Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras asks for the acceleration of the government’s work, speaking on Wednesday to the Cabinet meeting, the last for 2015, and noted that “delays can’t be excused”.
He announced 11 government’s actions that will be implemented in the next period namely draft laws on the social security, the creation of a development bank, a new primary healthcare system within the National Health System, the development of the social economy and the tabling of a draft law on research, the modernisation of the public works system and the public contracts as well as a draft law against tobacco and fuel smuggling.
Moreover, the government will request by law from the citizens to reveal incomes that they hid without any penalty otherwise the undeclared incomes will be taxed with repercussions for those who have hidden them.
The prime minister also announced rapid developments in the crucial issue of tax evasion and revealed that the government’s general secretary had a meeting abroad last week with Herve Falciani from who he received a list with thousands of international transactions which he handed over to the prosecutor.
PM Tsipras: No more pension cuts
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in his last address to the cabinet for 2015 noted that “our red line in social security is clear and inviolable; we will not proceed with the 12th consecutive cut in pensions”.
Tsipras stressed that until mid-January the government will have fulfilled its commitment and will table in parliament its proposal on the reforms of the social security system. He also said that it will be the last step before the ‘source’ of the first evaluation and the following decisions process for the necessary debt reduction.
Controversial same-sex partnership bill
passes in Parliament
A controversial bill granting an extension of civil partnerships to same-sex couples passed in Parliament late on Tuesday with 193 votes and on the strength of most parties, while three others, including most of the junior ruling coalition party, voted against it. A total of 249 deputies were present at the vote, which was also noteworthy for the large number of deputies who did not attend the process.
The bill was sponsored by the ministry of Justice, Transparency and Human Rights under the title “Agreement on cohabitation, exercise of rights, and criminal and other regulations”.
It was voted by majority rule party SYRIZA and Democratic Coalition, To Potami, Union of Centrists, as well as 19 deputies from main opposition New Democracy (ND) and another 3 from ruling coalition party Independent Greeks (ANEL), whose leader, Panos Kammenos was absent.
All deputies of extreme-right Golden Dawn (Chryssi Avgi) and the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) voted against it. Also voting against it were 29 ND deputies and one of the independent deputies.
There were several absent deputies, including 27 from ND, 10 deputies of KKE and another independent deputy.
There were also several deputies who voted for it during the first (in principle) vote and against specific articles in the second (per article) vote.
