Greek PM sends letter to EU Commission President

Page last updated at 09:53 GMT, Wednesday, April 18, 2012 - 14:53 EST

Capital.gr:

Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos sent today a letter to the European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, in view of the forthcoming European Commission Communication, in which he suggests that as far as Greece is concerned a special weigh should be given on growth and employment.

Mr. Papademos is emphasizing: the financial support for SMEs; advancing major infrastructure projects; reducing youth unemployment; the privatisation programme; policies in the energy sector and the absorption and effectiveness of the EU structural funds.

The letter of Mr. Papademos to the European Commission President is as follows:

Dear President Barroso,

Following our very fruitful meeting on 29 February 2012 and your subsequent letter of 6 March 2012, and in view of the forthcoming European Commission Communication, I would like to address some of the key issues we have been discussing that can significantly contribute to supporting growth and employment in Greece. Let me focus on the following priority areas which the Greek government has pursued in recent months, namely: financial support for SMEs; advancing major infrastructure projects; reducing youth unemployment; the privatisation programme; policies in the energy sector; the absorption and effectiveness of the EU structural funds.

1. Financial support for SMEs

With your backing, and that of Commissioner Hahn, an agreement was reached with the EIB on the basic parameters of the Guarantee Fund for the support of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs). This agreement, which was signed on 21 March 2012 and entails a Guarantee of €500 million, should increase the available financing to the real economy by €1 billion. The new Minister of Development, Competitiveness and Shipping, Ms. Anna Diamantopoulou, continues to lead this initiative.

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