(GREEK NEWS AGENDA) Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis briefed President of the Republic Karolos Papoulias today on the outcome of last week’s NATO Summit in Bucharest in which Greece, backed by other countries, did not consent to extend an invitation to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to start accession negotiations for eventually joining the Alliance, pending the name issue. Greece’s conditional position was reflected in the Summit Declaration issued by NATO. “I believe that conditions will be soon be ripe to resume negotiations under the auspices of UN in order to find a mutually acceptable solution” the premier said in a friendly message to FYROM’s people and political leaders. Continue reading
Filed under: Government, Greece, Greeks Abroad, International Relations, NATO, United Nations | Tagged: Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, FYROM, GREEK NEWS AGENDA, History and Culture of Macedonia Greek News Agenda, Karamanlis, Karolos Papoulias, Kostas Karamanlis, Macedonia, Macedonian Heritage, Macedonian issue, NATO, NATO Public Diplomacy Division, NATO Summit in Bucharest, Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis | Comments Off on The NATO Summit: Aftermath
Within the coming weeks, Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis is set to submit the pension reform bill to Parliament. In his speech delivered on Friday before the Members of Parliament, the Premier stated that “we are facing a dead end, from which we must escape” and continued stressing that “there is no time for delay, we must act now.”As it is, the existing pension system is expected to collapse in 15 years time, due to an ageing population and inefficient management. Karamanlis stated that in a healthy social security system, a balanced ratio corresponds to 4 contributors for each pensioner. Nowadays, the equivalent ratio is 1.75 contributors for every pensioner. 
Embassy of Greece in Poland Press & Communication Office 