Reforms lined up for New Year
Vocal opposition this year to the government’s efforts to introduce a range of reforms has not deterred the ruling conservatives from pushing through the changes from the beginning of next year, New Democracy sources told Sunday’s Kathimerini. Efforts to shake up tertiary education, privatize some port services and sell off the government’s remaining stake in OTE telecom have met with protests from unionists and students over the last few months. However, boosted by private research which shows public opinion is mostly behind the reforms, the government feels that it can make a new drive to wrap up the changes by next summer. «There is a dire need for the higher education reforms so that Greek universities can become active participants in the European and international academic worlds,» Education Minister Marietta Giannakou told Sunday’s Kathimerini. Giannakou added that the planned reforms – which include allowing private universities to operate and putting an end to so-called eternal students and the university immunity system – are aimed at improving tertiary education in Greece, which the minister believes is far below the standards of other European countries. «I believe that in 2007 we will have a law… which will guarantee universities genuine self-administration, meritocracy, quality education and a good position among the powerful institutions in Europe,» said Giannakou. The government was expected to unveil the draft law in June but sources indicated that the conservatives will begin promoting the education reforms much sooner. Similarly, Panayis Vourloumis, OTE’s president, told Sunday’s Kathimerini that it was now «very difficult» for the complete privatization of the company to be stopped. Two amendments were passed through Parliament last week to allow the government to sell off its 38 percent holding in OTE and look for a foreign strategic investor. «The changes being decreed are not revolutionary; they are a mild development toward the implementation of self-evident management principles,» said Vourloumis. As for the privatization of some port services, Merchant Marine Minister Manolis Kefaloyiannis told Sunday’s Kathimerini that he will speed up efforts to find international investors to take over the running of some port services in Greece. He said the move would lead to a cash injection of some -500 million and would help modernize Greek ports. Government sources said that the partial privatization of port services are expected to take place by June.
