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ATHENS, Jan. 15-- The Greek parliament approved on Monday a new austerity and reform package expected to clear the way for the disbursement of the next bailout tranche in the coming weeks. The 1,500-page omnibus bill was approved with the backing of 154 for and 141 lawmakers voted against. A total of 295 lawmakers participated in the vote. Addressing the plenary before the vote, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said that Greece moved one step closer towards exiting the bailouts and the eight-year debt crisis. "A long and difficult cycle closes. Essentially, this concludes the legislative part of the prior actions needed for the conclusion of the third review and everybody is aware that with the conclusion of the third review, we are one step before the end of the program and the final end of the memoranda," he told MPs. "The difficulties are now behind us. Ahead of us there is a great effort to heal the wounds of the crisis. Ahead of us is a big wager, what we have described as the wager of the fair growth," he added. The bill foresees among others new cuts on family benefits and restrictions regarding the declaration of strikes. It also foresees the launch of e-auctions for foreclosed properties as of Feb. 21 as part of efforts to reduce the burden on non-performing loans on Greek banks under the terms of the third Greek bailout which ends in the summer. Responding to the criticism of opposition parties and labor unions which staged a new round of strikes and protests on Monday, the Greek premier said that there was much disinformation and misunderstanding. | 
