by
One month after the euro summit and the political agreement reached on 13 July, a new financial assistance agreement mobilising up to €86 billion for Greece has been reached on 14 August. Yesterday, the European Commission also signed with Greece a new agreement for a new stability support programme. All these agreements include measures, including labour market and privatisation reforms that Greece needs to fulfil under the control of the European institutions.
Referring to a list of Greek privatisation measures, compiled by the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund and published yesterday by German Green MEP Sven Giegold, CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger reiterated his general concerns regarding one-sided austerity measures, especially as to ruthless privatisation measures.
CESI, which represents several million public sector workers, is very sceptical about such measures supposed to help Greece recover from its deep recession. “Of course, if a government needs more revenues, it is always the easiest to reduce public spending by getting rid of public services and downsizing public administrations. Yet we should not forget: the delivery of public services lies in the general interest and requires the public hand to be able to act free from the mere logic of economic benefit” said Klaus Heeger.
As the Greek privatisation lists includes very sensitive areas such as, water supply, sewage and energy firms, Klaus Heeger reminded that the delivery of public services is a basic principle of a democratic, fair and just society. Indeed, public services lie at the heart of the European social model and therefore must be protected in every economic situation.
Image Gallery
CESI concerned about Greek privatisation measures
No items found.
Related videos
No items found.
Similar Posts
Main news
2026-08-23
CESI renews partnership with EU-OSHA for Healthy Workplaces Campaign on mental health
CESI has again been selected as an Official Campaign Partner of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), joining its 2026–2028 Healthy Workplaces Campaign themed 'Together for Mental Health at Work'. The partnership will support CESI’s work to promote the prevention of psychosocial risks and mentally healthy workplaces through awareness-raising, exchange of good practices and cooperation between workers, their representatives and employers.
Main news
2026-07-27
CESI welcomes renewed commitment to implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights
CESI welcomes the European Commission’s renewed commitment to the European Pillar of Social Rights and its emphasis on implementation and enforcement. As Europe addresses major economic and industrial challenges, strengthening competitiveness must go hand in hand with protecting workers’ rights and ensuring that existing EU social and labour rules work effectively in practice.
.png)
Main news
2026-07-27
Europe's biggest wildfires send a clear message for preparedness: we must invest in firefighting capacity
EU’s 2026 wildfire season intensified rapidly since late June, with significant incidents recorded in Portugal, France, Spain, Croatia, Germany and the United Kingdom. By 26 July, the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) had mapped approximately 344,580 hectares of burned land across the European Union in 2026, of which 147,026 hectares were recorded during the preceding week alone, highlighting the rapid escalation of the crisis.
Get in touch
with us
Confédération Européenne des Syndicats Indépendants (CESI)
Contact form
Stay up to date
Don’t miss a thing and subscribe to our newsletter
Subscribe now and receive newsletters and much more!