Athens, September 18, 2011

Statement of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Mr. Evangelos Venizelos, after the meeting of the governmental committee

Today, I briefed the governmental committee that came together under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister, on everything that took place during the Eurogroup and Ecofin meetings in Poland, most importantly on the bilateral meetings I had with my counterparts and talks with institutional delegates .The conclusion from that meeting, which made it necessary for the governmental committee to come together, is that a fluid and nervous situation has taken shape within the Eurozone and the international economy at large, which creates multiple problems and allows the profiteering elements of the global market, those who speculate against the euro and other currencies, to constantly organize attacks on the heart of the euro. And this concerns us deeply as a country, it concerns all Greek citizens.

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Thessaloniki, September 11, 2011

Statement of the Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister of the Hellenic Republic, following the informal Cabinet Meeting in Thessaloniki

Good afternoon. A very critical and long Cabinet meeting came to an end a while ago. This is the second crucial Cabinet meeting since Tuesday, when we announced the decision to drastically speed up the structural changes for the new single payroll and grading system of the public sector employees, which will be applied in the wider public sector, for the labor reserve, for the restructuring of public organizations, for the liberalization of the labor market and for the enhancement of our national competitiveness.The Prime Minister asked the Cabinet today to address a very critical situation that has developed in recent days in the Eurozone, in Europe and the global markets. There is no doubt that the lack of comprehensive institutions of economic governance at European and international level, acts as a catalyst and influences political and institutional developments, particularly in the European Union, which is at a threshold in the historical and institutional process of European integration.

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Athens, September 9, 2011

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Greece, Mr. Evangelos Venizelos, commented on the rumors about a possible Greek default this coming weekend, as follows:

It is not the first time that we see an organized wave of “rumors” about an upcoming Greek default. This is a game of a very bad taste, an orchestrated speculation that is targeting the euro and the Euro Area as a whole.Greece’s fundamental choice and priority is to fully and entirely implement the July 21 decisions and, of course, to wholly fulfill its obligations that derive from the agreements reached between Greece and its partners.

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Athens, July 17, 2011

Deputy PM and Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos made the following statement after the meeting with Secretary of State Mrs. Hillary Clinton:

I had a very interesting and substantial discussion with Mrs. Clinton on all the details, but always under a political approach. The US Government and the Secretary of State herself understand very well that the problem of the economy is political and that Greece must present a complete national story in terms of what it does and for the prospects that lie ahead. US support is extremely important. It is important through the IMF, where the role of the United States is crucial. US support is also important through the bilateral contacts that they maintain with all Eurozone member states and they realize fully well that, if Greece produces results in tackling tax-evasion, in the collection of public revenues and in the implementation of the privatization program, the international environment will shift. Moreover, they take note of any achievements, of the smallest positive step possible towards that direction.

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July 15 2011

Referring to the release of the results of the “EU-wide stress tests” of the banking system, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos made the following statement:The results of the EU-wide stress test of the European banking system that uses extreme theoretical scenarios and situations, is particularly favorable to the Greek banking system.91 banks from the 27 EU member states took part in the stress tests, among which the six largest Greek banks that cover almost the entire banking sector, over 90%.

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Athens, July 13 2011

The Ministry of Finance has issued the following press release:

Following a series of recent downgrades in the Eurozone, today Fitch has downgraded the Hellenic Republic debt to “CCC”.According to the announcement by Fitch, this downgrade has occurred because the final shape of Greece’s new support programme until mid-2014, with a new loan by the Eurozone and the IMF, as well as the final form of private sector participation, have not yet been finalized.However, according to Eurogroup’s decision on Monday, the new programme will come into effect before September 15, when the new disbursement to Greece will be made. At the same time, the exact form of private sector involvement is being finalized through intense deliberations within the guidelines of Eurogroup, taken in the presence of ECB and IMF.

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Brussels, July 11 2011

Greek Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos signed today, on behalf of the Hellenic Republic, the new treaty for the establishment of the European Stability Mechanism (ESM).The new treaty was signed by the Finance Ministers of the eurozone member states on an intergovernmental level, before the Eurogroup Council session.

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Brussels, July 11, 2011

Greek Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos’ statement at the doorstep of the Eurogroup meeting in Brussels:I am ready to participate in a substantial and constructive discussion on PSI because we need today a very strong and clear message of stability not only in Greece but also in the Eurozone and beyond.

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Saturday, July 2 2011

Greek deputy PM and Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos made the following statement today:

During this evening’s teleconference, Eurogroup decided:

1. To proceed to the fifth tranche until July 15. The IMF is expected to reach its decision on July 8, according to the usual practice. 

2. To work out a new programme on time, before mid-September, so that the disbursement of the next tranche is made possible, based on the current timetable

Today’s decisions reached by Eurogroup were made possible, after the approval of the Middle Term Fiscal Strategy program and the Implementation Law in the Parliament.

This development has strengthened the country’s international credibility. What is crucial now is to implement parliament's decisions on time and effectively, in order to be able to gradually exit the crisis for the benefit of the national economy and Greek citizens.

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June 28, 2011

As soon as Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister of the Hellenic Republic, Evangelos Venizelos, was made aware of Christine Lagarde's election as head of the International Monetary Fund, he made the following statement from Parliament:

Greece's representative to the International Monetary Fund, professor Roumeliotis, has just informed me that current French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde has been elected as the new Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund. I would like to  announce the news to parliament, to express my congratulations and to wish her the best of luck on behalf of the Hellenic Government.

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