Friday, March 29, 2024

Greece

France steers EU attention to Greece-Turkey standoff in East Med

French President Emmanuel Macron has taken a strong position in support of the rights of Greece and Cyprus, calling on Turkey to stop unilateral...

North Macedonia’s coalition government forms up, as directed

Once again, to the delight of North Macedonia’s Western supporters, Skopje has a new coalition government that looks very much like last year’s pre-election...

Athens pivots to Washington for help with Turkish provocations

In the latest sub-chapter of the seemingly never-ending dispute over energy exploration rights in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean, Athens has again called for...

Greece-Egypt EEZ deal doesn’t sit easy with Turkey

Greece and Egypt signed a maritime border deal on August 6 with Turkey saying the deal falls in its continental shelf.Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh...

North Macedonia’s elections unfold, marginally, as directed

To the delight of North Macedonia’s western supporters, the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM) landed a razor-thin electoral majority on July 15 in...

Cyprus moves ahead with LNG terminal works eyeing EU market

Natural Gas Infrastructure Company of Cyprus (ETYFA) has issued the Notice to Proceed to the Consortium that was awarded the construction works of the...

Greece quarantines camp as 20 refugees test positive for coronavirus

Ritsona refugee camp in Greece has been placed under quarantine for two weeks after 20 of its residents tested positive for the COVID-19. Dozens of...

Could bad data be to blame for high coronavirus death toll

European countries saw some of the highest death told for coronavirus over the last month. Deaths in Italy have surpassed those in China many...

North Macedonia’s (unaffordable) NATO dream takes shape

North Macedonia’s flag is flying over NATO Headquarters today in Brussels as the alliance’s 30th member after the final accession formalities were completed on...

Europe's masked corona ball

Response from the Cabinet of Commissioner Lenarčič: At the end of January, as the outbreak intensified in Wuhan coronavirus epicentre, President von der Leyen triggered...

Greece is reaching a 'whatever it takes' moment

There is not a single Athenian who could have ever imagined that the streets of the city would be completely empty. Even in mid-August,...

In desperate times, EU approves new Balkan Enlargement steps

Moving on a trajectory that senior EU leaders publicly outlined at the Munich Security Conference in mid-February, the EU’s General Affairs Council (GAC) agreed...

US Democrats overseas vote again for Bernie Sanders

Democrats Abroad, the official international arm of the US’ Democratic Party, announced on March 23 the verified results of the Global Presidential Primary, which...

MEPs urge evacuation of hotspots on Greek islands to stop COVID-19 spread

As Lesvos island has confirmed its first COVID-19 case, MEPs are urging the European Commission to evacuate migrant camps, the so-called 'hotspots' on Greek...

Union for the Mediterranean calls for regional action to tackle water scarcity

In light of World Water day on March 22, the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) has called for regional dialogue to address common challenges...

Greece's first female president sworn in

Greece’s first female president was formally sworn in to office Friday, nearly two months after the country’s parliament voted overwhelmingly to elect her. Katerina Sakellaropoulou,...

Mitsotakis warns EU of 'asymmetric' threat from Turkish border, Johansson calls for respecting asylum law

Amid preparations of EU's new Pact on Asylum and Migration, Ylva Johansson Commissioner for Home Affairs visited Athens on Thursday, to hold talks with...

What is Greece expecting from a new EU-Turkey Statement

The seat of the Greek government in the heart of Athens, the Maximos Mansion, has resembled a war room since late February, ever since...

Erdogan says border will stay open until EU meets his demands

Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said Wednesday he would keep the border open for migrants until the European Union had met all his demands. “Until...

Journalists' Federation urges EU27 to create safe environment for reporting in Greece

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) is asking from the EU and member states to create a safe environment for journalists reporting in Greece,...

Clashes between migrants, police erupt on Greek-Turkish border

Clashes have erupted on the Greek-Turkish border, with Greek security forces using tear gas and a water cannon to hold back the thousands of...

Delphi Forum postponed but American VIPs arrive in Greece

On February 29 the Delphi Forum announced a postponement until late spring due to the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak that had just hit several major...

Brussels' action plan to support Greece

EU Vice-President Margaritis Schinas and the Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson announced that Brussels has adopted an action plan for Greece that would...

Greece's Mitsotakis pulls no punches, labels Turkey 'a smuggler' in front of EU leaders

Greece's land borders in its northeastern region of Evros have been under siege since February 28 when Turkish officials announced that they would no...

Frontex to launch rapid border intervention at Greece's external borders

The European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) has agreed to deploy a Rapid Border Intervention Team (RABIT) at Greece's sea borders in the...

Erdogan warns Europe to expect millions of migrants

Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned on Monday that "millions" of migrants would soon head for Europe. He was accused by EU leaders that he...

Clashes erupt as Turkey allows thousands of migrants to head for Greece

Thousands of migrants have gathered at Turkey's border with Greece, after the Turkish government last week allowed their passage to Europe, saying it had...

Brussels calls for extraordinary meeting on Idlib, following Greek MFA request

EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell called on Sunday for an extraordinary Foreign Affairs Council to discuss the situation in Idlib, following a request by...

Energean to acquire Total’s stake in Western Greece

Greece’s Energean Oil and Gas announce on 27 February that it has signed an agreement for the acquisition of Total’s stake in Block 2, offshore...

Turkey says will not stop Syrian refugees reaching Europe

Turkey is "no longer able to hold refugees" following a Syrian attack in Idlib, a spokesman for president Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AKP party,...

Amidst crises, Greece finds time for renewed Balkan diplomacy

Despite the multiple crises Greece is currently facing – a continuing refugee deluge and massive public reaction on some islands, the spreading coronavirus threat,...

France reports first coronavirus death, as epidemic spreads in Europe

The French Health Ministry reported that a 60-year-old man died of a COVID-19 (popularly known as coronavirus) infection overnight on Wednesday, February 26 in...

Greece reports first Coronavirus case

A 38-year-old woman in Thessaloniki is the first confirmed case of Coronavirus in Greece, according to a Health Ministry spokesperson. The woman, who had recently...

Commission calls on Romania, Greece and Malta to adopt national air pollution control programmes

Romania, Greece and Malta need to adopt their first national air pollution control programmes to limit their annual emissions, according to a warning issued by the...

North Macedonia takes a small step forward and one backwards this week

Since being installed in early January in preparation for the country’s April 6 elections, Caretaker Government Labour Minister Rashela Mizrahi, from the ultranationalist VMRO-DPMNE...

Greek government offer details about closed facilities for migrants

The Greek government has opted to speed up the process for establishing closed facilities on the country’s islands that are still dealing with the...

Greek authorities place NGOs under online scrutiny

At this point, more than 20,000 asylum seekers find themselves stuck on Greece’s North Aegean island of Lesbos. The island has been at the...

The myth lifts in Corinthia, nature calls skiers, hikers, tourists

TRIKALA, Corinthia – According to legend, the nymph Maia gave birth to Zeus’ son Hermes in a cave near Lake Dasios on beautiful Mount...

France scores victory on Enlargement rules

The EU Commission released new proposed rules on February 5 which substantially modify the current Enlargement process but also allow EU member states to...

Greece steps up military presence on its border with Turkey

Greece has boosted the number of police and soldiers along its border in an effort to stop the arrival of new waves of refugees...

EU Commission approves €223 million fund to boost ultrafast broadband in Greece

The European Commission approved on Friday a €223 million funding of an ultrafast broadband project in Greece that will provide fast internet access to almost...

Greece ratifies new defence deal with Washington

Late on January 30, the Greek parliament voted to ratify Greece’s new defence agreement signed with the US last October during the visit of...

Greece ex-captain Zagorakis expelled from political group amid football turmoil

Thodoris Zagorakis, MEP of European People's Party (EPP) was expelled from Greece's ruling party of New Democracy group in the European Parliament, following a...

Macron accuses Erdogan of breaking promises on Libya

French president Emmanuel Macron accused his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of breaking the promise and meddling in the Libya conflict. "I want to express...

EU's Asylum Agency signs deal on expanding operations in Greece

The European Asylum Support Office (EASO) and the Greek government signed a deal on Tuesday to boost EASO's operational deployments in the country, which...

EIB to help Greece enhance energy efficiency and tackle climate change

The European Investment Bank on 23 January agreed to continue support for new priority investment across Greece intended to enhance energy efficiency and tackle...

EU eyes hydrogen for zero emissions energy

ATHENS – The Commitment of the new European Commission to a clean energy transition that includes an important role for hydrogen is very clear,...

US diplomatic engagement helps reopen Kosovo-Serbia flights

Representatives of Serbia, Kosovo, the US, and Lufthansa Group signed a milestone agreement on January 20 to establish an air link between Serbia and...

East Med Gas Forum makes Cairo HQ

Egypt, Cyprus, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan and Palestinian Authority signed in Cairo on 16 January the East Med Gas Forum (EMGF) foundation charter, creating...

Sale of Piraeus Bank's Bulgarian subsidiary to Eurobank did not breach EU state aid rules, EU Commission says

After examining a complaint received in January 2019 that led to the opening of a formal investigation procedure, the European Commission confirmed on Wednesday...

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