Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Greece steps on a more difficult road

Photo: EPA/BGNES

Greece has only several days to meet the demands of its international creditors. The country’s debt will be settled if the National Assembly of Greece adopts by July 15 main legislative acts regarding value added tax reforms, the restructuring of the National Statistical Office, makes amendments to the pension system, etc. Some of the money - nearly EUR 50 billion will come from the future privatization and will be fresh capital provided by the commercial banks to Greece to pay the pensions and the salaries, so that the third bailout package for Greece becomes reality and the country finally meets the demands of the European Commission, the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank.

The agreement between Greece and its creditors has already been reached. But where are the demands and the dignity of the Greek citizens? Over 60% of the Greeks already said NO to the creditors only several days ago. A public discontent has already occurred in Greece, including the left wing of the ruling Syriza party. Many people employed in various profitable sectors of the national economy, such as the tourism field and the pharmaceutical industry, already started to show discontent. The Greek pensioners will be also affected by the new austerity measures. It is still not clear whether the ones who voted for the charismatic Premier Tsipras would follow him again after he took the responsibility to sign the latest agreement and trust him that it was the only opportunity ahead of that country, in order to return again on the road of recovery.

According to the opposition party New Democracy and its leader Vangelis Meimarakis, the new agreement will give a bit of fresh air to Greece. We can not make more mistakes, the leader of the leftist PASOK party Fofi Gennimata contends. She added that despite the multiple difficulties, the latest agreement was a victory of the European socialists over the extreme conservative circles.

Now the Greek citizens have to tighten their belts and suffer a series of deprivations, because the austerity measures will last longer this time. The country may now enter into a period of permanent street protests. The latest agreement between Greece and its creditors means success to the political leaders and their parties, as that country would continue to be a member of the Eurozone. However, the gap between the ordinary citizens and the ruling coalition and the political parties is yet to become wider.


English version: Kostadin Atanasov




Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Bulgaria and its Balkan neighbours in 2024: Greece and Romania

From the distance of time, history and researchers will give their assessment of Bulgaria and its neighbourly relations in the first quarter of the 21st century. But even then, they will rely on the facts and perceptions of contemporaries about them...

published on 12/27/24 10:40 AM

Balkan Developments

Albania and Montenegro mark progress in European integration in 2024 EU leaders met on December 18 with their counterparts from the Western Balkans. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for finding..

published on 12/20/24 6:19 PM
Caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivan Kondov

Bulgaria supports the European Union's position on Ukraine

Caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivan Kondov participated in the regular meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, BTA reports.  This was the first meeting chaired by the new EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security..

published on 12/17/24 10:36 AM