Politics
Govt faces pushback from food service sector over re-opening rules
The first major incident of social unrest since Greece’s lockdown was imposed in March, and then relaxed on Monday, occurred on Tuesday night. It came as the government faces pressure from restaurant and café owners to relax restrictions so they can save their businesses.
Govt looks for formula to re-start tourism as calls intensify for support of entertainment sector
The Greek government, representatives of the tourism industry and state health authorities are accelerating their planning with a view to rescuing what is left of the summer tourist season from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Amid lack of communication, overflights add to Greek-Turkish tension
Athens is concerned about the continuous overflights by Turkish fighter jets in the Aegean as these currently involve large and inhabited Greek islands as well as parts of Greece’s mainland.
As easing of lockdown begins, government looks to salvage economy
The first stage of relaxing the lockdown imposed in March was launched on Monday, with the government hoping that Covid-19 will not flare up again and that Greece will be in a position to resume normal economic activity in the coming weeks, including welcoming at least some tourists during the summer.
Government extends pandemic support package amid opposition criticism
Greek political leaders returned to Parliament on Thursday to debate the national response to the pandemic.
PM presents roadmap for relaxing lockdown, highlights political messages from handling of Covid-19
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has announced the gradual relaxation of the lockdown that has been in place in Greece since March, highlighting that after suppressing Covid-19 the country’s next challenge is to ensure that the virus does not resurface in large numbers as restrictions are lifted.
Parliament re-opens for business amid calls for greater scrutiny
Greek parliamentarians are preparing to return to business this week, with a number of non-pandemic items on the agenda. The return to political normality looks set to rekindle confrontations on several fronts which have been temporarily suppressed in the interest of the national emergency.
Mitsotakis to set out lockdown relaxation plan as ND scales back economic support
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is due to announce on Tuesday the relaxation of the lockdown that has been in place since March, marking the first steps for Greece towards returning to something resembling normality.
Primary residences back in focus as Athens waits for recovery fund decision
Following another European Council teleconference during which no concrete decisions were reached regarding the coronavirus recovery fund, there is growing attention on the primary residence protection scheme, which is due to expire soon.
Survey sheds light on sentiments in lockdown, as govt backpedals on voucher scheme
A major survey highlights Greeks’ anxiety around the pandemic’s impact on their finances, while a government U-turn on support for professionals looks set to tarnish its reputation for competence.