Social Security Administration:The Latest on Our Reentry Plans

The Latest on Our Reentry Plans
03/14/2022 01:00 PM EDT

I’m excited that, starting in early April, we will add more in-person appointments and offer in-person service for people without an appointment. During the pandemic, millions of people used our secure and convenient online services, and received help by phone and in our offices by appointment. For people who can access our services online or […]

 

PBGC Approves Special Financial Assistance Application: Milk Industry Plan Participants’ Benefits to be Restored FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 14, 2022 WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) announced today that it has approved the application submitted to the Special Financial Assistance (SFA) Program by the Milk Industry Office Employees Pension Plan (Milk Industry Plan). The plan, based in New York City, New York, covers 78 participants. The Milk Industry Plan became insolvent in January 2017. At that time, PBGC started providing financial assistance to the plan. As required by law, the Milk Industry Plan reduced participants’ benefits to the PBGC guarantee levels, which was roughly 20 percent below the benefits payable under the terms of the plan. PBGC’s approval of the SFA application enables the plan to restore all benefit reductions caused by the plan’s insolvency and to make payments to retirees to cover prior benefit reductions. SFA will enable the plan to pay retirement benefits without reduction for many years into the future. The plan will receive $6.6 million in SFA, including interest to the expected date of payment to the plan. “The Special Financial Assistance approved today means that these 78 workers will receive the full retirement benefits they earned,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh, chair of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation’s Board of Directors. “Since 2017, they have been receiving reduced pension payments through no fault of their own. Today’s action, made possible by President Biden’s American Rescue Plan, restores those benefits and delivers the secure retirement they were promised.” In addition to the $6.6 million of SFA paid to the plan, PBGC’s Multiemployer Insurance Program will be repaid $1.6 million, which is the amount of the plan’s outstanding loans, including interest, for the financial assistance PBGC provided beginning in January 2017 and ending on the expected date of payment of SFA to the plan. About the Special Financial Assistance Program The SFA Program was enacted as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP). The program is expected to provide funding to over 250 severely underfunded multiemployer pension plans and will ensure that over three million of America’s workers, retirees, and their families receive the pension benefits they earned through many years of hard work. The SFA Program requires plans to demonstrate eligibility for SFA and to calculate the amount of assistance pursuant to ARP and PBGC’s regulations. A plan may use the funds only to pay plan benefits and administrative expenses. SFA and earnings thereon must be segregated from other plan assets and plans are not obligated to repay SFA to PBGC. Plans receiving SFA are also subject to certain terms, conditions and reporting requirements, including an annual statement documenting compliance with the terms and conditions. PBGC is authorized to conduct periodic audits of multiemployer plans that receive SFA. The SFA Program operates under an Interim Final Rule which was published in the Federal Register on July 12, 2021. The Interim Final Rule included a request for public comments. PBGC is currently reviewing those comments and may incorporate changes in the Final Rule in response to comments that PBGC received. About PBGC PBGC protects the retirement security of over 33 million American workers, retirees, and beneficiaries in both single-employer and multiemployer private sector pension plans. The agency’s two insurance programs are legally separate and operationally and financially independent. PBGC is directly responsible for the benefits of more than 1.5 million participants and beneficiaries in failed pension plans. The Single-Employer Insurance Program is financed by insurance premiums, investment income, and assets and recoveries from failed single-employer plans. The Multiemployer Insurance Program is financed by insurance premiums. Special financial assistance for financially troubled multiemployer plans is financed by general taxpayer money. For more information, visit PBGC.gov. Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporationension Benefit Guaranty Corporation

data.europa.eu newsletter

 

data.europa.eu newsletter - winter 2022

Looking back at the Open Data Day On Saturday 5 March, the annual international Open Data Day took place. This day celebrated open data by hosting 146 local events all over the world. By creating awareness around open data and its benefits, the initiative aims to encourage governments, businesses, and the public worldwide to adopt open data policies and inspire others to do the same.  Unique about this year’s Open Data Day was that mini grants were given to communities that work on environmental data, tracking public money flows, open mapping, data for equal development, and ocean data for a thriving planet.   For more upcoming events visit our the events calendar. The data.europa academy training session on “Data and Metadata Quality” On 24 February, the data.europa academy hosted a training session on "Data and Metadata Quality". What is data and metadata quality? How is metadata quality measured in data.europa.eu? How can you improve your (meta)data quality? Experts answered these and other questions during the session. They also presented the new “Data.europa.eu Data Quality Guidelines”, published by the Publications Office of the European Union. The session concluded with some of the most important quality indicators and hands-on good and bad practice examples.  Looking to strengthen your understanding of the value of high-quality data? You can find the recording of the event on our YouTube channel or discover the course on the academy!  EU Datathon 2022: submit your idea for an open data app The 2022 edition of EU Datathon, hosted by the Publications Office of the European Union, is officially launched. This annual open data competition is a chance for open data enthusiasts and application developers from around the world to demonstrate the potential of open data. Teams compete for their share of the total prize fund of €200.000 and for the Public Choice Award. The finals of the competition will take place on 20 October 2022. The competing finalists will receive support both during the design phase and after the competition.   Interested to participate? It´s simple! Propose an idea for an application that links and uses open datasets to address one of the four challenges:  Challenge 1: ‘The European Green Deal’   Challenge 2: ‘Transparency in public procurement’  Challenge 3: ‘EU public procurement opportunities for young people’  Challenge 4: ‘A Europe fit for the digital age’   Submit your idea by 31 March. For more detailed information, see the rules of the competition. Stay tuned via the news section on data.europa.eu for more details or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.  Join the webinar on ‘Open Data Best Practices in Europe: Estonia and Slovenia’ What can you learn from the top performers of the Open Data Maturity assessment of 2021? Data.europa.eu asked about the secret behind the success of three countries who’s data maturity growed considerably during 2021t: Estonia, Slovenia and Ukraine. Read about the backbone of their open data practices in the recently published report on ‘Open Data Best Practices: Estonia, Slovenia and Ukraine’.  Following the report, a webinar will be hosted on Thursday, 17 March 10:00-12:00 CET. Participants will get the opportunity learn about the open data best practices of Estonia and Slovenia in more detail. What did these two countries do to reach peak performance in terms of open data policy, impact, portal, or quality? And what can others learn from them? The open data teams of Estonia and Slovenia will answer these and other questions during the session.   Register to join the webinar and don’t miss your chance to discover best practices and to get practical advice for publishing your data.  Note: Considering the recent situation in Ukraine, the Ukrainian open data team is not able to speak at the event. We hope to host them at the data.europa academy in the future.  Join the webinar on ‘Data Demand and Re-use in the Public Sector’ The data.europa academy is hosting an open webinar on ‘Data Demand and Re-use in the Public Sector’ on Tuesday, 29 March from 10:00-12:00 CET. This webinar builds on data.europa.eu’s recently published discussion paper ‘Measuring Data Demand Within the Public Sector’. Are you curious about how public institutions measure data demand? How to strengthen the engagement with the community? Or how to benefit from the insights gained from measuring data demand? To find out the answer to these and other questions, come and listen to our expert speakers:  Charlotte van Ooijen, Associate Director Digital Government and Data at the Lisbon Council  Frederika Welle Donker, Assistant Professor at the Knowledge Centre Open Data at the Delft University of Technology Antonin Garrone, Product Owner data.gouv.fr at Etalab-DINUM-Prime Minister's Office  Don’t forget to book your place.   For more courses on open data-related topics discover the data.europa academy!

Ανακοίνωση προς τους κατοίκους του Νέου Βουτζά

ΓΡΑΦΕΙΟ ΤΥΠΟΥ ΔΗΜΟΥ ΜΑΡΑΘΩΝΟΣ

Ανακοίνωση προς τους κατοίκους του Νέου Βουτζά



ΑΝΑΚΟΙΝΩΣΗ ΤΗΣ ΥΠΗΡΕΣΙΑΣ ΥΔΡΕΥΣΗΣ ΠΡΟΣ ΤΟΥΣ ΚΑΤΟΙΚΟΥΣ ΤΟΥ ΝΕΟΥ ΒΟΥΤΖΑ


Λόγω πρόσφατου προβλήματος που δημιουργήθηκε σε ιδιοκτησία επί της οδού Ροδοδάφνης με αποτέλεσμα να περάσουν ακάθαρτα ύδατα από δεξαμενή εντός της ιδιοκτησίας, στο δημοτικό δίκτυο ύδρευσης από τις οδούς Ροδοδάφνης και Ευκαλύπτων και κάτω, σας ενημερώνουμε ως εξής:

Ήδη από την Πέμπτη 10-03-2022 οι υδραυλικοί του Δήμου άνοιξαν τους πυροσβεστικούς κρουνούς προκειμένου να ανανεωθεί άμεσα το νερό του δικτύου και να σταματήσει η δυσοσμία και ενημέρωσαν πόρτα-πόρτα τους κατοίκους των δρόμων όπου διαπιστώθηκε το πρόβλημα. Επίσης, διενεργήθηκε πρόσθετη χλωρίωση ως έκτακτο μέτρο και ελήφθησαν δείγματα που εστάλησαν σε αναλυτικό εργαστήριο για τη διαπίστωση πιθανής επιμόλυνσης, ενώ θα ληφθούν και νέα για να επιβεβαιωθεί η ασφάλεια του παρεχόμενου νερού.

Σύμφωνα και με τις οδηγίες που λάβαμε από την Διεύθυνση Υγειονομικού Ελέγχου και Περιβαλλοντικής Υγιεινής της Περιφερειακής Ενότητας Ανατολικής Αττικής, πρέπει να αποφύγετε την κατανάλωση πόσιμου ύδατος από τις βρύσες των οικιών σας, όπως έχουμε ήδη ενημερώσει προφορικά, στις προαναφερόμενες οδούς, μέχρι να βγουν τα αποτελέσματα που έχουν σταλεί για ανάλυση από το πρωί της Παρασκευής 11-3-2022.

Είμαστε σε διαρκή επικοινωνία με την Διεύθυνση Υγειονομικού Ελέγχου και Περιβαλλοντικής Υγιεινής της Περιφερειακής Ενότητας Ανατολικής Αττικής και ακολουθούμε τις οδηγίες τους. Ο Δήμος έχει λάβει όλα τα ενδεδειγμένα μέτρα και θα προβεί σε όλες τις νόμιμες ενέργειες κατά του υπευθύνου. Θα ακολουθήσει νεότερη ανακοίνωση.

Η ΥΠΗΡΕΣΙΑ ΥΔΡΕΥΣΗΣ

Eurogroup:statement on the fiscal guidance for 2023

 

Press material Monday 14 March 2022

● Eurogroup   14/03/2022 17:07 | Statements and remarks | Eurogroup statement on the fiscal guidance for 2023   After two years of being in the grip of the Covid-19 pandemic, the EU is faced with a watershed moment caused by the unprovoked and unjustified Russian military aggression against Ukraine. The Eurogroup fully supports all the actions and sanctions being taken by the EU and its allies against the aggressor. We also recognise that additional economic measures to support Ukraine and to protect our core EU values may be required. The fundamentals of the euro area economy are strong. The Commission 2022 winter forecast that was published on 10 February 2022 confirmed that the economy recovered strongly from the Covid-19 pandemic with output estimated to be above pre-crisis levels by the end of 2022 in all Member States and with unemployment reaching a record low by end-2021, despite the continued high uncertainty surrounding the evolution of the pandemic. This highlights the success of our swift, sizeable, and well-coordinated policy actions at the EU, euro-area and national levels. Policy measures have been well calibrated and fiscal and monetary policies have worked hand-in-hand to facilitate this rapid recovery. However, the uncertainty has increased significantly. The economic impact of Russia’s war against Ukraine is yet to be determined and adds to risks stemming from ongoing supply chain problems, higher energy prices and inflation remaining elevated for longer than previously expected. We are continuing our strong coordination of fiscal policy in the euro area to weather the heightened risks and uncertainties, and the impact on our economy. Our fiscal policies have to remain agile and flexible, and we stand ready to adjust our policy stance to the changing circumstances as needed. In parallel we will urgently address and consider concrete options, building on the Commission Communication of 8 March 2022 for dealing with the impact of increased energy prices on our citizens and businesses, especially our vulnerable citizens and SMEs. The fiscal guidance agreed by the Eurogroup today will be contingent on the development of the economic situation. In providing policy orientations for the coordination of our fiscal policies, we welcome the Commission Communication of 2 March 2022 “Fiscal policy coordination for 2023". In light of the Commission assessment, we reaffirm the fiscal policy strategy for this year, as set out in our December 2021 statement on the 2022 Draft Budgetary Plans. We support the Commission’s view that, on the basis of its Winter Forecast 2022, transitioning from an aggregate supportive fiscal stance in the euro area to a broadly neutral aggregate fiscal stance next year appears to be appropriate while standing ready to react to the evolving economic situation, also in view of the high level of uncertainty. We also take note of the Commission’s readiness to adjust its guidance as needed and at the latest as part of the Commission’s European Semester spring package in late May 2022. At the same time, in light of the current assessment of the economic situation, a differentiation of fiscal strategies across member states is needed. This would also contribute to achieving a balanced aggregate fiscal stance in the euro area. More specifically, with a view to preserving debt sustainability, in member states with high public debt, we concur that starting a gradual fiscal adjustment to reduce their public debt is appropriate, if conditions allow. This adjustment should be embedded in a credible medium-term strategy that continues to promote investment and reforms needed for the twin transition, and improving the composition of public finances. On the other hand, member states with low- and medium-debt levels should prioritize the expansion of public investment where necessary. All of this would contribute to achieving an appropriate overall policy stance. Therefore, all Member States should increase the resilience of their economies and promote and protect high-quality nationally-financed investment to lay foundations for high sustainable growth and to achieve our twin transition goals. Finally, in relation to the economic governance review, the Eurogroup will continue to engage actively in this process as per our Work Programme and in cooperation with the Council Presidency and in the appropriate format. We look forward to further discussions in the months ahead building on the substantive progress to date. Communication from the Commission to the Council: Fiscal policy guidance for 2023 Economic governance framework (background information)

Γραφείο Τύπου Πρωθυπουργού:ενημέρωση πολιτικών αρχηγών

 

Γραφείο Τύπου Πρωθυπουργού

 

14 Μαρτίου 2022

Ο Πρωθυπουργός Κυριάκος Μητσοτάκης θα έχει κύκλο τηλεφωνικών επαφών με τους πολιτικούς αρχηγούς προκειμένου να τους ενημερώσει για τα αποτελέσματα της επίσκεψής του στην Τουρκία.

Κατόπιν επικοινωνίας του Γενικού Γραμματέα του Πρωθυπουργού, Γρηγόρη Δημητριάδη, με τα γραφεία των πολιτικών αρχηγών, προγραμματίστηκαν οι παρακάτω επικοινωνίες:

Στις 18.00, ο Πρωθυπουργός θα έχει τηλεφωνική επικοινωνία με τον Πρόεδρο της Κοινοβουλευτικής Ομάδας του Συνασπισμού Ριζοσπαστικής Αριστεράς και αρχηγό της αξιωματικής αντιπολίτευσης, Αλέξη Τσίπρα.

Στις 19.00, Ο Κυριάκος Μητσοτάκης θα έχει τηλεφωνική επικοινωνία με τον Πρόεδρο του Κινήματος Αλλαγής, Νίκο Ανδρουλάκη.

Στις 10.00, το πρωί της Τρίτης, ο Πρωθυπουργός θα έχει τηλεφωνική επικοινωνία με τον Πρόεδρο της Κοινοβουλευτικής Ομάδας του Κομμουνιστικού Κόμματος Ελλάδος, Δημήτρη Κουτσούμπα.

Στις 10.30, ο Πρωθυπουργός θα έχει τηλεφωνική επικοινωνία με τον Πρόεδρο της Ελληνικής Λύσης, Κυριάκο Βελόπουλο.

Στις 11.30, ο Κυριάκος Μητσοτάκης θα έχει τηλεφωνική επικοινωνία με τον Γραμματέα του ΜέΡΑ25, Γιάνη Βαρουφάκη.

Η ενημέρωση απο τον Κυβερνητικό Εκπρόσωπο, Γιάννη Οικονόμου

14/03/2022

• 
  

Καλό μεσημέρι.

Όπως έχετε ήδη ενημερωθεί, ο Πρωθυπουργός, Κυριάκος Μητσοτάκης, κατά τη διάρκεια διαγνωστικού ελέγχου βρέθηκε θετικός στον Covid. Ο Πρωθυπουργός θα ακολουθήσει την προβλεπόμενη διαδικασία και για το επόμενο διάστημα θα εργάζεται από το σπίτι του. Λίγο νωρίτερα ο Πρωθυπουργός είχε τηλεφωνική επικοινωνία με τον Πρόεδρο της Ουκρανίας τον κ. Ζελένσκι (Volodymyr Zelenskyy) για τα βασικά σημεία του περιεχομένου της οποίας έχετε ήδη ενημερωθεί με ανακοίνωση από το Γραφείο Τύπου του Πρωθυπουργού.

Για τη συνάντηση του Πρωθυπουργού, Κυριάκου Μητσοτάκη, με τον Τούρκο Πρόεδρο Ταγίπ Ερντογάν (Recep Tayyip Erdoğan)

Όπως γνωρίζετε ο Πρωθυπουργός βρέθηκε χθες στην Κωνσταντινούπολη για να παραστεί στον  εορτασμό της Ημέρας της Ορθοδοξίας και κατόπιν είχε ιδιαίτερη συζήτηση  με  τον Τούρκο Πρόεδρο κατά τη διάρκεια  γεύματος που του παρέθεσε ο τελευταίος.

Το γεύμα κράτησε πάνω από 2 ώρες και το κλίμα υπήρξε πολύ καλό. Και οι δύο πλευρές επανέλαβαν τις πάγιες θέσεις τους σε θέματα που αφορούν τις διμερείς σχέσεις, χωρίς όμως την οξύτητα και την ένταση  την οποία είχαμε παρακολουθήσει το τελευταίο διάστημα. Η  συνάντηση μπορεί να αξιολογηθεί ως ένα θεμέλιο για μια ουσιαστική βελτίωση του κλίματος ανάμεσα στις δύο πλευρές. Μένει να φανεί βεβαίως και να επιβεβαιωθεί το επόμενο διάστημα.

Υπήρξε συναντίληψη για την ανάγκη να πέσουν οι τόνοι της ρητορικής, μιας και στα μεγάλα προβλήματα, τις νέες προκλήσεις και το νέο τοπίο ασφαλείας που διαμορφώνει  η ρωσική εισβολή στην Ουκρανία, είναι προς όφελος και των δύο πλευρών να υπάρξει σταθερότητα στη Νοτιοανατολική Μεσόγειο. Σε μια τέτοια περίοδο, δεν χρειάζεται να προσθέτουμε ζητήματα και εντάσεις.

Προς όφελος όλων είναι  να πέσουν οι τόνοι και να συνεργαστούμε στα θέματα όπου μπορεί να υπάρξει συνεργασία. Το ζήτημα είναι να μην προσθέτουμε και να μην συσσωρεύουμε επιπλέον ένταση και προβλήματα.

«Ήταν μία ευκαιρία για μία πολύ ανοιχτή, και ειλικρινή συζήτηση», σημείωσε ο Πρωθυπουργός Κυριάκος Μητσοτάκης κατά τη διάρκεια δηλώσεων που έκανε στην έναρξη της συνάντησης που είχε στη συνέχεια με τον Οικουμενικό Πατριάρχη κ.κ. Βαρθολομαίο.

«Ελπίζω» συνέχισε «ότι συμφωνήσαμε ότι αντιμετωπίζουμε τόσες προκλήσεις ως ανθρωπότητα, αλλά και ως δύο χώρες σύμμαχοι του ΝΑΤΟ αυτή την εποχή, που είναι πιο σημαντικό να εστιάζουμε σε αυτά που μας ενώνουν και λιγότερο σε αυτά που μας χωρίζουν».

Στο πλαίσιο αυτό δόθηκε έμφαση στην οικοδόμηση μιας θετικής ατζέντας κυρίως στον τομέα της οικονομίας, όπου, όπως επεσήμανε ο Πρωθυπουργός, «νομίζω ότι μπορούμε να κάνουμε μία σημαντική πρόοδο τους επόμενους μήνες».

Η αίσθηση που υπάρχει μετά τη συνάντηση είναι πως οι δύο πλευρές συνομίλησαν σαν δυο χώρες που βρίσκονται αντιμέτωπες με τις προκλήσεις της νέας αρχιτεκτονικής ασφάλειας στην Ευρώπη που δημιουργεί η ρωσική εισβολή στην Ουκρανία. Ανάμεσα στα θέματα που συζητήθηκαν ήταν και η ύπαρξη ανάγκης συνεργασίας στη δημιουργία ανθρωπιστικών διαδρόμων στην Ουκρανία.

EEOC ANNOUNCES TWO KEY STAFF APPOINTMENTS

 

Washington, D.C. Headquarters FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 14, 2022   EEOC ANNOUNCES TWO KEY STAFF APPOINTMENTS   WASHINGTON – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has announced the appointment of two individuals to key Senior Executive Service (SES) mana­gerial positions at the agency. Raymond Peeler and Sharyn Tejani have been selected by Chair Charlotte A. Burrows to serve as Associate Legal Counsels in the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) at EEOC headquarters. Associate Legal Counsels, as deputies to the Legal Counsel, manage areas of practice within OLC and serve as a bridge between career OLC attorneys and agency leadership.   “I am delighted to recognize Ray’s excellent work in the Office of Legal Counsel and welcome Sharyn as she returns to the EEOC,” said Chair Charlotte A. Burrows. “The agency will greatly benefit from their legal acumen and tremendous experience with employment discrimination issues.” Peeler, a long time EEOC attorney, began his new position on Feb. 28 and focuses on age discrimination policy and EEOC internal advice and governance. Immediately before his SES appointment, Peeler was the Assistant Legal Counsel for Coordination and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), where he was responsible for working with other federal agencies and developing policies to combat age discrimination in employment. Prior to that, he worked as a special assistant to former Acting EEOC Chair Victoria A. Lipnic and former EEOC Chair Jenny R. Yang.  Peeler is a past government fellow to the American Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Law Section (EEO Committee) and contributed to the Bureau of National Affairs Employment Discrimination Law between 2012-2015.  He graduated from Georgia State University College of Law, where he served on the Law Review Editorial Board, and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Washington and Lee University. “It is an incredible honor to serve the EEOC in this capacity,” Peeler said. “I’m grateful for this opportunity to continue helping the agency enforce federal civil rights laws for all workers.” Tejani began her new position today and will focus on policy related to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and defensive litigation.  Prior to joining the EEOC, Tejani was the director of the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund and the Legal Network for Gender Equity at the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) Fund, where she helped create and supervise the first nationwide program to connect workers facing sex discrimination and harassment with attorneys and to fund attorneys’ fees and media assistance for selected cases of workplace sex harassment. Previously, she served as a deputy chief in the Employment Litigation Section of  the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, and worked at the EEOC as an attorney advisor to Commissioner Stuart J. Ishimaru. Tejani attended Yale University as an undergraduate and graduated from the Georgetown University School of Law. “I am thrilled to be rejoining the EEOC and look forward to working with my dedicated and talented colleagues to further the agency’s critical mission,” Tejani said. The SES is a federal government personnel program in which civil service employees serve at a level just below the top presidential appointees. The EEOC advances opportunity in the workplace by enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.                                                                      ###

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