Brussels, 20/07/2011 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 20 July 2011, Commission President José Manuel Barroso launched a Task Force to provide technical assistance to Greece, following his proposals backed by the June European Council, and after consultations with Prime Minister George Papandreou. Barroso said that, with the launch of the Task Force for Greece, the Commission aimed to leave no stone unturned when it comes to using structural funds in the best possible way to assist Greece in enhancing competitiveness, boosting growth and tackling unemployment. The Commission has decided to appoint Horst Reichenbach, Vice-President of the EBRD and former Director General of the Commission, to chair the Task Force.
The Task Force will be based in Brussels, with an office in Athens, and will work closely with the Greek government and other member states to introduce a wide-ranging technical assistance programme for Greece that will enable it to participate in the IMF/EU aid programme. The Task Force will focus on competitiveness, growth and jobs, and will publish a progress report every four months, which will be submitted to the Greek government and the European Commission. The first of these reports is expected at the end of October this year. Barroso explained that overall coordination of the Task Force will be carried out by EU Financial and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn. (G.B./transl.fl)