From: efstse@epsilon.eecs.nwu.edu (Serafim Efstratiadis)
Subject: Re: GREECE: EC's poorest member pushing
Organization: EECS Department, Northwestern University
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1992 12:59:30 GMT

In article <1473100059@igc.org> Human Rights Coordinator <hrcoord@igc.org> writes:
>
>Title: GREECE: EC's poorest member pushing to ratify Maastrict
                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>Treaty
>
>an inter press service feature
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>by sophia richards
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

...

Wow! What an impressive characterization! Right on the money!

>his condition on approval was that members should not recognise
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>the former yugoslav republic of macedonia by that name. greeks
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>believe the name macedonia belongs only to them historically,
>since they have a northern province called macedonia. the trade-
>off apparently worked.
>...

I s'pose one gets the idea...

>most of the rest of europe is also far from ready, although greece
>ranks last in every case. it's per capita income of 5,500 dollars
>a year is half the ec average. portugal, the country most often
>compared with greece, has a per capita income of just over 6,000
>dollars.

$5,500/year! I do not think so...

>greece's accumulated government debt is 105 percent of gdp,
>inflation is at 15 percent, and the budget deficit is between 12
>and 14 percent of gdp.

Latest figure for inflation: 14.6% and coming down steady...

>national economy minister stephanos manos calls this deficit ''the
>main illness of public finance, the heart of the problem...if that
>is reduced, interest rates will fall, investments will occur,
>employment will increase.''

That's true.

>to shave the deficit, most of the annual 20,000 greeks going on a
>pension, will not be replaced over the next four years. more than
>70 percent of the state budget goes towards wages, salaries,
>interest payments, and amortisation.(more/ips)

That's good.

>''if we arrive at our targets this year, we'll be almost the same
>as italy,'' added sidropoulos, who said that while italy's deficit
>may be ''a disaster'', that country is still a ''big power''. ''no
>one thinks it should be outside of a united europe.''

True.

>he does admit that greece has ''severe'' economic problems but
>says there is room ''for restructuring the economy''. greece has
>until 1997 to prove him right.(end/ips/rp-ne/cr/dd/92)

There's plenty of potential. Provided that the government takes equally
tough measures in the future things are looking good.

Serafim.
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Xref: sparky soc.culture.greek:6726 soc.culture.turkish:7947