Greece expects the European Central Bank (ECB) to decide on a waiver that will allow it to accept Greek bonds as collateral immediately after the review of the Greek programme is formally concluded in the next few days, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said as he addressed a meeting of the cabinet on Thursday.
“There will be time for us to celebrate only when we have reduced unemployment, entered a path of growth, and only when in the next two years we succeed in permanently exiting the memorandums and supervision,” he said.
The government’s central goal over the coming period was a fair distribution of the wealth generated, so as to benefit the majority of society, with protection for employment and wages. He urged the government ministers to be guided by three key priorities in their work, namely: social protection, a turn toward economic growth and a fair distribution of both the burdens and the benefits.
The prime minister referred to upcoming legislation planned by the government, such as a new developmental law, a draft bill on the social economy and public contracts, a new system for licensing and monitoring public works and laws to fight the contraband trade in tobacco and spirits. He also announced plans for a “voluntary disclosure” law giving offenders a last chance to reveal undeclared past income and to pay any taxes due to the state and said that reforms to the country’s “television landscape” will be completed by the first 10 days of August.
Collective paroxysm
Referring to the recent furore surrounding measures to limit ownership of offshore firms by politicians, Tsipras spoke of “a collective paroxysm” by the opposition attempting to “implicate” the government, whose limits were set by reality.
“The reality in this case was the content of the measures for the offshore firms, which once against highlighted the strategic dead end that New Democracy and its fellow travellers [had entered] in their effort to slander the government.”
In the wake of all this upheaval, Tsipras added, it was not the government but the main opposition “that took to its heels and is still running, rushing to tie up their loose ends.”
He concluded his opening remarks to the cabinet by noting that the nature of these action requires processes of broad consultation and consensus. The government was opening up a discussion with the political parties, organisations and the society of citizens on a new election law and revision of the Constitution, he added, while it will set up working groups with prestigious experts and scientists, asking them to present their proposals before the end of the summer.
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