Agora
Posts in Politics
The arduous road of privatisation in Greece
This week two developments at the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRADF) made headline news. First, the Greek privatisation agency confirmed its medium-term revenue targets. The HRADF’s chief executive officer, Paschalis Bouchoris, in charge since August of this year, argued that TAIPED (as it is known by its Greek acronym) can reach the revenue target of 9.6 billion euros by the end of 2016.
Contributor: Jens Bastian
Categories: Politics (413), Economy (348), Greece (527)
How Samaras backed himself and Greece into a corner over bailout exit
The line coming out of Prime Minister Antonis Samaras’s office at the end of May was that New Democracy did not lose the European Parliament elections despite receiving almost 4 percentage points less than SYRIZA. Together with PASOK, Samaras’s party had a bigger share of the vote than the opposition. The argument emanating from the government camp was that if the leftists couldn’t score a decisive victory at the tail end of the Greek depression, they would never achieve one.
Contributors: Nick Malkoutzis, Yiannis Mouzakis
Categories: Politics (413), Economy (348), Greece (527)
Greek crisis redux? Not exactly
This week's explosion of Greek bond spreads and collapse of stocks prompted many people to have a sense of déjà vu. Many editors and analysts jumped in to call the new turmoil a repeat of 2010, when the geometric growth of Greek sovereign bond yields almost brought Europe to its knees.
Contributor: Ilias Siakantaris
Categories: Europe (296), Politics (413), Economy (348), Greece (527)
Greece's biggest problem? Society's lack of openness
I started writing my book, “The Thirteenth Labour of Hercules”, a couple of months after the June 2012 elections. In that nailbiting showdown, a bruised and battered electorate narrowly opted for the pro-bailout camp, headed by New Democracy, over the fiery, austerity-bashing rhetoric of SYRIZA. As has been confirmed by numerous key players since then, the formation of a coalition government willing to stay within the confines the Greek programme was not enough for some in Europe, who kept on pushing for Greece to be pushed out of the eurozone for weeks after.
Contributor: Yannis Palaiologos
Categories: Politics (413), Society (150), Greece (527)
Growth, recovery, change and other words lost in the wind
Unable to devalue their currency during this crisis, eurozone policy makers have feverishly cheapened words instead. Over the last few years the value of words like solidarity, reform, competitiveness, adjustment and relief has plummeted.
Contributor: Nick Malkoutzis
Categories: Politics (413), Economy (348), Greece (527)