Greeks submit reform plans: Yanis Varoufakis’ proposals to Brussels – and the points of contention February 24, 2015 The hard work of negotiating a new Greek settlement looked set to begin in earnest yesterday as the Eurogroup ministers accepted Athens’ list of proposals as a starting point for talks. Greece was supposed to send the list to officials on Sunday or Monday, but the letter was finally sent yesterday. It includes changes to tax [...]
Eight takeaways from Yanis Varoufakis’ submission to Greece’s lenders February 24, 2015 It was only a matter of time, but the six-page document submitted by the Greek government to Eurozone leaders this morning showing the measures it plans to take in return for a four-month extension to its bailout deal has been leaked online. The FT published a copy of the document, and the contents are enlightening. [...]
Yanis Varoufakis demolishes Jeroen Dijsselbloem and Angela Merkel in this awesome rap battle February 24, 2015 Is it just us or has much of the western world has been developing a crush on rock-star economist-turned-Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis? When he's not wrangling with Germany over his country's debt crisis, he's out watching cool plays or throwing in casual references to literary giants. https://twitter.com/yanisvaroufakis/status/568563479076081664 He's been brought in on [...]
Does Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis’ leather jacket make him a hell-raiser, protector or just a fading rocker? Either way, he’s going to have to be a tough guy February 20, 2015 The Holy Grail for most brand managers is to create a powerful identity icon, a shorthand which cuts to the heart of their offer. There are a number of options open to the budding marketer, but the standard fare breaks down into three options, visual – like the Nike tick; verbal – like Audi’s ‘Vorsprung [...]
Greece Eurogroup meeting: Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis lists four key principles for renegotiation February 11, 2015 Today, Greece's finance minister met with leaders from the Eurozone's other member states to discuss a renegotiation of its bailout package. Yanis Varoufakis is part of the radical left party Syriza, which won a parliamentary vote on 25 January on the back of its promise to bring the country out of austerity. It [...]
Yanis Varoufakis vs Wolfgang Schauble: Debt stand-off intensifies as Germany refuses to back down on Greek austerity programme February 5, 2015 A tense meeting of the Greek and German finance ministers laid bare a still-considerable schism between the two Eurozone states yesterday, with little or no progress made over how to resolve Greece’s debt crisis. Neither Yanis Varoufakis nor Wolfgang Schauble gave away any ground during an uncomfortable press conference, with Varoufakis strongly criticising the austerity [...]
Yanis Varoufakis urges Germany to support bridging loan and warns of Greek Nazism February 5, 2015 Greece's rock star economist Yanis Varoufakis has met with German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble to discuss the future of Greece and the Eurozone. Varoufakis was under intense pressure today after the European Central Bank scrapped its acceptance of Greece's debt as collateral for fresh cash. In a press conference following their meeting, it soon became [...]
Yanis Varoufakis expresses surprise at free market endorsement. Here’s why Adam Smith Institute agrees with Syriza February 4, 2015 The world's most interesting finance minister has expressed his surprise at being backed one of Britain's leading free-market think-tanks. Yanis Varoufakis, the man appointed by Greece's radical left wing party Syriza to sort out the country's debt crisis, tweeted "we live in a strange world" after reading comments from the Adam Smith Institute (ASI) published [...]
Syriza facing biggest test since election as Yanis Varoufakis meets ECB chief Mario Draghi February 3, 2015 Greece’s maverick new finance minister faces his biggest challenge today as he heads to Frankfurt for potentially make-or-break negotiations with European Central Bank (ECB) chief Mario Draghi. Yanis Varoufakis is expected to try to shore up Greece’s near term finances by requesting a ceiling on Greece’s short-term borrowing to be lifted. However, some observers believe [...]
Adam Smith Institute calls on Osborne to back Varoufakis’s Greek debt-swap plan February 3, 2015 Greece's finance minister Yanis Varoufakis has found an enthusiastic backer for his debt restructuring plans in one of Britain's premier free-market think-tanks. Greece has abandoned demands for a write-off of foreign debt and has instead proposed swapping the outstanding debt for growth-linked bonds accompanied by a crackdown on tax evasion and budget surpluses. Varoufakis described [...]