ND refutes ANA-MPA report it was briefed about scrapping of pension cuts

The opposition New Democracy party on Friday issued a statement refuting a report by the state-run ANA-MPA news agency saying that European Commission sources had suggested that planned pension cuts would be scrapped and that Greek political parties had been briefed of this development.

Earlier on Friday, the Athens-Macedonian News Agency had cited Commission sources as saying that representatives of the country's creditors visiting Greece to check on the progress of reforms had deemed that the social security system was on a sustainable path and therefore pension cuts planned as of January 1, 2019, would not be necessary.

“New Democracy did not vote in favor of the measure for new pension cuts as 1.1.2019. The measure, which was not even in the third and unnecessary memorandum, was passed with the exclusive responsibility of the SYRIZA-ANEL government,” the conservative party said, referring to the coalition of leftist SYRIZA and nationalist Independent Greeks (ANEL).

“It is reminded that ND also submitted an amendment two months ago so that the cuts would not have to be implemented, which the… government rejected,” the announcement continued.

“ND reiterated these clear positions in a meeting on Tuesday 11.09.2018 it had with representatives of the institutions, who did not clarify their intentions. Since then, the main opposition has not had any meeting or briefing from the government, nor from the institutions,” it added.

The party when on to accuse the management of the ANA-MPA of using the national news agency to “spread false news” and of turning it “into a government instrument of  propaganda.”