Maria Spyraki

Kyriakos Mitsotakis is to meet with Jean Claude Juncker in Brussels

The main conservative opposition New Democracy Monday announced an overhaul of its communications department, a revamp believed to have been on the cards for some time and aimed at signaling renewal within the party.

Maria Spyraki has been appointed New Democracy's press spokesperson, replacing MP Vassilis Kikilias, the conservative opposition said Monday.

ND also announced that journalist Constantinos Zoulas will be directing the party's press office, replacing Makarios Lazaridis.

A video showing the newly elected President of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani referring to FYROM as “Macedonia”, has caused a backlash in Greece. The Italian politician went a step further by dubbing the citizens of FYROM descendants of Alexander the Great during a visit in the country’s capital Skopje, in February in his capacity as European Commissioner.

Brussels sought to downplay comments by European Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn, who lumped the claims by the Cham community in Albania along with other disputes in the negotiations between Tirana and Athens, saying the matter was "blown out of proportion."

Greece's Foreign Ministry on Thursday accused European Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn of siding with Albania over the issue of the exiled Cham community, after Hahn mentioned the issue as a live one between the two countries.

Pierre Moscovici, European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs, responding to a query on VAT rate for private education he said that the government should impose either a 23% VAT or none.

Prime Minister Antonis Samaras's New Democracy party responded on Tuesday to statements made by a candidate for the main opposition SYRIZA party, suggesting a renegotiation of several privatization projects and in particular of the cargo terminal at the country's main port in Piraeus.

SYRIZA denied on Monday that it intends to scrap the body that assesses whether candidates have the necessary qualities to be employed in the public sector.

The next Greek government could be offered a six-month bailout extension, while a third loan package might be put together by the troika, according to reports on Friday.