The Prime Minister Antonis Samaras gave a press conference where he announced that an agreement was finally reached with the troika, after multiple marathon meetings over the past few days and seven months of negotiations.
Mr. Samaras remarked that “today we are starting again with hope, because our sacrifices are paying off” and explained that his administration’s mission is to get the country to overcome the profound financial crisis, as promised. Mr. Samaras assured that there would be no new bailout or austerity measures and that his administration would continue its efforts.
According to the agreement with the troika, about 500 million euros from the primary surplus will be distributed amongst 1 million Greek people, based on their assets and finances. Part of these funds will also go towards uniformed officers receiving less than 1,500 per month. About 20 million euros are to go towards the homeless and other vulnerable sections of society.
A further 1 billion euros will cover outstanding debts from the 2013 budget, such as debts towards taxpayers. Mr. Samaras also stressed that insurance contributions would be reduced by 3.9% as of the 1st of July. He also referred to a number of structural changes aimed to encourage growth and competition.
The Prime Minister further revealed that the issue of public sector dismissals would be reexamined in October, while the collective redundancies would be handled via ASE until the end of the year.
Mr. Samaras also accused the opposition of doubting his administration’s achievements in the economy, claiming that his government remained united throughout their mission. The Prime Minister vowed to continue with his efforts to “create a modern European economy”.
