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Sat, Feb 11 2012
Greek customs officers, tax officials go on strike
The precarious situation at the Greek-Bulgarian border is likely to deteriorate further still after Greek customs officials and tax inspectors walked out on a joint strike in protest against the socialist government's announced austerity measures, which include increased taxes and wage cuts.
The Greek government was left with little room to manoeuvre as it needs to tackle the huge budget deficit and public debt. The ruling party is faced with a tough battle to persuade the population that the cuts in public spending were necessary, the trimming of public services and government administrations were vital and that the defence budget should also be slashed – whilst preventing unemployment from ballooning.
Greek finance minister George Papaconstantinou vowed that the administration would decrease the budget deficit from an estimated 12.7 per cent of gross domestic product in 2009 to below three per cent by 2012 – a recovery plan that has now been endorsed by the European Commission, which is expected to watch vigilantly over its implementation.
Greek civil servants sector will be among the hardest hit and that includes tax inspectors as well as other agencies such as the customs police, who are faced with higher taxes on their income.
The joint strike is not related to the Greek farmers' border blockade, but is expected to exacerbate matters further after the Bulgarian border has been subjected to an on-and-off closure for the past three weeks.
To add insult to injury, Greek agriculture minister Katerina Batzeli – who made several forlorn attempts to reach a settlement with farmers but has so far failed in her endeavour – was forced to take a detour via secondary roads to arrive in Thessaloniki for the annual Agrotica farming exhibition, Greek daily Kathimerini said on February 4 2010.
The fact that Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borissov has been increasingly putting pressure on European Commission president Jose Manuel Barosso for the EC to take measures against Greece have had a little dampening effect on the farmers.
Queues of lorries stretched for about 20km in either direction of the border on February 3 and there is little to suggest that the situation will improve anytime soon, as according to Bulgarian media, the Greek customs police will have all border checkpoints closed for traffic for two days, making no exceptions, unlike the farmers.
The Greek government was left with little room to manoeuvre as it needs to tackle the huge budget deficit and public debt. The ruling party is faced with a tough battle to persuade the population that the cuts in public spending were necessary, the trimming of public services and government administrations were vital and that the defence budget should also be slashed – whilst preventing unemployment from ballooning.
Greek finance minister George Papaconstantinou vowed that the administration would decrease the budget deficit from an estimated 12.7 per cent of gross domestic product in 2009 to below three per cent by 2012 – a recovery plan that has now been endorsed by the European Commission, which is expected to watch vigilantly over its implementation.
Greek civil servants sector will be among the hardest hit and that includes tax inspectors as well as other agencies such as the customs police, who are faced with higher taxes on their income.
The joint strike is not related to the Greek farmers' border blockade, but is expected to exacerbate matters further after the Bulgarian border has been subjected to an on-and-off closure for the past three weeks.
To add insult to injury, Greek agriculture minister Katerina Batzeli – who made several forlorn attempts to reach a settlement with farmers but has so far failed in her endeavour – was forced to take a detour via secondary roads to arrive in Thessaloniki for the annual Agrotica farming exhibition, Greek daily Kathimerini said on February 4 2010.
The fact that Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borissov has been increasingly putting pressure on European Commission president Jose Manuel Barosso for the EC to take measures against Greece have had a little dampening effect on the farmers.
Queues of lorries stretched for about 20km in either direction of the border on February 3 and there is little to suggest that the situation will improve anytime soon, as according to Bulgarian media, the Greek customs police will have all border checkpoints closed for traffic for two days, making no exceptions, unlike the farmers.
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Firms in Bulgaria invited to declare losses from Greek border blockade
Companies will have to submit a form, which can be downloaded from the ministry's website and should be prepared to present paperwork proving their losses.
General strike in Greece causes disruption amid fears of worse meltdown
European Union leaders will discuss Greece's difficulties at a Brussels summit on February 11 2010.
New turn in Greek Bulgarian border blockade saga
Out of favour with her own constituents, Greek agriculture minister Katerina Batzeli is to meet representatives of the farmers blockading the Bulgarian border.
Week four of Greek-Bulgarian border blockade
Partial blockade at the border continues for the fourth week in a row
Bulgarian Agriculture Minister and Greek ambassador discuss border blockade
No sign of resolution for two countries taken hostage by a group of discontented farmers
Border crisis continues, total blockade announced for February 4 and 5
For the moment three of the four border checkpoints with Greece are working normally. However Greek border police said they will have all borders of the country shut for two days starting February 4.
Greek border police to shut all borders on February 4 and 5
The Macedonian and Romanian foreign ministries have warned their citizens to avoid travel to Greece
Greek prime minister calls for end to border blockade
Greek prime minister George Papandreou demanded that farmers end the three-week-long blockade of border crossings.
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I agree that greece cannot pay for all the immigrants that it now has. Each country in turn will revolt against the massive influx of the immigrants Greece will lose its culture as the UK has, you cannot force people to live with this problem when the people of greece go without, watch this space there will be riots next week, the Brussels mob should sort this and pay for there mistakes by giving Greece more support.
Greece is much worse off since the introduction of the Euro. Prices have risen dramatically in Greece, since 2001, food, clothing its really bad, and this has nothing to do with their overspending. How do you account for Greece, before 2001 on the EU was better off? There is no discussion of this. Greece, Portugal cant compete with Germany,France, they do better not being tied to their currency. The EU just wants to take away Greek soverignty, and the Greeks have to spend more money on defense as a percentage of their GDP than anyone else in Europe. Noone talks [...]
Read the full comment about this, the Greeks dont trust the west and Turkey, and NATO. Greece is being overrun by Albanians, and others. They are destroying Greek culture, you dont want to talk about this either. The EU forced Greece to take all these immigrants, but they wont pay for it!!This is criminal. Greece cant afford to take care of all these immigrants, it is the truth.
valeri how can you possibly think that having a controlled governmentie with now national power would be a useful option? if you believe that all those eggheads in brussels are the best thing going then you are sadly mistaken
This was inevitable sooner or later from the first day that Greece joined the Eurozone by fiddling the "convergence" figures.
"Sow the wind, and thou shalt reap the whirlwind", as the Bible tells us (at least hopefully the Greek Bible says so too !)
"A few years and the so called pigs might be puppet states with national cultures that are for tourists but have no political substance"
Frankly, that won't be such a bad thing for most of us in the Balkans and many non-Balkan countries.
If the EU wants to have a relevance, it needs to centralize and acquire means to enforce other than carrots alone.
Having an inept government is much more "humiliating" than having a "controlled" government.
if the ECB and EU come to their aid it will be at the cost of an intrusive and humiliating socio-economic control of their country for years, plus painful cuts - a total humiliation of greece on many levels. If the IMF step in then the eurozone will be humiliated for not being able to govern themselves without outside help. This will impact on the euro and the reputation of the ezone. A more sinister reading is that forces have decided that it is time to centralise the political and economic control of the EU and Greece is being made [...]
Read the full comment an example. A few years and the so called pigs might be puppet states with national cultures that are for tourists but have no political substance.
Greece is in a tailspin. Come on guys, get it together....