Finance Ministry

Some 400 Finance Ministry cleaners who were placed in a labor pool eight months ago said on Friday that they will return to work on Monday after an Athens court upheld their appeal against the decision.

The ruling comes as the period of assessment after which it will be decided whether they will be let go or rehired is about to expire.

An Athens court has accepted an appeal by hundreds of Finance Ministry cleaners who were put into a so-called mobility scheme of forced transfers and dismissals, the womens' lawyer Yiannis Karouzos said on Friday, referring to a "landmark decision."

According to Karouzos, the Athens Court of First Instance upheld the appeal by the 397 workers, ordering that the women be rehired.

 Finance Ministry officials say growth may beat budget forecast

By Sotiris Nikas

The Greek economy posted its smallest contraction in four years during the first quarter of 2014, shrinking by 1.1 percent against 6 percent in the same period last year, according to data released on Thursday by the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT).

Twenty-six of Greece’s 36 prisons and other holding facilities are woefully overcrowded, Justice Minister Haralambos Athanasiou revealed on Wednesday as the government approved the release of funds needed to start a pilot scheme for the electronic tagging of prisoners.

Twenty-six of Greece’s 36 prisons and other holding facilities are woefully overcrowded, Justice Minister Haralambos Athanasiou revealed Wednesday as the government approved the release of funds needed to start a pilot scheme for the electronic tagging of prisoners.

BELGRADE - Budget revenues could increase by EUR 100 million by the end of the year by countering grey economy, Serbian State Secretary in the Finance Ministry Nikola Corsovic said on Monday.

 If measures are taken to ease the debt, there should be no need for primary surpluses to reach 4.5 pct of GDP

By Sotiris Nikas

The government is planning to raise the issue of changing the fiscal targets when talks on the sustainability of the Greek debt begin at the end of August, in an effort to loosen fiscal policy after a long period of austerity.

The government on Tuesday essentially froze a controversial bill designed to lift restrictions on construction along the country’s coastline following vehement protests from across the political spectrum, including objections by junior coalition partner PASOK and environmental protection groups.

By Sotiris Nikas

The government is expecting first-quarter data to show Greece’s economic contraction at just 1 percent, against 6 percent in the same period last year.