http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2013/jun/17/eurozone-crisis-greek-government-broadcaster-markets
New meeting on ERT set for Wednesday as party leaders mull court ruling, raise issue of governance
Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and his coalition partners arranged a new round of crisis talks for Wednesday after a meeting on Monday aimed at resolving a serious dispute over the closure of state broadcaster ERT failed to yield a compromise, though a court decision appeared to offer a basis for a settlement.
The Council of State, the country’s highest administrative court, appeared to offer a stopgap solution, ruling that the government has the right to close ERT but limited programming should continue to be aired on the broadcaster’s frequency.
The ruling appeared to be a formula that would allow Samaras to proceed with plans to overhaul ERT while appeasing objections by coalition partners. But interpretations of the decision varied.
In a statement after the meeting, PASOK leader Evangelos Venizelos said the court ruling had “vindicated” PASOK and stressed the need for an overhaul of the government, hinting at a reshuffle. “The talks were about ERT, but the main issue is for the government to operate as a real coalition, not with New Democracy just tolerating its partners,” Venizelos said. He called on Samaras to “examine the ruling” and take “bold moves.”
Fotis Kouvelis of Democratic Left made a similar statement, condemning the premier for taking the “unilateral action” to close ERT.
Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras, who also attended the talks, had a different interpretation; he said it determined that ERT should stay closed while a temporary program is broadcast. “The big issue for the government is for radical reforms to continue,” he said, expressing hopes that coalition leaders would “converge” in fresh talks tomorrow.
During the talks, Samaras and Venizelos both submitted written proposals for breaking the deadlock, sources said. The premier’s was a nine-point proposal foreseeing the establishment of a committee to hire staff for the crossover period from ERT to the new broadcaster, the launch of a debate on the new organization and the appointment of a deputy minister to oversee the overhaul. Venizelos’s proposal meanwhile reportedly outlined an alternative plan for some 2,000 layoffs in the civil service though it remained unclear whether dismissals would involve staff at ERT.
Eurozone crisis: Greece's top court blocks immediate closure of state broadcaster - as it happened
• Closing summary
• Council of State: ERT must keep running temporarily
• Greek government: it's not a defeat
• But PM had already offered concessions
• Helena Smith: Government is badly shaken by this crisis
• Council of State: ERT must keep running temporarily
• Greek government: it's not a defeat
• But PM had already offered concessions
• Helena Smith: Government is badly shaken by this crisis
Closing Summary
The dramatic court ruling from Greece is a good moment to stop the liveblog for the day.
I"ll be back tomorrow morning for all the reaction to the news the ERT must remain open, and the political fallout of tonight's meeting between Antonis Samaras, Evangelos Venizelos and Fotis Kouvelis.
In the meantime, here's a very brisk summary of the main points:
• Greece's top court, the Council of State, ruled tonight that the ERT state broadcast must continue to offer a service - six days after the country's government dramatically shut it.
The ruling (from 7.57pm onwards) appears to mean that ERT will keep operating until the government's successor, called Nerit, is ready. That probably won't mean a full service, though.
• The ruling came as Greece's three coalition leaders held talks about the closure of ERT, which has gripped Greece for days.
Faced with speculation that his government could collapse over the row, prime minister Antonis Samaras offered concessions to his junior partners.
That included keeping ERT open with a skeleton staff (a suggestion that has been rather overtaken by the Court ruling), a cabinet reshuffle, and a BBC advisor for the new broadcaster. (see 6.54pm onwards)
• Opposition parties seized on the dispute, with Syriza's Alexis Tsipras giving a rousing speech in Syntagma Square tonight (see 6.51pm)
• While our Athens correspondent, Helena Smith, had already warned that the ERT debacle has wounded the coalition (see 3.04pm).
Plenty more news and analysis in the liveblog, but until tomorrow, goodnight!
http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite1_1_18/06/2013_504456
Coalition crisis talks to continue
New meeting on ERT set for Wednesday as party leaders mull court ruling, raise issue of governance
The Council of State, the country’s highest administrative court, appeared to offer a stopgap solution, ruling that the government has the right to close ERT but limited programming should continue to be aired on the broadcaster’s frequency.
The ruling appeared to be a formula that would allow Samaras to proceed with plans to overhaul ERT while appeasing objections by coalition partners. But interpretations of the decision varied.
In a statement after the meeting, PASOK leader Evangelos Venizelos said the court ruling had “vindicated” PASOK and stressed the need for an overhaul of the government, hinting at a reshuffle. “The talks were about ERT, but the main issue is for the government to operate as a real coalition, not with New Democracy just tolerating its partners,” Venizelos said. He called on Samaras to “examine the ruling” and take “bold moves.”
Fotis Kouvelis of Democratic Left made a similar statement, condemning the premier for taking the “unilateral action” to close ERT.
Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras, who also attended the talks, had a different interpretation; he said it determined that ERT should stay closed while a temporary program is broadcast. “The big issue for the government is for radical reforms to continue,” he said, expressing hopes that coalition leaders would “converge” in fresh talks tomorrow.
During the talks, Samaras and Venizelos both submitted written proposals for breaking the deadlock, sources said. The premier’s was a nine-point proposal foreseeing the establishment of a committee to hire staff for the crossover period from ERT to the new broadcaster, the launch of a debate on the new organization and the appointment of a deputy minister to oversee the overhaul. Venizelos’s proposal meanwhile reportedly outlined an alternative plan for some 2,000 layoffs in the civil service though it remained unclear whether dismissals would involve staff at ERT.
As the coalition partners debated, a few blocks away, the leader of the main leftist opposition SYRIZA, Alexis Tsipras, addressed a rally in Syntagma Square. The leftist described the ERT affair as “a firework that went off in [Samaras’s] hands.”
Speculation had been rife over the weekend about the deepening rift in the government possibly triggering early elections and putting Greece’s economic reform program – and rescue loans – in jeopardy.
Speculation had been rife over the weekend about the deepening rift in the government possibly triggering early elections and putting Greece’s economic reform program – and rescue loans – in jeopardy.
The need for political stability in Greece was underlined by European officials on Monday. Speaking in Brussels, EC spokesman Olivier Bailly noted that Greece’s political leaders ought to show responsibility to ensure political stability and fiscal consolidation. European Monetary and Economic Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn was tougher, declaring that “the last thing Greece needs is a new crisis” and calling for a swift solution to the government’s dispute. Meanwhile, the president of the European People’s Party (EPP), Wilfried Martens, expressed support for Samaras. In a statement, Martens said that ERT’s closure was a inevitable, noting that numerous efforts for the national broadcaster’s restructuring while in operation had failed.
http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite1_1_17/06/2013_504453
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German FinMin to visit Athens as Berlin keeps eye on developments
| A phone call to Prime Minister Antonis Samaras from German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday appears to have triggered a spurt of bilateral diplomacy, with reports emerging on Monday that Samaras will have talks with Merkel in Berlin on July 3 on the sidelines of a European forum on unemployment while her Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble is expected in Athens as early as next week. Schaeuble accepted an invitation by his Greek counterpart Yannis Stournaras to visit Athens over the coming days, Greek Finance Ministry sources said on Monday, noting that the two diplomats had spoken by phone over the weekend when a growing rift within the Greek coalition widened and fears of fresh political instability resurfaced. According to the same sources, Schaeuble told Greece’s new ambassador in Berlin, Panagiotis Zografos, that he intends to visit Athens soon. A statement issued by the German Finance Ministry quoted Schaeuble expressing optimism about signs of change in Greece. “In Greece, the first signs of successful reforms are visible, for instance in the tourism and exports sectors,” the statement said, adding however that more tough changes will be unavoidable. “Right now, there are no easy choices for Greece,” the statement added. Schaeuble is reportedly intending to propose to Stournaras the implementation of a scheme for propping up small and medium-sized businesses similar to one already enforced in Spain. |
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