Greece: Task Force is gathering momentum
On 17 December, the European Commission announced that the Task Force for Greece is gathering momentum.
On 26 October, Transparency International reported that Greece is the most corrupt country in the EU, scoring the same with China. Regarding corruption, the EU Task Force announced that the appropriate Greek agencies have agreed on an Action Plan that sets the base for a detailed anti-corruption strategy. Regarding the chronic problem of tax evasion, the Commission announced that between 1 January and 3 December 2012, approximately €95 million of criminal assets were frozen by the national Financial Intelligence Unit for money laundering related to tax evasion. Moreover, the Task Force in collaboration with the Greek authorities is looking into the possibility for the creation of an indirect registry of bank accounts, which will help to quickly receive information on balances and transactions of bank accounts. However, the creation of the registry seems to delay as according to October’s Task Force press release, its completion was expected at the end of 2012 but it has now been transferred at the start of 2013.
Concerning unemployment, which stood at 25 per cent on September the Task Force, announced that it will support the modernisation of the public employment service (OAED) and provide technical assistance to tackle youth unemployment. In addition, in cooperation with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) it will strengthen the Labour Inspectorate, in order to fight against undeclared work and shadow economy.
European Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs Oli Rehn commented, “Greece is tackling deep-rooted structural problems with determination and resolve, as has been recognised by the Eurogroup. The Task Force is working hard to help Greece implement essential reforms to boost its competitiveness, create a fairer and more effective tax system, and generate sustainable growth and employment. The ownership of these reforms lies with the Greek authorities, but the Commission is there to help and the Task Force is tangible proof of that.” ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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