Politics

An individual uses an ATM in Greece. Credits: Cogiati- CC-BY-SA-3.0 Greek Minister of National Economy and Finance Kyriakos Pierrakakis announced yesterday (Monday, July 21) a legislative move to eliminate withdrawal fees for bank customers using ATMs—even those operated by third-party providers. This decision comes in response to mounting public concern following Piraeus Bank’s recent sale of its ATMs, which was followed by an announcement of rising fees. According to Pierrakakis, the Ministry will introduce a new amendment by the end of August mandating zero charges for cash withdrawals from ATMs belonging to other banks, provided they are part of the DIAS (Interbanking System) network. “Public services should serve, not entrap. We are taking immediate action—setting boundaries, establis...

Syntagma Square, Greek Parliament, Athens. Credit: Tomas Wolf / Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0 DE In the 1990s, the Greek government introduced a series of subsidies for certain categories of public sector employees that, by most standards, seemed excessive or even absurd. When the Greek Socialist Party (PASOK), led by Andreas Papandreou, won the national election on October 10, 1993, it marked the third time since 1981 that Papandreou had been elected to lead the country. He defeated New Democracy leader Konstantinos Mitsotakis, who had served as prime minister from April 1990 to October 1993. The PASOK leader brought major changes to Greece’s fiscal policies. In sharp contrast to Mitsotakis’ more conservative approach, he increased public spending, raised pensions and public sector salar...

File photo. Government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis has condemned a map published by an Albanian magazine that depicts Greek territories as part of Albania. Marinakis described the map as “ahistorical” and confirmed that Greece has issued a formal protest to the Albanian side. “Greece underscores that such publications can only have a negative impact,” he said during a press briefing for political editors. “The publication in an online magazine does not reflect the official position of the Albanian government.” Source link

Athens, Greece (August 3, 2025, 12:23 AM AEST) – Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis hinted at his departure from politics in an interview with Dimitris Danikas for Proto Thema. "This job as prime minister ends at some point, and I will need to work outside politics. Let those who understand, understand," Mitsotakis stated, sparking speculation about his future and the leadership of New Democracy (ND). The remarks, set to be analyzed in the Sunday, August 3 edition of Proto Thema, suggest Mitsotakis may step down as prime minister, ND president, and Member of Parliament after the next elections. Analysts see this as either opening succession discussions within ND or a call to quell internal party conflicts until the 2027 elections, where Mitsotakis aims for a parliamentary majo...

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are scheduled to meet midday Wednesday in Ankara, 17 months after their last encounter, amid last-minute disruptions reflecting the persistent lack of trust that defines Greek-Turkish relations. Following their meeting, the two leaders will co-chair the sixth session of the High-Level Cooperation Council. No substantive breakthroughs are expected, a reality underscored by the diplomatically unusual decision of Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to publicly differentiate between members of the Greek government whom he described as supportive of resolving bilateral disputes and others whom he portrayed as obstacles. Speaking about 36 hours before the scheduled meeting, Fidan told CNN Turk that Mitsotakis and Gree...

Illegal aid The EPPO dossier describes a “criminal organization” comprising officials from Greece’s agency for distributing EU subsidies, OPEKEPE, along with individuals and MPs who illegally received EU agricultural subsidies, according to officials who have viewed it.  In a 36-page note in English attached to the file, EPPO states that officials at OPEKEPE and the Agriculture Ministry, together with people in business, “acted in an organized manner in order to establish a system of non-controls and obtain or facilitate the receipt of illegal aid.” EPPO said former Agriculture Minister Lefteris Avgenakis (center) should face further legal investigation. | Olivier Hoslet/EPA “The extent of this fabrication of payment entitlements and the total damage to EU funds has not yet bee...

Greek Government introduces a bill for illegal migration Credit: wikimedia commons / Ggia CC BY 4.0 The Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum submitted a bill to Parliament on Friday introducing amendments to the institutional framework governing illegal migration and updating Greek law in accordance with the new European Return Regulation. Specifically, the proposed bill sets out rules and procedures for returning third-country nationals residing illegally in Greece. Key points of the Greek migration bill The main provisions of the submitted bill are as follows: Updated definitions based on new regulation Notably, the concept of “return country” is expanded to cover the country of habitual residence, the safe third country, and the first asylum country where the international protect...

[Intime News] Migrants in Greece with rejected asylum claims will be required to wear ankle monitors as part of planned measures to speed up deportations, a government official announced Monday. Migration Minister Thanos Plevris said the measure is set to be implemented before the end of the year under reforms that would criminalize noncompliance with deportation orders. “The use of electronic monitoring will make it clear that the options have narrowed,” Plevris told state-run ERT radio. The tougher regulations, including mandatory jail terms for defying deportation orders, will be submitted to parliament next month after a summer delay caused by a spike in migrant arrivals from Libya to the island of Crete. Plevris said electronic monitori...

PIRAEUS, Greece (AFP) — A series of pro-Palestinian protests targeting an Israeli cruise ship around Greece have irritated a conservative government walking a diplomatic tightrope with Middle Eastern powers during the Gaza war.At the crack of dawn on Thursday at the port of Piraeus outside Athens, dozens of riot police armed with truncheons, tear gas and shields sealed up a cruise terminal from hundreds of demonstrators.Their ire was directed at the “Crown Iris,” a hulking Israeli tourist ship that has attracted protests at each of its stops in the country since last month.Tourism is a pillar of the Greek economy, but pro-Palestinian activists say the visitors “whitewash” Israel’s devastating war in Gaza that was sparked by the unprecedented 2023 Hamas attack.According to the All Workers M...

Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Alexis Tsipras. Credit: Amna Greece is entering a new era of political turbulence. Scandals, governance failures, and voter frustration are shaking established leaders like Kyriakos Mitsotakis, while speculation grows over Alexis Tsipras’ potential return. The latest Interview poll, published on August 26, shows New Democracy plunging to 21.4 percent, Syriza languishing at 3.7 percent, and a staggering 43 percent of voters responding “none of the above” when asked who is most suitable for prime minister. The global financial crash of the late 2010s redefined party dynamics, eroding the once-dominant PASOK and weakening New Democracy, while propelling the left-wing Syriza from a marginal force to government. Today, however, Greece appears headed into a new kind of po...