ekathimerini The Greek Letter : New Hellenic Parliament A “restart” in Greek Turkish relations and more...

 

Premiere for new Hellenic Parliament[InTime News] Constantine CapsaskisNewsletter Editor Welcome to the weekly round-up of news by Kathimerini English Edition. The three-day opening parliamentary debate culminated with a vote of confidence in the new government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis. As expected, the government carried the day with the 158 votes of New Democracy parliamentarians and with all opposition parties voting against. In his speech, Mitsotakis spoke of the “fourth cycle” of Greece’s modernization and presented his government’s vision for the next four years, calling it a “multidimensional reform”. The prime minister emphasized social issues, and among measures presented to parliament were increases to both the minimum and median wage, a reduction of social security contributions, increases in the family allowances of civil servants, and the extension of the “Youth Pass” program. Mitsotakis also tackled Greece’s health sector, a hotly debated issue in the pre-election period, by announcing the creation of a new emergency team of 250 motorcycle-based rescuers and the hiring of 800 staff for the ambulance service. The future of Greece’s higher education system was also an important issue this week, with New Democracy reaffirming its intent to recognize non-public universities. The prime minister called upon PASOK leader Nikos Androulakis to “put end to this Greek peculiarity of a state monopoly on higher education”. Minister of State Makis Voridis called Greece’s system an “unbearable insanity”. in an interview with Bloomberg this week, the prime minister also announced that the government plans to legalize same-sex marriages at some point during his term . “Greek society is much more ready and mature”, he said. As expected, all opposition parties used the occasion to attack the government and set out their own stall for the next four years. SYRIZA, represented for the first time by the new head of the parliamentary group Sokratis Famellos, disputed the government’s claims of success and focused on high energy costs and unemployment. He also stated that the government would fail in carrying out its pledges. Spotlight In his first parliamentary speech as PASOK leader, Nikos Androulakis attacked Mitsotakis over the wiretapping scandal. He also emphasized his own party’s focus on education but did not state clearly whether he would respond to the invitation by Mitsotakis to change the current system. PASOK also had an internal issue to confront this week when former minister and long-time prominent PASOK member Andreas Loverdos announced his decision to leave the party this week, outlining that the reasons were “purely political”. Loverdos, who failed to enter parliament, was one of the party’s leadership candidates in 2021. Reportedly, Loverdos disagreed with the party’s approach to centrist voters. The veteran politician has long been seen as an outlier in the party, particularly following the 2021 contest, and has sparred with Androulakis on more than one occasion.   Efforts to stand out were particularly noticeable in the case of the three parties to the right of New Democracy, with two of them making their debut (namely “Niki” and “Spartans”), alongside “Greek Solution” which was first voted to parliament in 2019. According to Kathimerini’s George Bourdaras, the three parties, in an attempt to shore up their electoral position, engaged in a contest of “patriotic” imagery and language. This included references to the Greek Orthodox Church, attacks on migrants and refugees, and condemnations of multiculturalism and globalization. Both “Niki” and “Spartans” called for a greater emphasis on religion in Greece’s educational system, and “Spartans” and “Greek Solution” used the opportunity to attack SYRIZA and the Prespes Agreement with North Macedonia.

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OPINION Tom EllisEditor-in-Chief, Kathimerini English Edition A “restart” in Greek Turkish relations[InTime News] The moment of truth for a potential opening of a new chapter in Greek Turkish relations – with the encouragement of influential allies like the US and Germany – has arrived. On Wednesday, the Greek prime minister will meet the Turkish president, for the first time in 16 months, at the NATO summit in Vilnius. The effort for a “restart” will be comprehensive: there will also be meetings between the new foreign and defense ministers of the two countries. Greece is looking forward to a real and long-lasting improvement in relations with its neighbor, but the ball is in Turkey’s court. If it decides it has more to gain in terms of its relations with the US and the EU, and from reengaging with all its neighbors in the region, instead of promoting a vision of dominance through the “Blue Homeland” doctrine, things could improve rapidly. Following the positive atmosphere created by Greece’s immediate and sincere reaction to the earthquake in Turkey, and the recently reconfirmed political strength of Mitsotakis and Erdogan, the present set up offers an opportunity. Agreeing on the need for de-escalation and the quick implementation of confidence building measures could be the relatively easy first steps. Obviously, Greece’s sovereignty and sovereign rights cannot be the subject of discussion or negotiation. But the delimitation of the continental shelf and exclusive economic zones are issues of major importance that the two neighbours can and should resolve through recourse to the international court of justice. Once this process has moved along, the bilateral as well as the regional puzzle will be very different, offering many opportunities for further progress that seem impossible today.

CHART OF THE WEEK

Real estate prices continue their upward trajectory unabated. In fact, the second quarter of 2023 saw significant increases compared to the first, boosted by the “My Home” government housing project. This is particularly noticeable in central Athens and the western suburbs, where most of the available housing stock that fits the parameters set out by the government is located. Experts have warned that the program, which subsidizes up to 75% of the borrowing rate for young people for properties worth up to 200,000 euros, will actually lead to further increases in prices that will in return once again limit the available supply of properties that are covered by “My Home”. Market volatility is also increased by foreign buyers seeking to secure a “Golden Visa” before the doubling of requirements to 500,000 euros in certain areas on August 1.

ESCAPADE Why There Is Nothing Like a Greek Summer Long, lazy days, brilliant blue skies, and buzzing cicadas, summer is a magical time in Greece, offering visitors an unforgettable experience. Go to article >

ECONOMY IN A NUTSHELL

“The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index closed at 1,278.30 points, decreasing by 0.02% from last week.”

“The return to investment grade remains the main priority of the Greek government, something that was confirmed in the first parliamentary sessions this week. Finance Minister Kostis Hatzidakis stated that that the government’s goal was to bring public debt below the 140% of GDP threshold by 2027.”

“The government has indicated that it will implement reforms to the short-term letting sector in Greece. The sector, comprising almost 145,000 homes, has ballooned with the state revenues generated by it having grown tenfold in just four years. Information indicates that the government proposes differentiating between management companies and private owners.”

WHAT'S ON THE AGENDA

11/07/2023NATO Summit: Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are set to meet on the sidelines of the two-day NATO Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. There will also be meetings between the defense and foreign ministers of Greece and Turkey. 11/07/2023Heatwave: Meteorologists are warning of a heat wave in the coming week with high temperatures expected from Tuesday onwards. Central Greece and Macedonia are forecast to experience the highest temperatures. 13/07/2023Eurogroup Meeting: New Finance Minister Kostis Hatzidakis will travel to Brussels for his first meeting of Eurogroup ministers. This will be followed by a meeting of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council.

Editor's PickAs legend has it, Greece is a secular state. Indeed for decades now it has been methodically fighting to achieve its separation from the Church.Pantelis BoukalasRead the article

PODCAST

06/07/2023 • 10:30Turkish games within NATO: The naming of the straits and CyprusVassilis Nedos, Kathimerini’s diplomatic and defense editor, joins Thanos Davelis to break down why Ankara has derailed NATO regional procedures, and look at why this matters, putting a freeze on NATO’s new operational maps by raising questions about the naming of the Dardanelles and the Bosporus straits in the new operational maps, and taking issue with the reference of the Republic of Cyprus as well.

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