Discussie Griekenland en EU over gedwongen privatisering (en)
EUOBSERVER i / BRUSSELS - Representatives of the EU i-IMF 'troika' and Greek finance minister George Papaconstantinou have tried to draw a line under a public scuffle between Athens and European lenders over a demand that the government immediately sell off €50 billion in state assets to prevent insolvency.
On Sunday (13 February), the minister said that the government remained committed to its privatisation schedule as the move was "in the public interest".
The statement of reassurance came after a statement from the EU, the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank insisting that the government is still abiding by troika recommendations and that the lenders have faith that Athens is still carrying out the programme agreed between the two sides in May last year.
"We recognise the difficult challenges facing the Greek economy and we have the deepest respect for the tremendous efforts being made by the Greek people," they said in a statement late on Saturday.
"Our three institutions have full respect for the prerogatives and initiatives of the government in all areas of economic decision-making, and our role is to advise and support the government."
"It is regrettable if a different impression was perceived at any time."
The pair of statements came after an assessment team from the troika held a press conference in which they said Greece's austerity programme was broadly on track with what the lenders have demanded but that a €50 billion in privatisation of government property had yet to be implemented, some €15 billion of which should be enacted within the next two years.
"It is well known that there is huge potential for privatisation," European Commission representative Servaas Deroose had told reporters.
"A comprehensive plan through 2015 will be finalised ... aiming at proceeds of €50 billion euros between 2011 and 2015," he said.
A government spokesman on Saturday then lashed out at the troika, saying they had "behaved unacceptably." "We asked them for help ... not to meddle in our internal affairs," he said.
Despite the mollifying noises from the finance minister, Mr Papaconstaniou still insisted that any privatisation would only cover government services and not land.
"We will commercially exploit public property but we will not sell off state land," he told reporters on Sunday.
"The decisions about how this will be done will be taken by the Greek government and nobody else," he continued.
In related news, the EU's revamped, permanent eurozone i bail-out mechanism is to total some €500 billion in funds from 2013, German news weekly Der Spiegel is reporting, based on information from unacknowledged sources.