Mediterranean voyages [InTime News] | Constantine CapsaskisNewsletter Editor |
Welcome to the weekly round-up of news by Kathimerini English Edition. With the ferocity of the fires subsiding and the situation at home stabilizing ahead of the August lull, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis turned his attention to the wider region of the Eastern Mediterranean with visits to Cyprus and Egypt on Monday and Thursday. In Cyprus, on his first official visit since his re-election, Mitsotakis met with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, with the two leaders discussing the continued occupation of northern Cyprus as well as Turkey’s prospective European rapprochement, with both men stressing that this should be done gradually and with conditions. The Greek and Cypriot leaders reaffirmed that their two countries will move in co-ordination on the resolution of Cyprus’ division, firmly rejecting Ankara’s hard line and the two-state solution with Mitsotakis stating that “any partitionist thoughts of two states is completely off any agenda of discussion”. Following their meeting, Christodoulides also announced that Cyprus would assist with the reforestation of the island of Rhodes. On Wednesday, Mitsotakis also received the Speaker of the House of Representatives of Cyprus and President of the Democratic Rally party Annita Demetriou, with the two discussing the occupation of Cyprus as well as the wider Eastern Mediterranean with an emphasis on energy and security. Those same two issues, energy and security, were also the lynchpin of the discussions held between Mitsotakis and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi on Thursday. The Greek government has long seen Egypt as an important strategic ally in the region, something that was confirmed this week with the two countries agreeing to establish a high-level cooperation council. The Prime Minister, who was accompanied by Foreign Minister Georgios Gerapetritis and Defense Minister Nikos Dendias, discussed with the Egyptian president issues of security in the Mediterranean and the Sahel, with the two leaders agreeing on a strengthening of bilateral relations to further stabilize the region, on energy issues with a particular focus on the EuroAfrica Interconnector project, and labor co-operation. Gerapetritis praised the level of Greek-Egyptian relations after a follow-up meeting and working breakfast with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on Friday that expanded on the talks held a day prior. Spotlight - The administrative inquiry into the explosions at a Hellenic Air Force ammunition dump near the air base of Nea Anchialos in central Greece triggered by wildfires last week point to negligence according to a partial release of the findings. The report points out that the wildfire reached the stored general-purpose bombs through an area where the necessary deforestation had not been carried out while the firefighting system with which the facility was equipped was inadequate. The report notes that while the bombs were stored according to international standards, the heat load generated by the fire led to their detonation.
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OPINION | Tom EllisEditor-in-Chief, Kathimerini English Edition |
Improving Greece’s tourism [Alexandros Avramidis]Tourism is a big part of Greece’s economy and the way it develops will have a significant impact on the country’s present and future. Any long term vision for where Greece should be heading cannot but include the tourism model we follow. In this context, efforts to correct numerous deficiencies in the broader tourism industry should be encouraged. The efficiency and quality of services offered are determining factors that both the government and the private sector should work on. Night clubs and hotels violating rules and the country’s natural beauty like its beaches, by blocking access to them or overcharging for their use, has created popular discontent and led to a movement against such practices. The “revolt” of the last few weeks against the violations seen on many beaches, follows an earlier effort against illegal construction by beach bars especially in popular islands. As Greeks identify with their country’s beauty of which the beaches are a major part, they mobilized quickly against the way things are done.The success of the movement is a welcome and hopeful sign for a healthier tourist sector. The government for its part should respond to these latest steps in the right direction, with more forceful implementation of existing rules, expeditiously proceeding with tearing down illegal constructions, increasing inspections and issuing hefty penalties to the violators. It should withstand the pressure from specific interests in the lucrative tourist sector and initiate a stricter legal framework, moves that can only help improve and make even more attractive the product that accounts for about 1/4 of the country’s economy. A healthier tourism model that is better regulated will also be more sustainable. The genuine efforts and pressures from the public and the government’s response and interest should not subside in September. The common, long-term goal of political parties, businesses and the public as a whole, should be a rules based tourism industry with qualitatively enhanced infrastructure, that better serves the millions of visitors that come to Greece injecting billions into the economy every year, and at the same time protects the environment and the country’s natural beauty. |
| CHART OF THE WEEK | |  Almost half (46.6%) of Greece’s workforce is employed by businesses with a total of less than nine employees. The data, recorded by Alpha Bank, paints a worrying picture as it highlights Greece’s productivity deficit. The average productivity of small- and micro-sized enterprises is significantly lower than that of larger businesses, and even more so in Greece. The productivity of very small businesses in the country is only 17% of that of larger businesses, compared to an EU-27 average of 48%. This is exacerbated by the fact that 94.4% of businesses in Greece are very small, 5% are small, with medium-sized enterprises accounting for 0.5% and large businesses for just 0.1%. |
| | |  | ESCAPADE | | The Balconies of Athens: Outdoor Living and Urban Identity For at least half the year, the Athenian balcony is where the better part of urban life takes place. Go to article > |
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| ECONOMY IN A NUTSHELL | | | “The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index closed at 1,319.52 points on Friday, a second consecutive week of losses as the benchmark dropped by 1.08%.” | | | “There was an uptick in Greece’s consumer price index in July as food inflation remains high, with no end in sight for Greek consumers, exacerbated by an increase in the price of fuel. Unlike the Eurozone harmonized inflation rate which fell by 0.2% to 5.3%, Greece recorded a 0.6% increase to 3.4%, snapping a nine-month losing streak.” | | | “The Greek tourism industry could set a new record in 2023 according to the National Bank of Greece at 21 billion euros, with revenues definitely expected to exceed the 18.17-billion-euro mark set in 2019. However, it should be noted that a large part of this higher revenue is due to the high rates of inflation.” |
| WHAT'S ON THE AGENDA | | - 09/08/2023Megalochari of Tinos: A play will be put on in the courtyard of the Church of Panagia Megalochari on the island of Tinos to mark the 200th anniversary of the icon around which the religious complex has been built.
- 11/08/2023Ekavi in Epidavros: The Ancient Theater of Epidavros will host a performance of Euripides’ play “Ekavi”.
- 12/08/2023Cyclades Classical Music Festival: The 19th Cycladic International Classical Music Festival will open on Saturday at the historic Apollo Theater of Ermoupolis on the island of Syros.
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Editor's Pick The war against the wildfire is not lost when the firefighter is standing before a burning forest, during a heatwave and with the winds swirling wildly around him. It is lost long before thatKostas KallitsisRead the article |
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