No Ultimatums in Talks Between Athens and the EU

No one wants Greece to exit the euro and talks between the country and the European Union can be conducted without ultimatums, Federica Mogherini, who serves as High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, told Italian broadcaster RAI late on Sunday. “No one wants Greece to exit the euro. Last Friday’s agreement at the Eurogroup has some limitations, but a new dialog can develop tomorrow, with everyone’s participation, without ultimatums,” Mogherini was quoted as saying. “Athens is Europe. No one in the European Union gives out grades and no one executes commands. The logic in reports that claim lessons need to be learned is wrong,” she added. Answering a relevant question, the EU official also said Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras phoned his Italian counterpart, Matteo Renzi, on Saturday evening, “Possibly to thank him for Italy’s role as an intermediary, which proved useful.” “We must not allow the disintegration of the Union to start,” Mogherini continued, “the European Commission forms the last useful opportunity to diminish existing distances.” (source: ana-mpa)

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Productive Reconstruction Minister Lafazanis: Eurogroup Agreement Should Not Void the Gov’t Program

Productive Reconstruction, Environment and Energy Minister, Panagiotis Lafazanis, in two interviews with Greek Sunday newspapers Proto Thema and Realnews, expressed his opinion that the agreement reached on Friday’s Eurogroup between the Greek government and the country’s Eurozone partners should not cancel the anti-austerity and progressive program of the governing leftist SYRIZA. “The red line should provide that any agreement will not create any obstacles to the implementation and therefore constant, without U-turns, fundamental bases and the fundamental commitments of the election and the government program,” Mr. Lafazanis stressed in an interview given on Friday, when the Eurogroup’s results had not yet been published. He pointed out, “the claim for a remission of most of the Greek debt” is still in the agenda. Furthermore, regarding the scenarios that wanted the European Union Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos as his party’s nominee for the Greek Presidency, Mr. Lafazanis declared he was against this option. Similarly, he said he did not agree with the nomination of the new President of the Hellenic Republic Prokopis Pavlopoulos, although he complied with the Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’ decision and voted in favor of Mr. Pavlopoulos. Finally, the Productive Reconstruction Minister repeated that the Greek government will not proceed with the privatizations included in the memorandum. “Public Power Corporation (DEI), Hellenic Transmission System Operator (TSO) and Public Gas Corporation (DEPA) will not be privatized and will remain under public ownership and management and will work with developmental and social criteria.” Regarding the port of Piraeus, he noted that “there is no privatization issue for Piraeus Port Authority, Thessaloniki Port Authority, and the Greek railways.”

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Athenians Celebrate Clean Monday on the Hills

Athenians braved the bad weather and headed to the hills today to mark the traditional Clean Monday celebrations that include flying colourful kites, despite the downpour early in the morning. “Every year it’s better because last year we celebrated with ice pellets. So I am certain next year we will have sunshine,” Athens mayor Giorgos Kaminis said after he visited the Philopappos Hill in downtown Athens, Greece. “There is a message of optimism in every Athens neighborhood that organized celebrations. This is a great message of hope, optimism and love for the people,” he added. The municipality organized several events across the city, with Athens’ band welcoming visitors to the Philopappos Hill with traditional tunes. Other bands were set up in several neighborhoods and seasonal delicacies were handed out to citizens. About 3,000 portions of “lagana,” the traditional bread baked for the occasion, and olives were distributed to Athenians. Similar celebrations took place in other Greek cities, including Thessaloniki and Chania, Crete. (source: ana-mpa)

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Mikis Theodorakis to Greek PM Tsipras: Say ‘No’ to Schaeuble’s ‘Nein’

Internationally acclaimed composer Mikis Theodorakis stood on the side of the historic member of the Greek Left and SYRIZA MEP Manolis Glezos who yesterday publicly apologized to the Greek people for contributing to an “illusion,” as he characterized the government’s negotiations with the country’s loan partners, from which many expected that Greece will have more gains. Today, it was Theodorakis’ turn to publicly give his advise to newly elected Prime Minister Alexis Tsirpas, motivating him to say a proud “No” to German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble’s “Nein.” Theodorakis waded in, appealing to the government, even at this late hour, to resist the pressure for concessions that would, as he claimed, plunge the country into the creditors’ “fatal embrace.” “There is hope. And that is for the SYRIZA leaders to find the strength to say, even now, ‘No’ to Schaeuble’s ‘Nein’.” The 89-year-old renowned composer prompted the Greek Premier “to abolish all Memorandum-related measures and restore the Greeks’ national independence.” In a statement published in his personal website, Theodorakis urged SYRIZA’s leadership to oppose the European Union and stand up to them as well as barricade themselves within the national legality offered to them by the parliamentary majority they achieved just a month ago in the January 25 elections. Additionally, he advised the government to take a decisive turn toward the Greek people’s side and the country’s wealth and resources. “Safeguarded behind the true power of united people, they should form consortiums and utilize the full potential of our national resources, in exchange for beneficial business deals that would once and for all relieve us from our creditors’ deadly clasp,” Theodorakis suggested.

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Greek Govt Spokesman: We Are Working to Ensure the List of Reforms is Accepted

The Greek government is in constant communication with its European loan partners in order to achieve the maximum consensus regarding its list of reforms to be submitted by midnight. According to government spokesman Gavriil Sakellaridis, the list will include, among others, measures to tackle tax evasion and corruption. In an interview with Greek “Skai TV,” Sakellaridis stressed that the list has not yet been fully prepared and therefore it has not been sent to Brussels, but it will be ready by the end of Monday, as required by the Eurozone member-states under the deal signed on Friday to extend Greece’s loan agreement until April. “It will include reforms that will aim to crack down on tax evasion and corruption so that taxes are allotted in a way that will be more fair in social terms,” Sakellaridis highlighted. It should be noted that according to Friday’s Eurogroup agreement, Greece secured a four-month extension of the loan agreement without new austerity measures and a commitment that no unilateral actions will be taken. The Greek government’s first gain has a semiological rather than a practical impact, as the EC/ECB/IMF mechanism ceases to exist, as well as the term “Troika,” which gained negative publicity among the Greeks, although these “institutions” are still the ones to oversee the Greek extended loan agreement progress. Similarly, yesterday’s arrangement introduced the term “Master Financial Assistance Facility Agreement” (MFFA) that will replace the term “program.” Most importantly though, Greece, after avoiding the danger of a liquidity shortage that would occur at the end of February due to the current program’s expiry, has until Monday to present its own list of reform measures. These will no longer be agreed with the creditors, but will be designed by the Greek government, presented to the institutions and finally approved by the Eurogroup. This list will be further specified and then agreed with the institutions by the end of April. “The list will be submitted and I am absolutely certain it will be approved. We are drawing it up as we speak, it will be completed tomorrow,” Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis said while exiting a meeting with the Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Sunday.

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Moscovici: EU is not Reviewing a ‘Plan B’ for Greece

The European Commission wants Greece to stay in the Eurozone and is not reviewing a “Plan B” on the country’s exit from the monetary union, EU Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs Pierre Moscovici said in a TV interview on Monday. Asked whether he is examining a plan for Greece’s possible exit from the Eurozone, which according to German magazine Spiegel is being considered by the European Central Bank (ECB), Moscovici said: “Not only am I not reviewing a plan for a possible Greek exit [from the Eurozone], but I banned even reviewing such a plan. There is no plan B.” “Generally, when there is a Plan B, it means we don’t believe in Plan A anymore,” he added in an interview to French TV station France 2. The EU Commissioner said he expects Athens’ proposals by this evening, adding that it has been made clear “we have to be both ambitious and realistic.” He also explained what the EU is expecting from Athens’ list. “This will be an initial list of reforms, not a full program. Besides, it’s not up to the Europeans to praise or reject what the Greek government wants. But it [the Greek government] will have to provide its philosophy for the full program.“ The important thing is that once measures from SYRIZA’s program are included in the list, they will have to replace other measures – but the final result must produce a balanced fiscal plan, the EU official noted. “Therefore, we wait.” Moscovici concluded by arguing the list must be realistic, include SYRIZA’s measures, but also take into account the country’s fiscal stability, the need for creditworthiness and the understanding that the debt has to be repaid. (source: ana-mpa)

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European Investment Bank to Remain Active in Greece

The European Investment Bank (EIB) was active in Greece before the crisis, it remained during the crisis and its intention is to continue to be active after the crisis, EIB President Werner Hoyer said on Monday. According to Hoyer, the process, which started on Friday with Eurogroup’s agreement, is decisive: “I hope it will lead to practical results in the next four months while the next 24 hours are just as important until the agreement is finalized.” EIB already has “quite significant” exposure to Greece at 16.9 billion euros, equal to more than 9% of the country’s annual economic output, Hoyer said. Asked if more can be done, he said that if there are good and viable programs, EIB is ready to review them, but noted there are no projects for Greece. “For the moment, I do not see any new projects,” he said, adding that the amounts that have already been earmarked for the country are huge and have immensely increased in the past two years. (source: ana-mpa)

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