The American – Hellenic Chamber of Commerce held its annual Greek Economy Conference on December 1-2, titled "The Greek Economy at a Turning Point: Setting a national Agenda for Economic Development."

Addressing the event yesterday, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras spoke about the government’s stance before the troika of Greece’s lenders, clarifying that there were demands the government did not accept and lashing out at critics of the government's accomplishments. "As we are negotiating our final review, our lenders have set conditions including tax rises and income cuts but we have rejected them," Samaras said, adding that the government had accepted some other measures instead, without providing details. He explained that the lenders are for restrictive measures that will force development back.

The national effort to exit the crisis will be judged by political stability, he stressed. "Nobody in Greece has the right to undermine this stability or the right to keep talking about it abroad," he said, adding that "I will not accept irrational and unjustifiable pressure.

Environment, Energy and Climate Change Yiannis Maniatis also spoke at the conference yesterday, pointing out that the fact that Greece is planning and implementing three pipelines to supply the EU with natural gas "constitutes a powerful tool in the negotiation of national and economic issues." These are the Trans Adriatic Pipeline, the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria Pipeline, as well as the East Med pipeline that will transport natural gas from the Eastern Mediterranean through Crete and mainland Greece to Europe, for which, as the minister said, official announcements will made next week in Brussels.

He also reiterated the need for lower taxes and charges on energy in order to enhance competitiveness and implement transparent and fair rules for all participants.

More information Greek News Agenda: The Greek Economy at a Turning Point