Economy Watch |

Finance Ministry: Primary budget surplus for 2017 reached 4.1 pct of GDP
Greece’s primary budget surplus reached 4.14 percent of gross domestic product last year, based on the terms of the country’s economic adjustment program, according to Finance Ministry officials. Earlier, [...]

Dijsselbloem for debt: Possibly more will have to be done in the future
Greece will access markets gradually more and more, while “markets will want to know whether Greece can maintain a solid economic and financial course,” former Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem [...]

VAT rate on concerts to be cut to 6pct from 24 pct

Economy
Stathakis: Environment Ministry to abolish two fees on electricity production
Energy producers and suppliers will benefit from the abolition of two fees imposed on electricity, Environment and Energy Minister Giorgos Stathakis told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency on Monday. Stathakis [...]
Economy
Black Sea Sustainable Development Solutions Network to be based in Thessaloniki
The newly created Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) for the Black Sea is to be based in the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH) in northern Greece. It will operate as part of the [...]
Economy
Financial war between the US-Russia – UK, Cyprus, Latvia stuck in the middle
Russian oligarchs “monitored” Russian businesspeople under US authorities’ microscope will be on tenterhooks in the coming period American authorities are seemingly preparing a merciless attack [...]

Economy
Flambouraris meets with Hellenic Financial Stability Fund
Minister of State Alekos Flambouraris met with the Hellenic Financial Stability Fund on Wednesday. According to an announcement from the minister, their meeting focused on conditions in the financial sector [...]
Economy
Credit expansion for business loans seen positive in 2019
The liquidity of banks is improving, deposits are returning and 2019 will be the first year that there will be credit expansion for business loans. These were the conclusions of a meeting on Tuesday between [...]
Economy
UAE, Greece discuss cooperation in land, maritime transport
Dr. Abdullah bin Mohammed Belhaif Al Nuaimi, Minister of Infrastructure Development, and Chairman of Federal Transport Authority – Land and Maritime, received on Sunday, Dr. Catherine Boura, Ambassador [...]

KINAL to support gov’t permanent measures, Androulakis says

Politics
Special committee to review vote for Greeks abroad
A special committee reviewing the right of Greeks abroad to vote in national elections will meet at the Ministry of Interior on Tuesday. Interior Minister Alexis Charitsis will attend the meeting, a ministry [...]
Politics
Launch of process for revising FYROM’s constitution a historic step, Tzanakopoulos says
The beginning of the process to revise FYROM’s constitution in line with the Prespes Agreement is a historic step that leads the Balkan region to a new phase, government spokesman Dimitris Tanakopoulos [...]

Politics
‘I could vote for the Prespes Agreement,’ independent MP Theoharis tells ANA
Independent MP Haris Theoharis on Saturday indicated that he would be prepared to vote for the Prespes Agreement between Greece and FYROM if certain constitutional changes are made, in an interview with [...]
Politics
Koumoutsakos: Kotzias will be remembered for ‘nationally damaging’ Prespes Agreement
Departing from the foreign ministry, former minister Nikos Kotzias left a legacy of open issues, damaging handling of major foreign policy affairs and the mismanagement of the foreign ministry itself, [...]

Former minister Papantoniou continues testifying

Society
Lectures devoted to cultural politics in WWII Greece at National Museum on Friday
A lecture series on archaeology and culture politics during World War II in Greece will be open to the public and free on Friday, at the National Archaeological Museum. The event is part of events commemorating [...]
Society
Courts and land registry offices shut down on Thursday for 24-hour strike
Courts and land registry offices will be shut down on Thursday due to a 24-hour national strike called on Monday by the Federation of Court Employees in Greece. The courts, local land registries (ypothikofylakeia) [...]
Society
Greek nationals on permanent US Visa Waiver Program
Greek nationals are permanently exempted from the obligation to obtain travel documents (a visa) before travelling to the United States, according to a letter sent by US authorities to Citizen Protection [...]

Society
Police catch suspects smuggling cannabis into Turkey
Police arrested two people for attempting to smuggle more than 60 kilos of cannabis into Turkey from Greece, authorities said on Monday. The man and woman, aged 39 and 33, tried to get the cannabis through [...]
Society
Police officer arrested after Nikaia incident suspended
A 34-year-old police officer arrested on suspicion of committing robbery, along with three unidentified accomplices, has been suspended from duty, police announced on Saturday. The case came to light when [...]
Society
Sailing boat carrying 70 migrants and refugees intercepted near Kefalonia
A sailing boat transporting 70 irregular migrants and refugees was intercepted in waters southwest of the Ionian island of Kefalonia on Saturday. The craft was found in a search launched by the Greek coast [...]

Business
Piraeus Bank seeks opportunity to return to capital markets
Piraeus Bank is monitoring developments in capital markets to find the opportunity for a bond issue, in the framework of a capital strengthening plan, Christos Megalou, the bank’s CEO told Reuters [...]
Business
PPC presents plan for transformation into energy services company
PPC on Tuesday presented a business plan designed to lead the electricity utility towards promoting cyclical economy and its transformation into an energy services company. The plan was presented by Ioannis [...]
Business
Attica Bank reports pre-provision earnings of 6.8 mln euros
Attica Bank on Thursday said its pre-tax and pre-provisions earnings totaled 6.8 million euros in the first half of 2018, from 8.4 million euros in the same period last year, negatively affected by lower [...]
Business
OPAP to buy 36.75 pct in Stoiximan for 50 million euros
OPAP Group on Monday announced a new strategic investment. In an announcement, OPAP said its subsidiary OPAP Investment Ltd has signed a pre-agreement for the acquisition of a 36.75 pct stake in TCB Holdings [...]
Business
Greek authorities give green light to 300-mln-euro energy project by Mytilineos
Greece’s Energy Regulatory Authority issued a production license for a new electrical power unit of 665 MW by Mytilineos Group to be built in the group’s energy center in Aghios Nikolaos, Viotia. [...]
Business
Eurobank says net profit reached 113 mln euros in H1
“Eurobank continued a solid performance in the second quarter, highlighted by sustained profitability, increased pre-provision income and positive results in the area of non-performing exposures (NPE) [...]