MacroPolis

PM pledges another billion for energy bills as govt retreats over environment bill

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has pledged to pull out all the stops to help households deal with high energy bills, although it is not clear that the relief measures are having the desired effect in terms of winning over public opinion.

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.

Scant recognition of energy crisis in draft climate law, but EU package may force tougher targets

Greece’s first climate law made its way to Parliament this week, with only minor changes in light of public consultation and the unfolding energy crisis. The legislation was tabled on the same day that the European Commission presented its REPowerEU package aimed at cutting dependence on Russian fossil fuels.

PM set to prolong coal use, sparking complaints about energy policy U-turn

A decision to prolong the use life of several coal-burning power stations has put Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on the spot, as opposition parties accuse him of being personally responsible for the energy crisis he is purporting to address.

From the National Energy and Climate Plan to COP26: What has Greek climate policy learned?

By: Georgia Nakou

A lot has happened in the two years since Kyriakos Mitsotakis, freshly elected as Greek PM, took to the stage at the UN General Assembly in 2019 to launch “a new, ambitious, national strategy on energy and climate change” for Greece, a strategy which was outlined and quantified in the National Energy and Climate Plan adopted a few months later.

Against backdrop of growing energy challenges, PPC capital raise stirs reaction

Although Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his aides have been meeting with investors in New York, the headlines in Friday’s newspapers were dominated by the news that the state-controlled Public Power Corporation (PPC) is launching a capital raise that will lead to the country’s main electricity supplier becoming majority-owned by the private sector.

Mitsotakis, Erdogan keep distance at UN as summer moratorium draws to close

The annual gathering of world leaders in New York within the framework of the United Nations’ General Assembly is always seen as a fine opportunity by every government to inform the international community on the challenges it faces, the vision and its strategy especially on issues related to its foreign policy.

Short-term fix for electricity bills leaves open questions for green transition strategy

By: Georgia Nakou

Greek households are being warned about the possibility of steep hikes in their electricity bills this winter, as the government scrambles to cushion the effects of inflation across a range of basic goods.

Mitsotakis faces press in attempt to defuse criticism over wildfire handling

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis gave an extended press conference on Thursday as part of what is seen as a concerted effort by the government to address the criticism it has faced over the management of the catastrophic forest fires of the prior week.

Anger over wildfires grows as PM prepares lines of defence

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his government are coming under greater pressure by the day as the authorities struggle to contain and extinguish wildfires in Greece, particularly on the island of Evia, where more than 45,000 hectares of land has been burnt since the blaze began there last week.