tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45388179257259928452024-03-05T17:52:30.921-08:00Greeks Round the World - Consulting ServicesGreeks Round the World - Consulting Serviceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10900657852581874114noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538817925725992845.post-13239523720844802772012-04-08T07:01:00.002-07:002012-04-08T07:01:23.635-07:00Greek bureaucracy stifling economy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/waLBWpIPQx0?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
</div>Greeks Round the World - Consulting Serviceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10900657852581874114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538817925725992845.post-79527286434043292732012-04-08T05:15:00.000-07:002012-04-08T05:15:39.548-07:00Η ελληνική γραφειοκρατία - Η Επανάσταση που δεν έγινε ποτέ<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">Η σύγχρονη Ελλάδα όχι μόνον διαιωνίζει τις οθωμανικές αρχές διακυβέρνησης, “οργάνωσης” και τον οθωμανικό πολιτισμό γενικότερα, αλλά έχει προσφέρει διεθνώς περισσότερα από την Τουρκία στην εξάπλωση του πολιτισμού αυτού. Ο μουσακάς, το τζατζίκι, οι ντολμάδες, το μπουζούκι έγιναν γνωστά παγκοσμίως όχι από τους Τούρκους, αλλά από τους Έλληνες, ιδίως τα ελληνικά εστιατόρια που άνοιξαν οι μετανάστες στη δυτική Ευρώπη, την Αμερική, τον Καναδά, την Αυστραλία και αλλού.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><img alt="Η ελληνική γραφειοκρατία" src="http://www.nomika-epilekta.gr/sites/default/files/imagecache/nodeimage/file0001652481771_0.jpg" /> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Βέβαια, στην εσωτερική μας κατανάλωση ιδεών κυριαρχεί η αντίληψη, ότι ο αμανές, οι ρινοφωνίες της εκκλησίας, ο καρσιλαμάς, ο Καραγκιόζης είναι όλα ελληνικά που τα πήρανε από μας οι ανατολίτες. Αυτά ίσως περνάνε μεταξύ μας, αν όμως τα πείτε σε έναν βορειοευρωπαίο, σίγουρα θα παραξενευτεί.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Το ενδιαφέρον είναι πως σήμερα η Τουρκία κοιτάζει προς δυσμάς και εκσυγχρονίζεται, ενώ εμείς κοιτάμε προς ανατολάς και προβάλουμε λυσσαλέα αντίδραση στην πρόοδο (η λέξη “προοδευτικός” έχει γίνει ένα αναμάσημα, που δείχνει απλά σε ποιόν πολιτικό χώρο ανήκεις). Για παράδειγμα, η Τουρκία είχε τρία ασφαλιστικά ταμεία, τα οποία ο Ερντογάν τα ένωσε σε ένα. Εμείς είχαμε 134 τέτοιες γραφειοκρατίεςπαρακαλώ, και όταν η κυβέρνηση προσπάθησε να τις συμπτύξει όχι σε μία, αλλά σε καμιά δεκαριά, ξεσηκώθηκε το σύμπαν και κόντεψαν να κάψουν την Αθήνα.</span></div><a name='more'></a><o:p></o:p><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Θα μπορούσε, βέβαια, να αντείπει κανείς, πως με 134 ασφαλιστικά ταμεία υπάρχει περισσότερος ανταγωνισμός και, κατά τεκμήριο, καλύτερη ποιότητα στις υπηρεσίες. Πριτς! Είδε κανείς κάτι τέτοιο; Ο μόνος ανταγωνισμός που υπάρχει είναι στο ποιο ταμείο θα είναι πιο γραφειοκρατικό, ώστε να πηγαίνεις στο φαρμακείο με τη συνταγή σου και να δημιουργούνται σοβαρά και δυσεπίλυτα θέματα, όπως για το αν το βιβλιάριο ήταν θεωρημένο και αν η σφραγίδα ήταν τρίγωνη ή τετράγωνη.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Εκείνο που εκπλήσσει τόσο τους ξένους όσο και τους έλληνες του εξωτερικού είναι το πόσο φρικαλέα είναι η γραφειοκρατία της Ελλάδας, με την οποία έρχεται κανείς αντιμέτωπος ήδη στα προξενεία και τις πρεσβείες. Το υπεργραφειοκρατικό αυτό πνεύμα είναι τόσο εφιαλτικό και τόσο ασύλληπτο, άσε που όλο και αυξάνει αντί να μειώνεται, που αξίζει να γράψει κανείς ένα ξεχωριστό βιβλίο, αφιερωμένο στο απίθανο μέγεθος της ανθρώπινης ηλιθιότητας... Το δε πνεύμα αυτό δεν επικεντρώνεται μόνον σταχαρτιά και τις σφραγίδες, που θεωρούνται πιο σημαντικά από οτιδήποτε άλλο στη ζωή (εκτός, ίσως, από το ποδόσφαιρο), αλλά είναι μια ολόκληρη νοοτροπία, βυζαντινο-οθωμανική, που προβάλλεται ολοζώντανη μπροστά σου, σε όλη της τη δόξα, και σου αναστατώνει κάθε αίσθηση λογικής και κάθε φυσικό ένστικτο μέσα σου.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Να είσαι, για παράδειγμα, στα Σκόπια, και να πας στο προξενείο για μια επικύρωση εγγράφου(αλήθεια, γιατί χρειάζονται τόσες πολλές επικυρώσεις;). Να είναι έτος 2003, και η Ελλάδα να έχει ήδη το ευρώ σαν επίσημο νόμισμα από τις αρχές του 2002. Να σε δέχονται με το γνωστό πνεύμα αυστηρής τελετουργίας, με τις απρόθυμες κοφτές απαντήσεις τους και το γνωστό βλοσυρό ύφος και στο τέλος να σου ζητάνε να πληρώσεις για την επικύρωση. Και τότε έρχεται η έκπληξη της ζωής σου: Δέχονται μόνον δολάρια Αμερικής (!!!) και μάλιστα, πρέπει να έχεις το ακριβές ποσόν, διότι δεν δίνουν ρέστα – τη στιγμή που οι πάντες στα Σκόπια, ακόμη και οι μπακάληδες, δέχονται τα ευρώ, το επίσημο νόμισμα της Ελλάδας!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Ένας ντόπιος καφετζής, απέναντι από την πρεσβεία, κατάλαβε πως η αγκύλωση αυτή είναι μια ευκαιρία να βγάλει το ψωμί του, έτσι, έβαλε φαρδιά - πλατιά μια ταμπέλα ότι αλλάζει ότι νόμισμα έχεις σε δολάρια και μάλιστα στο ακριβές ποσό που ζητά το προξενείο, έναντι, βέβαια, μιας καλής αμοιβής.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Το παράδειγμα αυτό δείχνει, συν τοις άλλοις, τη λειτουργία που επιτελεί η γραφειοκρατία: Να δημιουργεί και να συντηρεί παρασιτικές δραστηριότητες και στην Ελλάδα έχουμε πανστρατιές από ολόκληρα παρασιτικά επαγγέλματα (π.χ., εκτελωνιστές), που υπάρχουν μόνον και μόνον χάρη στη γραφειοκρατία.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Σίγουρα, ο λόγος που το προξενείο θεωρούσε τα δολάρια σαν το μόνο νόμιμο νόμισμα για τις συναλλαγές του, οφείλεται στο ότι δεν είχαν ακόμη λάβει την σχετική εγκύκλιο από την Αθήνα. Όμως, γιατί χρειάζεται άραγε ειδική εγκύκλιος για να δεχτεί κανείς το επίσημο και νόμιμο νόμισμα της χώρας; Τί λογική είναι αυτή, μήπως από άλλον πλανήτη; Φανταστείτε, βέβαια, τη γελοία εικόνα της χώρας μας, που προβάλει το εν λόγω προξενείο – η μόνη παρηγοριά ίσως είναι πως και οι Σκοπιανές αρχές δεν πάνε καθόλου πίσω από τέτοιες γραφειοκρατικές ηλιθιότητες, οπότε ίσως δείχνουν κατανόηση...<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Παρεμπιπτόντως, υπερηφανεύονται τελευταία οι κυβερνήσεις στην Ελλάδα για την επιτυχία των ΚΕΠ, αν και έχουν και αυτά αρχίσει να γίνονται εξ ίσου στρυφνά με όλες τις άλλες αρχές, πάντως, σίγουρα βοηθάνε σε μερικά πράγματα. Ξεχνάνε, όμως, ότι η ανάγκη ύπαρξης των ΚΕΠ από μόνη της δείχνει το πόσο απαράδεκτη είναι η ελληνική γραφειοκρατία, ώστε να χρειάζεται ειδική υπηρεσία να σε βοηθάει να τα βγάλεις πέρα μαζί της.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Τέτοιου είδους υπηρεσίες, σαν τα ΚΕΠ, ξεκίνησαν από τον ΟΗΕ σε χώρες όπως η Καμπότζη, για να βοηθούν φτωχούς και αγράμματους πληθυσμούς να ανταπεξέρχονται στις απερίγραπτες τριτοκοσμικές γραφειοκρατίες στις χώρες τους. Το ότι τέτοιες υπηρεσίες χρειάζονται και σε μια χώρα-μέλος της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης, είναι σαν μια επίσημη πιστοποίηση παταγώδους αποτυχίας.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Και για να μην τα ρίχνουμε όλα στο κράτος και στους πολιτικούς, όλοι είναι συνένοχοι στο φαινόμενο της γραφειοκρατίας στην Ελλάδα. Η ενατένιση της πραγματικότητας μέσα από χαρτιά και σφραγίδεςκαι όχι μέσω των πέντε αισθήσεων, που μας έδωσε η φύση, έχει πλέον μπει στα γονίδια του Νεοέλληνα. Στην Ελλάδα είσαι ψηλός ή κοντός όχι γιατί είσαι πραγματικά ψηλός ή κοντός, αλλά γιατί έχεις ένα χαρτί (προσοχή: Σφραγισμένο!) που το πιστοποιεί. Μπορεί το κεφάλι σου να έχει σχήμα τσιμεντόλιθου ή κολοκυθιού, αφού, όμως, η ταυτότητά σου λέει ότι είναι ωοειδές, τότε είναι ωοειδές. Στην καλύτερη περίπτωση, μιλάμε για πλάσμα δικαίου. Στη χειρότερη, για τεχνητή σχιζοφρένεια, όπου οι πέντε αισθήσεις ακυρώνονται.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Αν ο Κάφκα είχε ζήσει στην Ελλάδα και είχε δει την ελληνική γραφειοκρατία, σίγουρα θα είχε γράψει πολύ περισσότερα αριστουργήματα από όσα μας έχει ήδη δωρίσει. Διότι στην Ελλάδα τόσο η φύση όσο και το μέγεθος του προβλήματος δείχνουν μια κοινωνία που είναι σαν θέατρο του παραλόγου, με ένα γραφειοκρατικό σύστημα σχεδιασμένο για να φρενάρει και να παρεμποδίζει τα πάντα, ιδίως κάθε επιχειρηματική ή αναπτυξιακή προσπάθεια. Δεν θα ήταν υπερβολή να πούμε, πως το μεγαλύτερο πρόβλημα στη σημερινή ελλαδική κοινωνία είναι η γραφειοκρατία, που έχει πλέον γίνει τρόπος ζωής (modus vivendi, lifestyle!) με δική του λογική και δικούς του κώδικες.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Η γραφειοκρατική αυτή κουλτούρα μας εμφανίζει τα εξής γνωρίσματα, για κανένα από τα οποία δεν θα έπρεπε να αισθανόμαστε ιδιαίτερη υπερηφάνεια:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">ΠΡΩΤΟΝ, ότι απαιτούνται έγγραφες πιστοποιήσεις για τα πάντα, ακόμη και για τα πιο αυτονόητα. Όσοι σπουδάσαμε νομικά, μάθαμε πως δεν χρειάζεται σε μια δίκη να αποδείξεις το αυτονόητο, ούτε το γνωστό τοις πάσι. Για την ελληνική γραφειοκρατία όμως πρέπει να αποδεικνύεις ανά πάσα στιγμή, ότι δεν είσαι ελέφαντας.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">ΔΕΥΤΕΡΟΝ, οι επικυρώσεις των πάντων και η σφραγιδομανία. Για τις επικυρώσεις, για παράδειγμα, χρησιμοποιούμε την αστυνομία. Αντί να την αφήνουμε ήσυχη να κάνει το κυρίως καθήκον της απρόσκοπτα, τη φορτώνουμε με τις εντελώς περιττές επικυρώσεις χαρτιών. Όσο για τις σφραγίδες, η επιμονή σ’ αυτές είναι ανερμήνευτή, αφού τίποτε δεν είναι τόσο εύκολο να παραχαράξει κανείς όσο μια σφραγίδα.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">ΤΡΙΤΟΝ, τα χαρτιά, οι σφραγίδες και όλα αυτά τα εργαλεία του γραφειοκράτη έχουν περάσει στο υποσυνείδητο του έλληνα σαν ιερά πράγματα με σχεδόν μεταφυσική αξία. Ιδιαίτερα η λέξη “χαρτιά” έχει πολύ σπουδαίο άκουσμα στα αυτιά του νεοέλληνα, ο οποίος χρησιμοποιεί ένα λεξιλόγιο σχεδόν εκκλησιαστικό για αυτά τα πράγματα: “Προσκομίζει” τα δικαιολογητικά, “υποβάλλει” την αίτηση κ.ο.κ. Ακόμη και αυτοί οι επιχειρηματίες, που λογικά θα έπρεπε να ήταν εναντίον της γραφειοκρατίας, αποδεικνύονται ότι έχουν μια ανεξήγητη ανάγκη ν’ αναρτούν στο μαγαζί τους ένα σωρό πιστοποιήσεις, με σφραγίδες και με βούλες, δίκην φυλαχτού ή, έστω, ντεκόρ. Πιστεύω, τελικά, πως αν άλλαζε το σύστημα και μπορούσες να ανοίξεις το μαγαζί σου χωρίς άδειες και χαρτιά, οι επιχειρηματίες αυτοί θα αισθάνονταν πως κάτι λείπει.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">ΤΕΤΑΡΤΟΝ, η γραφειοκρατία δεν είναι μόνον θέμα πολλών χαρτιών, αλλά και μιας αντιμετώπισης που κυμαίνεται μεταξύ σαδισμού και μισανθρωπίας. Καμιά φορά τα καταφέρνει το κράτος ν’ απλοποιήσει τα πράγματα από πλευράς χαρτιών. Για παράδειγμα, την τελευταία φορά που έβγαλα έναπιστοποιητικό γεννήσεως, πήγα στη δημαρχία και ο υπάλληλος μου το εκτύπωσε αμέσως από τον υπολογιστή, χωρίς αιτήσεις, διατυπώσεις και άλλες διαδικασίες. Θα έλεγα, πιο γρήγορα και πιο εύκολα και από τη Σουηδία. Όμως, τα λίγα λεπτά που κράτησε η συναλλαγή, ο υπάλληλος ούτε μου μίλησε, ούτε με χαιρέτισε, ούτε με κοίταξε, ούτε μου είπε να καθίσω. Μάλιστα, είχε την καλή ιδέα να πεταχτεί ο ίδιος στο γραφείο του προϊσταμένου για να υπογράψει το πιστοποιητικό, αλλά δεν με πληροφόρησε γι’ αυτό, με λίγα λόγια, έδειχνε φανερά ενοχλημένος από την παρουσία μου. Όταν στο τέλος τον ρώτησα κάτι, απάντησε κοφτά ότι είναι πολύ απασχολημένος. Σημειωτέον, μιλούσε διαρκώς με τον διπλανό του συνάδελφο για θέματα ιδιωτικά, εντελώς άσχετα με τη δουλειά του...<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">ΠΕΜΠΤΟΝ, δεν επικοινωνούν ούτε οι υπηρεσίες μεταξύ τους, ούτε καν τα διάφορα τμήματα της ίδιας υπηρεσίας. Για να βγάλεις εξιτήριο από το νοσοκομείο, θα πρέπει να κάνεις ο ίδιος τον γύρο του κτιρίου αρκετές φορές, ώσπου να συγκεντρώσεις τις απαιτούμενες σφραγίδες και υπογραφές.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">ΕΚΤΟΝ, η ελληνική γραφειοκρατία φαίνεται ν’ αδιαφορεί για την ουσία, την πραγματική πραγματικότητα, και να βλέπει το κάθε τί μέσα από τα χαρτιά και τις σφραγίδες. Για να στηθεί ένας σταθμός μεταφόρτωσης απορριμμάτων, για παράδειγμα, απαιτείται να γίνει μια μελέτη. Το τί θα λέει η μελέτη αυτή και το ποιά θα είναι η ποιότητά της, ποσώς ενδιαφέρει. Το σημαντικό είναι να υποβληθεί, να σφραγισθεί, να μυρωθεί και να “επισημοποιηθεί”.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Με τα χαρακτηριστικά αυτά, η ελληνική γραφειοκρατία δημιουργεί φοβερό κόστος στην εθνική οικονομία, παρεμποδίζει κάθε είδος δημιουργικής δραστηριότητας και ευνοεί τη διαφθορά και την απατεωνιά. Οι ίδιοι οι γραφειοκράτες ισχυρίζονται, πως η στρυφνότητα των διαδικασιών τους απαιτείται για να προλαμβάνονται οι απάτες. Ακριβώς το αντίθετο συμβαίνει! Οι απατεώνες αγαπούν τα χαρτιάκαι τις σφραγίδες γιατί τα κατασκευάζουν εύκολα και δεν χρειάζεται ν’ ασχοληθούν με την ουσία. Για παράδειγμα, στη σουηδική γραφειοκρατία, η οποία εστιάζει στην ουσία, για να πάρει άδεια παραμονής το έτερόν σου ήμισυ δεν απαιτούνται χαρτιά, ούτε καν πιστοποιητικό γάμου. Απλούστατα, θα γίνουν ξεχωριστές συνεντεύξεις των δύο συζύγων, με ερωτήσεις που θα αποσκοπούν να εξιχνιάσουν αν όντως είστε ζευγάρι και ζείτε μαζί και αν το αποτέλεσμα είναι θετικό, θα δοθεί η άδεια παραμονής. Στην Ελλάδα μπορεί ο κάθε αλλοδαπός σχετικά εύκολα να κάνει ένα ψεύτικο γάμο και να “προσκομίσει” το πιστοποιητικό για να τακτοποιηθεί. No questions asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Ας πάρουμε ένα ακόμη διαφωτιστικό παράδειγμα, τη σύσταση εταιρείας. Στη Σουηδία μπορείς να συστήσεις ανώνυμη εταιρεία συμπληρώνοντας ένα έντυπο δύο σελίδων χωρίς άλλα χαρτιά, εκτός από ένα: Μια απόδειξη από τράπεζα ότι το κεφάλαιο που δηλώνεται υπάρχει σε κλειστό λογαριασμό. Στην Ελλάδα, σύσταση Α.Ε. ή και Ε.Π.Ε. σημαίνει μήνες και μήνες χαρτογραφίας, με δικηγόρους, συμβολαιογράφους, εφημερίδες κυβερνήσεως κτλ, αλλά στο τέλος γράφει ο συμβολαιογράφος πως το κεφάλαιο καταμετρήθηκε μπροστά του (δήθεν) και έτσι ανοίγουν τόσες εταιρείες χωρίς να έχουν το κεφάλαιο που δηλώνουν. Με άλλα λόγια, αρχίζουν τη δραστηριότητά τους οι εταιρείες αυτές με τρόπο που οδηγεί στην καταδολίευση δανειστού! Δηλαδή, δεν είναι τα πολλά χαρτιά και οι περίπλοκες διαδικασίες που προλαμβάνουν την απατεωνιά, αλλά τα έξυπνα χαρτιά και οι έξυπνες διαδικασίες, και εκεί έχουμε έλλειμμα.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Είδε όμως κανείς μια πορεία, ή μια διαμαρτυρία, εναντίον της γραφειοκρατίας; Ούτε θα δείτε. Γιατί δεν υπάρχει σχεδόν καμία ελληνική οικογένεια που να μην αντλεί την οικονομική της σταθερότητα αλλά και την (ψευδ)αίσθηση, ότι ασκούν εξουσία, από τη γραφειοκρατία, όπου απασχολείται τουλάχιστον ένα μέλος της, αν όχι και περισσότερα. Επομένως, επανάσταστη κατά της γραφειοκρατίας θα εσήμαινε επανάσταση κατά του εαυτού μας, και αυτό δεν πρόκειται να το δούμε.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Θα μπορούσαμε, βέβαια, να δούμε μια επανάσταση “από πάνω”, αν βρεθεί η κυβέρνηση εκείνη – ή αν μας πιέσει αρκούντως η ΕυρωπαϊκήΈνωση ή η οικονομική κρίση – που θα ασχοληθεί με την κατάργηση της γραφειοκρατίας. Κάτι τέτοιο δεν το είδαμε μέχρι σήμερα. Είδαμε μόνον αυθόρμητες εξαγγελίες από τηλεοράσεως περί απλοποίησης της τάδε διαδικασίας, όμως το θέμα απαιτεί συστηματική μελέτη όλων των διαδικασιών και ένα πολύ δεμένο πρόγραμμα. Δεν αρκεί ν’ απλουστεύεις την καταχώρηση εταιρειών. Θα πρέπει να απλουστεύεις και τη ρουτίνα των εταιρειών, καθώς και το κλείσιμό τους. Όπως έχει σήμερα το σύστημα, θα μπορούσε μόνον να χαρακτηριστεί από τη φράση “ου μπλέξεις”.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Γεράσιμος Φουρλάνος (<a href="http://www.fourlanos.com/">www.fourlanos.com</a>)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></div>Greeks Round the World - Consulting Serviceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10900657852581874114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538817925725992845.post-36700384393483453202012-03-20T11:59:00.002-07:002012-03-20T12:15:00.737-07:00Greece - Hellas "Α Diamond in the Mediterranean"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span>We should not forget our beauty and value as a country around the Mediterranean Basin...We are a very unique nation and we have to be inspired by our past and nature...Enjoy the journey and travel in the vastness of blue skies and beaches..!!!Its not a coincidence that our flag is blue and white...GRW - Consulting Services, Marta Kyr </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/htIPROOSU34?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
</div>Greeks Round the World - Consulting Serviceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10900657852581874114noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538817925725992845.post-82048633391566728882012-03-17T15:33:00.001-07:002012-03-17T15:48:33.958-07:00ΓΙΝΕΤΑΙ Εκστρατεία του Πίτερ Οικονομἰδης στους Πρωταγωνιστές του Mega στις 11.03.2012<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><img src="http://www.felixbni.com/Site/Peter-Economides-Resume_files/shapeimage_1.png" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">We need apart from inspiring Greeks living in Greece, we need to inspire Hellenes - Greeks abroad. This video is one of a kind and can unite all Greeks around the globe to a common aim and priority....We can DO IT .... in other Words - ΓΙΝΕΤΑΙ..!!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_zMU1EUT7g&feature=colike </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">(επειδή δεν μπόρεσα να φορτώσω το βίντεο απο το YOUTUBE στο blogspot μου, σας παραπέμπω στο κατάλληλο σημείο)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Κάπως έτσι αρχίζει την συνέντευξη του ο Πίτερ Οικονομἰδης:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">«Μια από τις πιο συνηθισμένες λέξεις στην ελληνική γλώσσα, είναι: "Μαλάκα".<br />
"Γεια σου μαλάκα", "τι κάνεις βρε μαλάκα". </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Το χρησιμοποιούμε πολύ. Η δεύτερη πιο συνηθισμένη έκφραση, είναι: "Δεν γίνεται".</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EL"> "Δεν γίνεται συνήθως σημαίνει: "Δεν έχω διάθεση να το κάνω" ... </span><span lang="EN-GB">"μπορεί να γίνει, αλλά τώρα δεν ευκαιρώ, είμαι σε γεύμα". Πολλές φορές μάλιστα τις συνδυάζουν. "Δεν γίνεται ρε μαλάκα"!<br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">"Γίνεται"!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EL">Πρέπει να ξεφορτωθούμε το "δεν" και να κρατήσουμε το "Γίνεται".<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Γιατί "Γίνεται". Οφείλουμε να "Γίνεται"! Διαφορετικά έχουμε σοβαρό πρόβλημα. Πρέπει να δημιουργήσουμε πάνω στην κρίση. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EL">Ας πάρουμε παράδειγμα τον Σάκη Ρουβά. Δεν ανεβαίνει στη σκηνή λέγοντας: "Δεν γίνεται".<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EL">Η Εθνική ποδοσφαίρου το 2004 δεν πήγε στο γήπεδο της Λισσαβόνας λέγοντας "Δεν γίνεται". <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EL">Ο Πύρρος Δήμας δεν είπε "Δεν γίνεται".</span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"> <span lang="EL">Και οι άνθρωποι που έχτισαν τον Παρθενώνα σίγουρα δεν είπαν "Δεν γίνεται". </span><span lang="EN-GB">Γιατί "ΓΙΝΕΤΑΙ". "ΓΙΝΕΤΑΙ".<br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EL">Έγινε μια έρευνα παγκοσμίως σε 32 χώρες και είμασταν κάπου στην μέση όμως στην αυτοεκτίμηση είμασταν τελευταίοι. ...</span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EL">Δεν είναι πάντα ο πιο όμορφος που κεδρίζει, είναι αυτός που πιστεύει πως θα το κάνει!<br />
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</span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Δεν είμαστε καλοί Γερμανοί. Είμαστε κακοί Γερμανοί γιατί είμαστε Έλληνες! </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EL">Είμαστε αυτό που είμαστε και το μόνο που μπορούμε να είμαστε είναι καλοί Έλληνες. Γίνεται .... ΓΙΝΕΤΑΙ»!<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>Greeks Round the World - Consulting Serviceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10900657852581874114noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538817925725992845.post-47866956199756166522012-03-17T14:44:00.000-07:002012-03-17T14:44:50.156-07:00Προς αξιολόγηση δημόσιες υπηρεσίες και φορείς<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipePbSqAG5AIzr5xiFEvOb01CAmpkuy8s9_2R4yuas5boTtUYjpmtQmQ-Y-OpEdkQqvOjAdPMzSzsaaI0FifhCw7DZY4y3ngBAZyshtPWi8uBoHzK-xA8u5EUzN-oK_UrnH7GUS3-hDa0/s400/civil_servants.jpg" /><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt;">«Πράσινο φως» για την αξιολόγηση δημοσίων υπηρεσιών και φορέων, δίνει απόφαση του Υπουργείου Διοικητικής Μεταρρύθμισης. Η αξιολόγηση θα γίνει βάσει των κριτηρίων που έχουν θέσει οι Γάλλοι, καθώς και οι ειδικοί που συνεργάστηκαν με την κυβέρνηση για την αναδιάρθρωση του κράτους. Μετά τους φορείς, θα ακολουθήσει η αξιολόγηση προσωπικού με στόχο την απομάκρυνση υπαλλήλων.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EL;">Σύμφωνα με Τα Νέα, η αξιολόγηση θα ξεκινήσει από τις οργανικές μονάδες του υπουργείου, τους εποπτευόμενους φορείς του και τις ανεξάρτητες Αρχές, ενώ η ίδια διαδικασία θα επεκταθεί σταδιακά σε όλα τα υπουργεία, τα Νομικά Πρόσωπα Δημοσίου Δικαίου και άλλους φορείς του ευρύτερου δημόσιου τομέα.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EL;">Τα κριτήρια της αξιολόγησης θα είναι έξι, με βασικότερο αυτό της αποδοτικότητας κάθε μονάδας σε συνάρτηση με το κόστος λειτουργίας της.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt;">Τα έξι κριτήρια αφορούν:<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt;">-τις ασκούμενες αρμοδιότητες και τους στόχους που επιτυγχάνουν οι δομές<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt;">-την καταγραφή συνολικά των πηγών χρηματοδότησης<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt;">-την ενδεχόμενη συνεργασία κάποιας υπηρεσίας με άλλες οργανικές μονάδες (στο πλαίσιο αυτό θα εξεταστεί αν υπάρχουν συναρμοδιότητες ή επικαλύψεις αρμοδιοτήτων)<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt;">-τη στελέχωση κάθε υπηρεσίας (θα γίνει αποτύπωση του μέγιστου και του ελάχιστου αριθμού υπαλλήλων που απασχολήθηκαν κατά τη διάρκεια της τελευταίας τριετίας)<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt;">-την αποτελεσματικότητα και την αποδοτικότητα των μονάδων<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt;">-τις ανάγκες και προσδοκίες των πολιτών με ειδικά ερωτηματολόγια</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt;">EΡΤ 28.02.2012</span></div><br />
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</div></div>Greeks Round the World - Consulting Serviceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10900657852581874114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538817925725992845.post-24016056603942389732012-03-17T14:33:00.000-07:002012-03-17T14:33:51.714-07:00Greek public sector reform starts with 30,000 layoffs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <img src="http://www.ert.gr/media/k2/items/cache/8959ccd88a33f008418d1652b249c0c7_XL.jpg?t=1330502120" /><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt;">The first phase of public sector reform started in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Greece</st1:place></st1:country-region> on Monday with a labor reserve plan that sends to early retirement some 30,000 public servants this year.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt;">The move came ahead of a crucial European Finance Ministers meeting this week on the release of the sixth tranche of aid to avert a default in December.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt;">The scheme was agreed earlier this year between the government of former Prime Minister George Papandreou and international creditors in exchange for further bailout funds.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt;">According to the plan, public servants close to retirement age, who have worked for at least 33 years and are placed in labor reserve, will receive 60-percent reduced salary for one year. If by the end of the year they fail in finding a new post in the public service, they will be dismissed on full pensions.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt;">As thousands posts in the public sector are abolished through mergers and shutdown of state-run organizations, the prospects of a return to service for them is dim.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt;">The second phase of the program involving tens of thousands more employees is expected to start on January as <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Greece</st1:place></st1:country-region> aims to reduce up to 150,000 jobs in the public sector by 2015.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt;">According to estimates, up to one million people are working in the public sector in a country of some four-million working force.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt;">However, the program has stirred strong reactions among opposition political parties and labor unions who argue that the measure will cause malfunctions in the public services due to shortages of personnel.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt;">Employees in the public and private sector are expected to show their disapproval over the plan and a new 24-hour general strike is being called by their umbrella unions ADEDY and GSEE on December 1.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt;">English News Cn 28.11.2011<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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</div></div>Greeks Round the World - Consulting Serviceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10900657852581874114noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538817925725992845.post-87200791251024831072012-03-12T11:22:00.001-07:002012-03-12T11:23:56.531-07:00Greece Must Shrink Public Sector, Improve Tax Collection: Global Lenders<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"><img alt="Greece Default" src="http://i.huffpost.com/gen/349137/thumbs/r-GREECE-DEFAULT-large570.jpg" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">ATHENS - International lenders told Greece on Monday it must shrink its public sector and improve tax collection to avoid default within weeks as investors spooked by political setbacks in Europe dumped risky euro zone assets.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">Hours before a telephone conference between the Greek Finance Minister and senior officials of the European Union and the International Monetary Fund, the IMF representative in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Greece</st1:country-region> spelled out steps <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Athens</st1:place></st1:city> must take to secure a vital 8 billion euro rescue payment next month.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">"The ball is in the Greek court. Implementation is of the essence," Bob Traa told an economic conference.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">Additional savings measures were needed to cut the public deficit to a sustainable level and reduce the public sector's claim on resources -- code for axing jobs and cutting pay and pensions -- while improving tax collection rather than adding further taxes, he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">European stocks and the euro fell sharply on fears of an early Greek default, the failure of EU finance ministers to agree new steps to resolve <st1:place w:st="on">Europe</st1:place>'s debt crisis at weekend talks, and another regional election defeat for German Chancellor Angela Merkel.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">In signs of mounting stress, market yields on Italian and Spanish bonds rose further above 5 percent despite six weeks of European Central Bank buying in an effort to hold them down. The cost of insuring peripheral euro zone debt against default also rose.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">The Greek cabinet was due to meet after the teleconference with the IMF/ECB/EU "troika," pushed back to 1600 GMT (12 p.m. EDT), to discuss further austerity measures to make up for a fiscal shortfall.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">Prime Minister George Papandreou canceled a planned trip to Washington and the United Nations at the last minute and returned home on Saturday in response to the crisis.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">Greek media published a list of 15 austerity measures it said the troika was demanding the Socialist government implement to receive the next tranche of aid.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">They included firing another 20,000 state workers, cutting or freezing state salaries and pensions, increasing heating oil tax, shutting down loss-making state organizations, cutting health spending and speeding up privatizations.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">PUBLIC SUPPORT LACKING<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">The IMF's Traa acknowledged that the IMF/EU bailout program lacked public support and said there was plenty of goodwill to give Greece more time for its adjustment program in a weaker than expected economy.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos said the economy was set to contract by 5.5 percent this year after 4 percent in 2010. Cutting spending would be a priority of the 2012 budget, he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">Asked whether <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Greece</st1:place></st1:country-region> would get the next installment crucial to pay salaries and pensions in October, Venizelos told Reuters: "Yes, of course."<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">Even if it does, many economists and investors believe <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Athens</st1:place></st1:city> will have to default on its debt mountain -- more than 150 percent of gross national product -- within months.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">Former IMF managing-director Dominique Strauss-Kahn joined this chorus on Sunday, saying in a French TV interview that <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Greece</st1:country-region></st1:place>'s debt must be reduced, and government and private creditors should take losses now rather than playing for time.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">"(EU) governments are not solving things, they are kicking the problem down the road, and the snowball is growing and making the problem bigger and bigger," he told TF1 television.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">Uncertainty over <st1:country-region w:st="on">Greece</st1:country-region> was compounded by another political shock in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Germany</st1:place></st1:country-region> at the weekend.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">The sixth regional election defeat this year for Merkel's center-right coalition on Sunday raised questions about the stability of her government and her ability to push through more euro zone rescue measures.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">Her Free Democratic (FDP) junior coalition partners crashed out of the <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Berlin</st1:place></st1:state> regional assembly with just 1.8 percent of the vote, raising pressure from some party activists to take a more Eurosceptical line.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">Although the <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Berlin</st1:place></st1:state> regional vote ended a cycle of seven state elections this year, it appeared to leave the cautious Merkel with less room for maneuver to take bold action in defense of the euro.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">Leaders of both the Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU) and the FDP have raised the prospect of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Greece</st1:country-region></st1:place> defaulting and having to leave the 17-nation single currency area, ignoring rebukes from the chancellor for alarming markets.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner pressed euro zone finance ministers apparently in vain at a meeting in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Wroclaw</st1:city>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Poland</st1:country-region></st1:place>, to take stronger action to stop the sovereign debt crisis spreading.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">One of his predecessors, Lawrence Summers, said in a Reuters column on Sunday that all nations should pressure <st1:place w:st="on">Europe</st1:place> to go beyond "grudging incrementalism" to recapitalize banks, and revive economic growth.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">"In normal circumstances comity would require deference by others to European authorities on the resolution of European problems. Now when these problems have the potential to disrupt growth around the world all nations have an obligation to insist that <st1:place w:st="on">Europe</st1:place> find a viable way forward," Summers wrote.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p>Reuters: by </o:p></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 13px;">George Georgiopoulos and Ingrid Melander 19/11/2011</span></div></div>Greeks Round the World - Consulting Serviceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10900657852581874114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538817925725992845.post-21840751602442443782012-02-25T04:01:00.001-08:002012-02-25T04:02:19.214-08:00The weaknesses of the contemporary Greek Beaurocracy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 11pt;">The Greek bureaucracy is relatively large in size but remains largely inefficient and weak compared to political parties which have alternated in power since the fall of the colonels' regime. The inflated nature of the Greek bureaucracy and of the central government is indicated by a few statistical figures. The size of the Greek cabinet rose from 32 ministers in 1973 to <st1:metricconverter productid="57 in" w:st="on">57 in</st1:metricconverter> 1988. </span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 11pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 11pt;"><img src="http://englishessayhelp.com/images/135.jpg" /></span></div><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 11pt;">According to OECD data, government expenditure as percentage of the GDP rose spectacularly from 21 percent in 1976 to 51 percent in 1988 and public sector employment as percentage of total employment increased from 8.5 percent to 10.1 percent in the same period. However, according to another estimate by Tsoucalas, which applies to the period of PASOK in power, the number of civil servants increased by 21 percent between 1981 and 1989. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 11pt;">The fact is that the size of state personnel had already started growing when Nea Democratia was in power; as OECD data show, in 1970-1975 the average annual growth rate of employment in general government was higher than the equivalent average in 1975-<st1:metricconverter productid="1982 in" w:st="on">1982 in</st1:metricconverter> all OECD countries (including Italy and Spain) except for Greece, where government employment grew faster in 1975-1982 than in 1970-197517. </span><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 11pt;">From the mid-1970s until the mid-1980s public enterprises proliferated as the New Democracy party nationalized a few debt-ridden private enterprises after the transition to democracy and PASOK created new state-owned companies to intervene in the private sector of the economy. As a result, according to an OECD report, "total employment in the wider public sector (including utilities, firms and banks under state control) accounted for almost 30 percent of total dependent employment in 1990".<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 11pt;">The increases in all statistical figures cited above belie the reality of weakness of the Greek state. </span><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 11pt;">The Greek bureaucracy is rather large for a country which still is at a middle level of economic development and does not yet have a comprehensive welfare system. Yet the same bureaucracy is not strong enough either to make its presence in the economy decisively felt in the sense of a competent state machine which steers economic development) or resist the periodic incursions of alternating political elites and party personnel in its interior.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 11pt;">In fiscal terms the Greek bureaucracy is practically unable to impose direct taxes on the population. </span><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 11pt;">In <st1:metricconverter productid="1991 in" w:st="on">1991 in</st1:metricconverter> Greece taxes on personal income amounted to 4.8 percent of the GDP, while the European Union average was 10.9 percent. Taxes on corporate income amounted to 1.7 percent of the GDP of Greece, while the European Union average was 3.0 percent. On both accounts the performance of the Greek state is very low when compared to other member-states of the European Union, including Southern European countries with similar labor force profiles (i.e. with relatively large employment in the sectors of agriculture and petty commodity production).</span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 11pt;"> The tax raising capacity of the Greek state has remained almost stagnant between 1980 and 1991 as tax revenues from personal income as percentage of the GDP rose only by 0.5 percent, while tax revenues from corporate income rose only by 0.6 percent between the same years. </span><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 11pt;">The chronic inabilities of the Greek bureaucracy are also shown by the fact that in 1975 funds collected from direct taxes constituted only 21 percent of total state budget revenues and in 1988 the same kind of funds increased only to 27 percent of the total.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 11pt;">In terms of management and re-organization the Greek bureaucracy depends on the whims of the leadership of the two major political parties which have succeeded each other in power, forming single-party governments, for a total of nineteen out of the twenty-one years that have passed since the 1974 transition to democracy. </span><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 11pt;">Both parties, New Democracy and PASOK, have inflated the political component of bureaucracy by creating inter-ministerial committees of political appointees and councils of advisers to ministers as well as whole new ministries out of former public agencies or secretariats. Between 1981 and 1989, while PASOK was in power, a total of twelve laws reorganizing the central government and the public administration were passed and in 1990-1993, while the New Democracy party was in power, another five such administrative reform laws were voted by the parliament.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 11pt;">In contemporary democracies central bureaucracies are often controlled by the governing parties or coalitions of parties in varying degrees. </span><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 11pt;">In Greece democracy has been associated with a clientelistic domination of the bureaucracy. Government changes are directly linked to ensuing administrative changes. An extensive ebb and flow of administrative personnel and structures accompanies each succession of parties in power, making the Greek bureaucracy a prime example of a modern party politicized state institution. Although successive majoritarian party governments are not always able to implement fully their policies due to some bureaucratic obstruction, whenever there is a determined minister, supported by competent advisors, there is very little that the Greek bureaucracy can do to counter government plans.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 11pt;">Greek bureaucrats are usually trained in law or political science, but rarely have additional pre-service or in-service training. They lack expertise in modern methods of management, do not keep up with developments in new technologies and do not constitute an independent cohesive group. Even the higher administrative personnel is fragmented into many "corps," none among which shares an "esprit de corps" or at least a common social background. Change of "corps" is impossible and inter-ministerial mobility of civil servants is very rare.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 11pt;">The organizational fragmentation of the civil service is complemented by its political factionalism along party affiliations. </span><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 11pt;">The parties of New Democracy, PASOK and KKE (the communist party) have put forward their respective labor organizations of civil servants, which struggle for power in ADEDY, the nationwide general confederation of unions of civil servants, and in each ministry or public enterprise. If at the collective level interest representation is attained through party-led unions sharing power at the national-level confederation, at the individual level career advancement is achieved through the mechanisms of bureaucratic clientelism. Essentially, bureaucratic clientelism, a recent phenomenon in Greece, differs from older forms of clientelism in that a party bureaucracy, not a single patron, acts in an organized, bureaucratic fashion to infiltrate the state machine with party devotees and distribute favors to party clients such as initial hiring, quick promotion or favorable transfers to better posts in the civil service.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 11pt;">The distinction between bureaucracy and governing parties, employed in this paper despite the close association of the central bureaucracy with political power in contemporary <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Greece</st1:country-region></st1:place>, is useful in order to qualify the image of the overpowering Greek bureaucracy. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 11pt;">Our main point has been that political parties rule unchallenged over the central bureaucracy, which, because of a long tradition of interest intermediation through patronage mechanisms, has never acquired an independent status in the political system of modern <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Greece</st1:place></st1:country-region>. </span><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 11pt;">A political culture evolving around the logic of individual intermediation with the power-holders, a pluralist but polarized party system, and the vagaries of acutely divisive political conflict throughout the twentieth century have contributed, among other factors, to the subjection of the administrative system to the fluctuations of the political system, making the former wholly dependent on the latter.</span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 11pt;"> If the contemporary Greek bureaucracy seems overgrown, due to the proliferation of administrative structures and the recruitment of new employees, fuelled by party patronage, its inflated size does not correspond to a build-up of bureaucratic strength. </span><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 11pt;">If anything, the Greek bureaucracy today resembles a colossus with feet of clay.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="font-size: 15px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">By Dimitris A. Sotiropoulos</span></span></div></div>Greeks Round the World - Consulting Serviceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10900657852581874114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538817925725992845.post-28871402181390189622012-02-13T10:08:00.001-08:002012-02-13T10:11:50.745-08:00OECD Calls For "Big Bang" Reform Of Greek Bureaucracy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: 9px; text-transform: uppercase;">DECEMBER 8, 2011 THE WALL STREET JOURNAL</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></st1:place></st1:city></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">LONDON</span></st1:place></st1:city><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> (Dow Jones)--Comprehensive and urgent reform of the Greek government's central administration is needed if efforts to turn the country's economic fortunes around are to be successful, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said Thursday.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">In an unusually hard-hitting report, the OECD detailed the many deficiencies in the public administration that make it difficult to implement wider reforms to the public sector and the economy, and control spending.<o:p></o:p></span><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nwMaCXgumr4/TeNuPHN4UkI/AAAAAAAAAIU/ytirwAj5lIY/s1600/bureaucracy.jpg" style="text-align: left;" /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">It concluded that the coordination between ministries is almost non-existent, while the structure of the public administration encourages corruption. Basic record keeping is absent, while it has proven impossible to monitor expenditure, the OECD said.</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The Paris-based think tank concluded that the public administration is so riddled with interconnected weaknesses that only a comprehensive reform can work.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">"A 'big bang' approach is probably the only option," the OECD said. "It is only through a general restructuring of its administration that the government can create the scope to reallocate resources and modernize structures so that they are 'fit for purpose' to implement the reform agenda."<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Greece</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">'s government has repeatedly failed to meet targets under its bailout agreement with the European Union and the International Monetary Fund. But rather than being the result of a lack of political will, the OECD report suggests that the government is simply unable to get anything done.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">"Policy implementation, assessment and coordination account for a strikingly low share of the output of Greek ministries, which essentially consists in producing regulations," the OECD said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">A lack of information that would inform policy making and implementation is one of the key weaknesses highlighted by the OECD.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">"The administration does not have the habit of keeping records, or the capacity to extract information from data, and generally of managing organizational knowledge," it said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">One consequence of this lack of basic information about how the administration works is that budget control is difficult.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">"It is very hard to monitor and control expenditures," the OECD said. "The budget is fragmented and non-transparent, detailed and input-oriented. There has been practically no use of output information and performance information in the budget process."<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">A core source of many of the weaknesses in the public administration is what the OECD calls "legal formalism," which leads to systems that are "both very detailed and very inflexible."<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Overall, the system generates "the conditions for corruption and facilitate inappropriate individual behaviors, rent seeking and clientelism," the OECD said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">by Paul Hannon, Dow Jones Newswires; +44 20 7842 9491; paul.hannon@dowjones.com<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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</div>Greeks Round the World - Consulting Serviceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10900657852581874114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538817925725992845.post-12809434014839327972012-02-09T10:04:00.001-08:002012-02-09T10:13:38.852-08:00Rebranding Greece by Peter Economides<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">A very inspiring lecture and a new perspective..... We are a very important nation...Lets not forget that....And something else I want to mention...Be proud of being a Hellene....<br />
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MarKy GRW Consulting Service<br />
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</div>Greeks Round the World - Consulting Serviceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10900657852581874114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538817925725992845.post-60220583424977822562012-02-07T12:12:00.000-08:002012-02-07T12:20:52.679-08:00Ο Χατζημαρκάκης προειδοποιεί για ευρωπαϊκή τραγωδία<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"><span lang="EL" style="font-size: 12pt;">Δευτέρα, 06 Φεβρουαρίου 2012</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">Η Ελλάδα χρειάζεται αλλαγή πολιτικού σκηνικού, νέο Σύνταγμα και νέα εικόνα στον κόσμο που θα ξεκινήσει από την ενιαία ονομασία της χώρας ως «Ελλάς» σε όλες τις χώρες του κόσμου, τονίζει με δηλώσεις του o Γιώργος Χατζημαρκάκης, που δημοσιεύθηκαν το Σάββατο στη Γερμανική Bild και αναμεταδόθηκαν απ’ όλα τα μεγάλα γερμανικά ΜΜΕ. <img src="http://www.ert.gr/media/k2/items/cache/01336e403a5c6a7805bfc02aea957d2a_XL.jpg?t=1328435424" /> <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">Ο ευρωβουλευτής του FDP μίλησε ακόμα για τον κίνδυνο κοινωνικών συγκρούσεων που υπάρχει στη χώρα από τη φτωχοποίηση και προειδοποιεί τη Γερμανία ότι το πρόβλημα στην Ελλάδα, αν δεν υπάρξει οικονομική ανάπτυξη και νέες θέσεις εργασίας, θα μετατραπεί σε μια ευρωπαϊκή τραγωδία.<br />
Το κείμενο (σε ελεύθερη μετάφραση) αναφέρει: Ο Γιώργος Χατζημαρκάκης είναι ο «ειδικός» στη Γερμανία για την Ελλάδα από τότε ξέσπασε η κρίση και υπερασπίζεται τη δεύτερη πατρίδα του απέναντι στην κριτική που ασκείται στη Γερμανία. Αλλά επειδή η κρίση δεν σταματά, επειδή πάντα χειροτερεύει, ο Χατζημαρκάκης λέει πως πρέπει να αλλάξει το πολιτικό σύστημα στη χώρα.<br />
Σε μια συνέντευξη στη BILD.de προτείνει ακόμα μια μετονομασία της χώρας. Η Ελλάδα (Griechenland) δεν πρέπει πλέον να ονομάζεται έτσι!Ο πολιτικός προειδοποίησε ακόμα για πτώχευση της χώρας στο πρότυπο της Δημοκρατίας της Βαϊμάρης, ενώ μιλά ακόμη και για «πόλεμο για τα τρόφιμα».<br />
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<b>BILD.de</b>: κύριε Χατζημαρκάκη γιατί η Ελλάδα δεν διαχειρίζεται την κρίση;<br />
<b>Γ. Χατζημαρκάκης</b>: Το πολιτικό σύστημα στην Ελλάδα συνεχίζει να χαρακτηρίζεται από ευνοιοκρατία. Η πολιτική κηδεμονία έχει πολύ βαθύτερες ρίζες στην καθημερινή ζωή από ό, τι εθεωρείτο μέχρι σήμερα. Οι πολιτικοί θα συνεχίσουν να προσφέρουν θέσεις εργασίας στις δημόσιες υπηρεσίες ή άλλες μικρές χάρες για τις ψήφους. Το ισχύον πολιτικό σύστημα χρειάζεται να διαλυθεί εντελώς και να αντικατασταθεί από ένα νέο. Τα τρέχοντα χρήματα της Ε.Ε. πάνε στο χρέος, αλλά τα προβλήματα δεν αντιμετωπίζονται. Η Ελλάδα χρειάζεται οικονομική ανάπτυξη, μόνο τότε θα μπορεί να πληρώσει το χρέος.<br />
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<b><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">BILD.de</span></b><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">: Πώς μπορεί να υπάρξει μια αξιόπιστη νέα αρχή στη χώρα;<br />
<b>Χατζημαρκάκης</b>: Το όνομα της Ελλάδας (σ.σ. Griechenland, Greece, Grecia κλπ) για πολλούς στην Ευρώπη έχει συνδεθεί μ’ ένα διαλυμένο πολιτικό σύστημα ευνοιοκρατίας. Ως μέρος μιας έντιμης νέας αρχής, θα πρέπει το ελληνικό Σύνταγμα να ξαναγραφεί και να ονομάζεται η χώρα με συνέπεια σε όλες τις γλώσσες «Ελλάς» (Hellas). Η χώρα χρειάζεται μια νέα εικόνα.<br />
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<b>BILD.de</b>: Τι απειλεί την ανάπτυξη στην Ελλάδα;<br />
<b>Χατζημαρκάκης</b>: «Η Τρόικα ενδιαφέρεται προς το παρόν μόνο για τις αποταμιεύσεις και ξεχνά την οικονομική ανάπτυξη. Αυτό θυμίζει πολύ την πολιτική του καγκελαρίου Bruning στη Γερμανία τη δεκαετία του '30, που οδήγησε στη ριζοσπαστικοποίηση της πολιτικής. Αυτό πρέπει να αποφευχθεί. η Ελλάδα χρειάζεται νέες θέσεις εργασίας και την ανάπτυξη τώρα... . Το ελληνικό πρόβλημα θα μπορούσε να οδηγήσει σε μια τεράστια ευρωπαϊκή τραγωδία ».<br />
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<b>BILD.de</b>: Τι εννοείτε με τη λέξη «τραγωδία»;<br />
<b>Χατζημαρκάκης</b>: Στην Ελλάδα γίνεται όλο και πιο φτωχή η μεσαία τάξη. Στην Αθήνα, σήμερα υπάρχουν 30.000 άστεγοι. Ακόμα και τώρα ανταγωνίζονται στο χώρο των σκουπιδιών οι φτωχότεροι Έλληνες με τους οικονομικούς μετανάστες για αποφάγια. Θέλουμε (στην Ευρώπη) να διακινδυνεύσουμε έναν πραγματικό πόλεμο</span><span lang="EL" style="font-size: 10pt;"> εξαιτίας της φτώχειας, στην Ελλάδα; Μπορούμε να αφήσουμε τους ανθρώπους να σκοτώσουν για τροφή;<br />
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</span><b><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">BILD.de</span></b><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">: Η Ελλάδα εξακολουθεί να χρειάζεται ένα Επίτροπο της ΕΕ;<br />
<b>Χατζημαρκάκης</b>: Εάν η Γερμανική κυβέρνηση θέλει Επίτροπο της ΕΕ στην Ελλάδα, θα πρέπει να γνωρίζει ότι ο ελληνικός λαός δεν θα δεχτεί αυτό το Ευρωπαϊκό τελεσίγραφο. Το πιο ριζοσπαστικό και η καλύτερη λύση θα ήταν: Απαλλαγείτε από την σημερινή κυβέρνηση συνασπισμού Ελλάδα, χρειάζεται ένα υπουργικό συμβούλιο τεχνοκρατών υπό τον κ. Παπαδήμο. Το παράδειγμα του Πρωθυπουργού της Ιταλίας κ. Monti δείχνει πως μπορεί να πάει καλά στην Ελλάδα...».</span><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EL">http://www.bild.de/politik/ausland/griechenland-krise/chatzimarkakis-fdp-fordert-griechenland-soll-nicht-mehr-griechenland-heissen-22439550.bild.html<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>Greeks Round the World - Consulting Serviceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10900657852581874114noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538817925725992845.post-67684220283555135122012-02-07T05:30:00.000-08:002012-02-07T06:28:19.948-08:00GREEK BUREAUCRACY<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">Living in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Greece</st1:place></st1:country-region> may seem like a dream, but when it comes to the time for paperwork and bureaucracy, it will turn into a nightmare, all the more so when you do not speak the language. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><o:p><br />
</o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFMSqp3ph_Aer5n7x0YEjqScQeEKRhuBvUZn4QkSEgzipiMCR_hCoD4EmnVtMAUKV5StTXMkWsUyJUIBadogzA4KLrI-NCf-EuWvIwdadbvMDPRe1cYktSFxaa_8Zj0EQxOqeNE9I8Pnsq/s1600-r/greece3.jpg" /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">Public services will send you back and forth from service to service, department to department etc.. </span><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma;">I try to gather up as much information as possible to make all the paperwork easier for those who apprach me and need my assistance. The most required documents in Greece are your <b>passport</b>, <b>a translated version of your birth certificate </b>and when copies of it is needed it should be verified by a lawyer, Police department or KEP accompanied by the original document, <b>marriage certificate</b> and a<b> family status</b> (a paper declaring whether you are married or single, with children or without, how many children and when they were born) and <b>residence permit </b>- if applicable. </span><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">The main thing that you should bear in mind when dealing with Greek bureaucracy is that you should <b>never ever</b> give an original paper to any service, instead you must make a photocopy of the requested document and take it to the nearest police station or KEP office (citizen's advice bureau) in order for the photocopy to be stamped as an exact copy. </span><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma;">If you photocopy the document it is once again useless without the required stamp on it.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma;">The actual legal processes make you want to tear your hair out and even if you have a lot of hair, Greek bureaucracy has so many little convoluted sub-clauses, stamps, departments, papers, wrong papers - go back to start and impossible people, that even the most hirsute of heads may be rendered as bald as a baby's behind by the time you're done. The best way is to approach services like this one and I can assure you that it will help you understand the big picture without having unanswered questions.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma;">One thing though is that they appreciate kindness..not too much, but to a certain level and always know the exact name of the document required, because it annoys them if you don't know what you are asking for.</span><br />
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<span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma;">You might find it difficult, but it is also a challange. Try and see it from a positive side and don't be judgemental.The truth is that most of these public servants deal with so much paper work that it is reasonable for them to get upset....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;">Will be back with more tips and ideas.... MarKy GRW Consulting Services</span></div></div>Greeks Round the World - Consulting Serviceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10900657852581874114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538817925725992845.post-36744859512653268442012-02-05T06:11:00.000-08:002012-02-05T06:12:36.435-08:00Don't gloat at Europe, says Turkey-based Greek Academic<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 11pt; text-transform: uppercase;">SUNDAY, 04 DECEMBER 2011 20:29 BARÇIN YINANÇ - THE BALKAN CHRONICLE<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma;">Some Turks have expressed a touch of smugness about the European Union's current economic malaise, but such misplaced joy is improper, according to Turkey-based Greek academic Dimitris Tsarouhas. "It is not in the interest of Turkey to gloat about the EU crisis – the EU still remains the safest market for Turkey," says Tsarouhas.<o:p></o:p></span><img src="http://www.balkanchronicle.com/images/stories/economics/Business/academic_Dimitris_Tsarouha.jpg" style="text-align: left;" /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma;">Turks should not gloat at Europe's economic woes, according to a Greek aca</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma;">demic based in Turkey.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma;">There is a degree of Schadenfreude among some Turks, said Dimitris Tsarouhas, who teaches at Bilkent University in Ankara. "Europe is on a downturn and Turkey is on an upturn. But things can change really fast."</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma;">The Turkish economy is doing well but it is impossible for it to remain unaffected by the eurozone crisis, he told the Hürriyet Daily News in a recent interview.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma;">How is the Greek crisis perceived in Turkey?</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">People in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Turkey</st1:place></st1:country-region> don't tend to emphasize the Greek crisis. </span><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma;">Greece for the Turkish public is not as important a country as Turkey is for Greece, for instance. [The view in Turkey is] that there is a crisis in Europe and that the European Union is facing a crisis. There is a degree of Schadenfreude. "You Europeans, you got pretty much what you deserved. You have not worked as hard as we do."</span><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">But is this said about Europeans or about Greeks?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma;">I don't think the Turkish public makes a major distinction between the two. With Greece, actually there is a high degree of sympathy. They say, "We know how you guys feel; we've been through these crises."<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma;">They don't see it as a Greek thing. And actually, it's not just a Greek thing. By now it has gained a European dimension. It is right to say Europeans are in trouble. The question is [whether Turkish people should be characterized as having Schadenfreude or not]. I don't think it should.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma;">Yes, Europe is on a downturn and Turkey is on an upturn. But these things change can change really fast. So it is not in the interests of the Turks to propagate on the European crisis. The argument is being made by state representatives and ministers that what is happening in Europe will affect the Turkish economy. It will inevitably affect the Turkish economy. I think Turkey is doing well. But this is a world where connections are getting deeper, especially between Turkey and the EU and especially on the economic front.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma;">Now, one thing is very clear: the safest market for Turkish products and the safest root of investment coming from outside is Europe. The highest amount of FDI [Foreign Direct Investment] flow is from EU member states. The largest share of trade between Turkey and the outside world is taking place with the EU. For both practical and political reasons, Turks should not gloat about what's happening in Europe. I don't want to suggest this is happening too much or that Turkey has turned its back on the EU; it did not. In fact, the crisis has highlighted yet again that Turkey [presents] a major opportunity for Europe rather than a threat.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma;">Why is Greece not cutting its defense expenditures in view of its improved relations with Turkey?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma;">At the beginning of the crisis two years ago, the debate on the need to lower military spending in line with rapprochement with Turkey was high on the agenda and the [George] Papandreou government approached it favorably. But the debate shifted, I am afraid. As the crisis grew deeper, people turned more inward and fears have risen. They have become more conservative. The idea of reducing military spending as part of the dialogue with Turkey, which was attractive two years ago, is no longer attractive. People are focused on the national sovereignty debate; especially when the Turkish economy is posting a high growth rate, that makes it even worse. People start saying, "As we are losing our economic sovereignty, our neighbor Turkey is [growing] stronger." Therefore, the more extreme wings of the debate say, "Turkey could seek to exploit the opportunity [presented by] Greece's weakness for its own purposes." So, there are these alleged scenarios being built up on how Turkey can take advantage of Greece's current problems.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma;">How is Turkey's economic success perceived in Greece? Is there a sense of "We were in a much better situation, now even Turkey has passed ahead of us"?</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">There is this sense of "<st1:country-region w:st="on">Turkey</st1:country-region> has now passed us, whereas a few years ago we were the ones <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Turkey</st1:place></st1:country-region> was looking at us in terms of welfare, prosperity." </span><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma;">But what is interesting is that when we talk about the so-called Turkish miracle – the way I describe it is as a European BRIC ... many Greeks, quiet astonishingly, ascribe a large part of it to the political leadership of Turkey. They believe that leadership in the form and shape of the current prime minister has not only portrayed the country as independent and dynamic, but has also combined this with very sound economic management skills; the supporters of this view say that this is what this country needs. And the more nationalist wing, those opposing Turkey or [who are] even jealous of Turkey's rise, even they seem to be applauding [Turkish Prime Minister] Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, congratulating his style of leadership.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma;">How do you explain Turkey's success?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma;">I believe it started before the current government. I don't believe the Turkish upswing begins in 2002, although it has certainly continued [since then]. You [had] a major crisis in 2001 and it is very different than the current crisis in Greece and then you [had] a very effective regulatory regime being put in place. You [had] political determination even under a coalition to sort out the economy in the long run, you [had] a comparative advantage of a young population, an economy adjusting to international modes starting from the 1980s; and all this led to a situation whereby – from a certain point onwards – the country [started] reaping the benefits.</span><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma;">Is there a difference in the democracy deficit between the two countries?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma;"> Turks accepted the bitter pill, never hitting the streets, while the Greeks are always protesting.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma;">I believe every country has its own political culture and its own historic heritage. Turkey has an institutional heritage from political, economic and societal dimension. That's the legacy Turkey still has. The legacy of that period is very much felt in Turkish political economy. For example: in the area of industrial relations and social partnership, we observe very weak trade unions; in the private and even more so in the public sector, they are basically disempowered, although measures have been taken recently to address some of these issues. In Greece we don't have this. This example illustrates my point: In Greece, trade unions are not representing society anymore; I believe they have become a small interest group. But, it is also true that there is a very strong culture, political heritage from the 1974 transition to democracy that stresses the right of people to strike, to protest governmental policies they find unjust.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma;">But this leads us to this odd question: looking at where the two countries' economies stand, are we to conclude that it is better to have a weaker democratic culture?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma;">Turkey has been, until recently, a developing economy. In developing economies you don't have strong trade union rights, you don't have a sizable middle class. You have a large population working hard to survive and a small population enjoying a wealthy life. From now on things will not be the same for Turkey. Turkey will not, for instance, be a cheap labor site. Turkey is moving toward the wealthy league of states. This will create a bigger middle class than today. That will have consequences on what we've been talking about before. I don't think there is anything genetic or cultural about Turks not voicing themselves.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma;">But some argue that the religious dimension, belief in faith and conservative values, such as family solidarity, plays a role in how Turks approach the economic crisis.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma;">I don't believe any nation, not just Turkey, will tolerate conditions of massive inequality in their societies for too long. In Turkey, you have the rise of a middle class, creating a set of new expectations. But, of course, there is an element of a cultural dimension if we use the Turkish example: in more traditional societies, where you don't have an elaborate, comprehensive, state-sponsored social protection regime, then you have substitutes and the substitute in Turkey is fundamentally the family. Family plays a major, stabilizing role in Turkish society and economy.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma;">Although you claim the nature of the crisis is different – and noting that the two do have their difference – are there no lessons to be taken from the Turkish experience?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma;">Turkey has been good at introducing structural reforms, making its economic growth rate sustainable in the long run. Turkey has created a regulatory regime in the economy; it has reformed parts of its social protection system, such as the pension system or healthcare system.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma;">It is the structural reform parts of the Turkish story that the Greek policy-makers are advised to take.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma;">People are drawing parallels between Kemal Derviş, who was appointed as Turkey's economy minister during the 2001 crisis, and new Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos, as they are both bureaucrats.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma;">I don't agree with the analogy. Since [neither] are strangers to the world of politics, they are not people taken from the academic amphitheater or from banks and imposed on politics.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma;">But there is a major difference between the two. Derviş was invited by the then-prime minister and was given very wide room to maneuver in how he would design a healthy recovery from the crisis and was backed by the three parties in Parliament. He was not asked to play the chief role of heading the government. In Greece, the situation is different. We had a prime minister who decided or was forced to leave, there was an agreement between him and the leader of opposition and the far-right party to invite a fourth person to head a national unity government with a specific mandate and to [stage general elections] at the first available opportunity. Papademos is heading a political government. That makes his job more difficult.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma;">It took years for Turkish banks to open a branch in Greece and, even afterwards, there are complaints that they can't expand. The general view in Turkey is that there will be resistance from Greece in the event that the Turkey offers its assistance or buys some Greek assets.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma;">It's not all about politics. The Greek bureaucracy is legendarily slow, much slower than the Turkish bureaucracy, which has been reformed to a certain degree. There will always be some resistance. When the National Bank of Greece bought Finansbank, some said the deal was not in the interest of Greece [but] we now know this was a sound move from an economic point of view. There will always be people with a negative response. For mainstream opinion, what matters is the kind of cooperation; if there is state-sponsored cooperation, there won't be a reaction. Things could be different if the Turkish private sector wanted to make certain acquisitions that may be potentially more problematic – not just because it is Turkish. At a time when you feel vulnerable, you don't differentiate between Turkey, Germany or France.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma;">WHO IS DIMITRIS TSAROUHAS?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma;">Dimitris Tsarouhas is one of 20 Greek academics who work in Turkey. An assistant professor in the Department of International Relations at Bilkent University, he is one of just four Greeks that teach in Ankara – the rest work in Istanbul. Tsarouhas came to Turkey in 2006; before beginning at Bilkent, he taught at the Middle East Technical University in Ankara. A graduate of University of Sheffield, Tsarouhas specializes in European politics. His research seeks to transcend disciplinary divid>es to incorporate insights from international relations, comparative politics and political economy. He is also the author of "Social Democracy in Sweden: the Threat from a Globalized World," and is the co-editor of "Bridging the Real Divide: Social and Regional Policy in Turkey's EU Accession Process."Married to a Turk, Tsarouhas speaks fluent Turkish.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></div>Greeks Round the World - Consulting Serviceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10900657852581874114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538817925725992845.post-56670055693774890102012-02-05T06:02:00.000-08:002012-02-05T06:02:08.364-08:00Greek Citizens drowning in Debt, Politicians swimming in cash<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div style="background: white; line-height: 20.0pt; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 15.0pt; text-align: justify;"><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"></st1:place></st1:country-region></div><b><dd class="create" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-transform: uppercase;">SUNDAY, 25 DECEMBER 2011 16:51 </dd><dd class="createdby" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-transform: uppercase;">PUBLISHER - THE BALKAN CHronicle</dd></b><div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px; text-transform: uppercase;"><b><br />
</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><div style="background: white; line-height: 20.0pt; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 15.0pt; text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma;">Greece may be drowning in debt, however the political elite seems to be doing much better than everyone else. This perhaps isn't very surprising considering the fact Greece has been run by few political dynasties (families) for the past 60 years.</span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span><img src="http://www.balkanchronicle.com/images/stories/world/balkans/greecemoney.jpg" style="background-color: white; line-height: 20pt;" /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">While ordinary Greeks are relocating for good (even to <st1:country-region w:st="on">China</st1:country-region>'s <st1:place w:st="on">Hong Kong</st1:place>), MINA's research shows every single Greek politician has at least 200,000 euros in bank accounts</span></div><a name='more'></a> and this is only what the politicians are reporting themselves.<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma;">Lets take PASOK leader George Papandreou - he earned 123,000 euros in salary last year. In various bank accounts, Papandreou reported having 51,435 and 9,944 euros in separate accounts. George's wife has 248,000 euros in two separate accounts. They also reported having two houses over 300 sq meters and an apartment.</span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma;">Nea Demokratia leader Antonis Samaras last year claimed to have saved 107,000 euros. In four separate bank accounts he reported having 8,951, 285,000, 9,312, 3,775 euros. Samaras also has commercial space of 1,000 sq meters, land in Lavrion and Evia and apartments in Athens.</span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma;">The leader of Greek communists Aleka Papariga reported earning 91,000 euros in salary, has 40,000 euros in a bank account and owns one apartment.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma;">Kostas Karamanlis reported 130,000 euros in salary, bank savings accounts of 830,000 euros and 168,000 US dollars.</span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Dora Bakoyannis reported having around 200,000 euros on her bank accounts. </span><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma;">Her husband reported a salary of 273,000 euros, and a savings account of 1.5 million euros. Bakoyannis owns numerous apartments in Glyfada (true number of apartments isn't known), several commercial real estate properties in Athens and abroad.</span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Interestingly enough, the biggest earner was <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">LAOS</st1:country-region></st1:place> leader Georgios Karatzaferis reporting 268,000 euros in salary only.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">According to Greek media, 300 policitians has thus far submitted their net worth. </span><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma;">According to Kathimerini, the source of this wealth which by all accounts is 'under-reported' isn't very clear. Back in 2009, 11 Greek MPs emptied their bank accounts and show 0 euros in assets on their reports.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EL" style="font-family: Tahoma;">A new Greek law would make it illegal for politicians to be transferring money to Switzerland. According to the anti-corruption body, no Greek politician has money in foreign banks, in other words no politician reported having money in foreign banks.</span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Greek media is convinced just the opposite is true, that many Greek politicians have substantial amounts in various foreign banks.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div></div><div></div></div></div>Greeks Round the World - Consulting Serviceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10900657852581874114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538817925725992845.post-71331520427058096152012-02-04T07:32:00.001-08:002012-02-04T10:09:27.273-08:00Taxing the diaspora<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
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<tr><td><img src="http://www.athensnews.gr/sites/default/themes/athensnewsv3/images/icons/pen_icon.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: block;" /></td><td class="articlepub" style="font-family: Georgia, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Tahoma; font-size: 11px;">by <a class="author" href="http://www.athensnews.gr/author/2106" style="color: black; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none;" title="View All Author Articles">Kathy Tzilivakis</a></td><td width="5"></td><td><img src="http://www.athensnews.gr/sites/default/themes/athensnewsv3/images/icons/calendar_icon.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: block;" /></td><td class="articlepubdate" style="color: #5d5d5b; font-family: Georgia, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Tahoma; font-size: 11px;">22 Jan 2012</td></tr>
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<div>SHOULD Greeks abroad be taxed? This was the question discussed b<br />
y Alternate Finance Minister Pantelis Economou and Olga Sarantopoulos, secretary of the World Council of Greeks Abroad (SAE), in Athens last week. </div><div></div><div>Sarantopoulos had sent a letter to Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos in October calling on the government to exempt Greeks abroad from having to pay any of the new taxes. </div><div>According to the SAE secretary, Greeks abroad are the country’s biggest international assets: “They have repeatedly voiced their wish to help their home country exit this terrible financial crisis in any<br />
<a name='more'></a> possible way,” she said in her letter. </div><div></div><div>Economou and Sarantopoulos discussed the possibility of more favourable tax arrangements for Greeks abroad during their meeting on January 12. According to Sarantopoulos, it is “essential” that Greeks abroad receive more favourable treatment by the Greek state. In response, Economou said her views will be taken into consideration before the new tax bill is tabled in parliament. </div><div></div><div>In related news, Democratic Left leader Fotis Kouvelis and his party’s three other MPs tabled a question in parliament asking about the taxation status of Greeks who are permanent residents abroad but own property in Greece. </div><div></div><div>“Greeks abroad are protesting because they feel it is unfair for them to pay the new property tax,” the MPs said in a letter addressed to Venizelos. </div><div>Countless Greeks abroad own property - a house or an apartment - in Greece, many inherited from parents and grandparents. Not all of them are receiving rent from this property, nor are they earning an income here in Greece. </div><div></div><div>“It is clear this tax is unreasonable for Greeks who do not live in Greece,” the four MPs said in their letter. </div><div>Venizelos has yet to answer their question. </div><div></div></td></tr>
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</tbody></table><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></div>Greeks Round the World - Consulting Serviceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10900657852581874114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538817925725992845.post-33669109713133854982012-02-04T07:26:00.000-08:002012-02-04T10:11:00.354-08:00Modern Greek Bureaucracy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
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<tr><td><h2><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: medium;">A Short Historical Background </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span></span></h2><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana;">Modern Greek bureaucracy, which is characterized by this sort of ambiguous western-Oriental “aftertaste”, is a “dish” that came down to us from the Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire and which has also been seasoned with a great variety of heavy Ottoman “spices”. In the Byzantine and Ottoman empires people could buy most of the public offices. If you dreamed of a career as a church beggar, for instance, the priest had to get his </span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana;">commission in order to reserve for you a seat on the church steps. If the church was a cathedral the profits were high and so was the commission. If on the other hand you dreamed yourself as the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire, first of all you had to have loads of money to bribe the sultan. </span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana;">Second of all you had to be a serial killer in order to make sure that no one would get your spot. In the Ottoman Empire, for example, the patriarchal throne was auctioned many times and was offered to the man who paid most handsomely. He in turn would lose the throne, along with his head, to another man who’d pour more gold into the sultan’s coffers.</span><br />
<h2><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: medium;">The Foundation of Today’s Greek Bureaucracy</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span></span></h2><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana;">Today’s Greece has one of the greatest Constitutions in the whole Civilized Western World and some of the most democratic, humane and philosophically based laws one can find in the Human Rights Markets in our entire solar system. Sometimes these laws are quite surreal, but that’s another story and has to do with the Greeks’ love of the arts, Picasso, Dali and Surrealism. So, anyway, things like bureaucracy have no place – Alas, not in Greece. But…but there is that damned Byzantine-Ottoman legacy and those last minute amendments in the house of the parliament that make room for more public servants, who in fact are no less than an immeasurable army of much needed voters who set in motion this gruesome bureaucratic machine. Almost a third of the Greek population are public servants in one way or another.</span><br />
<h2><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: medium;">The Taxpayers’ Response to Bureaucrats</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span></span></h2><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana;">Greek citizens hate bureaucrats the way alley cats hate stray dogs. They believe that they’re all corrupt and lazy bedbugs. They speak badly about them. They make nasty jokes about them. They attack them verbally and some times even physically –many bureaucrats quite often find themselves in hospital beds. Other than that most Greeks dream of a government job because there is a certain safety (nobody can give you the boot) and great benefits; for example you don’t have to work and that’s good enough. Besides you can also have a second (real) job or even take advantage of your government position to earn some extra money by helping out some small or big time law violators, and that’s even better. And oh, you can just let a stupid colleague of yours do your job at the office. Probably he or she is a prude anyway and a fussy workaholic with heavy lenses, cheap clothes and old fashioned ideas – a true office idiot!</span><br />
<h2><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: medium;">The Bureaucrats’ Response to Taxpayers</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span></span></h2><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana;">All bureaucrats see taxpayers the way alley cats see mice. They believe that they’re all some sort of mafia characters, who try to trick the government or steal government money (their money) and therefore they must suffer. They chase them everywhere, they pester them, they attack them verbally and sometimes even physically –many taxpayers often find themselves in hospital beds. Other than that most bureaucrats love taxpayers the way leeches love buttocks.</span><br />
<h2><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: medium;">Conclusion #1: Put the Blame not on Mame but on the Greek Voters</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span></span></h2><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana;">Today’s Greek bureaucracy is built on a very sturdy foundation; namely all the Greek voters, who flock to the offices of MPs and government ministers in an attempt to get public posts in exchange for their votes; much like the people from the Third World who sell one of their kidneys to get themselves a better life and who finally get more misery instead.</span><br />
<h2><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: medium;">Conclusion #2: Corrupt politicians</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span></span></h2><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana;">We are faced with a vicious cycle: the politicians in their despair to get a parliament seat, and therefore power, bribe the voters with government jobs, and the voters in turn bribe the politicians with their votes. Who’s to blame? To ask this silly question is like asking “what came to being first, the egg or the chicken?” Only God knows. </span><br />
<h2><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: medium;">Conclusion #3: Bureaucracy is Here to Stay</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span></span></h2><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana;">All Greeks, besides being free spirits and notorious party animals, are potential bureaucrats no matter what they say.</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana;">Written by Matt Barrett</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table></div>Greeks Round the World - Consulting Serviceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10900657852581874114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538817925725992845.post-46165470695573182672012-02-03T13:31:00.000-08:002012-02-04T08:32:48.738-08:00A few words to know each other......<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Greeks Round the World - Consulting Services<br />
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Through this blog, Greeks - Hellenes from abroad will have the chance to get valid information regarding issues that may concern them in different areas of beurocratic problems that might have risen according to each persons case and situation...Any quiry of yours will be a challenge and pleasure for us to resolve.<br />
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</div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">This Blog will help and provide services to Greeks around the world that wish to find easy access and answers to issues that concern them. With the current changes in Greece's Public Administration System, this blog wants to be a source of valid information...We just need your concern, problem or issue that you want to find an answer to.....</div></div></div>Greeks Round the World - Consulting Serviceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10900657852581874114noreply@blogger.com0