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Soccer violence claims another life[InTime News] Constantine CapsaskisNewsletter Editor Welcome to the weekly round-up of news by Kathimerini English Edition. A 29-year-old man was killed on Monday during a violent skirmish between supporters of AEK Athens and Dinamo Zagreb ahead of their UEFA Champions League qualifying match. Greece is no stranger to sport-related violence. The trial over the murder of 19-year-old Alkis Kampanos who was killed in Thessaloniki in February 2022 by supporters of a rival club was only just concluded last month. However, what is particularly striking about the violence on Monday are the apparent failings of the Hellenic Police to properly consider and implement appropriate measures to prevent it, in this case, because one party to the violence were an estimated 100 to 120 known Croatian football hooligans who travelled to Athens on buses despite warnings from both the Croatian and Montenegrin police forces.   In fact, Montenegro even supplied the Hellenic Police with the license plates of the buses the Dinamo Zagreb fans were moving on. There were almost no checks at the Kakavia border crossing, with the police later losing track of the convoy until it had almost reached the AEK stadium. With no police stationed there, only small units responded to the violence immediately with most officers arriving approximately half an hour after the clashes began. Kathimerini’s Yiannis Souliotis writes of the chronic inefficiencies of the Greek police, that have been exacerbated by intra-departmental strife and a lack of co-ordination. The bulletins sent by the Hellenic Police headquarters for the surveillance of the hooligans, that were delayed in being issued, were either not read or read with substantial delay by regional services. On Tuesday, newly appointed Citizen Protection Minister Giannis Oikonomou announced that seven senior police officers had been suspended from their posts in the aftermath of the violence, including the head of the Sub-Directorate for Violence in Sports. Investigations are ongoing, with the minister announcing that there would be further removals. The opposition has raised questions of ministerial responsibility, with both main opposition SYRIZA and PASOK calling for the resignation of Oikonomou who assumed his post on July 29 after his predecessor Notis Mitarakis was forced to resign. Spotlight It was a busy week for Greece on the international stage. On Monday, Defense Minister Nikos Dendias travelled to Israel and met with his counterpart Yoav Gallant. The two men established a framework for the further enhancement of Greek-Israeli ties, particularly in the field of defensive R&D. Staying in the Mediterranean, on Wednesday, Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis held a telephone call with his counterpart in Tripoli, Najla Mangoush. With efforts to normalize Greek-Turkish relations in full swing, Athens is also attempting to restart relations with Tripoli after years of difficulties. After all, it was not long ago that Mangoush and former Foreign Minister Dendias were involved in a diplomatic incident at Tripoli airport.   Gerapetritis also held a call with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba on Friday, with the latter celebrating Greece’s support for the G7 Joint Statement in support of Ukraine. Athens and Kyiv held talks this week to enhance bilateral co-operation, with Greece set to give guarantees of security in several sectors. These include energy security, with Greece’s burgeoning role as an energy hub critical to ending Ukraine’s energy dependency on Russia. Finally, the two sides also discussed the continued support of Ukraine’s fighting ability with the provision of Greek arms and ammunitions.

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OPINION Tom EllisEditor-in-Chief, Kathimerini English Edition The difficult first 50 days of the new government[InTime News] The first 50 days of New Democracy’s second term in power have been difficult for the government and painful for the country. From the wildfires and the lack of coordination between the police and firefighting services, to the explosions of bombs and missiles at the New Aghialos airbase, to the gradual return of skyrocketing inflation and, more recently, the tip of the iceberg that was the disgraceful inability of the Greek authorities to prevent the orchestrated criminal acts of Croat hooligans and their Greek collaborators that resulted in the death of one person, serious injuries of many others and a lot of property damages – the outcome is indeed a sad one. The absence of meaningful political opposition – due to its weak performance in the recent elections – has created a situation where the ruling conservative New Democracy party is competing with itself and the image of a results-oriented governance it projected during the campaign in the spring. It cannot blame SYRIZA or PASOK for the weak leadership shown in many ministries and the lack of coordination between different services. In just a few weeks, at the Thessaloniki International Fair, the prime minister will be forced to defend a shaky start to his second term; and that is just a month ahead of the regional and municipal elections and nine months before the European Parliament polls. It’s been rough going for the new government; and the road ahead might prove a bumpy one.

CHART OF THE WEEK

Prices continue to rise with a steep jump in the rate of inflation in July to 2.5% from 1.8% in June. Inflation has been boosted by the continued food inflation, running at an annual pace of 12.3% in July. The price of some items has risen by 28% since the start of the year, and in July alone prices of certain foodstuffs have gone up by as much as 6.67%. The prospects for de-escalation of the situation are not promising, with early August trends pointing to further rises. Indicatively, the Greek bakers’ association has announced that flour producers told them of a seven to ten percent increase in prices. Further price hikes are also expected for olive, sunflower, and palm oil.

ESCAPADE Built by Giants: An Archaeological Guide to Tiryns Famed for its Cyclopean walls, the Bronze Age citadel of Tiryns is a must-visit site for all those who want to explore Greece’s legendary “Age of Heroes.” Go to article >

ECONOMY IN A NUTSHELL

“The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index declined for a third consecutive week, mirroring negative sentiments in European markets. The benchmark closed at 1,286.86 points, down 2.01% from last week.”

“Greece’s four largest banks (Alpha Bank, Eurobank, National Bank of Greece, and Piraeus Bank) all posted very strong results for the first half of 2023. Analysts focused on the profitability of the banks, buoyed by high interest rates and commission fees.”

“There are seven active “suitors” among the finalists summoned to submit binding bids by August 22 for a 67% stake in the Volos Porth Authority. They include the Thessaloniki Port Authority, Bulgaria’s Advance Properties, and Qatar state company Qterminals.”

WHAT'S ON THE AGENDA

15/08/2023Dormition of the Virgin Mary:  One of the most important religious holidays on the Greek Orthodox Calendar, the national holiday is associated with many traditional customs, particularly on the island of Tinos. 16/08/2023Soccer violence meetings: Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will meet with UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin and then will chair a meeting with relevant ministers and the owners of Greece’s four largest teams to discuss the incidents of violence in sporting events. 19/08/2023AEK-Dinamo Zagreb: UEFA set the date for the postponed Champions League qualifying match, with kick-off at 9.45 at AEK’s OPAP Arena.

Editor's PickNow that the imminent danger of the fires has passed, the people of Rhodes are empowered by their pride, but angry.Cheryl NovakRead the article

PODCAST

12/08/2023 • 10:13The Treaty of Lausanne: A story of survival and ambivalenceThis year marks the centenary of the Lausanne Treaty, a treaty that has survived several twists and turns in world history. Bruce Clark, a contributor to The Economist and the author of “Twice A Stranger: How Mass Expulsion Forged Modern Greece and Turkey” and “Athens, City of Wisdom,” joins Thanos Davelis to look at what the Treaty of Lausanne has meant on either side of the Aegean.

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