June 2, 2020
Refugees
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has expressed deeply concerned over the eviction of some 9,000 recognized refugees from camps, hotels and apartments. Stressing that for many the exit from organized accommodation is premature, the UNHCR calls on the Greek government to implement accommodation and labor schemes and increase …
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April 26, 2020
CORONAVIRUS
A concert on a truck initiated by the Mayor of Athens and the crowding outside the Prime Minister’s residence amid lockdown have angered Greeks who have been complying with the anti-coronavirus measures for over a month. Singer Alkistis Protopsalti and some musicians on the back of a truck toured the …
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January 27, 2020
Greece
German ruling party CDU has criticized Greece over a low rate of deportation of migrants to Turkey. The criticism came by Thorsten Frei, vice-chief of the conservative CDU/CSU parliamentary group and spokesman on migration issues. He accused Greece of “administrative failure.” “The previous year, the number of arrivals in Greece …
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October 13, 2019
Turkey-GR
Turkey’s vice president condemned Turkish-Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci for having criticized the operation in Syria. In a post on his Facebook account Akinci wrote “we call it Operation Peace Spring, yet it is not spilled water, but blood.” Akinci’s posted triggered an outrage in Turkey. “I condemn [Mustafa] Akinci who …
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March 14, 2019
Refugees
The European Union’s deal with Turkey to return “irregular” migrants has led to policies and practices in Greece that are short-sighted, ineffective and dangerous, 25 organizations including Oxfam said on Thursday, ahead of the deal’s third anniversary on Monday. In an open letter to European leaders, they said that as …
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February 8, 2019
World
There is “no real progress” in attempts to make the Eurogroup more transparent, a member of the Dutch parliament told EUobserver. “We are not making any headway with this file,” said Renske Leijten, MP for the socialist party. Almost a year ago, Leijten travelled to Brussels with two fellow Dutch …
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August 26, 2018
Economy
“Greece was never bailed out – it remains a debtor’s prison and the EU won’t let go of the keys,” writes former SYRIZA finance minister Yanis Varoufakis on the occasion of creditors and the Greke government to have cheered the exit from bailout. Punitive conditions attached to the ‘rescue’ package …
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August 3, 2018
Greece, Politics
Twelve days after the deadly wildfires in Athens and the list of errors apparently committed by Greek authorities is seemingly getting longer. Fire Service, Police and Regional Government are throwing responsibilities about the tragedy with 87 dead in East Attica on 23. July 2018 on each other. Based on fire …
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July 28, 2018
Greece, Politics
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras faced mounting criticism on Saturday after wildfires that killed at least 88 people plunged Greece into grief just as it was healing from years of painful bailouts. Survivors and political opponents accused Tsipras and his government of insensitivity for not apologizing for Greece’s deadliest blaze …
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July 9, 2018
Greece, Politics
“If you love Greece, help us get rid of Alexis Tsipras and his zombie party,” write former SYRIZA MP and Parliament Speaker in first left-wing government, Zoi Konstantopoulou. In an op-ed posted in UK’s The Guardian, the ex comrade accuses Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras and her former party that they …
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April 26, 2018
Greece, Politics
Greece’s top court, the Council of State, ruled that the reforms in religion courses in the country’s public high schools are unconstitutional and against the European Conventions of Human Rights. The reforms initiated by former Education Minister, Nikos Fillis (SYRIZA) in 2016, would abolish the catechistic character of religious classes …
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March 27, 2018
Greece, Politics
Public administration is inadequate, trapped in a mass of laws, and occasionally vengeful to the average citizen,the Greek Ombudsman said in its annual report submitted to Parliament speaker Nikos Voutsis on Monday. the report focuses on chronic issues of the Greek public administration. In reviewing 2017, the report focused on …
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March 20, 2018
Refugees
The European Ombudsman European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights will examine practices by the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) at “hotspots” (reception centers) in Greece. The move comes in response to a complaint about the inadmissibility decisions taken under the EU-Turkey agreement. The complaint was filed by ECCHR with …
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February 5, 2018
Editor, Opinion
The Macedonia protest on Sunday showed the real surrealism in a deeply-divided and often ignorant Greek society. There was the clergy that did whatever it could to destroy the ancient Greek world and religion defending Alexander the Great. There was the once legendary hero of the Greek Left Mikis Theodorakis …
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October 6, 2017
Economy
The leader of Germany’s pro-business Free Democrats (FDP), a possible junior partner in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s next coalition government, has called for a tougher stance on fiscal and euro zone policy – without so far claiming the finance ministry. Merkel is trying to form a three-way coalition with the FDP …
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September 12, 2017
Economy
Greece’s Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Christos Spirtzis criticized the German-Greek consortium Fraport Hellas that has leased 14 regional airports since the beginning of the year. “Fraport does not operate the airports better than the Civil Aviation, we have problems even with the cleanness in the toilets,” Spirtzis said in an …
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July 3, 2017
Economy
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is wary of business over-dependence on China. She is especially concerned about the Chinese investments in Greece where Cosco has been winning the cream of the cream in public privatization tenders. In an interview with German weekly magazine WirtschaftsWoche, Merkel said Europe needed to be wary about …
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April 17, 2017
Politics, World
An observer mission that has been monitoring the Turkish referendum campaign and vote on expanding presidential powers says the procedures used “fell short” of international standards. The criticism was raised by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) with reference to referendum voting and counting of ballots. The …
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April 1, 2017
Refugees
The International Migration Organization and Greece have reportedly laid a plan with additional financial incentives to rejected asylum seekers. According to German magazine Der Spiegel, the incentives are thought in order to discourage asylum seekers from appealing the decision and stay longer in the country. The cash grant is double …
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March 27, 2017
Economy
Greek central banker, governor of Bank of Greece, Yannis Stournaras pointed to instability on the part of institutions in the country, as well as a lack of credibility and courage on the part of the domestic political system to “tell the people the truth”, as the primary reasons that Greece …
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