over 7-year period

By G. Sakkas [email protected] The level of a “clawback” and rebate paid by pharmaceutical companies back to the Greek state over the 2012-2018 period has reached 5.3 billion euros, part…

Monday, 22 April 2019

9.5%-point lead for ND over SYRIZA in latest Skai poll

Main opposition New Democracy (ND) fields a nine-percentage-point lead over ruling SYRIZA, based on extrapolated results, in a latest opinion poll gauging respondents’ preferences for next month’s European Parliament election.…

Speculation of price hikes for Greeks’ beloved souvlaki/gyros causes outcry, social media frenzy

The recent international rally in meat prices, emanating from the devastating effects of African swine fever disease in China – the world’s biggest producer and consumer of pork – has…

Reprivatized Neorion shipyard on Syros reports full capacity; prospect of 120 vessels handled in 2019

A recently re-privatized shipyard on the Cyclades island of Syros is reporting a full repair capacity at present, with nine vessels currently at the Neorion facilities, and with 72 vessels…

Mitsotakis: I’m against a welfare-based state policy

Main opposition New Democracy (ND) leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Monday evening continued his full-blown attack against the hard left Tsipras government, saying the latter has “demolished the middle class” in…

Reuters: Official request by Athens to ESM for early repayment of high-interest IMF loans

The Greek state on Monday officially submitted a request to the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) to pay off a portion of the loans extended to Athens by the IMF, according…

Sources: Both of Greece’s petrochemical groups have ceased imports of Iranian crude for nearly a year

By K. Deligiannis [email protected] Greece’s two petrochemical groups receive no imports of Iranian crude oil, and as such are not affected by the Trump administration’s decision not to renew exemptions…

State, creditors still await binding offer for Elefsina shipyard, 3 months after non-binding offer

By A. Tsimplakis [email protected] Three months have passed since a consortium comprised of Inter-M Traders and Sogem Holdings submitted a non-binding bid to KPMG for assumption of the management of…

Reports: Govt readies 120-mo. installment plan for arrears to tax bureau; creditors express reservations

By G. Kouros  [email protected] The new deadline for tabling, in Parliament, a long-expected draft bill allowing taxpayers and business cover arrears to the tax bureau with a 120-month installment plan…

Friday, 19 April 2019

Distress funds /servicers in Greece already managing 20 bln€ of bad debt, out of total 100 bln€

By E. Sakellari  [email protected]  Distress funds and servicers now manage roughly 20 billion euros worth of “bad debt” previously accumulated by Greece’s four systemic banks, according to a presentation in…

High-profile ex-minister Loverdos to govt regarding Novartis probe: ‘I will squash this conspiracy’

Greek Parliament deputies, as expected, on Friday voted by a wide margin to lift the immunity status for former ministers Andreas Loverdos and Marios Salmas, from the PASOK and New…

ND: SYRIZA exclusively to blame for years of delays in Golden Dawn trial

Main opposition New Democracy (ND) party issued a caustic statement on Friday on the occasion of the four-year anniversary since the start of a trial implicating members of the far-right…

Greek state’s arrears to private sector continue to increase; 1.669 bln€ in Feb. 2019

The state’s arrears to the private sector continued to increase in February 2019, compared to the previous month, according to figures released this week by the finance ministry, despite repeated…

Joint Greek-US-Israel-Cyprus naval exercise from central Aegean to east Med

A wide-ranging naval exercise extending from north of the island of Crete to the eastern Mediterranean, code-named “Noble Dina 2019”, and with the participation of vessels from Greece, the United…

Mitsotakis on Cyprus; hails major econ reforms undertaken by Nicosia

Main opposition New Democracy (ND) leader continued his visit to the island republic of Cyprus on Friday, where he was received in Nicosia by Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades. The ND…

BoG: Maritime transports, tourism restricted balance of payments deficit in Feb. 2019

The balance of payments deficit eased in February 2019, the Bank of Greece (BoG) announced on Friday, pointing to improved figures for tourism remittances and maritime transport. At the same…

Delay expected in tabling of installment plan to cover arrears to pension funds

A long-expected draft bill to allow a 120-month installment plan for covering arrears to the social insurance funds – but not to the tax bureau – may be tabled in…

Thursday, 18 April 2019

Greece still 5th on Bloomberg’s misery index despite bailout exit, return to growth

Despite exiting the memorandums, posting high-end Eurozone growth rates and even making a timid but successful market foray for sovereign borrowing, Greece nevertheless remains in the unenviable “top 5” of…

Zaev: Possible Greek investment of 80-90 mln€ in North Macedonia

The prime minister of North Macedonia, Zoran Zaev, on Thursday referred to possible funding by Greece, totaling 80 to 90 million euros, flowing into his land-locked central Balkan country, speaking…