Politics
Mitsotakis seals alliance with Drassi, targets role of unifier
In a move that will have mostly symbolic, rather than practical, impact, New Democracy announced on Thursday that the small pro-business party Drassi is to come under its umbrella.
Tsipras poised for concessions with lenders, sets snap polls aside
In the clearest sign so far that Athens is willing to make some concessions to reach an agreement with its lenders and conclude the second review, the government has said it is willing to extend and improve the current fiscal mechanism.
Schaeuble presents Athens with stark reality of programme without IMF
The Greek government was still pondering the implications of Wolfgang Schaeuble’s comments regarding the possible exclusion of the International Monetary Fund from the country’s programme when the German finance minister struck again on Monday to leave Athens in little doubt that such an option would entail a high risk for Greece.
Athens sees Cyprus talks progressing despite lack of deal in Geneva
The historic Conference on Cyprus, launched last week in Geneva to discuss the issues of security and guarantees, ended on Thursday without a deal but with a decision to continue discussions at a technical level on Jan 18 before re-convening at a political level again.
Papandreou returns as PASOK seeks revival
After enjoying a modest revival in the opinion polls, PASOK has built further momentum by welcoming back its former leader George Papandreou and enhancing its presence in Greek Parliament thanks to the addition of two MPs.
Athens hopes concessions can secure review breakthrough
Amid growing indications that Athens is preparing to offer an extension of the fiscal mechanism and concessions on the tax-free threshold and pensions in order to conclude the review, Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos and European Economic Affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici tried to strike a positive tone following their meeting in Brussels on Thursday.
Mitsotakis marks first year at ND helm by emphasising tax cut goals
In his first interview of 2017, New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis claimed that he is prepared to go against the wishes of Greece’s lenders in order to reduce taxes if he becomes prime minister.
Athens gears up for Cyprus talks, expecting progress rather than agreement
Following 19 months of intensive talks aiming to reunify Cyprus, the two Cypriot leaders are due to meet in Geneva on Monday at the beginning of a crucial week of negotiations on the issues of territory, security and guarantees.
Govt hopes for Feb review deal but opposition readies in case of snap polls
There are increasing indications from government sources that Athens has accepted it is unlikely the review will be completed in time for the January 26 Eurogroup and that a conclusion in February is more likely.
Creation of unified social security fund poses new challenge for govt
The war of words between the government and New Democracy over the ongoing review has intensified and will undoubtedly be the main political battleground in the weeks to come.