Subject: Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 17-04-12 From: "HR-Net News Distribution Manager" CONTENTS [01] Debate in Parliament on committee to probe possible health scandals starts on Wednesday [02] Deputy FM Amanatidis pays visit to Lebanon [03] Eur.Parliament VP Papadimoulis stresses importance of comprehensive package for programme review and debt [04] Resurrection service from Patriarchal church of St. George live on ANA [05] WTTC: Tourism contributed 18.6 pct to Greece's GDP in 2016 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- [01] Debate in Parliament on committee to probe possible health scandals starts on Wednesday The debate on the two proposals submitted by SYRIZA-ANEL and New Democracy for investigation into the health sector will start in Parliament on Wednesday. The ruling SYRIZA-ANEL coalition has submitted a proposal for a parliamentary investigating committee to examine the health sector from 1997 until 2014. Main opposition New Democracy MPs, led by the party's leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis, tabled their own proposal for a parliamentary investigation of suspected health sector scandals, asking that the scope of the inquiry be extended to include all years after 1996, right up to the present day. [02] Deputy FM Amanatidis pays visit to Lebanon Deputy Foreign Minister Giannis Amanatidis had a series of contacts with politicians, church and institutional representatives of Lebanon during his two-day visit to the country. Amanatidis met with the secretary general of the Foreign ministry Charbel Wehbe with whom they exchanged views on the refugee crisis and the challenges that Lebanon is facing. He also met with the Patriarch of Antioch Ioannis at the Monastery of Our Lady of Balamand. The two men had a long discussion about problems that the Antiochian Greek Orthodox Church is facing throughout the Middle East and the possibilities of humanitarian aid. [03] Eur.Parliament VP Papadimoulis stresses importance of comprehensive package for programme review and debt The compromise achieved between the Greek government and the creditors must include medium-term measures on debt relief and sustainable primary surpluses, European Parliament Vice President Dimitris Papadimoulis on Wednesday said to French website Mediapart. This comprehensive package will conclude the programme review and pave the way for the disbursement of the loan tranche as well as Greece's participation in the ECB quantitative easing programme, Papadimoulis estimated adding that the conclusion of the programme review will set a clear roadmap that will allow the government move with determination towards the end of the supervision. He also presented the great challenges that Europe and Greece are following, the geostrategic developments in the wider region of the Balkans and the Eastern Mediterranean, the Brexit, the Trump administration, the rise of populist and extreme right parties. Finally, he stressed the importance of concluding the programme review without new problems from the side of the creditors based on the benefit of Greece and the EU. [04] Resurrection service from Patriarchal church of St. George live on ANA The Athens Macedonian News Agency will broadcast live the Resurrection Service from the Patriarchal Church of St. George in Phanar. The link will be available on Holy Saturday (15 April 2017). [05] WTTC: Tourism contributed 18.6 pct to Greece's GDP in 2016 The Greek tourism sector contributed 18.6 pct (32.8 billion euros) to the country's GDP in 2016, according to a report by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC). The data showed that economic development as a result of tourism led to the opening of 860,500 jobs which corresponds to 23.4 pct of the total employment rate. According to the report, tourist activity will make up 23.8 pct of Greece's GDP in 2027. The general contribution of the sector to Greece's GDP for 2017 will rise by 6.9 pct, while its contribution to employment will increase by 6.3 pct in 2017 (914,500 jobs) and 3.4 pct annually until 2027, which corresponds to 1,273 million jobs. Investments in tourism amounted to 3.2 billion euros, comprising 15.7 pct of the country's total investments, while this is expected to rise by 6.6 pct in 2017 and 5.1 pct annually for the next ten years.