How the world sees Greece
The major increase in air arrivals from abroad this year continued in August, provisional data from the country’s airports show, confirming that this will be a record year for Greek tourism. Athens has done especially well, as the increase in foreign visi... ...
 |
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.ekathimerini.com |
Initiatives aimed at boosting employment in Greece – a country with 1.3 million jobless – are proving underfunded and insufficient, according to a report presented by the General Confederation of Greek Labor (GSEE) in Thessaloniki on Thursday. The union’s... ...
|
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.ekathimerini.com |
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today stressed the importance of reaching a lasting settlement in Cyprus as the new United Nations envoy on this issue prepares to meet with the leaders of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities tomorrow. During a meeting with his Special Adviser on Cyprus, Espen Barth Eide, Mr. Ban underscored the UN’s commitment to facilitating the achievement of a comprehensive settlement in Cyprus, according to a note issued to the media. The Secretary-General noted that Mr. Eide was assuming his functions at a “promising moment” in the Cyprus peace process, with fresh momentum having been generated by the Joint Declaration adopted by the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders in February this year. Mr. Eide, a seasoned Norwegian diplomat, will meet with the two leaders, Nicos Anastasiades and Dervis Eroglu, in Nicosia tomorrow. Mr. Ban conveyed his expectation that, as the leaders prepare to enter the next phase, they will show renewed dedication and courage to build on the principles outlined in the Joint Declaration. He strongly hopes that the important gains achieved to date will be preserved as the sides move decisively towards structured and results-oriented negotiations, as called for in the Declaration, according to the note. The UN chief added that, in these times of great turmoil in the region, it is more important than ever to reach a lasting settlement in Cyprus for the benefit of all Cypriots. The UN has been facilitating talks between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leadership, with a view to the eventual establishment of a federal government with a single international personality, consisting of a Turkish Cypriot Constituent State and a Greek Cypriot Constituent State, each of equal status. The UN also maintains a peacekeeping force in Cyprus, known as UNFICYP, which was deployed in 1964, when inter-communal fighting erupted on the Mediterranean island. (source: UN)
|
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com |
Greece pledged to step up reforms on Thursday as it wrapped up the first round of talks with its EU/IMF lenders in Paris in the latest review of its bailout. Some European Union officials and the International Monetary Fund have warned that Athens' reform efforts may have slowed since the anti-bailout opposition won European elections in May. Greek officials have said they would seek to assuage ...
|
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT finance.yahoo.com |
PIRAEUS, Greece: Greece has requested emergency additional funding from the European Union's border protection agency, saying that war in Syria ...
|
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.dailystar.com.lb |
By Renee Maltezou and Deborah Kyvrikosaios ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece is slipping into a "danger zone" without the funds or resources to handle a fast-growing wave of refugees trying to enter the European Union from war-torn countries like Syria and Iraq, the government warned on Thursday. A surge in people fleeing violence in Africa and the Middle East has increased the pressure on the euro zone ...
|
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT news.yahoo.com |
Greece and its international creditors will meet again at the end of month after three days of talks over the deeply indebted country's finances, officials said on Thursday. Representatives from Greece and the "troika" of the European Central Bank, European Commission and International Monetary Fund had thrashed out sensitive details over three days of talks in Paris that Greek officials had ...
|
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT news.yahoo.com |
- Reigning champions United States, Spain, Greece and Slovenia all kept their perfect records in the World Basketball Championships after Wednesday matches.
|
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT news.yahoo.com |
The letter congratulating Erdogan on his election was given to Greek Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos to give to Erdogan at his inauguration ceremony, but the letter never reached Erdogan. An official letter sent by Greek Cypriot administration leader ...
|
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.worldbulletin.net |
There are many terrific traditions tied to the Cranston Greek Festival, which will begin its 29th running Friday and continue through Sunday on the Church of the Annunciation’s spacious grounds at 175 Oaklawn Ave. There’s the Cranston-based Ocean State ...
|
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.warwickonline.com |
The ancient city of Dura-Europos sits on a bluff above the Tigris River a few miles from Syria's border with Iraq, its mud-brick walls facing a bleak expanse of desert. Just a year ago the city's precise grid of streets—laid down by Greek and Roman residents 2,000 years ago—was largely intact. Temples, houses, and a substantial Roman outpost were preserved for centuries by the desert sands. "It stood out for its remarkable preservation," says Simon James, an archaeologist at the U.K.'s University of Leicester who spent years studying the site's Roman garrison. "Until now." (See before and after pictures of archaeological site looting.)
|
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.huffingtonpost.com |
Greece has called for emergency additional funds from the European Union to contain the rising tide of illegal crossings into its territory propelled by conflict in Syria and Iraq. “We are facing a great challenge,” Merchant Marine Minister Miltiadis Varv... ...
|
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.ekathimerini.com |
A powerful 4,9 magnitude earthquake shook the Greek island of Limnos on Thursday night. The epicenter was located beneath the seabed about 30 kilometers northwest of Limnos and 258 kilometers northeast of Athens. There are no victims or damages reported. In January, a series of strong earthquakes on the western island of Kefalonia damaged hundreds of homes and injured more than a dozen people.
|
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com |
Greece has asked for 63 million euros in funding to cope with a surge in migrants from Africa and the Middle East. Numbers are expected to triple on 2013's figures by the end of the year.
|
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.dw.de |
On Wednesday, Greek citizen Ioannis Viglakis was sentenced to 10 years in prison for trying to sell arms to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The 54 year-old Greek national known as “Pablo” was arrested in Panama in August 2012 for ...
|
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT usa.greekreporter.com |
Europe's central bank just slashed interest rates and launched emergency stimulus measures -- but six years too late, and not enough to counter the austerity that has Europe in a worse mess than the Great Depression. The European Central Bank surprised markets on Thursday by cutting its target short-term interest rate to basically zero. ECB also plans to buy a bunch of bonds to push longer-term rates lower, too -- an echo of the U.S. Federal Reserve's many rounds of "quantitative easing," used in recent years to goose the economy (or at least the stock market). Good job, good effort, ECB, except this comes nearly six years after the Fed cut its own rates to zero and launched QE. In other words, the ECB is way behind the game. That's one reason the U.S. recovery, unsatisfying as it has been, looks like the 1990s economic boom compared to the crap hoagie that is Europe's economy. Europe's current slump is worse than the Great Depression, as Paul Krugman and many others have pointed out. Here's a chart for evidence, via Professor Nicholas Crafts at the University of Warwick: The red line represents Europe's current GDP growth and the forecast for the next year or so. As you can see, it's flatlined. The black line shows the growth of European countries that wisely dumped the gold standard during the Great Depression of the 1920s and '30s. The yellow line shows the countries that stuck with gold for too long. Europe is currently doing just about as well as those miserable countries. In fact, this chart is about eight months old, and the red line's end should probably be lower than it is. Europe's GDP has relapsed lately, raising fears of a triple-dip recession, as this graph from Trading Economics shows: U.S. GDP hasn't exactly been gangbusters, but it's at least managed to stay positive (mostly): Europe's unemployment rate, meanwhile, is 11.5 percent, compared with 6.2 percent for the United States. European inflation is also dangerously low, near zero percent, while U.S. inflation isn't far from the Fed's target of 2 percent. Low inflation sounds great, unless you consider the case of Japan, or the U.S. in the Great Depression. In those cases, prices kept falling, so people stopped buying stuff because they expected prices to fall -- which they did, which made people continue to not buy stuff. All the while, the economy got worse. That's the path Europe is on. It's largely the fault of Europe's fiscal policy makers, who have stubbornly refused to spend money to stimulate the economy, aside from a paltry stimulus package that amounted to just 1.5 percent of GDP in 2008. By comparison, the U.S. stimulus plan in 2009, though probably not nearly big enough, was worth more than 5 percent of GDP. Europe has also imposed strict austerity measures on Greece and other countries struggling with high debt loads. The ECB hasn't helped by waiting too long to act aggressively. And now it's playing catch-up in the middle of a depression.
|
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.huffingtonpost.com |
Nine companies have made non-binding offers for Cyprus Airways. Among them are Ireland’s Ryanair and Greece’s Aegean Airlines. According to “Phileleftheros” newspaper, the deadline for bids closed on Wednesday and 9 out of the 14 companies that had expressed interest finally tabled proposals. The article said the interested parties are concerned that Cyprus Airways is paying too much for pilot salaries and its six leased Airbus aircraft. The bidders’ proposals include making Cyprus Airways a regional aircraft maintenance hub and increasing its fleet as it expands. Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary met with Cypriot officials in August and discussed how he could turn Cyprus Airways into a profitable company by increasing passenger traffic by 500% over three years. He claimed that the two companies’ collaboration would lead to a rapid growth, with new routes and more flights. Greek Aegean Airlines has also expressed interest to use Cyprus‘ Larnaca Airport as a second base outside Athens. Cyprus Airways is facing major problems due to the Cypriot crisis and intense competition. The company has been selling off assets and reduced its fleet by six aircraft. The airline has also reduced its staff but failed to stem losses. Cyprus Airways posted a net loss of €55.8 million for 2012, more than double the net loss of €23.88 million for 2011.
|
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com |
European Central Bank‘s decision to buy 500 billion euro bonds and cut interest rates by 0.05% is expected, according to analyst estimates, to boost the European economy that is threatened by recession and deflation. This decision means that the ECB will print money, loosen its monetary policy and facilitate liquidity, enabling banks to lend businesses and households with more flexible terms. Mario Draghi’s “revolution” against Germany will benefit the European economy as it will loosen the austerity. Increased liquidity will enable banks to lend businesses and households so they can make investments. Increased liquidity will also boost the Greek economy as it will enhance development rates.
|
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com |
People walk in front of the Greek parliament in Athens on December 11, 2013
|
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT uk.finance.yahoo.com |
Europe's central bank just slashed interest rates and launched emergency stimulus measures -- but six years too late, and not enough to counter the austerity that has Europe in a worse mess than the Great Depression. The European Central Bank surprised markets on Thursday by cutting its target short-term interest rate to basically zero. ECB also plans to buy a bunch of bonds to push longer-term rates lower, too -- an echo of the U.S. Federal Reserve's many rounds of "quantitative easing," used in recent years to goose the economy (or at least the stock market). Good job, good effort, ECB, except this comes nearly six years after the Fed cut its own rates to zero and launched QE. In other words, the ECB is way behind the game. That's one reason the U.S. recovery, unsatisfying as it has been, looks like the 1990s economic boom compared to the crap hoagie that is Europe's economy. Europe's current slump is worse than the Great Depression, as Paul Krugman and many others have pointed out. Here's a chart for evidence, via Professor Nicholas Crafts at the University of Warwick: The red line represents Europe's current GDP growth and the forecast for the next year or so. As you can see, it's flatlined. The black line shows the growth of European countries that wisely dumped the gold standard during the Great Depression of the 1920s and '30s. The yellow line shows the countries that stuck with gold for too long. Europe is currently doing just about as well as those miserable countries. In fact, this chart is about eight months old, and the red line's end should probably be lower than it is. Europe's GDP has relapsed lately, raising fears of a triple-dip recession, as this graph from Trading Economics shows: U.S. GDP hasn't exactly been gangbusters, but it's at least managed to stay positive (mostly): Europe's unemployment rate, meanwhile, is 11.5 percent, compared with 6.2 percent for the United States. European inflation is also dangerously low, near zero percent, while U.S. inflation isn't far from the Fed's target of 2 percent. Low inflation sounds great, unless you consider the case of Japan, or the U.S. in the Great Depression. In those cases, prices kept falling, so people stopped buying stuff because they expected prices to fall -- which they did, which made people continue to not buy stuff. All the while, the economy got worse. That's the path Europe is on. It's largely the fault of Europe's fiscal policy makers, who have stubbornly refused to spend money to stimulate the economy, aside from a paltry stimulus package that amounted to just 1.5 percent of GDP in 2008. By comparison, the U.S. stimulus plan in 2009, though probably not nearly big enough, was worth more than 5 percent of GDP. Europe has also imposed strict austerity measures on Greece and other countries struggling with high debt loads. The ECB hasn't helped by waiting too long to act aggressively. And now it's playing catch-up in the middle of a depression.
|
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.huffingtonpost.com |
News of the rate cut by the European Central Bank gave Greek stocks a boost on Thursday, with banks benefiting the most, while turnover continued to grow, rising above the 100-million-euro mark. The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index ended at 1,181.41 ... ...
|
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.ekathimerini.com |
Greek scientist Dimitris Papanastasiou has been awarded the 2014 Curt Brunnee Award for his outstanding contribution to mass spectrometry – a process for elucidating the chemical structures of molecules. Papanastasiou, who is co-founder of the Fasmatech c... ...
|
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.ekathimerini.com |
A 44-year-old woman who posed as a witch doctor to con victims out of more than 23,500 euros was on Thursday arrested in Trikala, central Greece. The woman, who claimed to have magical healing powers and performed exorcism rituals, was set to appear befor... ...
|
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.ekathimerini.com |
The Greek island of Lesvos will host the 14th Eressos Women’s Festival that will last two weeks. Over 1,000 women from Greece and across the world will visit the island to attend the festival, which celebrates the history, culture, achievements and diversity of women. Eressos Festival will take place at the lesbian-friendly setting of Skala, Eressos, in Lesvos, from September 6 to 20. The festival was founded by Sappho Travel in 2000. “All women are welcome, included and celebrated here, regardless of their race, age, interests or sexuality,” note the organizers on the festival’s website. The participants will have the opportunity to join in social and creative activities, meet people, learn new skills and share talents. The festival includes live music, dance parties, open-air film screenings, alternative fashion show, art exhibition, beach and water sports, workshops, excursions and many other activities. Lesvos has been attracting lesbian tourists since the 70s due to the island’s association with the ancient Greek poetess Sappho. Eressos was the birthplace of Sappho who wrote about her love for women and is generally considered the world’s first widely-known lesbian writer. Eressos Festival is boosting the local economy as hundreds of women flock to the island every September. According to data released at the ITB Berlin international tourism exhibition in March, the expenditure per capita of gay tourists is 57% higher than those of straight travelers. It is estimated that the share of the global LGBT tourism market is over 10% or 75 million tourists.
|
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com |
High debt and unemployment are the most important problems that the Greek economy is facing, Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem told the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee of the European Parliament on Thursday. Dijsselbloem had good things to say about Greece during discussions of the European Parliament’s Economics Committee, regarding the latest developments in the economy. He stated that there is real progress taking place in Greece. He further underlined Greece’s fiscal progress that has been accomplished due to the sacrifices of the Greek people, adding that the Greek economy will return to growth in 2014. Regarding the possibility of further economic aid, he noted that it would be discussed after the completion of the ongoing evaluation of the Troika, which started in Paris on Wednesday. Dijsselbloem said that results of the decisions taken by the European Central Bank (ECB) in June have not yet been assessed and time is needed, adding that a strong dependence on fiscal policy could involve major long term risks. Finally, commenting on his tenure as Eurogroup head, which ends in July 2015, he clarified that he meant to finish it to the end.
|
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com |
The Yiasou Greek Festival is now underway. Thousands flock to the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Dilworth each year to taste traditional ...
|
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT triadnc.twcnews.com |
With the European Central Bank cutting three key interest rates Thursday, Greek equities rallied. The GlobalX FTSE Greek 20 ETF (GREK) rose 1.5% ...
|
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT blogs.barrons.com |
“If you want to get the most out of your college experience, my advice is to try out Greek Life,” said Justin Lovell, a member of SF State's Pi Kappa Phi.
|
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.goldengatexpress.org |
Greek government officials spent a second day in talks with the Troika representatives in Paris yesterday. Greece’s foreign creditors were pressing for changes to make it harder for labor unions to call strikes and the introduction of legislation facilitating mass layoffs in the private sector. According to government sources, the Greek side tabled the issues that should be proceeded and on its part, the Troika reserved to present its positions on today’s meetings. The Labor Ministry is to prepare several studies in the coming weeks, before Troika envoys are due to arrive in Athens for their next review, in a bid to overcome the insistence of foreign creditors on the proposed changes. The Ministry managed to win itself some time by invoking the International Labor Organization to assess the effectiveness of potential changes to current laws governing layoffs in the private sector. The Troika intends to ask for the removal of any political involvement in decisions relating to mass layoffs and introducing greater flexibility into the private labor market. They argue that such action will contribute toward curbing unemployment, which continues to hover at around 27%. Other issues on the table are an ongoing streamlining of the civil service and the second phase of reforms on the pension system.
|
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com |
A Greek monk was killed and two firefighters injured when their vehicles fell into a 70-meter deep ravine near the chapel of Hilandarion monastery in Mount Athos, northern Greece. At 8.00 am on Thursday, the two firefighters started off on a routine patrol on the paths of the Mount Athos, when the road surface collapsed and their vehicle fell into the ravine. One of the two firefighters managed to get out of the vehicle and called for help through his radio. The rescue operation began immediately. A monk set off for the accident site, with his own car, in order to search for the firefighters, but around a hundred meters from the site, he lost control of the vehicle that also fell into the ravine. The local fire department chief reported that both accidents occurred due to the road surface’s poor condition. “The soil is unstable there, and neither the firemen, nor the monk realized it, and they all fell into the ravine,” he said. Local authorities are investigating to identify whether the monk acted alone or he was accompanied by another person. The two injured firefighters were pulled up and taken to 424 Military Hospital in Thessaloniki by helicopter.
|
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com |
By Renee Maltezou and Deborah Kyvrikosaios ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece is slipping into a "danger zone" without the funds or resources to handle a fast-growing wave of refugees trying to enter the European Union from war-torn countries like Syria and Iraq, the government warned on Thursday. A surge in people fleeing violence in Africa and the Middle East has increased the pressure on the euro zone ...
|
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT za.news.yahoo.com |
Kanella Fotopoulosw (left) and Eleni Zourkos (right) make loukoumades or Greek donuts at Bellingham Greekfest, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2013 at Saint ...
|
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.bellinghamherald.com |
In an average university, in any country of the Eurozone, the new academic year will start with scientific research. In Greece, however, the newly elected senate authorities are forced to face phenomena that can only be described as third world country situations, which were brought on by the Greek financial crisis. Theodore Fortsakis, Rector of the University of Athens, stated that the institution has no funds due to equipment thefts exceeding 500,000 euros. “We are now in charge of a university that cannot perform even the minimum of its duties. There are no security guards, no administrative employees, no funds and a constant turmoil.” Ioannis Golias, Rector of the National Technical University of Athens, complained that although he has been appointed Rector, hasn’t yet managed to enter his office, since the institution is under occupation. When the occupation ends, he will be faced with a dramatic decrease of the institution’s budget, which will not be enough to cover the university’s annual needs. Furthermore, the new Rector will also face the consequences of the institution’s administrative employees suspension, as a result of lost EU funds. Athanasios Karambinis, Rector of Democritus University of Thrace, complained that the institution is in the worst state that it has ever been since its establishment. He spoke of the dramatic reduction of the institution’s budget but also the suspension of administrative employees. “We used to have 240 administrative employees but we are now missing 180 of those.” Karambinis stressed that he was also faced with the issue of central heating. “Last year, there were a few times when courses and exams were canceled because the auditoriums were freezing.” Achilleas Zapranis, Rector of the University of Macedonia, said that most of the lectures are done standing up because there is no room for the students and professors to seat. There are no auditoriums that can fit the institution’s 5,800 students. “We usually have to break the class in two parts and repeat the lecture twice,” he said. Georgios Kapsalis, Rector of the University of Ioannina, spoke of his issues with the building’s central heating, noting that last year students had to wear their coat and gloves during lectures, while professors used to bring radiators from their own homes. At the same time, he stressed the need to strengthen research programs and student welfare. “No student should be forced to discontinue their studies due to economic deprivation.” Georgios Petrakos, Rector of University of Thessaly, complained that the first thing he learned when he was appointed to his post was that there was only one administrative employee in the Senate Secretariat because everyone else was retired. “There is the question of how the university will continue to operate smoothly. There have been times when I had to pull someone from another post and bring them to the Senate Secretariat.”
|
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com |
Ankara has expressed its “astonishment” over the recent comments from Greece, which described President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's visit to the ...
|
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.todayszaman.com |
Greece warned Thursday of a "dramatic" rise in migrants trying to cross its borders, with the number attempting to cross the Aegean Sea set to triple ...
|
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.naharnet.com |
Greek banks not only have one of the highest NPL levels in Europe at €75 billion, but the average length of time for foreclosure proceedings in Greece ...
|
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.euromoney.com |
NEW YORK – Ioannis Viglakis, a Greek citizen, was sentenced in New York federal court on September 3 to 10 years in prison for trying to sell arms to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Viglakis, alias “Pablo,” was arrested in Panama in August 2012 at the request of the United States for allegedly […] The post Greek Citizen Gets 10 Years in Prison for Selling Arms appeared first on The National Herald.
|
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.thenationalherald.com |
Sales of tablets, printers, washing machines and other home appliances are once again starting to increase in Greece, for the first time since the beginning of the Greek economic crisis. Sales in technology consumer products rebounded during the second quarter of 2014, while a slight increase was also visible in the first half of the year, compared to the same period in 2013. However, photography equipment and mobile phones did not follow the same trend. According to survey data released by GfK Hellas, from the April to June period, the industry reported sales of 400 million euros, an increase of 7.6% compared to the same period in 2013. As the company stated, “Greek economy is continuing its recovery for the second quarter of 2014.” As a result, consumers are less cautious than they used to be. Almost all categories of electronic devices showed significant growth and contributed to the industry’s turnover. Furthermore, for the fifth consecutive quarter, the office equipment market showed a rise in sales, with printer sales increasing by 20% and multifunction printer sales reaching a double-digit growth as well. Large home appliances also showed a significant increase during the second quarter of 2014. The largest sales increase was recorded in washing machines, closely followed by dryers. The overall telecommunications industry recorded marginal losses, because after several years in the market, smart phone prices remained stable instead of decreasing. At the same time, both landline telephones and telephone headphones are continuing to show double-digit growth rates, balancing the industry turnover. Furthermore, the World Cup strongly contributed to the rise in television sales. Many people favored large TVs - over 40 inches – while others preferred Ultra High Definition units.
|
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com |
Default is highly possible in Greece because it is impossible for the country to repay all its debts, Aris Chatzistefanou, "Debtocracy" filmmaker, told RT.
|
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT rt.com |
Greece pledged to step up reforms on Thursday as it wrapped up the first round of talks with its EU/IMF lenders in Paris in the latest review of its bailout. Some European Union officials and the International Monetary Fund have warned that Athens' reform efforts may have slowed since the anti-bailout opposition won European elections in May. Greek officials have said they would seek to assuage ...
|
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT finance.yahoo.com |
Although president-elect Jean-Claude Juncker is still interviewing candidates for Commissioners, EurActiv has seen a draft organigram prepared by his services dated September 2, in which every single commissioner is assigned a portfolio. According to the document, Greece’s Dimitris Avramopoulos (EPP) gets Migration, Fundamental Rights and Home Affairs. This is rather surprising, since Greece is frequently criticized for the bad treatment of asylum seekers. The Internet and Culture portfolio will be given to Cyprus’ Christos Stylianides (EPP). According to EurActiv, the document is clearly not a final version and subject to change, but it is full of surprises: The Internal Market portfolio, currently held by Michel Barnier, has disappeared; the Digital Agenda portfolio, currently held by Neelie Kroes, has also vanished; and there is no commissioner for Enlargement. At the same time, a new post of Vice President for Better Regulation has appeared; a new post for Vice President for Energy Union has also made its appearance (in addition to the Commissioner for energy/climate); a Vice President for Growth, Economic and Monetary Union, European Semester & Social dialogue is also a new addition. There are six Vice Presidents in the proposed Commission: Poland’s Elżbieta Bieńkowska (EPP), assigned with Budget and Financial Control; Estonia’s Andrus Ansip (ALDE) for Growth, EMU, European Semester and Social Dialogue; Latvia’s Valdis Dombrovkis (EPP) for Energy Union; Slovenia’s Alenka Bratusek for Digital and Innovation; the Netherlands’ Frans Timmermans for Better Regulation and as already decided by EU leaders, Italy’s Federica Mogherini (S&D) as High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. In terms of political balance, the liberal ALDE group is not underrepresented as initially thought. To the contrary, it has five portfolios, including two Vice Presidents. Overall, the Commission is quite balanced. The center-right EPP group has twelve portfolios, including two Vice Presidents. The Socialists and Democrats (S&D) have eight portfolios, including two Vice Presidents. The new post of Vice President for Better Regulation, assigned to the Netherlands, should please British Prime Minister David Cameron, who has led a campaign for less red tape and regulation in EU policy-making. It is less likely however that the British Premier will like the portfolio assigned to the UK Commissioner Jonathan Hill (ECR), on Energy and Climate Change. Cameron had asked for a Super-Commissioner, but in fact Hill is likely to be under the umbrella of Valdis Dombrovskis, Vice President for Energy Union. The same could be said regarding France’s Pierre Moscovici, who gets the portfolio of Competition. Paris has sought the Economic Affairs portfolio, which actually goes to Finland’s Jyrki Katainen, who already holds this portfolio he inherited from Olli Rehn.
|
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com |
Prime Minister Antonis Samaras will be in Wales today, attending the two-day NATO Summit. The Greek PM will be accompanied by Government Vice-President and Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos and Defense Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos, who will hold meetings with their NATO counterparts. The Prime Minister is expected to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the NATO Summit, following a request from the Turkish side. The meeting was pending for the past two months and will take place in a tense atmosphere as a result of statements made by Erdogan on the Cyprus problem during his recent visit to the occupied part of Cyprus. The Turkish president’s statements came as an unpleasant surprise to the Greek government that was expecting Turkey to adopt a more constructive stance in the ongoing negotiations. In this context, the Samaras-Erdogan meeting will focus on the Cyprus problem and Greek-Turkish relations, with the Greek side seeking to ease tensions and promote Greece’s agenda. Samaras had a long discussion with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades on Wednesday morning, focusing on the Cyprus problem talks and reaffirming the close cooperation between Athens and Nicosia. They also referred in detail to Samaras’ talks with Erdogan and alliance leaders, as well as the meetings that Venizelos and Avramopoulos will have with their counterparts. In a meeting held earlier on Wednesday at the Presidential Mansion, Samaras briefed President of the Hellenic Republic Karolos Papoulias on the developments in the Cyprus problem ahead of the NATO Summit.
|
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com |
The Flame will reach Belgium from Athens on September 9 after the end of the Greek leg of the torch relay across Greece. The Belgian leg of the torch ...
|
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.shanghaidaily.com |
There are many terrific traditions tied to the Cranston Greek Festival, which will begin its 29th running Friday and continue through Sunday on the Church of the Annunciation’s spacious grounds at 175 Oaklawn Ave. There’s the Cranston-based Ocean State ...
|
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.warwickonline.com |
Vodafone Greece is increasing bonuses for prepaid customers who top up regularly. The weekend of 12-14 September customers can enjoy up to ...
|
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.telecompaper.com |
"Productive discussions were held on some key issues for the forthcoming review of Greece's economic programme. The full mission is expected to ...
|
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.reuters.com |
According to AMNA, Dijsselbloem underlined Greece΄s fiscal progress that has been accomplished due to the sacrifices of the Greek people, adding ...
|
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT english.capital.gr |
On 2 SEP National Bank of Greece SA (NYSE:NBG) said that it has received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the ten ratings firms that are ...
|
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.marketsinsider.com |
'Refinery Building Construction in Greece to 2018: Market Databook' provides a top-level overview and detailed insight into the operating environment ...
|
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.digitaljournal.com |
Greece is a major transit point for immigrants seeking illegal access to the European Union. More . Create alert for Ioannis KaragiorgopoulosIoannis ...
|
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.albawaba.com |