30 June, 2011
 Hellenic Parliament approved yesterday the Medium-Term Fiscal Strategy for 2012-15, with 155 deputies voting in favour and 138 against. Addressing the Parliament, before the vote, Prime Minister George Papandreou said that approving the austerity measures was "the only way to win enough time to push through much-needed reforms," adding that the chief goal was to "avert total economic collapse."
Approval of the latest batch of austerity measures, tax hikes, wide-ranging reforms and accelerated privatisations means that the Greek government can expect the disbursement of the fifth tranche (€12 billion) of an EC-ECB-IMF loan in early July and continued deliberations, within the Eurozone, towards a second bailout if necessary.
- EU officials Welcome Vote
European Council President Herman van Rompuy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso praised the approval by Parliament, of the medium-term fiscal strategy, referring to "a vote of responsibility".
The two biggest groups in the European Parliament, the European People's Party (PP) and the Party of European Socialists (EPS) also praised the Greek Parliament's vote.
Source: GREEK NEWS AGENDA issued by the Secretariat Genera
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