News archive of February 2015

VIENNA - Chairperson-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Serbia's Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic, welcomed the latest progress made in the implementation of Minsk agreements Friday, observing that the situation in Ukraine had entered a phase of de-escalation of conflicts.

By Ilias Bellos

Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis on Friday visited the installations of Piraeus Container Terminal (PCT), the local subsidiary of Cosco, with Chinese Ambassador Zou Xiaoli, in another effort by Athens to appease Beijing following Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras?s visit to the Chinese fleet?s flagship that had arrived in Greece?s main port.

By Stathis Kousounis

Growth in tourism bookings from Germany has shown a remarkable decline in recent weeks according to the Association of Hellenic Tourism Enterprises (SETE).

The aassociation actually dubbed the booking flow «unsatisfactory given the momentum» seen late last year.

By Sotiris Nikas

Investment, tourism, consumption and exports contributed to Greece?s 1.3 percent year-on-year economic growth in the last quarter of 2014 according to figures released on Friday by the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT).

 The rate for the total of 120 billion euros estimated to be abroad may range between 10 and 15 percent

By Prokopis Hatzinikolaou

BELGRADE- The bill on inspections the government adopted on Friday will reform this field, and there will also be a coordination commission that will process the information to harmonise work plans, the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Government has said.

The government adopted the bill on inspections proposed by the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Government.

BELGRADE- Serbian Minister without portfolio in charge of European integration Jadranka Joksimovic conferred on Friday with Jean-Eric Paquet of the European Commission (EC) concerning the approval of around EUR 80 million from EU pre-accession funds as support for public finance management and public administration development.

The southern and eastern borders of an ISIS stronghold have been taken over by Peshmerga Kurdish fighters, in northeastern Syria, according to the OSDH.

According to the OSDH, the YPG (Kurdish forces) invaded Tal Hamis and took over parts of the city after six days of fighting against ISIS jihadists.

By Evgenia Tzortzi

The Bank of Greece is in favor of the creation of a ?specialized entity? for the management of nonperforming loans (NPLs), saying in its annual report issued on Thursday that such an option would assist banks in ?financing healthy entrepreneurship.?

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras set out on Friday his government?s immediate legislative plans, while at the same time insisting he would continue to pursue debt relief and refuse to sign a third bailout for Greece.