Panaghiotis Lafazanis, a Marxist who heads Syriza’s far-left faction, was put in charge of the super-ministry incorporating energy, industry and environmental affairs. He has openly opposed any concessions being made with Greece’s creditors when stalled negotiations over completing the country’s current bailout programme resume.
full: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/27/greece-alexis-tsipras-syriza-cabinet After announcing a halt to the privatization of the port of Piraeus on Tuesday, for which China's Cosco Group [COSCO.UL] and four other suitors had been shortlisted, the government said it would block the sale of a stake in the Public Power Corporation of Greece (PPC). PPC, (DEHr.AT), which is 51 percent owned by the state, controls almost all of Greece's retail electricity market and accounts for about two thirds of the nation's power utility. Shares in the utility were down nearly 13 percent, while shares in Piraeus Port (OLPr.AT) were down nearly 8 percent. "We will halt immediately any privatization of PPC," Energy Minister Panagiotis Lafazanis told Greek television a few hours before officially taking over his portfolio. "There will be a new PPC which will help considerably the restoration of the country's productive activities," he said. The previous government of former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras had passed legislation last year to spinoff part of PPC to liberalize the energy market as part of a privatization plan agreed under the EU/IMF bailout. full: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/28/us-greece-politics-idUSKBN0L10VP20150128 _______________________________________________ pen-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
