Greek Island Sell off proposal

Tiggy


Joined: 25/07/2007
Posts: 1994

Message Posted:
04/03/2010 17:02

Greece should consider selling some of its uninhabited islands to cut its debt, according to political allies of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.



Josef Schlarmann and Frank Schaeffler told Germany's Bild daily that the Greek state should sell stakes in all its assets to raise more cash.



Greek PM George Papandreou is due to meet Mrs Merkel in Berlin later this week for talks about the crisis.



Mr Papandreou has already announced a strict austerity programme.



'Affordable' islands



"Sell your islands, you bankrupt Greeks - and the Acropolis too!" says the headline in the Bild newspaper.



It sounds like the sort of daydream induced by too much ouzo, but the idea comes from two senior politicians in Europe's biggest economy.



Mr Schlarmann is a senior member of Mrs Merkel's Christian Democrats and Mr Schaeffler is an MP for the Free Democrats - the junior partner in the centre-right coalition.

Tiggy


Joined: 25/07/2007
Posts: 1994

Message Posted:
04/03/2010 17:03

Both confirmed to the BBC that they wanted to start a debate about what Greece could do to help itself and bolster the battered euro.

Those who face insolvency, Mr Schlarmann said, must sell everything they have to pay their creditors.

He advised Mrs Merkel not to promise any financial aid when she met Mr Papandreou in Berlin.

According to a poll published on Thursday, 84% of Germans think that the EU should not help Greece out of its debt crisis.

It is true that dotted in the blue waters of the Aegean are some of the country's most valuable assets - about 6,000 islands, of which only 227 are inhabited. Many of them are privately owned by the world's super-rich.

According to a specialised real-estate website, Greek islands evoke images of sunglass-sporting shipping magnates sipping champagne on enormous yachts, but cost as little as $2m (£1.3m).

Relatively affordable, the website says - unless, of course, you're a Greek.

Jeannie


Joined: 04/08/2009
Posts: 3283

Message Posted:
04/03/2010 17:41

Sorry Tiggy - didn't see your messages. Just posted on another one regarding the same.



J

wotzup7


Joined: 27/02/2010
Posts: 108

Message Posted:
04/03/2010 19:41

So that's what to do with my HUGE bank interest returns!!

swannee7


Joined: 21/08/2009
Posts: 394

Message Posted:
04/03/2010 20:02

So the Germans are proposing a sell off of Greece's 'uninhabited' islands. Guess they've thought of a way of having all those beaches AND SUNBEDS to themselves!

rowlo



Joined: 12/10/2008
Posts: 4796

Message Posted:
04/03/2010 20:39

they conned their way in , they are being found out now for exactly what they are , they had no input to the eu economy , they rely on tourism but are happy to rip every tourist of , let them sink , before they drag the whole eu down .