Greece favours debt repayment extension

Greek Deputy Prime Minister Theodore Pangalos said on Monday (January 17th) the government favours possibly extending the repayment period for the country’s outstanding debt, beyond its EU/IMF bailout loans. “Debt repayment extension may refer not only to the 110 billion euros (of emergency EU/IMF funding) but the entire debt,” Pangalos told local TV channel SKAI. He says this could help the country overcome its financial crisis.

Meanwhile, the public sector labour union ADEDY announced plans Monday for a 24-hour strike on February 10th. “The [EU/IMF] memorandum’s policies are testing the limits and the tolerance of the Greek people, and especially the poorest, the workers, the unemployed and the pensioners,” the union said in a statement.