French President Hollande to EuroFora: Early Retirements' Stop might ease Greece deal

*Brussels/EU Summit/Angelo Marcopolo/(25 overNight to 26 june, 4 o'clock Early "Morning")/- If controversial Early Retirements mainly in the Public Sector stopped now, this may facilitate an Agreed Solution on Greece's Debt, replied, in substance, French President Hollande, to a relevant Question raised by "EuroFora", just after German Chancelor Angie Merkel stressed that a scheduled €uroGroup meeting for Negotiations on Saturday has "a Crucial Importance", (See Infra).

He was speaking at the conclusion of his Press Conference on a Crucial 1st Day of EU's Summit in Brussels, officialy dedicated to Mass Migration Topical issues, (Comp. other "EuroFora" NewsReport, on that matter), but in which, the problem of the Huge Debt provoked in Greece, inevitably intruded among the EU Heads of State/Government discussion, given the very Short Time Deadlines now remaining until June 30,(Tuesday Next Week), when the Government of Greece notoriously has to partly reimburse and/or pay rents for loans, otherwise risking to be declared default.

The Costly early retirements reportedly concern those aged civil servants and/or other Public Sector Employees who have, exceptionaly, a legal possibility to get Full Pensions even if they Retire even 5 or 6 Years earlier than all others, (f.ex. earlier than 67yo, which has been fixed recently for other Workers in Greece and even for EU's own Employees, etc), f.ex. already from 59 or 60yo, etc, due to a particular Law, paradoxically decided in the context of... Anti-Debt Measures :

- After a 1st Promise, by former Prime Minister Giorgos Papandreou, as early as since 2010, to Privatise for 50 Billions €, in order to get the 1st EU Financial Support, wasn't but only party met, EU/IMF asked, at least, to limit Spending by the Greek State, via a Reduction of its notoriously Disproportionate Staff. The "Softer" way to do so, was by Early Retirement, and, there, some put the "Softness", obviously, at Excessive levels,when a strange Law allowed long-serving Civil Servants  to retire Before Age with a Full 100% Pension, even Many Years before the Others....

=> But this later provoked a reportedly Expensive new State Expenditure of approximatively some 2,9 Billions € per year Expenditure,  i.e. almost as much as the current "Gap" discussed between EU Commission/ECB/IMF and the New Greek Government (which initialy was on how to Fund about 3,5 Billions € of alleged State Needs), becoming a Central Part of the Problem to Solve....

    +Moreover, most of these, "special" Pension Rights' Holders, are among the Biggest ever"Wave" of notorious Political Lackeys and Cushy-Job Holders,  notoriously appointed by former Clientelist/Nepotist mostly PASOK Governments, during the last 30+ Years (+1981-2015 : the "1st wave" arriving Now to the point of Completing 35 Years of Social Insurances, etc)), since the Beginning of the 1980ies ! I.e., preciesly those whos Exceptiopnaly Disproportionate Number, compared to the Country's GDP, notoriously Provoked, progressively, that Huge Debt.... Added to frequent Politicaly -Motivated Abuses, and/or useless, counter-productive Bureaucracy, this particular Group of Individuals is largely UnPopular and Disliked among Greek Citizens, (as a Suprisingly Big Number of Angry Comments, published by Greeks at the Internet, revealed these Days)...

++ The main point is that, while more than 1,5 Millions of People have recently become Jobless in Greece, while more than 500.000 have fallen in Poverty, (as New Prime Minister of Greece, Alexis Tsipras acknowledged himself recently), it's obviously Unjustifiable and Scandalous to keep even longer such Special "Privileges", (as Early Retirements with Full Pension, many Years before all others : Comp. Supra), for the Exclusive Profit of a Politicaly Colored Group, often accused of several Abuses, Discriminations and Nepotism, or to be, more or less Counter-Productive, even Useless, which has, already, over-Exploited the Greek State's Budget for more than 3O Years (+1981-2011+)....

=> To the point that, Surprized Observers witnessed, probably for the 1st Time in History, a so notoriously pro-Austerity Internatinional body, as that of the ...IMF, take the unusual step to even .... Refuse more Taxes upon Productive Businesses (including SMES), as it has just happened, regarding several Draft Funding Plans submitted recently by the Greek Authorities, as ...not necessary, IF Athens accepts to, at least STOP those too Expensive "Early Retirements" from the 1st of July 2015, (instead of just a Long  Period of Time, between 2017 - 2022, which would Start only after Jan. 2017)...

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    + Meanwhile, Questioned by "EuroFora", New Greek Government's Press Spokesman, the Young Minister Gabriel Sakelarides, even if he wasn't yet ready to Clearly specify the precise Number and Cost of those potential "Early Pensioners", (reportedly  located somewhetre between 130.000 and 300.000 in all, according to various other sources),nor the real cause for such a long Reluctance to settle this issue earlier, nevertheless, in his replies, it's Interesting to note the Fact that he DidN't Exclude, no more, an eventual Compromise on that Crucial point ...

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    + + Already, PanEuropean CoE's Social Charter Top Officials had ensured "EuroFora" that, as a matter of Principle, extremely Impoverished People from Greece, whenever they might be seriously affected by Controversial Measures ojectively aimed at a comparatively Disproportionate Profit of those State Agents and Public Sector Employees, to the Detriment of Jobless and Poor People, they could, at least, find a potentialyinteresting, practical Legal Support to a European/International ONG for Human Rights, (such as, f.ex., an International Association for Human Rights, etc), in order to lodge a Collective Complaint to CoE's Social Rights Committee in Strasbourg, competent to Judge and eventualy Condemn States for serious Violations of the PanEuropean Social Charter, (f.ex. vis a vis elementary Social Rights to Food, Shelter, Health Care, Family life, etc).    

                 
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=> - These are probably some among the main reasons for which, when he was clearly asked by "EuroFora", whether "it would Help UnBlock of situation, IF Athens Stopped the Early Retirements" Now, (i.e.from+1st July 2015), he didn't hesitate :

- After appearing as if he was Reflecting, briefly, Hollande immediately Answered by a Crystal-Clear :- "Yes , Yes !", looking straight  "EuroFora" at the eyes, before he left EU Council's Press Room, at the Conclusion of a very Busy and Long Working Day, at about 3 to 4 o'clock in the "Morning">...

Meanwhile, Hollande practicaly joined German Chancelor Angie Merkel, who had just Expressed (during her own Press Conference, just a few Minutes earlier, attended by a number of Journalists including "EuroFora" at an adjacent PressRoom), her "Full Support" to a Crucial Saturday "€uroGroup" meeting, to which EU Summit's Heads of State/Government send the issue of the Debt, after reportedly 2 or 3 Hours of Discussion between them ToNight.

   - Concerning "Talks with Greece", "we (EU Summit Leaders) agreed that Further Work is Necessary with the three institutions and Greece", and, therefgore, that "Euro Group's meeting on Saturday has crucial importance; Because Time is Pressing. All the European Council supported that Everything must be done to on Saturday to find a Solution", this has a "crucial importance", Merkel reiterated with Emphasis.

>>> indeed, the still available Time is, obviously, too Short ; After a last Attempt by that crucial "€uroGroup" Meeting of Finance Ministers, scheduled for Saturday Afternoon, here in Brussels, in case of Agreement, the Greek and German Parliaments must convene and Vote on Sunday, (as well as any other EU Country's National Parliament might be, eventully, required),so that all other necessary Legal and Financial technical moves could be Completed on Monday and Tuesday, June 29 and 30, (Day on which Chancelor Merkel has, by the way, scheduled a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Renzi)...

=> I.e., obviously, from Now on, Fast, Steady and Big "Steps" in the Negotiations, are Urgently Needed bny Both Sides, if they Want to Succesfully Conclude  On Time,

 
while  it "takes 2 to Danse", as an inspired Latvian EU Presidency for Jan. - June 2015 Artfuly Symbolized, at EU Council's main PressRoom, with a Spectacular Design at the Ground, where the Right FootSteps are Clearly Pictured, with Instructions on how to "Keep in Step", thanks to an astonishing Precision of the Exceptional Hurry, Accuracy and Harmony, really needed during the remaining, forthcoming few Days of 26, 27, 28 (Sunday), 29 and 30 June 2015 (See relevant Photo) !...

(../..)

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(NDLR : "DraftNews", as already send to "EuroFora"'s Subscribers/Donors, earlier. A more accurate, full Final Version might be Published asap).

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