Greece hosts ‘Our Ocean’ Conference [InTime News] | Constantine CapsaskisNewsletter Editor |
Welcome to the weekly round-up of news by Kathimerini English Edition. Athens hosted the 9th iteration of the “Our Ocean” international conference, with over 3,400 attendees and delegations from 120 governments from across the globe. There were more than 100 events over the days of the conference, both at the main venue at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center and in side-events running alongside it. United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry warned that no country is close to living sustainably, while other speakers like Spain’s ecological transition and demographic challenge minister Teresa Ribera Rodriguez stated that “the data from global meteorological organizations are now frightening about the change the planet is experiencing”. A total of 469 commitments, worth an estimated 11 billion dollars, were adopted during proceedings, with the Greek government announcing 21 commitments estimated at approximately 800 million euros. Among these was the launch of the Decorbanization Fund for the Greek islands, announced by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Other measures include the strengthening of the framework protecting the country’s biodiversity and the establishment of two marine parks. The marine park in the Ionian Sea will stretch over approximately 14,000 square kilometers, including 3,668 square kilometers of 13 existing Natura 2000 sites. The second park in the Aegean will cover approximately 8,000 square kilometers, including 545 square kilometers from existing Natura 2000 sites. Other measures include the complete banning of bottom trawling in these areas, as well as the removal of 50% of the plastic waste and 30% of microplastics from Greek waters by 2030. Spotlight - The race to the European elections continues to dominate the political scene. Ruling New Democracy continues to enjoy a healthy lead in the opinion polls, even increasing its percentage in the latest opinion poll. It is worth noting that New Democracy named the jailed ethnic Greek mayor-elect of Himare, Albania, Fredi Beleri as a candidate for the elections. Main opposition party SYRIZA started off its European campaign with a fizzle, as one of the candidates proved a controversial choice due to previous statements on gender-based violence. Dimitris Papanotas, a television presenter, said that “I don’t see that women in Greece and the EU in general have a problem, unless they want to have one. If she gets a controlling type who abuses her too, and she doesn’t talk about it, and she sits there and tolerates it, it’s her problem”. He was eventually removed from SYRIZA’s list of candidates.
- Even as the “Our Ocean” Conference sought to examine and mitigate the impact of climate change, this year the wildfire season in Greece began on April 15 (the earliest calendar date the country has implemented fire prevention measures). Among the measures being introduced is a ban on outdoor fires, whether due to farmers burning cuttings and bush or to open flame cooking by campers. Illustrating the need of these measures, just on April 15, there were 56 fires across the country. To aid in the efforts of the Hellenic Fire Service, a total of 2.1 billion euros have been earmarked through the Aegis program to bolster its capabilities by 2025. New equipment will include 10 new aircraft, an equal number of helicopters, and more than 1,100 fire engines, in the largest civil protection procurement project in Greece’s history.
|
OPINION | Tom EllisEditor-in-Chief, Kathimerini English Edition |
Greece’s Iron Dome [InTime News]We often talk of Israel as an example we should learn from in a number of areas. One of them, and an extremely important one, is defence. In that context it is a welcome development that Athens has announced plans to develop an air defence system similar to the Iron Dome, Israel’s missile defense system developed with US assistance aimed at safeguarding the country against attacks from the air. Discussing Israel’s successful operation of the Iron Dome to bloc Iran’s massive drone and missile attack, and at the same time drawing lessons from the conflict in Ukraine, Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias, noted that “the nation must shield itself… we have concluded that it is imperative to construct an anti-aircraft and anti-drone dome.” Greece has known for a long time the kind of threat it faces and should have gone down this road much earlier. Better late than never. It took Russia’s war on Ukraine and Iran’s attack on Israel to act as a wake-up call or a turning point, however one sees it. So be it. Now Greece needs to move quickly and in a cross-party approach to ensure continuity in the creation and timely implementation of such a sophisticated system; a project that will be expensive and time-consuming. |
| CHART OF THE WEEK | |  The International Monetary Fund forecasts a primary surplus of 2.1% of GDP this year, in line with government forecasts and calls by Bank of Greece governor Yannis Stournaras to maintain primary surpluses above the 2% threshold. However, the IMF’s growth forecast of 2% is less optimistic than government forecasts of 2.9% growth (which will be most likely be revised down to 2.5%). The IMF also predicts that primary surpluses will remain constant at 2.1% until 2029, with the level of Greek public debt expected to fall to 138.8% by that same year. |
| | |  | ESCAPADE | | 10 Exceptional Monovarietal Greek Olive Oils These 10 producers have extracted their most precious oil from a single olive variety, capturing intense flavors that reflect their passion and the essence of the Greek landscape. Go to article > |
|
| ECONOMY IN A NUTSHELL | | | “The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index closed at 1,392.62 points on Friday, down 0.57% from last week.” | | | “Credit rating agency S&P revised its outlook on Greece up to ‘positive’ from ‘stable’, stating that the reduction of the government debt ratio will continue due to the tight fiscal regime in place. ‘In the medium term, and particularly if reform momentum is maintained, we believe Greece could expand faster than its eurozone peers,’ it noted.” | | | “Tourism receipts continue to soar, with a 24.5% year-on-year increase in January and February, according to the latest data released by the Bank of Greece. Specifically, receipts totalled 589.7 million euros in the first two months of the year (up from 457.5 million euros). Non-resident traveler arrivals also increased by 20.7%.” |
| WHAT'S ON THE AGENDA | | - 22/04/2024Greek Orthodox Easter preparations: With Greek Orthodox Easter being celebrated on May 5, the government’s ‘Godfather Basket’ will return this year to offer discounts on selected goods. Additionally, retail stores are set to begin operating on a modified schedule from Thursday.
- 22/04/2024Kasselakis on Aegean island tour: Main opposition party SYRIZA leader Stefanos Kasselakis is on a ten-day tour across the Aegean Sea visiting 27 islands.
- 26/04/2024Olympic Handover Ceremony: The Olympic relay in Greece will come to an end at the Panathenaic (Kallimarmaro) Stadium in central Athens for the Olympic Handover Ceremony ahead of the Paris games.
|
Editor's Pick The paradox in this is that although Greece and Greek businesses are affected by this unfair competition, there was no Greek signature in the joint letterKostas KallitsisRead the article |
|
No comments:
Post a Comment