Denying Greece support ‘dangerous’, Pröll warns

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Politics

People’s Party (ÖVP) Vice Chancellor Josef Pröll has warned of “dangerous developments” as European Union (EU) member states have backed out of the previously agreed upon support package for Greece.Speaking about the Czech Republic’s and Slovakia’s decision not to contribute to the 110-billion-Euro rescue bid agreed upon last May, he said today (Thurs): “Neighbouring countries […]

Mitterlehner Pushing Austrian Exports Offensive

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Business

There have been 1,400 new Austrian exporters since the inception of “Go International” initiative in April 2009.The figures were revealed by Dr Christoph Leitl and Reinhold Mitterlehnerfrom the Austrian Ministry of the Economy and the Austrian Federal Chamber of Commerce (WKÖ) at the opening of the 8th Austrian Export Day of the Austrian Foreign Trade […]

Fabergé egg stolen as neighbours look on

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General News

Boldfaced robbers have stolen a Fabergé egg worth half a million Euros from an elderly couple’s house after they left for a flea market.Police in Theresienfeld, Lower Austria, said today (Tues) the crooks had told curious neighbours they had been ordered to pick something up while they loaded up their car with the 500,000 Euro […]

Grasser says Greece rescue was ‘worst decision’

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Politics

Former Freedom Party (FPÖ) Finance Minister Karl-Heinz Grasser has branded the rescue plan for ailing Greece the “biggest mistake of the European Monetary Union”.Grasser said in a newspaper interview today (Tues) he would have forced the economically struggling country to leave the Eurozone. This term describes the 16 European Union (EU) member states which have […]

Greens want creditors to contribute to EU stability package

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Politics

Green parliamentary whip Werner Kogler called today (Weds) for creditors to make a contribution to the financing of the EU stability package for Euro-zone countries.He said they needed to do that before they dumped bonds issued by countries high in debt on the European Central Bank (ECB), thereby transferring their financial risk to EU tax-payers.Banks […]

IHS chief calls stabilisation package ‘a reasonable solution’

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Business

Bernhard Felderer, who heads the Vienna economic think tank the Institute of Higher Studies (IHS), has said that last night’s Euro-zone stability package was “a reasonable solution” that had already begun to stem speculation against the Euro.Speaking today (Mon) Felderer said: “They (finance ministers) did not have many other options,” adding that “it is not […]

Pröll wants painful sanctions for ‘deficit sinners’

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Politics

People’s Party (ÖVP) Finance Minister Josef Pröll has called for “rigid controls of, and painful sanctions for, Euro-zone deficit sinners.”Speaking before a meeting of Euro-zone finance ministers in Brussels on the Greek financial crisis today (Fri), he said that was the only way “to prevent such a situation from re-occurring.”The minister added that Austria would […]

Chancellor wants ‘clear signal’ from EU summit

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Politics

Social Democratic (SPÖ) Chancellor Werner Faymann has said he expects this evening’s (Fri) summit of Euro zone heads of state and government “to send a clear signal to the markets and to people in Europe.”Faymann’s spokesman Leo Szemeliker added today that the chancellor wanted the summit to agree on a rescue package for bankrupt Greece […]

Greek crisis will not immediately affect CEEs, Erste analyst says

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Finance

The Greek financial crisis will have no immediate impact on Central and Eastern European countries (CEEs), according to Erste Bank analysts.Erste chief analyst Fritz Mostböck said yesterday evening (Thurs) that the crisis might delay adoption of the Euro by CEEs, which had been expected to occur in 2015 or 2016.He noted Poland and Bulgaria had […]

BZÖ attacks government for helping ‘money sink’ Greece

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Politics

Austrian opposition politicians have criticised the government for deciding to financially support “money sink” Greece.Alliance for the Future of Austria (BZÖ) boss Josef Bucher said in parliament yesterday (Weds): “European leaders have failed. They have now agreed to assist ‘money sink’ Greece while not mentioning anything about a tax on risky financial speculations.”Bucher claimed the […]