Samaras and Venizelos to meet amid troika doubts about new measures
Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and Deputy Prime Minister Evangelos Venizelos are due to meet at 6 p.m. on Wednesday to discuss Greece’s strategy ahead of the troika’s return.
The meeting was called following reports that the troika will reject Greece’s plan for covering next year’s fiscal gap through adjustments to the country’s social security system.
The government believes it can produce the 500 million euros of savings it believes it needs for next year by tightening up its social security spending and making several other expenditure reforms.
However, the troika believes this will not be enough as it estimates the fiscal gap to be around 2 billion euros.
The draft social security bill that was due to be submitted to Parliament on Tuesday has now been held back and, according to reports, will not be tabled until after the troika returns.
Representatives of Greece’s lenders are expected back in Athens on November 4.
Samaras and Venizelos are also due to discuss the property tax bill in the wake of its provisions, as leaked to the media, being heavily criticized.
