The left’s summer of discontent [AMNA] | Constantine CapsaskisNewsletter Editor |
Welcome to the weekly round-up of news by Kathimerini English Edition. Main opposition party SYRIZA and third-placed PASOK, both to the left of ruling New Democracy, are facing internal turmoil following their poor performance in the European elections of June 9. The perceived lack of resonance between the parties of the left and center-left has led to several ruminations on the future of that political space, with several individuals calling for a convergence of Greece’s fragmented progressive space. The tense situation within SYRIZA was ignited when the party leadership suspended the publication of party daily ‘I Avgi’, a historic newspaper of the Greek left. This was followed by controversial comments by party leader Stefanos Kasselakis against his predecessor Alexis Tsipras, the latest episode in a clash that has been simmering since the party conference earlier this year. The comments led to the resignation of three party cadres from all party executive bodies, including prominent SYRIZA member Dionysis Temponeras. This was followed by an open letter signed by 87 leading party members and parliamentarians that criticized the leadership of Kasselakis, accusing him of “divisive tactics” and “targeting of members for expressing their opinions”, while also calling for collaboration within Greece’s progressive space. With many of the signatories being close collaborators of Tsipras, Kasselakis also caused a furore on Friday when he challenged the former prime minister to either return and take over or support him “without any games”. PASOK leader Nikos Androulakis has also faced a serious challenge to his leadership, with the party set for early leadership elections in the fall with Androulakis himself proposing a vote on October 6 and 13 during the party’s Central Committee meeting on Sunday. This came after weeks of internal clashes which culminated with an open challenge by Athens mayor Haris Doukas, who on Sunday announced that he would contest the party’s leadership. Doukas, who announced that he would unveil his vision for Greece in the party’s central committee, stated that in the event of his victory in a party leadership contest, he would not resign his mayoral role. Candidates will include former minister Pavlos Geroulanos, while other candidates may still put themselves forward. Spotlight - Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, following a European Union summit, stated that North Macedonia is harming its European future, and risking its accession, by disregarding the Prespa Agreement. “If Skopje insists on this line, it will essentially make extremely difficult – if not actually cancel – any process towards the immediate convergence with the European family”, he said. The Foreign Ministry had earlier accused the new government of North Macedonia of irredentism, following comments by President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova who referred to Greece’s region of Macedonia as “Aegean Macedonia.” Ahead of the European summit, Bulgaria also accused North Macedonia of not respecting the rights of the country’s Bulgarian minority, which, it stressed, further compounded its divergence from European values.
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OPINION | Tom EllisEditor-in-Chief, Kathimerini English Edition |
The Greek economy needs to reform [InTime News]The government often touts the progress Greece is making on the economic front emphasizing that the growth rate is above the eurozone average. But after going through two major crises, the economic one and the pandemic, it is self-evident that the starting point for the Greek economy was so low it could only go up and relatively fast. What is not often discussed is the fact that the growth being recorded is not based on investments and exports, but rather on consumption. That makes the trajectory blurry. If you add to the mix billions of euros coming in from the European Recovery Fund, the distortion of the economy’s real performance is even larger, and the need for bold reforms becomes even more pressing. The recent cabinet reshuffle does not generate much optimism about effectiveness and profound changes being implemented. But if we are to achieve real, long term and sustainable growth, with the benefits trickling down to the average citizen, the economy needs to modernise, and that can only happen with foreign investment, efficiency and innovation, away from intertwining interests, through transparency and a judiciary that is truly independent and functions with speed. The challenge for the prime minister in the months ahead and beyond – the next elections are expected in 2027 – is to present the right vision, utilise the best people, try to achieve the necessary consensus, and implement the badly needed changes and reforms as soon as possible |
| CHART OF THE WEEK | |  Despite the, mainly fiscal, measures implemented by the government, the supply of short-term rental properties continues to rise. In fact, there are more available beds on offer as short-term rentals than those on offer by the hotel market (with the short-term rental market expected to shatter the one-million bed milestone this summer). The growth rate of short-term rentals has far outstripped that of hotels, with more than 300,000 beds having been added since July 2019 compared to just 30,000 hotel beds. In fact, the increase in supply, as a percentage, far exceeds any increases in demand and revenues from foreign travellers. Τhis rapid pace of growth has also caused significant difficulties, particularly in rural Greece where there are still many deficiencies in state infrastructure including waste management, water supply, and electricity. This has led the government to mull new measures, including a time limit on the number of days a property can be offered for short-term rental. |
| | |  | ESCAPADE | | 20 free things to do in Athens this summer If you are traveling to Athens this summer and on a budget, don’t worry, there are plenty of fun sights to see and activities to participate in that are free. Kathimerini English Edition has compiled a broad list of free things to do in the city. Go to article > |
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| ECONOMY IN A NUTSHELL | | | “The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index closed at 1,404.26 points, down from 1.39% on a weekly basis. Despite a 1.93% drop in June, the benchmark gained 8.59% over the first half of the year.” | | | “The primary role of ‘Greedflation’ in soaring prices in Greece was confirmed by data from the Parliamentary Budget Office. ‘The analysis shows that earnings contributed more than twice as much to cumulative growth in deflated GDP through 2024 as wage costs’, notes the report.” | | | “Demand for luxury housing in Greece remains strong, with the market experiencing its best period since the financial crisis. Average property prices in 2022 increased by 12% and by 13% in 2023. Most buyers are from Israel, Turkey, Bulgaria, the United Kingdom, and France.” |
| WHAT'S ON THE AGENDA | | - 01/07/2024Karamanlis – Samaras: Former prime ministers Kostas Karamanlis and Antonis Samaras are both set to participate in an event at Greece’s War Museum, in what is widely seen as a slight by two of the main constituent ‘camps’ of New Democracy against Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
- 04/07/2024SYRIZA: The Political Committee of main opposition party SYRIZA is set to meet on Thursday to prepare for a session of the party’s Central Committee over recent developments.
- 05/07/2024Epidaurus Festival: Euripide’s play “Iphigenia in Aulis”, directed by Timofey Kulyabin, will open at the Ancient Theater of Epidaurus.
- 05/07/2024Thessaloniki Book Festival: The 43rd Thessaloniki Book Festival, that takes place along the city’s waterfront, will feature more than 400 publishing houses and 500 authors. This year’s iteration is dedicated to literature and poetry from Cyprus.
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Editor's Pick The primary surplus is often deliberately confused with the actual surplus in order to mask the fact that Greece is running a fiscal deficitKostas KallitsisRead the article |
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