Gov't Prepares For Critical Troika Visit in mid Jan.

With the troika scheduled to return to Athens around the 15th of January, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and his associates are putting the pressure on all ministers to carry out all necessary actions related to avoid any delays. After all, Greece has only completed about 65% of the 135 necessary actions that are outlined in the bailout that George Papandreou forced upon Greece, and progress is relatively slow.

Samaras may have said in his New Year address that “the worst was over”, but the reality of the matter is that significant changes are still expected to take place. In fact, reports in Athens claim that a number of critical issues which were meant to be tackled in 2013 were either placed on the back burner and/or left unresolved. These include the tax on real estate, Value Added Tax on food items and the ambitious suspension and dismissal of public sector workers. The overall sentiment is that Greece is going to be in a better position to negotiate with the Troika when our country’s primary surplus is 100 percent defacto confirmed.

While Greece is presiding over the rotating EU presidency over the next six months, the Troika is expected to ease its pressure on the government. The conservative New Democracy has taken a significant dive in the polls, while the right-wing party’s traditional voters are increasingly undecided and looking for alternative solution.

The government has invested a lot in returning to the markets in 2014 (despite the IMF’s estimations that this would not occur before 2018), in an effort to eliminate suspicion and help Greek businesses become more competitive in the international markets.