Politics
Govt presents menu of energy proposals in Brussels as power subsidy cost balloons
Athens continues to press for solutions to the energy crisis at an EU level as the cost of domestic subsidy programmes skyrockets, threatening to cut further into the budget.
Athens cultivates Saudi Arabia relations, prepares for MBS visit
For some time, Athens has been investing in new partnerships in the wider Middle East region to justify its openness to a multidimensional foreign policy, but also to attract investments.
Fires continue to test capabilities and spark political confrontation
Wildfires continued to test the government and the country’s civil protection capabilities over the weekend, although a new opinion poll suggested that New Democracy has not been damaged by the recent blazes and is, instead, closing in on a potential parliamentary majority at the upcoming elections.
Questions posed about pace of absorption for RRF funds
As the dust settled from this week’s forest fire on the outskirts of Athens, SYRIZA turned its attention to the government’s performance in absorbing funds from the European Union’s Covid response package, the Recovery and Resilience Facility.
Opposition challenges government account of prompt wildfire response
With the wildfires which burned through the northeast suburbs of Athens extinguished, the political recriminations have begun. The government is claiming success, but opposition parties are accusing the New Democracy administration of arrogance and misplaced priorities
Fire on outskirts of Athens puts PM's crisis strategy under scrutiny
A large wildfire on the outskirts of Athens broke out on Tuesday, piling fresh pressure on the centre-right government and all but killing off the prospects of snap elections later this year.
Early details show energy emergency plan facing practical challenges
As Greek authorities prepare for pan-European natural gas shortages in the coming months, the regulator’s national emergency plan offers a glimpse of the cost and effort that will be required to keep the lights on this winter.
Relief measures being lined up, but PM's eye also on reforms rollout
Although most of the focus will fall on what measures the government plans to unveil in the autumn to combat the cost-of-living crisis, reports suggest that Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is also keen to promote his administration’s reformist credentials between now and the end of the year.
US amendment on Turkish jets adds new factor in Athens-Ankara ties
The US House of Representatives approved last Thursday an amendment to the annual defence spending bill that restricts the sale of F-16 fighter jets and modernisation tools to Turkey unless the US president decided such a transfer is in America’s national interests.
Flashpoints fuel contest for centrist voters
As the battle intensifies between Greek parties for the support of centre ground voters, a group which could decide the outcome of the next elections, opinion polls continue to show that Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has a strong appeal among centrists, and that PASOK-KINAL leader Nikos Androulakis has overtaken SYRIZA’s Alexis Tsipras.