Around the horn in Greece - IMF and EU tell Greece to eat their peas, Farage breaks down the madness of the EU fools !

http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite1_28615_13/07/2012_452042

Troika turns up the heat

Regional Policy Commissioner Johannes Hahn addresses a news conference at the European Commission offices in Athens on Friday.

As government officials pressed on with efforts to push through crucial structural reforms and identify ways of achieving 11.5 billion euros in savings demanded by the country’s international creditors for the next two years, top European Union officials indicated on Friday that Greece has virtually no room for maneuver beyond the strict orders of its lenders.
With a visit by top-ranking envoys from the European Commission, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund, known as the troika, expected on July 24, government officials are scrambling to take action and win round creditors before attempting to renegotiate the terms of the country’s debt deal and secure an extension to the fiscal adjustment period.
Prime Minister Antonis Samaras said on Friday that he would personally monitor the overhaul of the civil service, including the evaluation of personnel and slashing of red tape.
Administrative Reform Minister Antonis Manitakis said the aim was to reduce the number of civil service departments by about 30 percent.
European Regional Policy Commissioner Johannes Hahn, who was in Athens on Friday, also highlighted red tape as a problem, noting that it discouraged investors and should be tackled “immediately.” Hahn did not rule out the prospects of flexibility being introduced to Greece’s economic program but said the fiscal targets would have to be respected, noting that the troika’s report was not expected until September.

Other EU officials were less understanding. The spokesman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Steffen Seibert, said the terms of Greece’s debt deal should not be changed. “Neither the content nor the time frame of the memorandum are up for debate,” he said, adding that Greece must “make great exertions” to continue receiving aid. Seibert refused to comment on a report in the Rheinische Post according to which Merkel regarded an extension of Greece’s fiscal adjustment period as “unacceptable” and was prepared to offer Athens an extension of only “a few weeks.” The German daily also reported that Greece has failed to hit some 210 out of 300 targets. IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde, for her part, said it was too early to discuss changes to bailout terms, saying Greece must “put words into actions.” Speaking to CNBC, Lagarde said it is “way too premature to discuss extension, to discuss additional financing.” and...... Lagarde says it is too early to discuss Greek bailout changes IMF managing director Christine Lagarde says it is too early to discuss changes to Greece’s bailout terms and has called for the Greek government to show its determination to implement reforms. Greece is angling for a two-year extension to its fiscal adjustment period but speaking to CNBC, Lagarde said it is «way premature to discuss extension, to discuss additional financing." She said she will wait for the troika team to complete its latest inspection before discussing any possible changes. "First of all it's a new mindset, a proper fact-finding exercise, and then a discussion with the authorities to see how with their new policies, their new strategy, the situation can be accommodated,» she said. Troika officials are due back in Athens on July 24 and Lagarde said she has been encouraged by the new government’s stance, accusing previous administrations of only paying lip service to reforms. "I'm quite pleased to see that the Greek authorities are aware of the fact that they have to demonstrate their determination to own, adopt and implement the program,” she said. “Because I think that's a quid pro quo that was not necessarily in place previously. That change of attitude I think was warranted, is welcome, and will help have a better dialogue with the authorities." Lagarde, who has courted controversy in Greece with previous statements, said that the sacrifices made by Greeks over the last two years have often been “under-estimated”. "I think we need to recognise that the Greek population has suffered a lot, and have made sacrifices of significant nature and amount." The IMF chief denied that the Washington-based fund was being more lenient on Greece than it had been on Asian countries in the 1990s. “The Fund taking things easy and casually with Greece is certainly not what the Greek people think, I've been on the receiving end of that,” she said. “We have to be even-handed, this is the mission of the Fund. We're not here to cater for a particular region with special care, and others, not." ekathimerini.com , Friday Jul 13, 2012 (11:45)   and.... http://www.athensnews.gr/portal/1/56969 Press Watch, July 13 by George Gilson 13 Jul 2012 Press Watch, July 13 As the government pulled out the scissors to cut the budget – at the behest of the troika, Athens dailies focused primarily on what cuts would be made, and how.     In that regard, many dailies examined whether the government will be able to avoid pay cuts for civil servants on a special wage scale. Newspapers wondered whether the 220 million that the wage cuts would save can be cut in other areas of the budget.     “Smart bombs to reduce expenditures” declared Ta Nea’s headline, on proposals for various state spending cuts. They included forcing university students who have been registered for many years to pay tuition, cutting in half the amount paid by the state to cover the salaries of the clergy (the church would pay the other half), and increasing mandatory military service by three months. “Forest firefighting on borrowed money” read another front page headline, regarding Public Order Minister Nikos Dendias’ decision to seek assistance (fire planes, etc.) from Italy. The editorial, entitled “Beggars” blasted successive governments for not having tended to forest firefighting, an omission that forced Greece to “beg” for assistance from Italy. “Unemployment rate reaches 22.5 percent” read another title. The report said that 20-25,000 new unemployed emerge each month. There are now 1.1 million unemployed Greeks (those are just the ones who are officially registered), over twice the number at the beginning of the economic crisis.     “Two scenarios on special wage scales” reported Ethnos’ headline. The best case scenario is for the government to find the 220 million euros in cuts elsewhere. The bleaker scenario is for the troika to accept avoiding cuts only to military officers. “The troika demands a list of 11.5 billion euros in budget cuts by July 24” read another front page title. The cuts are for the fiscal years 2013-2014. “A decision on 11.6 billion euros in budget cuts within the next ten days” read Kathimerini’s headline. The troika will return to Athens in 10 days, and they expect a list of cuts. The report said that the government wants a two-year extension of the fiscal adjustment period. To achieve that, it hopes to faithfully implement this year’s budget, proceed with structural changes, and draft a credible medium-term programme, according to the report. but consider this action by Greece..... http://hat4uk.wordpress.com/2012/07/13/greek-crisis-a-potted-look-at-the-berlin-legacy/ GREEK CRISIS: A potted look at the Berlin legacy Does the CDU elite get it yet? Greece is preparing legal action against 10 high-ranking current and former executives of Siemens, the German electronics and engineering giant accused of bribing Greek politicians to secure state contracts, says Greek newspaper Kathimerini. The suits are expected to be lodged in September against at least 10 German executives including Reinhard Siekaczek, who was convicted in 2008 for administrating slush funds used to win contracts, and Michael Kutschenreuter, the ex-financial head of the company’s telecoms unit who was found guilty in April of breach of trust and abetting bribery after admitting to covering up the slush funds. It is unclear whether the German executives will also face trial in Greece, where authorities have failed to try the ex-CEO of Siemens Hellas, Michalis Christoforakos, and Volker Jung, a former director of the company. A German court ruled in 2009 that Christoforakos could not be extradited to Greece for trial as he has German and Greek nationality. Er…just run that last part across me again? I mean, WTF is that all about? Und Herr Jung – what of him? Does he have joint Somalian/Czech nationality? Will this get him off? We cannot possibly tell. Meanwhile, Siemens continues to pitch for (and get) business from the Evangelos/Samaras Axis of Graft. – Sitting in Parliament and vaguely respectable these days, the Greek neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party has expanded its anti-immigrant campaign, and begun a drive to get Greeks to donate blood only for Greeks, outraging doctors and  health care officials who think this racist. Thus Germans who would genuinely reject half-baked “pure” bloodline ideas have nevertheless allowed Berlin-am-Brussels to promote the ideas of Heinrich Himmler in Greece. – The International Monetary Fund has said that it has found policy delays in a number of areas in the country’s bailout programme, but is open to ideas on how to reach the key objectives of the economic ‘reforms’…up to but not including the timings. The IMF made the comments after its inspectors completed initial talks with the new Athens government this week. The Troika mission will return to Greece on July 24 for more formal negotiations, said IMF spokesman Gerry Rice. “It is clear the economy is going through another difficult period,” he spotted, ” but clearly the important thing is to put the programme fully back on track.” Mr Rice is very probably mad. Meanwhile, Greece is said to be performing better ‘as regards its ability to absorb EU structural funds’, a euphemism for the money not always reaching its intended beneficiaries. Says a hitherto reliable Athens source, “No wonder the economy is going through a difficult period. As long as corrupt officials and others at all levels have their snouts in the trough it will not get better and the money will never all or even partially reach the intended beneficiaries.” So to sum up then, corrupt German industry continues to rip the Greeks off, Berlin-inspired austerity is nurturing the rise of neo-Nazism , the IMF still thinks the Greek economy can get back on track with no let-up in Berlin-inspired hair shirt, and the fatties in the Greek elites are still pocketing the funds provided by hard-pressed EU and Anglo-American taxpayers. Tell me, exactly what is it about their growing unpopularity that the CDU bigwigs don’t understand? and Farage explains why the EU pols keep living out Einstein's definition of insanity.... Farage On The 'Scientology-Like' Cult Of The Euro Submitted by Tyler Durden on 07/13/2012 15:35 -0400 In an extended discussion with various pro- and con- European Parliamentarians, everyone's favorite (well, most forthright, for sure) British MEP, Nigel Farage, opined on entering the hallowed halls of Europe's Hogwarts-like hub in Brussels that he is surprised: "After five (soon to be six) nations already bailed out, that so few people inside these institutions are even prepared to contemplate that there might be something wrong with the Euro project" adding that he feels that: "he is surrounded by some weird cult - that, even after disaster, continue to believe" Brief clip: the longer interview: