Press Review March 28: A bulldozer of a law: reform or demolition?

The omnibus bill to be voted on by parliament will impose multiple drastic reforms; Some argue the reforms are a long time coming; three million Greeks are without adequate heating; the way for the privatization of Eurobank is opening; and hit hard by cuts, Greek families sacrifice education spending.

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The Press Project
28 Μαρτίου 2014 | 08:41:51

	EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON A bulldozer The omnibus draft law is put before parliament, to be voted on Sunday Elimination of taxes on behalf of third parties Major overhaul of licensing and opening hours of pharmacies The long-term unemployed are prisoners of employers The shelf life of ‘fresh milk’ is extended Drastic changes, chiefly to the market and the labour market will be the result of the measures imposed by the troika on Greek society in exchange for the loan tranche of 11.3 billion euros. In the omnibus bill which is being submitted by the government to parliament includes all of the changes which have become prerequisites for the release of the funds and range from the retail market and shelf life of fresh milk to pharmaceuticals and the ability for the sale of Eurobank to go ahead at a loss on the price paid by the state for the bank. Major victims of the agreement are: social security funds, the long-term unemployed and labour relations.
	KATHIMERINI Editorial: The reforms must be defended The omnibus draft law, the text of which was made public yesterday, includes reforms which have been planned for decades but were never implemented out of fear of the political cost. The government should not hide behind the troika, but politically defend the changes which it itself is proposing. The MPs of the coalition government at the same time have the obligation to put aside any objections that are trade unionist in nature and not drag the country through tribulations.
	AVGI Three million Greeks without adequate heating: revealing data from the Hellenic Statistical Authority A drastic worsening of housing conditions between 2007 and 2012
	NAFTEMPORIKI The road to recapitalisation is opening The Hellenic Financial Stability Fund (HFSF) to obtain the flexibility to sell shares on market terms The legal framework included in the omnibus draft law made public yesterday opens the road for raising the share capital of Eurobank under terms dictated by the market, as well as the quicker privatization of the banks. According to the measures, the HFSF will obtain the flexibility necessary to move forward with the sale of the shares it holds, under market terms, in a number of ways one of which – which is described indirectly – is the ability to issue public offers to the holders of warrants, in order for the fund to obtain rights for sale. As is referred to in the bill, the price offered to the private sector can be lower than the price of former share buyouts by the fund or from the current share price on the market, a measure which allows the share capital increase of Eurobank.
	MAKEDONIA Education another victim of the crisis We are now cutting from our children’s future Education and preventive medicine are former grandeurs As the crisis deepens, Greeks are forced to sacrifice even the most precious habits according to the annual study conducted by the Center for Consumer Protection in cooperation with the company ‘To the point’. The 16.2% increase in just one year of the number of people stating that they have cut back on consumption related to education has two explanations. The first has to do with the fact that the economic difficulties have rendered such spending impossible. The second explanation relates to the loss of conviction that higher education and professional credentials will be rewarded in the job market.