International development

City of Athens launches municipal ‘alliance’ for cheaper power

The City of Athens is spearheading an initiative with other municipal authorities in the Attica region that will allow them to negotiate special rates with energy suppliers as a single corporate customer.

Additionally seeking to promote power production through renewables, the so-called Athens Energy Alliance already has eight members, with four more mulling entry into the scheme.

Switching gears

The planned system that will measure the performance of local government organizations, and which in turn will determine their funding, is a necessary step on the path of reforms, along with the others that have been attempted recently.

Argentina reaches debt deal with IMF

Argentina has reached an agreement with the International Monetary Fund to refinance more than $40 billion in debt, President Alberto Fernandez has said.

"We had an unpayable debt that left us without a present or a future, and now we have a reasonable agreement that will allow us to grow and comply," Fernandez said on national television on Jan. 28.

Calls to reduce poverty made on poverty eradication day

Ljubljana – Slovenian NGOs and the human rights ombudsman have called on the authorities to take measures to reduce poverty to the largest degree possible as the world observes International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on Sunday. The ministry in charge social affairs on the other hand says the government has not forgotten the socially deprived.

Finance proposes changing rules on returning state aid

Ljubljana – The newspaper Finance argues in Tuesday’s commentary against the rules under which more than 10% of small businesses will have to return the state aid they received last year because they did not just sit around and wait for aid but actually found ways to keep their business afloat.

Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce: Year 2020 Strongly Charged with Pessimism

For many people within the last decade 2020 has been the year strongly charged with pessimism, shows a survey of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce (BCC) on the attitudes and assessments of the business community in the current year and the expectations for the next one.

Ministry to take into account energy poverty report

Ljubljana – The Ministry of Infrastructure will try to take into account the recommendations and proposals from a recent EU-wide report about energy poverty in Slovenia. The report says that despite EU requirements, Slovenia has failed to adequately address energy poverty in its national energy and climate plan.

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