Economy Ministry

Deputy Economy Minister Liliya Ivanova met Kevin Hamilton, Canada's ambassador accredited to Bulgaria, who is based in Bucharest, Romania, the Economy Ministry said.

Protests have been organised in recent days by activists in Tirana, Belgrade and Podgorica against the damage done to the environment by the building of hydro-power plants.

They were staged under the umbrella name Action Weeks for Balkan Rivers, a joint project by various environmental NGOs, with the slogan "Our rivers - no damage!"

The Economy Ministry has tabled a law amendment for the funding of Hellenic Sugar Industry from the Public Investments Program for the payment of dues to the industry's employees and its suppliers - i.e. sugarcane producers.

The Economy Ministry has reacted to reports about an upcoming 10-15 percent increase in the retail price of souvlaki, a popular Greek fast food item comprising grilled pork wrapped in pita bread, saying that the rise in the price of pork has not exceeded 1-2 percent at the moment, but it might tick up further due to a meat shortage in China.

The Economy Ministry finally appears to be heeding the call by Greek industrialists for the provision of more incentives for strategic investments, as it intends to submit a new bill to that effect in Parliament next month.

The national leg of the Public Investments Program will have a five-year duration as of 2021, so as to allow for more long-term growth planning, according to a draft law that was put up for consultation until April 8 on Wednesday.

The government urgently submitted on Tuesday night a legislative amendment with the new framework for the protection of borrowers' primary residences, although an agreement with the country's creditors has yet to be reached and Monday's Euro Working Group reflected the impasse in talks between Athens and the eurozone on the matter.

An Economy Ministry bill tabled on Friday in Parliament provides for the broadening of the criteria for non-European Union citizens to be granted a five-year residence permit, or Golden Visa, beyond the investment of 250,000 euros in local real estate assets.

After four years of announcements and negotiations with the country's creditors, the bill for the creation of the Hellenic Development Bank was put up for public consultation this week.

The government is facing a difficult task in trying to overcome the resistance of banks on two key issues that would accelerate the reduction of nonperforming loans, which currently stand at some 80 billion euros.