Latest News from Greece

Hands off our cotton, Thessaly farmers tell PM

Representatives of farmers from the region of Thessaly in central Greece said Friday after a meeting with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis that forcing them to abandon the cultivation of cotton would be a "red line" to them. 

Greek bonds are already on A rating for markets

The markets "rate" Greek bonds in the "A" category, five notches higher than their current average rating of "BBB-" that is in the lowest category of the investment grade, as the Bank of Greece pointed out on Friday.

Bill to free up space on Greece’s electricity grid

The Recovery and Resilience Plan is the "most ambitious program the European Union has ever conceived of planning and implementing," Environment and Energy Minister Thodoros Skylakakis said on Thursday, expressing satisfaction with the progress in its implementation and the loans envisioned under RepowerEU.

Greek police officer with 225 pounds of marijuana in patrol car arrested

A police officer on patrol duty in northwestern Greece was arrested on drugs charges Friday for allegedly using his service car to smuggle marijuana, authorities said.

The suspect was detained in the port town of Igoumenitsa following a road chase, together with an Albanian man found to be riding in the unmarked police vehicle.

New Democracy officials resign over voters’ list

Two conservative officials resigned and one was ousted on Friday amid a scandal involving the leak of an unspecified number of email addresses of Greek voters residing abroad.

Moody’s maintains Greece below investment level

Moody's remained on Friday the only major rating agency to maintain Greece outside the investment-grade states, as it affirmed the country's credit rating at "Ba1", with a stable outlook.

Last September the agency had raised Greece's rating two notches, from "Ba3". It has therefore maintained Greece one notch before investment level.

Cyclist Christos Volikakis positive for doping in retests from 2016 Olympics

Four-time Olympic cyclist Christos Volikakis tested positive for doping in retests of samples from the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, the International Cycling Union said on Friday.

Volikakis won medals for Greece in track cycling at world and European championships but not the Olympics where he was selected at each edition from Beijing in 2008 through the Tokyo Games in 2021.

Save seagrass meadows, HCMR study says

If Greece takes steps to stem the destruction of its meadows of Neptune grass (Posidonia oceanica) in the Southern Aegean alone, it could reach 37% of its greenhouse gas emissions absorption target by 2030, a study spearheaded by the Hellenic Center for Marine Research has found.

A valuable opportunity for diplomacy

The European Commission president and the prime ministers of Greece, Italy and Belgium are going to Egypt on Sunday to provide serious economic assistance and a support framework for this difficult time, but they will also try to fortify the Union against the fallout from the region's troubles.

EU’s chief prosecutor investigating Tempe disaster critical of ministerial immunity

The current legal framework in Greece has not allowed the European Public Prosecutor Office (EPPO) to investigate the Tempe railway disaster fully because ministers enjoy immunity for their actions carried out during their time in office, the European Union's chief prosecutor has said.

Extremism rears its ugly head again in Thessaloniki

Brutality and extremism re-emerged in full force in the northern city of Thessaloniki in recent days, reminding us that far-right and ultra-conservative radicalization remains a serious challenge in Greece.

US ambassador presses for more flights to Greece

US Ambassador to Greece George Tsunis stressed on Thursday the need for more flights from the United States to all of Greece and in particular Thessaloniki.

Eurostat Data: Bulgaria and Romania Report EU's Lowest Job Vacancy Rates in Q4 2023

According to Eurostat's latest publication, in the fourth quarter of 2023, the euro area witnessed a job vacancy rate of 2.7%, marking a decline from 2.9% in the preceding quarter and 3.1% in the same period of 2022. Notably, Bulgaria and Romania recorded the lowest job vacancy rates during this period, standing at 0.7% in both countries, BTA reported.

Greece will keep supplying Ukraine

Greece will continue supplying Ukraine with guns and ammunition this year without depleting its stocks.

The equipment will be bought from the Czech Republic and transferred directly to Ukraine. Czech and Greek officials are negotiating the prices of these systems; signing a bilateral agreement will follow.

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