PM addresses last Cabinet meeting for 2010

“The government’s goal for 2011 is to be the last year of recession, while 2012 will be the year when economic growth will be launched so that in 2013, everything that led us to the crisis will be left behind,” Prime Minister George Papandreou underlined on Wednesday, speaking during the last Cabinet meeting of the year.

The premier stated that this was the 31st cabinet meeting since the beginning of the year and the 39th since he took office

“This past year, the Greek people have been tested as never before,” he said, adding that “no government and no politician would have wanted to handle such a national crisis but it was our duty and we have done it.”

“If we hadn’t done what we did, we wouldn’t be able to prevent the country’s bankruptcy and we would have been responsible for not doing everything in our power,” he said.

“In 2010, we managed to withstand the biggest crisis Greeks ever went through in recent history and, at the same time, major reforms of historic importance were launched for the creation of a new Greece,” he stressed.

“There was no other government in the past that produced more work in such a short period of time,” he said and referred to the main initiatives undertaken by the government over the past year, adding that “no government was ever called in the past to implement its programme in such difficult and often asphyxiating circumstances.”

Referring to 2011, Papandreou stressed that the priorities of his government include creating a state that will be in the service of the people, while ensuring a return to economic growth. He also referred to the rule of law, the welfare state and giving the country a strong voice in international fora.

Reppas on creation of studies and project control authority

The draft bill on the”amendment of the system for the preparation of studies, the carrying out of public works and the creation of an authority for the checking of studies and projects”, was was prepared by the Infrastructures ministry and on which the relevant minister Dimitris Reppas briefed the cabinet meeting on Wednesday, enacts the creation of an authority on the checking of studies and work.

As Reppas said in his address, the Transport, Infrastructures and Networks ministry intends to assume in the near future a legislative initiative comprising three distinct parts. The first concerns the reforming of legislation on awarding and preparing studies, the second the reforming of legislation on awarding and carrying out public works and the third the founding of an authority for checking the procedures for the maturing, awarding and carrying out of contracts.

Ministries urged to stick to budget provisions

Deputy Finance Minister Filippos Sahinidis on Wednesday urged government ministries to strictly adhere to 2011 budget spending provisions aimed, primarily, at cutting the country’s fiscal deficit to below 3.0 pct of GDP by 2014.

In a circular sent to cabinet ministries to outline the main axes for executing the new and closely watched 2011 budget, the minister underlined that “implementing the spending leg of the budget, according to provisions, was a crucial point of fiscal policy and a necessary precondition to achieving its goals.”

He added that the budget plan did not allow for any overshooting of spending, and noted that any such cases would carry personal responsibilities.

Handout of funds will be made gradually and full payment will depend on the course of executing the budget, the circular said adding that cabinet ministries’ needs would be reviewed on a quarterly basis.

Citizen’s Protection minister on Greek Rural Police

The Greek Rural Police will be abolished and its duties will be transferred to the Environment and Climatic Change ministry, while they will now be exercised by the local forestry services.

This is anticipated by the bill presented at the cabinet meeting on Wednesday by Citizen’s Protection Minister Christos Papoutsis.

The bill also anticipates the creation and functioning of a special service for the handling of cases of arbitrary behaviour with the perpetrators being members of the security services. Issues concerning seasonal firefighters are regulated with the bill, also in accordance with the announcement by Prime Minister George Papandreou.