Development Ministry

The Development Ministry has published a list of the businesses that are being permitted to go back into operation on Monday, June 1, as restrictions imposed in March as part of efforts to curb the coronavirus continue to be lifted.

As part of the government's effort to expedite the return to normalcy for businesses in Greece, the competent state health authorities have approved the opening of restaurants, bars and cafes on May 25.

Meanwhile on Monday - and two weeks earlier than originally estimated - shopping malls, department stores and discount outlets will reopen.

A demolition order for about 450 buildings inside the mixed-use development of the former Athens airport at Elliniko was published in the government gazette on Wednesday, opening the way for work to begin at the site.

The creation of the Guarantee Fund, which will be activated by the Development Ministry in early May to oversee the supply of state-guaranteed working capital of over 7 billion euros up until the end of 2020, marks the start of the economic recovery, through the direct injection of cash into medium-to-large and large businesses.

The Development Ministry has issued fines of 113,500 euros in total over the period from March 16 to 24 following 266 inspections for profiteering in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

As of Thursday, supermarket opening hours will only be 60 minutes longer per day compared to the period before the onset of the coronavirus epidemic in Greece, while this Sunday, and possibly the next, they will remain closed.

The Democritus University of Thrace in northeastern Greece is seeking to build new, ecologically friendly student dorms and research facilities that will contribute to reducing the carbon footprint of its campuses in the towns of Alexandroupoli, Komotini and Xanthi.

The first week that the new coronavirus was reported in Greece - i.e. the last week of February - witnessed an increase in supermarket turnover that was comparable only to the period straight after the government of Alexis Tsipras imposed capital controls in late June 2015.

Payments from the European Union's Partnership Agreement for the Development Framework, known in Greek as ESPA, amounted to 32.7 percent of public spending over 2019, a statement by the Development Ministry noted on Friday. When the Agricultural Development Program is included, the payments represent a 35.8 percent share.

The Development Ministry is planning to crack down on debt collection companies that instead of simply informing clients of their arrears use harassment tactics against debtors but also against their relatives, often even for sums as small as 20 euros.