"We have a very tough second half ahead of us..."

"Our country is more than fulfilling its aims", stated Prime Minister George Papandreou during the ministry meeting on Thursday, basing his statements on the Troika's positive report on the Greek economy and its adherence to the memorandum.

Mr. Papandreou underlined that the course of the country is correct, since it managed to reduce its deficit not just by the planned 5.5% but by 6%: "This message must be multiplied tenfold, the Hellenic people must realize our efforts and we must manage to pass on the feeling of trust and security that they need, that all their sacrifices are working, no matter what certain naysayers might protest about whether we are succeeding or not, statements that harm the image and reliability of our country".

The Prime Minister also set the new goals, saying that "we have a very tough second half ahead of us". As he explained, the effort is now focused on the important changes and amendments that must take place, hoping moreover that everyone will agree to them.

"The positive course since last year makes us optimistic that we can reach our goals in 2011 as well. It will be the year of important modifications. That is not saying that we haven't taken steps towards rectifying last year; we have taken more steps than any previous government ever has. A new chapter is opening up in our history on what concerns progress and justice, but also historical changes", noted Mr. Papandreou, repeating his focus and commitment on improving the government, which in turn will protect the citizens.

The Prime Minister appeared to be content to have insisted on the European mechanisms being put in place for the economy months ago, a fact which he considers a life saver: " Both European and international events point out even more how Greece has managed to push through a tough but successful course of action. Imagine where we would be today without dependency or support, or even half-hearted support, but also without a notable say in things in these hard but necessary proceedings which involve both the European and Hellenic fiscal futures".

Mentioning the talks on a permanent economic mechanism, he declared that this too much be a "smart" mechanism, so that it is able to counter, survive and profit on the market's psychology. He underlined that "in this mechanism, if not now surely in the long-term, the solution will be Euro-bonds, which translates into the ability of European member countries to borrow through Euro-bonds". He also emphasized that "Europe always needs to have a clear investment policy that will aid progress".

Talking of the Irish crisis, Mr. Papandreou calmly lashed out at former Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis: "Even though Brian Cowen is a conservative, he did not follow in the steps of his counterpart Kostas Karamanlis when faced with a similar crisis. Mr. Cowen preferred to act, take responsibility, propose harsh measures, get them approved by Irish Parliament, approve the budget and then move to elections. He did not abandon ship by throwing a ticking time-bomb in the hands of the next government"