PM George Papandreou Interview at “Politique Internationale”

Few countries have suffered from the global economic crisis as much as Greece. Not only did it feel the full force of the financial earthquake, but it also found itself under attack by international speculators. Today, as the IMF and the European Union prepare to help, the country is licking its wounds and trying to understand how things got so bad. George Papandreou is not the last to ask the question. Elected prime minister in October 2009, the leader of the Pan-Hellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) is fiercely critical of the previous center-right New Democracy administration, which he believes is guilty of setting up a system of cronyism and of knowingly underestimating the public debt and budget deficit. But the new head of government is an energetic man. In this exclusive interview, he outlines his strategy for resolving his country’s daunting problems. http://www.politiqueinternationale.com/revue/article.php?id_revue=127&id=901&content=synopsis

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2nd “London Greek Film Festival 2009” Awards

The Press Office of the Greek Embassy in London, along with the

"London Greek Film Festival" Awards

Hellenic Centre and the London office of the GNTO supported and co-organised the second London Greek Film Festival. Among the people who followed the festival’s events were artists, film makers, producers, members of the Academia, reporters and so on.
The London Greek Film Festival is a unique opportunity for the Greek culture to reach the British public, while contributing in promoting Greek films as well as new film makers and actors.
On Sunday 1^st November the Odysseus awards ceremony took place at the Hellenic Centre. Key speakers at the ceremony were the Head of the Greek Press Office in London Mr Spyros Diamantis and the Head of the GNTO London Office Ms Sophia Panagiotaki.

The film director Stefanos Mondelos

The Script Award for short film at the 2^nd London Greek Film Festival 2009 was attributed to the script:  “Two Shoes on Wheels” of Stefanos Mondelos, based on the illustrated fairytale of Nikolaos Andrikopoulos (“Ellinika Grammata” editions).
This script was awarded for the second time recently, as it has received the 3^rd Award for Adapted Script for short film by the Hellenic Book Center.

Τα βραβεία του: «2ου London Greek Film Festival»

Με στόχο την προβολή του ελληνικού κινηματογράφου, αλλά και γενικότερα την προβολή της χώρας μας στη Μεγάλη Βρετανία, πραγματοποιήθηκε φέτος στο Λονδίνο για δεύτερη συνεχή χρονιά από τις 30 Οκτωβρίου έως την 1^η Νοεμβρίου το Φεστιβάλ Ελληνικού Κινηματογράφου, το οποίο συνδιοργανώθηκε από το Γ.Τ.Ε. Λονδίνου, το Hellenic Centre και τον ΕΟΤ.
Στα πλαίσια του Φεστιβάλ, το κοινό είχε την ευκαιρία να παρακολουθήσει 41 ταινίες μικρού μήκους – με αγγλικούς υπότιτλους – οι περισσότερες από τις οποίες παρουσιάστηκαν για πρώτη φορά στη Μεγάλη Βρετανία. Στις προβολές που πραγματοποιήθηκαν στις δύο ημέρες που διήρκεσε το Φεστιβάλ, συμπεριλαμβάνονταν ταινίες μυθοπλασίας, επιστημονικής φαντασίας, ντοκυμαντέρ, ταινίες κινουμένων σχεδίων (animation), ταινίες μικρού μήκους, και video art. Επίσης, παρουσιάστηκαν σενάρια για ταινίες επιστημονικής φαντασίας και για ταινίες μικρού μήκους.
Την πρώτη μέρα του Φεστιβάλ (Παρασκευή 30 Οκτωβρίου) παραγωγοί και σκηνοθέτες είχαν την ευκαιρία να λάβουν μέρος στο Informational Networking Event με τίτλο Shooting in Greece: Ένα εργαστήρι, στα πλαίσια του οποίου, οι συμμετέχοντες είχαν τη δυνατότητα να ενημερωθούν σε βάθος από τους αρμοδίους και να λάβουν κάθε είδους πληροφορίες όσον αφορά την κινηματογράφηση στην Ελλάδα, (επίσης πληροφορίες για ελληνικές εταιρείες παραγωγής, για σημεία ειδικού ενδιαφέροντος στην Ελλάδα, για χρηματοδοτήσεις κλπ). Το Φεστιβάλ περιλάμβανε επίσης συζητήσεις, παρουσιάσεις σεναρίων και διοργάνωση εργαστηρίων (workshops).
Την Κυριακή 1^η Νοεμβρίου, ημέρα λήξης του Φεστιβάλ, απονεμήθηκαν στο Hellenic Centre τα βραβεία Odysseus. Κεντρικοί ομιλητές στην τελετή απονομής των βραβείων ήταν ο Σπύρος Διαμαντής, επικεφαλής του Γ.Τ.Ε. Λονδίνου, η Σοφία Παναγιωτάκη, Διευθύντρια του Γραφείου ΕΟΤ και ο Διευθυντής του Φεστιβάλ, Χρήστος Προσύλης.
Το Βραβείο Σεναρίου μικρού μήκους ταινίας στο 2nd London Greek Film Festival 2009 έλαβε το σενάριο “Δυό Παπούτσια με Καρότσι”  του Στέφανου Μονδέλου, βασισμένο στο ομώνυμο εικονογραφημένο παραμύθι του Νικόλαου Ανδρικόπουλου (εκδ. Ελληνικά Γράμματα). Το συγκεκριμένο σενάριο βραβεύεται για δεύτερη φορά, μετά το 3ο Βραβείο Διασκευασμένου Σεναρίου για ταινία μικρού μήκους που έλαβε εφέτος, στον Διαγωνισμό Διασκευασμένου Σεναρίου που διοργανώνεται για πέμπτη συνεχή χρονιά από το Εθνικό Κέντρο Βιβλίου.

“Dialogue of Civilizations” Concludes

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   The 7th Annual Session of the World Public Forum “Dialogue of Civilizations” concluded on the Dodecanese island of Rhodes yesterday (October 13) with the adoption of the “2009 Rhodes Declaration.”  The event was attended by 500 delegates from 70 countries and among the messages read out was one by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who praised the positive impact of the annual forum on several international and regional mechanisms and in developing relations between civil societies in many countries.  In its final meeting, the Forum decided to hold its 8th annual session on Rhodes once more, on October 7-10, 2010.

Ελλάδα: Εθνικές Εκλογές / Αποτελέσματα

(ΥΠΟΥΡΓΕΙΟ ΕΣΩΤΕΡΙΚΩΝ) Τα αποτελέσματα των Βουλευτικών εκλογώνΤα αποτελέσματα των Βουλευτικών Εκλογών 2009 που διενεργήθηκαν στην Ελλαδα την Κυριακή 4 Οκτωβρίου 2009. THE RESULTS IN ENGLISH

Dive in at Vouliagmeni Lakr

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA) The eighth and final round, or ‘stop’ of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2009 was held at Vouliagmeni Lake, near Athens, on September 20.  The ruins of Poseidon’s Temple at nearby Sounio served as an impressive backdrop for a synchronised 21 metre helicopter dive, before the closely contested final: only nine points separated the two top contenders, Orlando Duque of Colombia and Gary Hunt (shown in photo) of Britain.   The World Series began in May, in La Rochelle France, and continued in Rotterdam (Netherlands), Dubrovnik (Croatia), Polignano a Mare (Italy), Antalya (Turkey), Hamburg (Germany), and Sisikon (Switzerland), before the Vouliagmeni final.

Greek Basketball Team Wins Bronze Medal

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA) The men’s Greek basketball team yesterday won the bronze medal at the FIBA European Basketball Championship, Eurobasket 2009, held in Poland, by beating Slovenia 57-56.

Spain won the gold medal beating Serbia in the final by 85-63.    This was the second medal for Greece in the last four years, after winning the gold medal in EuroBasket 2005 Championship.  Moreover Vasileios Spanoulis was selected for the All-Tournament Team together with Spain’s Pau Gasol who was named MVP, Serbia’s Milos Teodosic, Slovenia’s Erazem Lorbek and Spain’s Rudy Fernandez.  It has been a great year for Greek basketball as earlier in the summer the Greek Under-20basketball team won the 2009 U20 European Championship by defeating France 90-85, andGreece’s under-19 team won second place and the silver medal at the 2009 FIBA World U19 Basketball Championship in New Zealand.

Greek Basketball Team Reaches Q- Finals in Poland

PHOTO: EuroBasket 2009 – Final Round / Germany vs. Greece on 11.09.2009 /Greece Fans / Photographer: FIBA Europe / Castoria / Vlachos
(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)  The Greek Basketball team reached the Q-finals of the EuroBasket 2009 tournament, which is taking place in Poland (September 7-20, 2009).
After four wins and two defeats in the qualifying round, Greece will face either Turkey or Slovenia on September 18, to qualify for the semi-finals.

PHOTO: Vasileios Spanoulis (Greece) /EuroBasket 2009 – Final Round / France vs. Greece on 15.09.2009  / Photographer: FIBA Europe / Castoria / Vlachos

Golden U20 Greeks

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   The Greek Under-20 basketball team won the European Championship yesterday (July 26) by defeating France 90-85.  After an amazing final, the Greek team triumphed and captured the gold medal in the 2009 U20 European Championship, which took place on the island of Rhodes, from July 16 until July 26.  Seven players including all five starters scored in double figures led by tournament Most Valuable Player (MVP) Kostas Papanikolaou.  Thus, the golden generation added Greece’s first ever U-20 gold medal to U-18 gold in 2008 and the silver from this month’s U19 FIBA World Championship. “This is a special moment. Another gold and first in Europe. Every medal is special and this is special because we are at home in Rhodes with our friends and family,” said Pappas, member of both the U20 and the U19 All-Tournament Team in New-Zealand. Greek News Agenda: Greece Wins Euro U-18

Greek Business Matters

♦ 2009 Budget Progress

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   Following the end of the first semester of 2009, the government, true has re-evaluated the consequences of the global crisis on Greek economy and the national budget, as well as the predictions concerning growth prospects in 2009.  After evaluating the data, it emerges that certain sectors of the economy, mainly private consumption and exports, will experience a downturn worse than predicted in the updated Growth and Stability programme. However, Economy and Finance Minister Yannis Papathanssiou believes the Greek economy will enter a recovery phase towards the end of the year, and will definitely record positive growth rates in 2010, as he stated during a recent press conference (25.6.2009).  Ministry of Economy and Finance: Tables on the 2009 Budget Progress

♦ HEPO: New Website 

The Hellenic Foreign Trade Board (HEPO) is officially responsible for implementing the export policy of Greece. The organization focuses primarily on designing and coordinating activities for firms to expand their business into foreign markets, promoting best-practices in line with the national export policy, as well as encouraging and assisting SMEs in entering international markets. With the goal of reinforcing the efforts of Greek companies to expand their activities to foreign markets, HEPO implements a further innovative and ambitious initiative, titled “Greek building materials,” & “Greek building services.”  The initiative is incorporated into the framework of the country’s broad exporting policy set by the Ministry of Economy and Finance and concerns the overall promotion of the sectors of construction, building materials, equipment, and related services. For information, visit HEPO’s new website

Olympus Marathon 2009

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)  Olympus Marathon, a unique trail running event held annually on Mount Olympus, took place on June 29. Participants gathered at the remains of the sacred city of Dion, at sunrise and followed the route itself which revives the pilgrimage that the ancient Greeks made to Mt Olympus in early summer – in June – to honour and to sacrifice to Zeus -the chief deity of the Greek pantheon. Starting from a sea-level altitude, athletes followed 44km of trails and reached the height of 2780m retracing history and myth. The winner of the Olympus Marathon 2009 is Spain’s Hernandez Gispert.

Athens Cultural Summer 2009

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   The City of Athens, via its Cultural Organisation, invites one and all to join a major celebration this summer featuring 586 events that will take place in squares, open spaces and theatres around the city.  The events harmoniously combine traditions and contemporary ideas and offer something for everyone, including residents, children and visitors to Athens. The basic components of the “Cultural Summer 2009” programme are European Music Day featuring 27 events, the ‘Culture for All’ programme with 430 events, the Athens Festival with 118 events and the 7th Athens International Dance Festival with 12 performances.

European Parliament Elections 2009

JUNE 4-7: EUROPEANS VOTE
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(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)  In Greece, the European Parliament elections will take place on June 7.  In the member-states of the EU, where Greek citizens reside permanently or happen to be during the election period, the election will take place on June 6.  The Greek diplomatic authorities in those member-states must provide information regarding the precise election day, Greek citizens’ voting rights, as well as the electoral procedure to be followed. For the EU Election, the Greek Territory constitutes a united electoral region (22 seats).  In the other member-states, the elections will take place from June 4 to 7. The elections will be carried out with general, direct, secret voting, as stipulated.

WHY VOTE
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By voting in the European elections, the citizens choose who influences the future and the daily life of close to 500 million fellow Europeans.  The citizens’ participation in the decision-making process, at both local and European level, is set as a permanent and constant priority by the European Union.   Fully adopting the principles of equality and not discrimination, the Greek Ministry of Interior invites all EU citizens residing in Greece to exercise their right of vote.  European Parliament: Why Vote 

 

DISTRIBUTION OF SEATS
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The members of the European Parliament are elected under a pure proportional electoral system.Voting results from all over the country are processed and published by the Supreme Election Committee of the Ministry of Interior.  This Committee sets the final electoral vote chart and distributes the seats of the European Parliament to all the political groups, after incorporating the vote of Greek citizens residing in other EU member states into the general voting results achieved in the Greek State.

THE RIGHT TO CANDIDACY
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Greek citizens who have reached the age of 25 on the day of the election and have the ability to vote have the right to be elected to the European Parliament.  Every person who falls under the provisions of the article 56 § 1 and 4 of the Greek Constitution or is a member of the Greek Parliament is barred from the right to be nominated for candidacy.

  

ELECTORAL BODY

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According to the Ministry of Interior, 9,866,913 Greek citizens reside in Greece and have the right to vote on the June 7, while 110,562 young people will vote for the first time.  The Greek citizens who reside in other EU member states and have the right to vote on the June 6 total 36,758, according to the number of petitions filed at the Greek Consulates. The number of European citizens who reside in Greece and will vote in June amounts to 6,530.  For further information click here.

 

ELECTION CAMPAIGN
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The election campaign begins at least 30 days before the election date.  Political parties represented in the Greek Parliament or in the European Parliament and parties which obtained more than 1.5% of the national vote in the last parliamentary elections receive funding. Media access: All parties represented in the Greek Parliament or the European Parliament have proportional access to state-owned media. During the election campaign, opinion polls will be conducted and published until June 5. After that date, no transmission of political advertising messages and broadcasted pre-election dialogue is allowed.

FACILITATING CITIZENS & THE MEDIA _________________________________________

As of May 15, the Ministry of Interior has launched an advertising campaign to be completed one day before the elections date i.e. June 6, 2009.   The campaign’s slogan is “Vote in Euroelections. Defy indifference.” According to the Minister of the Interior, Prokopis Pavlopoulos, the main objective of this slogan is to inform citizens and encourage them to participate in the voting procedure.   Information on where to cast ballots can be easily acquired by calling the 4-digit number 1500, or visiting the ministry’s website at www.ypes.gr, or the public administration’s national portal: www.ermis.gov.gr/portal/page/portal/ermis/    A special television spot for Greek citizens and Hellenic media abroad, as well as the diaspora, is now posted on the websites of Greece’s communication & Press Offices in the rest of EU member states.   Furthermore, the Secretariat General of Information-Communication will set up a special EU Elections Press Centre at Zappeion Hall, in order to facilitate journalists and media covering the event. 

 

 

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ELECTIONS 2004 _____________________________________________

 

Previous European Parliament elections took place on June 13, 2004.  For more information about 2004 Euro-elections’ results, visit the website of Interior Ministry or the website of the European Parliament or the website of the Press and Communication Office in Paris http://www.amb-grece.fr/grece/europeennes.htm .

PARTIES PARTICIPATING

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 1. New Democracy   2. Panhellinic Socialist Movement     3. Greek Communist party   4. Coalition of the Radical left   5. Popular Orthodox Rally    6. Party of the Liberals   7. Fighting Socialist Party of Greece  8. Dimosthenis Vergis- Greek Ecologists   9. Working revolutionary party    10. Liberal alliance    11. Union of Centrists  12. Popular Nationalist Movement-Chrysi Avgi  13. Panhellenic Macedonian Front  14. Society 15. Popular Unions of Bipartisan Social Groups  16. M-L Greek Communist Party 17. European Alliance – Rainbow   18. Party of Greek Hunters    19. Left anticapitalist cooperation  20. Patriotic Humanitarian Movement  21. Youth Party    22. Green Ecologists  23. Action  24. OAKKE – Organisation for the Reconstruction of Communist Party of Greece  25. Greek Ecologists  26. Greek Unit   27. Greek Movement of Direct Democracy

425 “Blue Flags” for Greece

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   The Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature -coordinator of the international “Blue Flag” programme in Greece- announced yesterday (May 27) the awarded beaches and marinas for 2009.  Greece was awarded flags for 425 beaches and 8 marinas by the international non-profit Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), conquering the second place among 39 countries worldwide.  The Blue Flag is an internationally recognised standard for quality, rewarding sustainable development at beaches and marinas, relying on strict criteria dealing with water quality, environmental education and information, environmental management, and safety.  Greek News Agenda: Blue Flags; Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature: Greek Beaches and Marinas awarded the Blue Flag for 2009

Greek PM at the EPP Congress

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis addressed the European Peoples’ Party (EPP) conference, ahead of the June Elections at the European Parliament, in Warsaw on Wednesday, stressing the need for shielding the European social model and maintaining the balance between the market and social responsibility. The conference was attended by most premiers of the European Union member-states, as well as a considerable number of party leaders, both from member-states and EU accession candidate countries. Referring to the crucial economic situation, Karamanlis underlined that the key word is “confidence” and that the EPP has always placed emphasis on the social dimension in safeguarding economic cohesion and social solidarity.

Greece in Eurovision 2009

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   Greek pop singer Sakis Rouvas and “This is our night” is Greece’s entry for the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest, which will be held in Moscow in May. The lyrics for the song are written by the Greek Australian musical composers and songwriters Craig Porteils (born Craig Portelis) and Cameron Giles-Webb. Sakis Rouvas (37) represented Greece in 2004 with “Shake It” and won third. The singer has been active in the Greek and Cypriot music business since 1991, and over this period has launched over a dozen of successful albums, selling an estimated two million copies. The night the song was selected at a live show hosted by the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT), viewers from 66 countries tuned in for the webcast of the Greek show. See also You Tube: Sakis Rouvas- This Is Our Night LIVE performance     Greek reporter: Greek-Australians write Greece’s Eurovision Song (18.02.09) 

Which Europe do We Want – Citizens Have Their Say

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)  The Office of the European Parliament in Athens in cooperation with the Citizens’ Movement “Kapodistrias-Spinelli-Europe” organisation  debated on the topic “European Elections 2009: Which Europe do we want. Citizens have their say,” on February 20, and addressed by deputies of the European Parliament. The 2009 parliamentary elections as well as a historic overview of Altiero Spinelli’s contribution to the European Union’s creation was the focus of discussion.  Although centuries apart, Spinelli and Kapodistrias appear to have shared common visions. The towering figure of Count Ioannis Capodistrias (1776-1831) who laid the foundations of the modern Greek state, inspired democratic and constitutional ideals across Europe. He participated in shaping the constitution of the Swiss Confederation during the 19th century as well as the Congress of Vienna in 1814 which determined the fate of the European states in the era of restoration. Altiero Spinelli (1907-1986) was a strong advocate of European federalism with a highly esteemed European activity which culminated on 14 February 1984, when the European Parliament adopted his report and approved the Draft Treaty Establishing the European Union. See also: Kapodistrias-Spinelli-Europe

Έλληνες στο Εξωτερικό: Πώς θα ψηφίσετε στις Ευρωεκλογές

Ελληνικό Υπουργείο Εσωτερικών: Οι Έλληνες εκλογείς που διαμένουν μόνιμα ή θα βρίσκονται την ημέρα των ευρωεκλογών του Ιουνίου 2009 σε άλλα κράτη-μέλη της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης, έχουν τη δυνατότητα να ασκήσουν το εκλογικό τους δικαίωμα στο έδαφος των χωρών αυτών. Για οδηγίες επισκεφτείτε τη σχετική σελίδα του Ελληνικού Υπουργείου Εσωτερικών, όπου δίνονται ακριβείς πληροφορίες σχετικά με τη διαδικασία που πρέπει να ακολουθηθεί. Επισημαίνεται η ύπαρξη προθεσμίας.
Ελληνικό Υπουργείο Εσωτερικών:  http://www.ypes.gr/ekloges/content/gr/europ_fr.htm 

Ευρωκοινοβούλιο

The Flame of Hope for the 2009 was lit in Athens

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)    The Flame of Hope for the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games was lit on November 12, at a ceremony in Zappeion Hall, Athens. In keeping with the Olympic tradition, the torch was lit by the sun’s rays before embarking on a three-month journey around the world to Idaho, USA, the site of the next World Games (www.2009worldgames.org). Almost 3,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities from more than 100 countries will participate in Special Olympics World Winter Games to be held from February 7 to 13, 2009.  After Athens the first stop for the torch will be in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It will then continue around the world, making stops in Poland, Costa Rica, South Africa, India, China and three cities in the United States – Miami, New York and Los Angeles. On January 27, 2009 the flame will reach Idaho, USA, to begin the Torch Relay‘s final leg through many cities in Idaho before arriving at the Opening Ceremony for the World Winter Games on February 7. The 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games will be held in Athens, Greece.  Special Olympics Hellas: www.specialolympicshellas.gr (in Greek)

Doing Business in Greece

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   According to the Doing Business 2009 Report, Greece has improved its overall Ease of Business index, moving up to rank 96 (from 106 in 2008). Greece cut the minimum capital requirement to start a business by 80%, reduced capital tax and made publication of company statutes quicker. It also introduced electronic payment of social security tax, and passed a new bankruptcy law that is expected to allow more companies in distress to emerge as going concerns. Finally, Greece strengthened director accountability by making it easier for shareholders to sue directors for damages caused by related-party transactions.  The Doing Business Report, published by the World Bank Group, is tracking reforms in 181 economies. Greece’s areas of reform were: Starting a Business, Protecting Investors, Paying Taxes, Closing a Business  InvestInGreece Agency: www.investingreece.gov.gr; Competitive Greece: Surveys on Competitiveness;  Ministry of Economy &  Finance: Tax Reform & Investment Incentives Law  Greek News Agenda: The Greek Economy-Pointers; Secretariat General of Information: About Brand Greece- A New Economic Policy: creating a favorable environment for investment  Secretariat General of Information: World Media on Greece – Special Reports

Greek Chairmanship of the OSCE – 2009

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   Greece will assume the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Chairmanship in 2009, following a decision taken by the Organisation’s Ministerial Session in Madrid (November 2007). Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Greece @ OSCE; FM Bakoyannis’ statement in acceptance of the Greek Chairmanship of the OSCE for 2009