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GREECE’S NEW LEFT-WING government has done an about-face on promises to ditch privatisation plans for valuable state infrastructure the previous administration put in place.
The anti-austerity Syriza government will now push ahead with a scheduled sale of the country’s largest port, Pireaus, after previously vowing to unpick the process.
The cash-strapped country, which has already received a €240 billion EU-IMF bailout, has been under intense pressure from its lenders to go ahead with selling off state assets.
Greek Deputy Prime Minister Gabriel Sakellaridis yesterday said the issue of privatisation was part of the “package” of measures the government was negotiating with the EU and IMF to unlock another €7.2 billion in much-need bailout funds.
He admitted that in the case of Piraeus there had been a “concession” from the new Greek government, which came to power in late January.
It followed the sale of a €40 million gambling license late last month, the first privatisation since the election.
Water, power off the table
Meanwhile, Greek Economy Minister George Stathakis said the government would push ahead with efforts to privatise the country’s largest ports and airports.
We’re trying to revise some elements of these privatizations in order to improve them and I think we’ll get a sensible agreement for both,” he said, according to Bloomberg.
However Stathakis added Greece wouldn’t sell other state assets the previous administration had agreed to offload including water, electricity and postal services.
Meanwhile, Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis told an Athens conference he wouldn’t sign any deals unless they helped the country emerge from its economic crisis.
But he added an exit from the euro and return to the old national currency would be akin to returning “to the Neolithic Age”.
I wish that we had the drachma, make no mistake … I wish we had not entered this monetary union,” he said. “But once you’re in you don’t get out, without catastrophe.”
- With AFP and AP
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Welcome to the reality of supporting some one with a difference here , talk to parents and siblings about how we have to fight for everything.
Fair play to the foster carers for contacting the Ombudsman and therefore going up against Tusla and the HSE. Not a decision taken lightly. There is a bullying mentality when you go against these agencies. Hopefully now the child and her family will get the supports they need. It’s disgraceful that the family had to put themselves through the stress and pressure to get the outcome.
@Clare Sharkey: Sad thing is that TUSLA are in the process of moving the child into a residential type setting and removing her from the wonderful foster family. Wouldn’t it be much easier to put the supports in place and leave her with the loving foster family.
@Lorraine Roche: its a power struggle. Easier to blame foster carers than themselves.
It’s not only children with disabilities who are in care the system is failing it’s children with disabilities full stop. Your child with a disability is accepted into a service-8-18 disability service- they then have to go on waiting lists within that service for Speech& Language, Occupational Therapy, Psychologist etc…. Services are badly organised and seriously under resourced.
A certain spectacle Senator with his “human rights activists” friends will be working tirelessly on this one.
“bespectacled
@Are roo from Cork: think you were right first time.
Abandoned at birth !!!!!????
The poor Girl can expect a lifetime of neglect by the state, funding is ridiculously low in the intellectual disability area, from childhood right through to Adult services!
The Government should take control of all services and streamline while increasing funding – the current system with dozens of organisations with CEO’s on mainly over €100k with generous expenses is putting tax money into the wrong hands instead of into the frontline where conditions have plummeted and staff under severe pressure are leaving disillusioned!
Put the money where it matters and strip away the red tape to give those with disabilities the services they deserve- too much of a gravy train at present!
@David Grey: leo will be in shortly saying how “it shouldn’t be like this”
have your say