Greece's deficit still growing after tax movesAthens, 12 October 2011 (MIA) - Greece's budget deficit continued to widen in September due to an austerity-driven recession, despite a fresh batch of tax measures that were supposed to start lifting receipts.
The central government deficit grew 15 percent year-on-year to 19.16 billion euros in the first nine months of the year, finance ministry data showed.
Debt-laden Greece is scrambling to meet fiscal targets set by its international lenders under a bailout plan so that it can continue to receive EU/IMF funding and avoid default.
In September, Athens increased sales tax on restaurants to 23 percent and started collecting a one-off tax ranging from 1-5 percent on gross income.
But the moves failed to visibly boost net tax receipts, which shrank by 4.2 percent year-on-year in Jan-Sept, compared with a 5.3 percent drop in the first eight months of the year.
Greece said on Wednesday it would catch up with a target to increase net tax receipts by 0.8 percent for the full year, helped by a new property tax and other spending cuts that will kick in in the rest of the year.
"The current revenue shortfall is expected to be dealt with in the last quarter," the finance ministry said.
Greece's international lenders said on Tuesday that Greece would miss its budget deficit target this year, but that it could catch up in 2012 if it acts decisively enough.
Primary spending before interest payments rose by 2.9 percent year-on-year, mainly because the government increased payments to social security organisations, whose revenues are drying up because of the recession. ik/fd/13:56
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Enlargement Commissioner recommends EU candidate status for Serbia
Brussels, 12 October 2011 (MIA) - Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule recommended Wednesday that Serbia gets EU candidate status, whereas the decision on a date for beginning of accession negotiations would be additionally adopted, taking into consideration progress achieved in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue.
"On the basis of the progress achieved in reforms, co-operation with the International Court Tribunal for ex-Yugoslavia, and regional reconciliation, I recommend granting Serbia Candidate Status on the understanding that Serbia re-engages in the dialogue with Kosovo and is moving swiftly to the implementation in good faith of agreements reached to date", Fule told the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs.
The European Commission recommends that accession negotiations be opened as soon as Serbia achieves further progress in meeting one key priority - further steps to normalise relations with Kosovo in line with the conditions of the Stabilisation and Association Process.
"This is the only priority we set which in itself is a tribute to the reform efforts we have witnessed in Serbia over the last year in the area of judicial reform, rule of law and other areas intrinsically linked to the Copenhagen political criteria", underlined Fule. ik/fd/13:48
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Albania: More than 20,000 new depression patients in six months
Tirana, 12 October 2011 (MIA) - Over 20,000 people in Albania asked for help due to depression in the first half of 2011, although experts say the real number is four times higher than the official one, MIA reports from Tirana.
The situation is even more alarming if one takes into account depression among children, since statistics have confirmed that one in five children has such problems, whereas the rate among adults is one in four.
According to psychologists, the main reasons for the situation are stress and family problems.
There is no precises statistics in Albania on this type of illness, since such patients were not registered prior to the 1990s, except for the ones placed in special institutions due to mental disorders. ik/fd/9:30
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Kuwait establishes full diplomatic ties with Kosovo
Kuwait, 11 October 2011 (MIA) - The Gulf state of Kuwait announced Tuesday that it has recognised Kosovo as an independent country and has decided to establish diplomatic ties at ambassadorial level, AFP reports.
"Based on instructions by the emir, the state of Kuwait recognises Kosovo and will exchange diplomatic representation at the level of ambassadors," an official statement said following a meeting by the council of ministers.
The cabinet asked the foreign ministry to take the necessary measures to implement the decision.
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) partners Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Oman have already recognised Kosovo.
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