International Monetary Fund

One day after Prime Minister Antonis Samaras met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel where he set out how Athens could exit its adjustment program and cover its financing needs from next year, leftist opposition SYRIZA attacked the conservative leader saying talks in Berlin had produced zero results.

Greece is ready to stand on its own feet, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras said on Tuesday after a meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin, where he set out how Athens could exit its adjustment program at the end of the year, forgoing the remaining loans from the International Monetary Fund.

Greece can exit its EU/IMF bailout earlier than expected and can cover its own funding needs next year, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras said in Berlin on Tuesday after meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

IMF urges cuts in number of public administration employees

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is calling on Serbia to reduce the number of employees in the public administration by five percent next year.

By Roula Salourou

The International Monetary Fund is asking Athens to impose strict rules on the operation of the Center for Collection of Social Security Arrears (KEAO) as well as a series of measures including the activation of electronic confiscations and making it easier for the bank deposits of social security debtors to be seized.

Members of the Financial Crimes Squad (SDOE) and tax inspectors involved in an investigation into the so-called Lagarde list of Greeks with Swiss bank accounts expect to be able to announce results relating to around 20 names on the list in the coming weeks, Kathimerini understands.

To date, checks carried out on 25 savers from the list have only yielded the sum of 12 million euros.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF), the European Commission and the World Bank (WB) have agreed on the postponement of gas market liberalisation for households and on the deadlines proposed by the Romanian side, Minister-delegate for Energy Razvan Nicolescu told AGERPRES on Saturday.

Two prominent MPs of leftist SYRIZA on Friday called for economic prosecutors to summon International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde to testify as an “essential witness” in connection with an ongoing investigation into a list of 2,062 Greeks with Swiss bank accounts which was given to Greek authorities by Lagarde in 2012 when she was France’s finance minister.

By George Georgiopoulos

Greece's privatization agency has received two binding bids for the country's horse race betting licence after scrapping a previous tender last month due to a lack of sufficient interest.

The HDRAF agency said on Friday Greek betting firm OPAP and gaming systems supplier Intralot had submitted bids for a 20-year licence to take wagers on horse races.

BELGRADE - Advisor of the Serbian minister for EU integration Vladimir Krulj stated on Friday that his first impression is that Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic demonstrated great determination and responsibility to the country when presenting the reform measures to the public, although some of these are likely to be interpreted as unpopular.