PM @ Progressive Governance Conference

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• PM @ Progressive Governance Conference
• Opposition’s Growth Plan: "Reset"
• Deputy FM @ UN Conference
• Economy Matters
• It’s Time for Athens Fun Run!
• Events During the Weekend
• "Watch my Dance," Europe!
• Greek News Agenda Readers

PM @ Progressive Governance Conference Posted: 13 May 2011 12:26 PM PDT Prime Minister George Papandreou is in Norway to participate in a major Progressive Governance Conference themed on A post-crisis agenda for the centre -left: Securing shared prosperity that opened in Oslo yesterday. The two-day conference is organised by Policy Network in partnership with the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) and is hosted by Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg. Today, the Premier will address a plenary discussion on the Future jobs and growth: How can centre-left governments make a difference?. The Greek premier will also have a meeting with his Norwegian counterpart and conference host Jens Stoltenberg.

Opposition’s Growth Plan: "Reset" Posted: 13 May 2011 12:27 PM PDT Main opposition New Democracy (ND) Party announced its plan to restore growth in Greece. Its guidelines consist of seven steps which will generate a "creative shock" and reset the Greek economy. The idea is to reduce corporate and income taxes while simultaneously settling all pending irregularities and instituting further penalties to eliminate loopholes that allow tax evasion and illegal unemployment. Furthermore, ND suggests incentives for capital repatriation, legalization of unlicensed buildings and further boost of the construction sector, while securing satellite photo-mapping of Greece to prevent further infringements. In the same context, ND calls for a settlement of the public sector's debt to contractors and suppliers to jumpstart their activity. Finally, banks are to be conduced to channel 30% of state guarantees into the market to make money circulate; European Union funds must be absorbed at a higher pace and foreign investors ought to be provided with a simpler and consistent environment. The EU-IMF memorandum should be renegotiated and purchase of Greek debt in the secondary bond market should be seriously considered.

Deputy FM @ UN Conference Posted: 13 May 2011 12:27 PM PDT Deputy Foreign Minister Spyros Kouvelis attended the 4the UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries, which is taking place in Istanbul on May 9-13. The Conference was convened to assess the results of the 10-year action plan for the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) adopted at the Third United Nations Conference on LDCs in Brussels, Belgium, in 2001 and adopt new measures and strategies for the sustainable development of the LDCs into the next decade. Kouvelis - who participated at a panel discussion on the theme of Enhancing productive capacities and the role of the private sector in LDCs – stressed in his address that the Action Plan "should form a realistic framework adapted to the needs and priorities of L.D.C.'s, but also to the current international political, economic and financial situation. We must highlight what we can do and not what we wish to do." He also reiterated Greece's commitment, despite budgetary constraints, to keep L.D.C.'s in the forefront of its development cooperation policy, through targeted projects and actions. While in Istanbul, Kouvelis signed the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, which was adopted by the CoE Committee of Ministers on 7 April 2011.

Economy Matters Posted: 13 May 2011 12:28 PM PDT Greek Exports Keep Rising Greek exports continued rising in March, while imports fell further on lower domestic demand in the country, the independent Hellenic Statistical Authority said on May 10. The value of export-deliveries totaled € 1.756 billion in March, up 23.6% from the same period last year, while the value of import-arrivals fell to €3.342 billion from € 5.354 billion. T-Bill Auction Greece raised € 1,625 million during an auction of 26-week T-bills conducted on May 10, according to an announcement by the Public Dept Management Agency (PDMA). The total bids reached € 4,474 million and the amount finally accepted was € 1,625 million at an interest rate of 4.88% - compared to 4.80% during the previous auction, on April 12.

It’s Time for Athens Fun Run! Posted: 13 May 2011 12:28 PM PDT The 28th Athens Fun Run, organised by the City of Athens and its Youth and Sport Organisation (ONA), is taking place on Sunday, May 15, with the Panathenaic Stadium as the kick-off point for participants. The Run constitutes the biggest mass sporting event organised at local government level in Greece. This year's Athens Fun Run is dedicated to the Special Olympics World Summer Games Athens 2011 and aims to spread a message of participation, brotherhood, social solidarity and the acknowledgment of participating individuals with special skills.

Events During the Weekend Posted: 13 May 2011 12:28 PM PDT Music & Art @ Herakleidon Museum On the occasion of the celebration of the European Night of Museums 2011, the Herakleidon Museum in Athens and the National Conservatory are hosting, from sunset to midnight on May 14, a music event titled The Visual Arts and Music: a Mystical Dialogue. The programme will include classical as well as Greek works of music. African Festival On May 14 & 15 the African Embassies in Athens invite all to the 10th African Festival to be held in Paleo Psychico district of Athens. Visitors may enjoy African food as well as live music by local African bands, and browse into handicrafts. African Art @ Benaki Museum Works of art and objects that belong to Italian private collector Bruno Finocchiaro will be on display at the Benaki Museum in Athens on May 14. The event, titled Reminiscences and Tales of Africa, is held on the occasion of International Museum Day, which celebrated annually on May 18. Finocchiaro, who lived in Africa for 30 years, aims to introduce the public to the history of African art with a lecture focusing on the significance of the African objects on display and how they came to his possession.

"Watch my Dance," Europe! Posted: 13 May 2011 12:29 PM PDT Loucas Yiorkas featuring Stereo Mike made it through the semifinals of the Eurovision Song Contest and won the ticket to the final, which will be held tomorrow in Düsseldorf, Germany. The performance of Watch my Dance at the Fortuna Düsseldorf's arena earned them the European the public's resounding applause and admiration. Loucas Yiorkas feat. Stereo Mike will appear ninth in tomorrow's finals, hoping for your vote! Greek News Agenda: Eurovision 2011

Greek News Agenda Readers Posted: 13 May 2011 12:29 PM PDT Due to technical reasons, the Greek News Agenda wasn't able to be published on time. The editing team of Greek News Agenda would like to apologize to its readers for the delay.

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