Greece withdraws pension bill after fiscal impact warning

The Greek government has decided to postpone a draft pension bill after the European Commission warned about its impact on the country’s public debt, EURACTIV has learned.

An EU source told EURACTIV that the Commission experts “were not excited” about the bill.

An EU spokesperson told EURACTIV: “We do not have any comment on the draft bill at this stage. More generally, we will continue to monitor fiscal developments in Greece through the enhanced surveillance framework.” “This serves to ensure continued support for the delivery of Greece’s reform commitments following the successful completion of the stability support programme in 2018,” the spokesperson added. The Greek government wanted to push forward a new bill which provided the privatisation of the so-called supplementary pensions, an additional boost to the final amount of the pension received by some retirees.

An EU source told EURACTIV that the Commission experts “were not excited” about the bill. “It was just a draft bill and if we understood correctly, for now it is off the table,” the EU source said, without mentioning exact figures regarding the fiscal impact of the draft bill. The same source added that such a bill was not part of the necessary reforms the Greek government has to carry out as part of the surveillance program. The EU does not have any competence when it comes to pension systems across the bloc but if a reform has a fiscal impact, then it can issue a warning. The government insists that there is no postponement of the bill while the opposition warned that the cost of pensions privatisation could reach up to €70 billion in the next decades.

Central Europe worried about possible migrant rush from Afghan conflict

The Taliban offensive started in early May as the US and NATO began the final troop withdrawal following a 20-year occupation.

Central European leaders have voiced concern over a potential migration rush from Afghanistan as US and NATO forces pull out from the country.

They've complained that a small group of powerful countries within the European Union continue to call the shots without input from smaller or less wealthy member states.

Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki Morawiecki on Friday said a NATO troop withdrawal from Afghanistan could trigger a migration influx into Europe, on top of a steady stream of migrant arrivals from Africa.

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis took it a step further to suggest that a “migration wave” from Afghanistan constitutes a “big threat".

“For that reason we must be capable of protecting our external borders,” Morawiecki said.

The Taliban militant group say they've made sweeping advances across Afghanistan, and claim to be in control of 85 percent of the country.

Their latest offensive started in early May as the US and NATO began the final troop withdrawal following a 20-year occupation sparked by the September 11 attacks.

Afghan security forces stand near an armoured vehicle (AFP)

The prime ministers of the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia - all EU and NATO members - gathered in Slovenia on Friday, just days after the Alpine Nations took over the EU’s rotating presidency.

The countries make up the so-called Visegrad Group, an informal body that aims at closer regional cooperation.

'Forced to retreat'

Afghan soldiers have described carrying their wounded comrades across the border to Tajikistan after being abandoned by their commanders when the Taliban seized a key border crossing.

The soldiers, part of a group of more than 1,000 who fled to Tajikistan when the insurgents took Shir Khan Bandar at the end of June, spoke to media this week after being flown back to Afghanistan.

The Taliban and government were supposed to have agreed a political roadmap for the country at peace talks in Doha, but they have largely fizzled out after months of deadlock, and the insurgents appear now to have their sights set on a military victory.

The Taliban advances have raised fears Afghan security forces may swiftly become demoralised without the vital air support provided by the Americans, and collapse.

Mehrullah, who like many Afghans uses only one name, was part of a battalion of around 1,000 soldiers defending the border crossing with Tajikistan near Kunduz city, in the far north.

"We were under siege in Shir Khan Bandar for a week. Our supply route was cut off," said the 27-year-old, who spoke of confusion and a lack of communication between units on the ground.

As the fighting intensified, Mehrullah said some commanders abandoned their positions, leaving the foot soldiers little choice but to follow them.

"If there was proper coordination between the centre and the leadership of the port forces we would have fought the Taliban instead of retreating," he said.

"We did not leave the port, but the commanders fled before the soldiers."

Source: TRT World

South China Sea: Chinese coastguard ships, warplanes engaged in ‘parallel escalation’ off Malaysia

• Chinese coastguard ships ‘harassed’ Malaysian vessels near the Kasawari gas field last month, the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative said in a report

• An earlier patrol by 16 Chinese military aircraft, which Malaysia initially said had violated its airspace, was ‘likely not a coincidence’, the report said

Chinese coastguard vessels have repeatedly ‘harassed Malaysian energy exploration’ Photo: AP

A controversial incident that saw 16 Chinese military aircraft near Malaysian air space in late May coincided with similar activity by Chinese coastguard vessels in the area, and may have been part of “parallel escalation” efforts aimed at challenging energy exploration activities in the South China Sea, a US think tank said.

Unreported minor stand-offs between China and Southeast Asian claimant states are continuing, details in the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) report published on Thursday suggested, despite recent moves to hasten the introduction of a code of conduct for the disputed waterway.

Source: This Week In Asia