Filenews 15 April 2021 - by Eleftheria Paizanou
Yesterday, the first communication moves were made by the DISY and the DIKO to break the deadlock over the bill on loans with state guarantees, but everything remains up in the air in relation to its approval or not by the plenary of the House.
Following the outcry from professional bodies and much of the public over Parliament's decision to refer to the new Parliament the bill tabled on the 8th of the month in plenary, yesterday the President of the DISY Averof Neophytou sent a letter to the Speaker of the House Adamos Adamou, requesting that the bill be discussed at today's meeting of party leaders or representatives.
For his part, DIKO President Nikolas Papadopoulos made it known yesterday that at the meeting he would ask that the bill be forwarded in the form of urgency, diversifying the position in favour of referring the bill to the new Parliament, which the DIKO and other parties had kept at the meeting of the Finance Committee.
According to 'F' information, today's meeting of leaders will decide that the bill will be declared urgent at today's plenary session, which will refer it for discussion to the parliamentary Finance Committee. If there is indeed an agreement today, then on Monday the Finance Committee will meet on an emergency basis to consider the bill. If necessary, the committee will also meet in the coming days so that the bill can be taken to plenary on the 22nd of the month, the day when the House will complete its work, due to the parliamentary elections on 30 May. A competent source told "F" that, despite the expected self-dissolution of the House on 22/4, if a serious matter arises at any time the plenary may reconvene.
Party amendments
Although the first step towards an exit from the impasse is expected today, the road will not be paved with a wheel for the government, which is burning to approve the bill immediately and put it into effect. The opposition parties agree in principle, but will come to the debate setting out terms and conditions to give their vote in favour.
In particular, they have prepared amendments, some of which bring things back to last year's episodic debate on the bill. In fact, the parties are determined to take advantage of the pressure on the government, due to the continuation of the coronavirus pandemic and the lack of liquidity in businesses, to pass some of their positions that were not accepted by the government in spring 2020.
On the other hand, a competent government source told "F" that if the parties attempt to change the lights on the bill, as they did last year, they would not hesitate to withdraw the bill again.
Again for the Controller
The parties' amendments will focus on the issue of the control of state guarantees, which was the thorn in last year's debate. Yesterday, the DIKO opened its papers, restoring the amendment to involve the Auditor General as an observer in the process of granting state guarantees. This is not accepted by the government, which considers that the Audit Office has no power to control the banks, which will grant the guarantees. At the same time, the DIKO, by second amendment, will seek to limit state-guaranteed loans to small and medium-sized enterprises and to keep large enterprises out of finance. The DIKO considers that large enterprises can easily borrow from banks, as opposed to small and medium-sized enterprises.
A similar amendment was tabled last year by the ACPL, which requires that state guarantees be a complementary tool for businesses and added to the €350m (€350m) of aid granted to businesses. direct state support. On the subject of control, the ACPL is more conciliatory, as it calls for state control so that there is no arbitrariness by banks in relation to the granting of guaranteed loans. As we have been told, the Auditor-General can only be added to the audit carried out by the Treasury for the procedures followed by the State. Last year, the ACPL had requested that the Governor of the Central Bank be added to the audit.
The other parties
The EDEC has announced that it is ready to support state guarantees if improvements are made in favour of borrowers and unnecessary guarantees are avoided to the detriment of the taxpayer. Solidarity proposes the establishment of an Audit Committee, involving officials of the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank, possibly also of the Audit Office. In addition, it calls for provision to be included in the law prohibiting banks from selling credit-buying companies loans with state guarantees.
For their part, the Ecologists propose a smaller public participation, with a guarantee of only 60% of the loan and to give the Auditor General the right to check in real time the implementation of the draft State guarantees. The Alliance proposes the establishment of a Monitoring Committee, involving a representative from the Treasury, the Audit Office and the Central Bank, and to set a maximum loan amount per company.
No one recognizes wrong and everyone attacks everyone
Party intentions do not benefit party votes, the President of the Republic Nikos Anastasiades strongly indicated yesterday to the opposition, commenting on the (initial) decision to refer the state guarantee bill to the new Parliament. As he said, entrepreneurs in small or medium-sized enterprises exist in all ideological spaces, stressing that "we should put above party purposes the benefit of the members themselves and supporters of those who postpone indefinitely the approval of the plan that the government has submitted". The President of the Republic also noted that, once again, it turns out that the greater good excels in the narrow party interest, adding that "and this is not in anyone's interest". According to the President, the state has already provided an amount in excess of €1.6 billion for the 2016-2020 period. to support businesses and workers, adding that the State guarantee plan would be an additional aid, an important plan to support those who have so far suffered significant sacrifices or been financially affected.
For her part, Labour Minister Zeta Emilianidou said the decision by opposition parties was a direct blow to the workers themselves, from whom they lack a significant foothold and leave them exposed.
The deputy chairman of the Democratic Alarm, Haris Georgiadis, said that thousands of Cypriot companies, tens of thousands of workers and self-employed people, are being punished because the opposition plays games and micropolitics and chooses the direction.
The ACPL, through Stefanos Stefanou, said that "if the Government of Alarm really burned for state guarantees it would not bring the relevant bill to the House at the last minute. It was only last Thursday, April 8th, that he filed it. And say she didn't have time? Since last April, he withdrew it and put it in the drawer. If she was urgent, she had a year to bring it back."
For his part, DIKO President Nikolas Papadopoulos said that instead of apologizing to the finance minister to the thousands of small and medium-sized enterprises for the devastating incompetence and delay he has shown, he is also asking for change.
Meanwhile yesterday, the Secretary General of the KEVE Marios Tsiakakis, in a letter to the Speaker of the House, made a last-ditch call for the bill to be forwarded and passed.
The ECC has announced that it is in favour of the urgent adoption of the State Guarantees Bill, expressing the conviction that new liquidity will be provided to businesses through its implementation. PEO Secretary General Pambes Kyritsis said the bill should be approved, despite the fact that "some people screwed up" and tabled it at the last minute.
