Ancient Greek vessel docks for Pompey refit

(THE INDEPENDENT, 18.01.09)  The most complete ancient Greek ship ever found has arrived at the Mary Rose Centre in Portsmouth Harbour.  The ship was discovered in 1988 about 800 metres from the coastline off the city of Gela in Sicily. It was found in several layers of silt at a depth of five metres (16 [...]

Greek Think Tanks

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   In an ELIAMEP (www.eliamep.gr) paper titled “Governance in EU Social and Employment Policy – A Survey,”  G. Pagoulatos, M. Stasinopoulou and D. Sotiropoulos examine social and employment policy governance in the European Union since the launching of the European Employment Strategy (EES) and the Open Method of Coordination (OMC). The paper focuses [...]

Greece Donor to EU Neighbourhood Investment Facility

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)  The Foreign Ministry’s Special Secretary for the Development of International Programmes, Alexandros Tsiatsiamis, signed an agreement on Greece’s involvement as a donor country in the Neighbourhood Investment Facility (NIF) within the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy.  The NIF is aimed at bolstering possibilities for EU funding interventions in neighbouring countries in [...]

Greek FM Bakoyiannis meets with Iraqi Counterpart

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)  Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis and her visiting Iraqi counterpart Hoshyar Zebari held talks in Athens yesterday and agreed on: the establishment of a Greek Economic and Commercial Affairs Office in Iraq, Greece’s assistance in the protection of Iraq’s cultural heritage, and the building of a statue of Alexander the Great in Gaugamela.  [...]

2009: Year of Renewable Energy Sources

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   “We want 2009 to be the year of renewable energy sources (RES),” Development Minister Costis Hatzidakis said yesterday after a Cabinet meeting. The recent legislative changes will speed up the increased use of RES by cutting red tape and introducing incentives, the development ministry said yesterday. Applications for some 42 gigawatts (GW) [...]

Treasures from Medieval Halkis

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)    A unique collection of Venetian medieval jewelry from Halkis is going to be presented for the first time before a scientific audience, on January 27 at the Gennadius Library of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens. The collection – the largest part of which belongs to the British Museum since the [...]

Greek Innovation Plan Gains Laurels

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   During a special ceremony of the Hellenic Parliament on January 20, the Speaker of Parliament Dimitrios Sioufas bestowed honours to Antonios Platanios – winner of the 2008 Microsoft Innovation Days (Greece)- for his pioneer project on home energy saving. The sixteen-year old high school student won first place in 2008 Imagine Cup [...]

The New Athens Opera House’s Prelude

GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   World-renowned architect Renzo Piano unveiled his concept design for the new cultural complex in Faliro on January 24 at a special event at Zappeion Hall, which will include a new National Library and Opera House to be built and donated to the Greek state by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF). Prime Minister [...]

Green Power: Creating ”IRENA”

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)  Greece signed on Monday the founding treaty for the creation of an International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the founding conference of which was held in Bonn in January 26. The agreement was signed on behalf of the Greek government by Deputy Development Minister Ioannis Bougas, who highlighted the potential of renewable energy [...]

Foreign Affairs: Greece in Brussels

Bakoyannis @ EU Ministers Council
(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)  Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis attended the Council of European Union Foreign Ministers which convened in Brussels on Monday and examined developments in the Middle East, energy security and the priorities of the EU Czech Presidency. Following the council meeting, Bakoyannis spoke to the press. On the question of the situation prevailing [...]

Hagia Sophia Museum: Grand Opening

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   The Hagia Sophia is ready for a grand opening, following a restoration period of sixteen years. The revamping of the Hagia Sophia Museum was a key element in Istanbul being nominated “European Capital of Culture 2010“ along with the German town of Essen and the Hungarian city of Pecs.  Hurriet Daily News: Hagia [...]

59 Latin Americans in Greece

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   Following the visit of Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Theodore Kassimis in Latin America two months ago, 59 children and teenagers of Greek origin, aged 13 to 25, from Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina and Chile arrived in Athens on January 17. They were hosted by the Secretariat General for Greeks Abroad. 

Summer Deaflympics: Athens 2013

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   The president of International Committee of Sports for the Deaf, Dr Donalda Ammons and the president of the Organising Committee of the 22nd Summer Deaflympics 2013  Marianna Vardinoyiannis signed on January 20, in Athens, a memorandum of cooperation. Deputy Minister of Sports Yannis Ioannidis said that at least 5000 athletes from 100 countries [...]

Migration Front Line

GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos has penned an article titled: “The migration front line,” in the daily “Guardian” (21.1.2009) on the issue of migration. Pavlopoulos acknowledges the problem of illegal immigration for both Greece and Europe, especially in these times of economic stress, as well as the necessity for co-ordinated action. Pavlopoulos mentions the [...]

Greek FM Bakoyannis meets Palestinian Official

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)  Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis met on Friday in Athens with the Palestinian Authority Minister for Foreign Affairs Riad Al-Malki for talks focusing on developments in Gaza regarding Israel’s military operations. During a joint press conference afterwards, Bakoyannis underlined the need to open the crossing points to Gaza so that humanitarian aid can [...]

Greek PM: European Union a buffer against crisis

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   Addressing a meeting of youth party organisations affiliated with the European People’s Party (EPP) in Athens, on Saturday, Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis underscored the European Union’s role as a buffer against the worst repercussions of the current economic crisis.  “The crisis shows to European citizens how much more serious the repercussions would [...]

A Farewell to Greece / Αποχαιρετισμός στην Ελλάδα

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   In a letter published in Sunday “Kathimerini,” on December 28, 2008, Simon Gass, until recently British Ambassador to Athens, bids a warm farewell to Greece (pdf in Greek). 
“Write if you can on your last shell
the day the place the name
and fling it into the sea so that it sinks”
“Santorini -The naked child”- [...]

Greece: Children’s Book Fair in Athens

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)  The National Book Centre (EKEBI) i hosted the 2nd Children’s and Young Adults Book Fair in Athens from January 23 to 26, in collaboration with publishers of children’s books and the Circle of the Greek Children’s Book. The fair aims to widen the horizons of children and attract new readers. The main [...]

An African Chameleon in Greece

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   A very beautiful reptile with vivacious patterns, the African chameleon lives in a very special part of Europe: right on a narrow strip of land formed on Yalova beach in the prefecture of Messenia. A project studying the chameleon and how it can best be protected is underway. The campaign is designed [...]

World Media on Greece – 2008 Highlights

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   Read a selection of last year’s international media articles about Greece at the Secretariat General of Information website (www.minpress.gr/minpress/en). Among the essential articles are features about the deal between Greece and Russia regarding the South Stream natural gas pipeline, the revival of Greek viticulture, the architecture of the New Acropolis Museum and [...]