Seeing the unity of his coalition government being tested and Greece’s lenders still at odds over how to manage the country’s debt, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras attempted to lift the mood this week by insisting that economic recovery would be visible next year.
Speaking in Malta at a meeting of the European People’s Party, a grouping of conservative parties, Samaras said the structural and fiscal measures voted through Parliament last week would soon pay off. “Next year we will see the first signs of recovery,” he said. Samaras’s message was in contrast to the mood within his government, where new splits have emerged following last week’s divisive vote.
The Prime Minister’s apparent decision to revoke a law granting citizenship to second-generation immigrants continued to cause friction within the coalition yesterday. Justice Minister Antonis Roupakiotis, aligned with Democratic Left, slamming the Prime Minister’s stance. PASOK has also voiced objections. Sources told Kathimerini that Samaras has no intention of backing down.
In addition, the Agricultural Minister Athanasios Tsaftaris expressed his opposition to taxation on photovoltaic installations. Meanwhile, Greece’s lenders appeared equally divided over how to fund Athens’s financing gap for the next four years, which is expected to reach about 32 billion euros, and how to make its debt sustainable. Source: Kathimerini