"Political leaders should give an answer in principle tomorrow afternoon (the EU)," he told reporters Panos Beglitis, spokesman for the Greek Socialist Party ( PASOK) on Sunday.

They will then discuss the plan of the troika (International Monetary Fund, European Commission and European Central Bank) at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Lucas Papademos.

"There will be a meeting of political leaders chaired by Papademos tomorrow afternoon," said Beglitis. 

The chief minister said for his part that the various managers of the government coalition have agreed on a reduction in public spending by an amount equivalent to 1.5% of GDP this year.

This includes measures to reduce salaries and benefits costs to make the Greek economy more competitive, he added.

He also confirmed the meeting of heads of coalition parties on Monday to conclude negotiations on the second aid package of 130 billion euros to be implemented by the mid-March to avoid a collapse of public accounts. 

The two main Greek unions called for a 24-hour strike Tuesday to protest against austerity measures and reforms demanded by international creditors.

"We expect one-day strike on Tuesday," said Ilias Iliopoulos, general secretary of the ADEDY representing public sector employees.

"Despite our sacrifices and despite the recognition that this policy mix is ​​bad, they ask even more austerity," he added.

ADEDY and its private counterpart, the GSEE, representing about two million workers in Greece, about half of the workforce. 

BAROIN OPTIMISTIC

Creditors of Greece had requested a reduction in spending worth one percent of GDP, slightly more than two billion euros for 2012.

The negotiations on the restructuring of the Greek debt held by the private sector rose "relatively well", said his side the French Minister of Economy and Finance, Sunday .

"I think it progresses smoothly on the part of private sector involvement to be made on a voluntary basis," said Baroin under the "Grand Rendez-Vous "Europe 1-Le Parisien-i> Télé.

"We would not get away from the level at which one must move the Greek debt in 2020, that is to say around 120%," said the French minister. And "it is because we do not withdraw these objectives that the discussions are difficult," he said.

"Anyway, it's later than February 13," continued Baroin.

February 13 is the deadline posed by the euro area to launch the operation, which should bring the Greek debt around 120% of GDP in 2020 against over 160% today.

The private sector should accept a discount of around 70% of its obligations under the exchange program of the Greek debt. This will help to lower than 100 billion euros of debt of Greece.

In exchange for a loan of at least 130 billion euros by 2015, the troika of institutional creditors requires further structural reform and further reforms of austerity authority to clean up its public accounts.

Troika calls including a lowering of wages in companies and supplementary pension, which measures face many political and union resistance.

In the absence of an agreement, Greece is threatened with failure to pay on 20 March, when mature 14.5 billion euros of bonds.

A jacket, an electric heater and a good soup. In this period of extreme cold, households equip themselves, and the delight of some traders.

Heating and soup go hand

"The heaters are selling very well right now," said a spokesperson for the brand Boulanger, who expects to sell three times more this week than last week. Thursday, electricity consumption was close to its peak absolute, the French setting up their electric heaters.

Sales of these soups should be greater than 16% this week that they would have been usual with temperatures (5-6 degrees on average), the company provides Metnext, a subsidiary of Météo France. The expected impact is 8.5% for stocks, 8% for soluble coffee, 8% for the chocolate powder and 4.5% for the chocolate tablet. "These products will also benefit from the winter next week," he told AFP Cedric Flecher, consultant Metnext.

The ingredients used to concoct homemade soups, such as leeks, carrots, onions or potatoes, will also benefit, he said, but in supermarkets where they do not freeze, as the open-air markets, where they can be damaged on the shelves. "These conditions lead to changes in diet," added Thierry Desouches, spokesman for U. System "We are back to product a little more invigorating, hot drinks, soups, meat, cooked, products that take the body."

However, consumers may be less tempted to go to the shops to keep warm at home, drawing on their stocks of canned or frozen.

The boots are hot

"There should be a trend to fewer trips to the supermarket. But when it's cold like this, people need calories, with products such as starches, pasta, potatoes. And still fresh such as yogurt, "says Flecher.

"So the races are going to be, but people will focus their shopping in one location, often in large shopping centers rather than in small stores downtown," he said. Textile side, the cold should benefit winter items that had previously suffered a very mild winter. "On this end of period balances, in a extremely cold weather, we expect a very positive impact that will sell for the series easily," says Arrow.

For example, the site selling shoes Sarenza recorded this week "historical peaks" of sales of fur boots and après-ski. "Until now, with mild temperatures, you could dress like in October. But from -5 to -8 degrees, if you have a coat a little short, go buy one soon," noted M . Desouches. "It also benefits the accessories like gloves and hats." "It is rather positive, it can sell the jackets we have not sold the previous week," said Jean-Marc Genis, president of the Federation of brands of clothing (FEH, chains).

"There is no rush," said Bertrand Morvan, president of the National Federation of the clothing (FNH, independent), but the cold "can sell stocks that might have been difficult to sell. " In contrast, the new summer collections "are struggling to leave."

The French surveyed by INSEE in November have also never been more pessimistic about their future standard of living and are more likely to anticipate an increase in unemployment, which has already reached a peak of 11.

The composite indicator of consumer confidence stood at 79 on Friday in November and pushed a lowest since February 2009.

Françoise Bettencourt-Meyers has requested in writing to become the beneficiary of some life insurance from his mother – to the tune of 93 million – "because of an agreement" with her past, said Sunday AFP to the former agent of the billionaire, Pascal Wilhelm.

Floods in Thailand will also affect exports significantly in the last quarter, disrupting supply chains across Asia, warned the BoJ in its report of November.

"Exports and production should show more or less stable at the moment and then increase moderately, reflecting mainly an acceleration of the recovery of overseas economies," said the central bank, warning however that the economic outlook remained uncertainty.

Wolfgang Schäuble told the German weekly Focus that Italy would be able to overcome its difficulties, resulting from a crisis of confidence in the markets.

"The economic data are not real bad. You just deal with the problems (…) These can be solved by Italy herself.What Rome has to overcome is nothing compared to the mountain to be climbed Greece, "he argues.

Although Europe has a Stability and Growth supposed to intervene much earlier, it is necessary that members act more in the EU, said Schäuble.

"The pressure of the crisis has effects that would not be possible otherwise (…) greater the crisis, the greater the need for change, he says.

The New York Stock Exchange closed up 0.71% Monday, the Dow Jones 30 Industrial winning 85.15 points to 12,068.39 points.

The S & P-500, wider, took 7.89 points, or 0.63% to 1261.12 points.

The Nasdaq Composite was up on its side of 9.10 points (0.34%) to 2695.25 points.

Values, Best Buy has lost 3.11% after announcing it would pay 838 million pounds (977 million) in the UK Carphone Warehouse to buy back its share in their joint venture in mobile phones in the U.S. .

Tekelec has jumped more than 14%. The technology provider networks agreed to be acquired by a consortium of investment funds led by Siris Capital for about $ 780 million.

General Motors has announced the retirement of Nick Reilly, current head of the European activities of the group and its replacement next year by Karl-Friedrich Stracke.

Meeting in Brussels, ministers primarily responsible for preparing the ground for the Heads of State and Government in defining an acceptable range of options increased participation of the private sector to the new Greek plan on a "maximization" of fire capability fund to support the euro (EFSF) and the recapitalization of European banks.

"This afternoon, we will discuss the leverage for the rescue fund, but without committing ourselves to details," said the chairman of the Eurogroup Jean-Claude Juncker.

"We will try to present to the Heads of State and Government of a policy statement (…) We will try by next Wednesday to have as much detail as possible," he added.

The heart of negotiations on the EFSF, that Paris would be granted a banking license, allowing it to access funding from the European Central Bank to increase its capacity for action by a factor of up to five.

But Berlin refuses, however, this possibility would be to accept that the institution of Frankfurt finance the countries of the euro area, one of the dogmas explicitly excluded by the European treaties.

The other members of the euro area are also divided, Belgium and Spain having voted for a reconciliation BCE-EFSF while Slovakia and Austria have indicated that this solution was not studied.

INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE

According to several sources, Paris and Berlin are unable either to agree on the amount of the participation of banks in new bailout of Greece.

The German authorities, in particular Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble, insist that the envelope of 50 billion euros negotiated on July 21 is significantly revised upwards, if necessary by forcing banks to make an extra effort.

According to government sources German, Greek debt should be reduced to around 120% of its gross domestic product (GDP) against 162% today.

But again, the members of the euro area are widely divided on the different options on the table, the level of the discount to be applied to Greek bonds as well as voluntary and non-bank participation.

The count-down is initiated, however, for not only the peaks of Sunday and Wednesday but above the summit of Heads of State and Government of the G20 in Cannes in early November.

Present in Brussels, the executive director of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, said the institution would seek to assist the Europeans to resolve the crisis.

"The IMF will do all it can to help Europe, particularly in the Eurogroup, to find solutions," she said.

Thursday night, U.S. President Barack Obama held talks on the economic situation in Europe with his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister David Cameron.

The European Commission said Friday it would submit in the coming days proposals for a coordinated recapitalization which will allow to reassure markets worried about the resilience of the banking system facing the European financial and economic crisis.

They should be ready in time for the summit of the European Union and the euro area provided 17 and 18 October, which will give "a clear signal" on the subject, said German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Asked during a visit to Armenia, Nicolas Sarkozy said Berlin was "the proper place" to discuss these issues Sunday.

German and European sources, there are reports of disagreements between Paris and Berlin on the use of European Financial Stability Fund (EFSF) to provide the necessary funds, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates that between 100 and 200 billion euros .

For Germany, the appeal to EFSF, which has the capacity for intervention of 440 billion euros, should be a last resort, if the banks were unable to finance on the markets and whether their country are not able to provide them with public funds.

Receiving the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Angela Merkel reiterated that the EFSF should be activated "if a country can go it alone."

According to a German source, the French, whose banks have the highest exposure to the debt of the peripheral countries of the euro area, "misunderstood the EFSF" and want money from the European emergency fund is available to all financial institutions in need of capital.

In Brussels, a source close to the talks said that one option considered for the recapitalization of banks is that the countries of the euro "access to EFSF jointly."

"Perfect identity of views"

This idea, which has the support of France but not Germany, would avoid the "stigma effect for a particular country" and display a significant clout vis-to-market, a the source said.

The French Ministry of Economy and Finance has sought to minimize the differences between France and Germany, emerged from discussions within the Eurogroup in Brussels this week, ensuring that the issue had not yet been discussed between the two countries.

"Our position is no different from that of the Germans: it takes more capital for banks, banks must first find in themselves the resources, then if they find private investors outside and ultimately being considered injections of public capital, "it was said at Bercy.

"All this must be discussed at European level and must be coordinated, it is currently being considered," they added noting that the issue of "instruments of a possible recapitalization public has not yet been addressed."

Diplomatic sources in Brussels, it indicates that the position of France is motivated by the desire to maintain the AAA rating on its debt for fear that it is under pressure in case of provision of public funds to banks important.

"The main thing for France is its triple A and it grows as a result of the use EFSF (for the recapitalization)," said this source.

Paris does not further that the current debate among Europeans are limited to this single question.

"It will be among the topics discussed but the main thing about Greece and the euro area, since the banks is a consequence" of the current crisis, said the French Ministry of Economy about talks Sarkozy, Merkel on Sunday.

In announcing last week his forthcoming visit to Germany, the French president had indicated he intended to "continue the work of collaboration and coordination" between Germany and France to protect the euro.

There can be between the two heavyweights in the euro area "a perfect identity of views to resist speculation, to resist the excitement of the markets and to protect Europe," he stressed.