Tourisme: Greece Britain Coordinated Action

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   The behavior of certain British tourists in Greece, as well as security issues concerning the 2012 Olympic Games in London, were the main focus of a meeting on July 15, between Alternate Interior Minister for public order Christos Markoyiannakis and Britain’s Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State Chris Bryant. Markoyiannakis said afterwards that a meeting will be held on Zante on July 23 with the participation of police chiefs from the islands of Rhodes, Crete, Zante and Corfu, regions that face such problems. Three high-ranking British police officers will attend the meeting as observers. On his part, Bryant stated that he is grateful to Greek authorities for their efforts to ensure safe vacations for all.    

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Greek Films Travel Abroad

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)  Many foreign film festivals this summer include a collection of Greek movies in their participants’ list. From Moscow to Los Angeles and Poland to Israel, several Greek films have been selected to compete in the film festivals hosted at these cities.  Starting with Theo Angelopoulos, his latest film, “The Dust of Time” will participate in Moscow (June 19-28) and Montreal (August 27-September 7) international film festivals. Together with “The Dust of Time”, Costas Zapas’ “Minor Freedoms” will be also screened at Montreal’s festival.  A “Small Crime” by Christos Georgiou has already been screened at Seattle International Film Festival and will also be “witnessed” at the Shanghai Festival and at L.A. Greek Film Festival.  
“Athens-Istanbul” is a film by Nikos Panayiotopoulos which will be participating at “La Rochelle“, the Karlovy Vary and Moscow’s International Film Festivals.
Straight from Berlin’s International Film Festival, “Strella” by Panos Koutras will travel to the Tel Aviv Festival and “La Rochelle”. Finally, Anastas Charalambidis’ “Ecce Momo!” will participate at the ninth edition of the Era New Horizons International Film Festival in Poland.  For more detailed information about the films and the directors, visit the Greek Film Center website at www.gfc.gr

Prize for Greek-Australian Writer

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   Prominent Greek-Australian writer Christos Tsiolkas is the “overall” winner of the Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best Book for 2009 for his record-selling book “The Slap“.  It was announced during a special ceremony at the Auckland Writers’ and Readers’ Festival in New Zealand over the weekend.  The prestigious Commonwealth award is accompanied by a cash prize of 20,000 dollars.  Tsiolkas, who lives in Melbourne, has written three novels and several plays, and is also a candidate for the 2009 Miles Franklin Literary Award, Australia’s top literary prize.  The Age (17.5) – ‘Blown away’ Tsiolkas takes prize

Przemówienie wiceministra spraw wewnętrznych p. Phristos’a Zois’a pt “Usługi elektroniczne dla obywateli: Przypadek Grecki”

(WARSZAWA, 23.4)  W Warszawie w dniach 23 i 24 kwietnia odbyło się Międzynarodowe Forum Liderów Usług dla Obywateli, w którym uczestniczył Wiceminister Spraw Wewnętrznych Grecji, Pan .
W swoim wystąpieniu pod tytułem „Usługi elektroniczne dla obywateli. Przypadek grecki”, Pan Zois zaznaczył, że główną osią polityki greckiego rządu jest promocja skutecznego państwa o nowoczesnych strukturach, które w pełni wykorzystuje możliwości technologii i administracyjnego zarządzania.
Pan Zois omówił szczególnie Narodową Sieć Administracji Pulbicznej „Sizevxis”, czyli największy program telekomunikacji sektora publicznego w Grecji, pozwalajacy organom administracji publicznej na wzajemne komunikowanie się. Wiceminister przedstawił równiez narodowy portal internetowy „Hermes”, który zmierza do stworzenia jednolitego systemu świadczenia usług na rzecz cyfrowej komunikacji dla obywateli, przedsiębiorstw oraz administracji publicznej dzięki automatycznemu połączeniu miejsc w sieci publicznej.
Wiceminister Spraw Wewnętrznych Grecji odniosł się w szczególności do projektu Centrum Obsługi Klientów (COK) i zaznaczył, że „w Grecji jesteśmy dumni z tej koncepcji, nagrodzonej przez Unię Europejską tytułem “Good Practice” w  2007 roku.
Zgodnie z wystąpieniem Pana Zois’a, „na terenie Grecji działa dziś 1064 stanowisk Centrum Obsługi Klienta, które przeprowadzają 1064 poświadczonych procedur i służą ponad 60.000 obywatelom tygodniowo. Portal internetowy COK otrzymuje ponad 2 miliony połączeń telefonicznych rocznie poprzez centrale telefoniczną pod numerem 1500, umożliwiając przedsiębiorstwom i firmom otrzymywanie do 93 zaświadczeń i innych dokumentów. Pracujemy na rzecz stworzenia Spółek Ograniczonej Odpowiedzialności za pośrednictwem COK. Ta innowacyjność pozwoli Grecji uzyskać 28 miejsce w światowym rankingu konkurencyjności, zgodnie z raportem Banku Światowego”.

Greece: Challenges in the Digital Era

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)     A conference on the “Digital Dividend” took place (February 24) organised by the Hellenic Communications and Post Commission. Minister of Transport and Communications Evripidis Stylianidis, Deputy Interior Minister responsible for the media Konstantinos Gioulekas, President of the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation Christos Panagopoulos, directors of regulatory bodies across Europe, corporate executives and experts in the field of telecommunications  addressed the event.  The conference focused on Greece’s regulatory framework and  elaborated on the technological applications, as well as the prospects in terms of business opportunities. The ‘digital dividend’ is the part of the radio spectrum which will be freed up when analogue television (occupying large part of the spectrum) is switched off and replaced by digital (which utilises far less).  Greece has declared 2009 “Year of Broadband, Telecommunications and Mass Media Convergence.” Ministry of Transport and Communications: ww.yme.gr; Secretariat General for Communication-Information: Legislation and Audiovisual Policy & About Greece- Mass Media   EETT: Radio Spectrum Availability for New Mobile Telecommunications Services   European Commission- Communications: EU Member States on course for analogue terrestrial TV switch-off & Digital Broadcasting- National Switchover Plans

Concert of Contemporary Greek Music in Warsaw / “Erato” Ensemble

   On October 18, Greek Ambassador in Poland, Mr Pantelis Carcabassis organized at the Royal Castle in Warsaw, a concert of contemporary Greek music, performed by “Erato” music ensemble.
Introducing the artists to the audience, Mr Carcabassis underlined that “the title of the concert “Songs With And Without Words” is not simply an hommage to the genius of Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy: the Greeks have been singing throughout their history – from times immemorial to the present day. And they have always been discovering the music in words….”
The “Erato” ensemble comprises of Theodora Baka/voice, Mariella Kessissoglou/ clarinet and Maria Papapetropoulou/ piano.
Their program included Manos Hadjidakis’s cycles of songs (“Magnus Eroticus”, The “Bloody Wedding”, “Roman Agora”) arranged for trio (voice-clarinet-piano), as well as songs of other Greek composers – Nikos Kypourgos, Christos Mentis and Georgios Sfyridis.
The ensemble has performed with great success in Greece, Germany and Italy. Critics call them “the three Muses of Greek music” and especially emphasize their sensitive interpretation, which reveals in all aspects the “euphoric melancholy” of this kind of music.

Greece’s national lottery OPAP to bid for Turkey’s national lottery Milli Piyango

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   Plans to bid for Turkey’s national lottery Milli Piyango are expected to come forward this month by Greece’s national lottery OPAP, Europe’s biggest betting firm. OPAP’s CEO Christos Hadjiemmanuil has announced that the firm has expressed interest to expand to Southeast Europe’s biggest market and the privatization of Turkey’s lottery constitutes a significant opportunity to be seized. The CEO does not exclude an eventual take over of the Turkish lottery, however, for the time being OPAP will bid in the tender together with carefully chosen local partners from the Turkish business world. In this joint venture, OPAP will hold 50% of the stake while the remaining will be shared by the other partners. The Greek company will be running the operational side of the company by providing its technical know-how. Kathimerini daily: OPAP set to bid for Turk lottery

Citizen Service Centres (KEP) Network in Greece

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)    The Ministry of Interior is sparing no effort in reinforcing and enhancing the Citizen Service Centres (KEP) network. According to Deputy Minister Christos Zois, the aim is to make the centres a virtual one-stop-shop, while providing valuable assistance to citizens and reducing the “red tape” of public administration. The service is appreciated by citizens and successive opinion polls bear witness to this effect. Approximately 60,000 citizens visit KEPs daily, which offer advanced multi-channel systems, helping citizens carry out their affairs with the various departments in the public domain through this seamless suite of integrated channels. Non Greek-speaking foreign nationals who live in Greece may call the multi-lingual call centre 24/7 at “1564,” or visit www.kep.gov.gr to obtain specific information pertaining to their case. Last year, KEPs received the “Good Practice Label 2007” at the EU eGovernment Conference in Lisbon, www.epractice.eu/cases/csckep

Greece – Turkey: Power Swap Deal

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA) Greece‘s Development Minister Christos Folias signed a power swap deal with his Turkish counterpart in Istanbul on July 2, in a bid to solve the anticipated rise in power consumption.  In his speech at the 5th International Energy Forum, which was held in Istanbul, Folias stressed that regional energy cooperation and development is a matter of pivotal strategic importance to both Greece and Turkey. “It is our conviction that the nations making up the geopolitical triangle, Eastern Mediterranean, the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, will enjoy a constantly mounting role in the world balance of energy market in the near future,” Folias said. Secretariat General of Information: World Media on Greece – Politics, Business and Current Affairs;