Employment & Social Insurances Minister Andreas Loverdos was quoted on Sunday as precluding any new austerity measures, while adding that the country's emergence from the current economic and fiscal crisis will be achieved via the completion of already announced reforms and, primarily, through economic growth. In an interview published in the Sunday edition of the Athens daily "Eleftherotypia", he stated that most supplementary pension funds in the country are in a "good shape", whereas any measures dealing with the latter will be considered after actuarial studies are completed by April 2011.
In response to heated opposition criticism of the memorandum agreed to by the government and the EU-ECB-IMF "troika", the key minister underlined that "for Greece to overcome the memorandum it will have to implement it in a clear and unwavering manner".
In an unrelated development, Loverdos, a veteran PASOK minister in previous governments, ruled out his candidacy for the Athens municipality in the upcoming November election.
30.08.2010
