Greece: 4th preferred destination in 2012

Greece is the 4th most popular holiday destination for European tourists in 2012, according to a Flash Eurobarometer report on the Attitudes of Europeans towards Tourism released on March 5. 

Providing interesting insights into the preferences of European travellers, the Eurobarometer survey reveals that 4% of European tourists are planning to spend their holidays in Greece in 2012, compared to 10% in Spain, 7% in Italy and 6% in France.
Moreover, Greece was the 6th most visited country in 2011. The survey also reveals that the majority of EU-residents are confident travellers, who prefer arranging their holidays by themselves, although they still rely on recommendations from family and friends about where to go. For this Eurobarometer survey, over 30,000 randomly selected citizens were interviewed in January 2012 in the 27 EU Member States as well as in Norway, Iceland, Croatia, Turkey and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Israel.
(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)

“We are all Greeks now” – Solidarity with the Greek People

As Greece seems more stifled everyday by economic pressures and social turmoil, manifestations of solidarity and support to its people multiply throughout Europe and even across the globe.
A new movement expressing empathy towards Greeks has been gaining in popularity: Saturday, February 18, has been designated International Day of Action for the purpose of protesting against the implementation of extreme austerity measures in Greece. Between 12:00 and 18:00 (local times) demonstrations have been planned in the UK, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, Portugal, the Netherlands, two cities in Germany, twelve cities in France and New York City in the U.S.A. Organisers have been using social media, especially Facebook, as a means to mobilize demonstrators and spread the message “We are all Greeks!.”
(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)

Last Voyage for Theo Angelopoulos

“Angelopoulos can be counted

as one of the few filmmakers

in cinema’s first hundred years

 who compel us to redefine

what we feel cinema is and can be.”
Andrew Horton

World-acclaimed film director, and ambassador of Greek cinema abroad, Theo Angelopoulos died on the 24th January, after being hit by a motorcycle, while filming in Drapetsona, near Pireaus. Winner of several international film awards, Angelopoulos had started shooting his latest film, The Other Sea, earlier this month. His untimely death hit headlines around the globe.
Angelopoulos was born in Athens in 1935. He studied Law at Athens University, and at the beginning of the ‘60s he moved to France where he followed courses in ethnography and studied film at the Institute of Advanced Cinematographic Studies in Paris. Upon returning to Greece, he initially worked as a film critic and in 1970 he completed his first feature film Anaparastassi (Reconstruction).
His next three films make up a trilogy on the history of contemporary Greece: Meres tou ’36 (Days of ’36, 1972), O Thiassos (Travelling Players, 1975) and Oi Kynighoi (The Hunters, 1977), followeed by Megalexandros in 1980.
With these films some of the thematic and stylistic constants of Angelopoulos’ cinema were established – the weight of history, a clinical examination of power, a Brechtian theatricality, wherein the individual has no importance with respect to the group, a rejection of conventional narration in favour of an intentionally broken one, in which stationary cameras and sequence-length shots create an alternative sense of time.
Taxidi sta Kithira (Voyage to Cythera), in 1984, won the Cannes Festival International Critics’ Award for best screenplay, followed by O Melissokomos (The Beekeeper), in 1986, starring Marcello Mastroianni. With Topio stin Omichli (Landscape in the Mist) in 1988 he won the Silver Lion at the Venice Mostra. 
His filmography in the 90s included To meteoro vima tou pelargou (The Suspended Step of the Stork, 1991), followed by To vlemma toy Odyssea (Ulysses’ Gaze, 1995), starring Harvey Keitel – which won the Grand Jury Prize and the International Critics’ Prize at Cannes Festival. 
Then in 1998, he won the Cannes Palme D’Or prize for Mia eoniotita kai mia mera (Eternity and a Day) with Bruno Ganz. In 2003, he began another trilogy with To livadi pou dakryzi (The Wheeping Meadow) followed by H skoni tou chronou (Dust of Time, 2009). The film The Other Sea that he was currently shooting was to complete the trilogy.
(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)

Εκδηλώσεις “Ευρωπαϊκής Ημέρας Γλωσσών” (Βαρσοβία, 20-27/9/2010)- Συμμετοχή Γραφείου Τύπου Βαρσοβίας

Οι φετινές εκδηλώσεις της «Ευρωπαϊκής Ημέρας Γλωσσών 2010» πραγματοποιήθηκαν στη Βαρσοβία από τις 20 έως τις 27 Σεπτεμβρίου.
Το Γραφείο Τύπου, για μία ακόμη χρονιά, συμμετείχε στη διοργάνωση των εκδηλώσεων προβολής των ευρωπαϊκών γλωσσών, εκδηλώσεις που στοχεύουν στην ενημέρωση του πολωνικού κοινού για τον γλωσσικό και πολιτιστικό πλούτο των χωρών της Ευρώπης. Η Ευρωπαϊκή Ημέρα Γλωσσών θεσπίστηκε από το Συμβούλιο της Ευρώπης το 2001.
Διοργανωτές των εκδηλώσεων ήταν δεκατρείς χώρες, μέλη του EUNIC Cluster Βαρσοβίας (European Union National Institutes for Culture): Ελλάδα (Γραφείο Τύπου Ελληνικής Πρεσβείας), Εσθονία (Πρεσβεία Εσθονίας), Ιρλανδία (Πρεσβεία Ιρλανδίας), Μεγ. Βρετανία (British Council), Βέλγιο (Πρεσβεία Βελγίου), Δανία (Πολιτιστικό Ινστιτούτο Δανίας), Γερμανία (Goethe-Institut), Πορτογαλία (Ινστιτούτο Camoes), Γαλλία (Γαλλικό Ινστιτούτο), Ιταλία (Ιταλικό Ινστιτούτο), Αυστρία (Αυστριακό Ινστιτούτο), Ρουμανία (Ρουμανικό Ινστιτούτο), Ρωσία (Ρωσικό Κέντρο Επιστήμης και Πολιτισμού).
Στη διοργάνωση συμμετείχαν, επίσης, το EUNIC Cluster Βαρσοβίας, η Αντιπροσωπεία της Ευρωπαϊκής Επιτροπής στην Πολωνία, το πολωνικό Ίδρυμα για την Ανάπτυξη του Εκπαιδευτικού Συστήματος, το Πανεπιστήμιο Βαρσοβίας, το Εκπαιδευτικό Τμήμα του Δήμου Βαρσοβίας, το Κρατικό Εθνογραφικό Μουσείο στη Βαρσοβία, η Δημόσια Βιβλιοθήκη της συνοικίας Praga (Δήμος Βαρσοβίας), το πολωνικό Κέντρο για την Ανάπτυξη της Εκπαίδευσης, η πολωνική Κρατική Επιτροπή για την Πιστοποίηση της Επάρκειας της Πολωνικής ως Ξένης Γλώσσας. Οι εκδηλώσεις τελούσαν υπό την αιγίδα του πολωνικού Υπουργείου Εθνικής Παιδείας, του πολωνικού Υπουργείου Επιστήμης και Ανώτερης Εκπαίδευσης, της Δημάρχου Βαρσοβίας και της Πρυτάνεως του Πανεπιστημίου Βαρσοβίας.
Η απήχηση των εκδηλώσεων τις προηγούμενες χρονιές οδήγησε τους διοργανωτές στην απόφαση για την φετινή διοργάνωση πολυήμερων εκδηλώσεων, με ποικίλο περιεχόμενο.  
Το πλήρες πρόγραμμα, που περιελάμβανε, μεταξύ άλλων, ημερίδα, μαθήματα γλωσσών, σεμινάρια, φεστιβάλ ταινιών, street game, κ.ά., μπορεί να αναζητηθεί στην ηλεκτρονική σελίδα των εκδηλώσεων www.edj.waw.pl

Przemek Kordos, Maria Mondelou, Pantelis Gianoulis at the Greek stand

Η ελληνική συμμετοχή στις εκδηλώσεις, η οποία περιελάμβανε μεταξύ άλλων φεστιβάλ ταινιών, μάθημα ελληνικής γλώσσας, σεμινάριο για το ζεϊμπέκικο, ελληνικό περίπτερο κ.ά., διοργανώθηκε από τη Γραμματέα Επικοινωνίας, Μαρία Μονδέλου.
Αναλυτικότερα, η ελληνική συμμετοχή είχε ως εξής:

Hellas:from Tourism to World Heritage

“Kalimera”…It’s a Way of Life

“Kalimera”…the Greek word for ‘good morning’ is the new slogan for the advertising campaign of the Greek National Tourism Organization and Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

The 2010 campaign was unveiled by the Deputy Minister of Tourism Angela Gerekou on March 8, and is based on a redesigned pattern of previous campaigns with the addition of the well-known greeting in the Greek language.
The campaign will be available through the renewed portal of Hellenic Tourism Organisation at the web address www.visitgreece.gr.
Kathimerini Daily: ‘Kalimera’ is the country’s new tourism motto    

A Popular Tourist Destination

Greece is the fourth most popular tourist destination in the European Union for 2010, according to a new Eurobarometer survey on “The attitudes of Europeans towards tourism.”
The EU Eurobarometer poll unveiled on March 8 shows that tourism is one of Europe’s most important service industries, accounting for 5% of Europe’s GDP and 6% of employment. Greece is the fourth most attractive tourist destination, after Spain, Italy, and France. 
European Commission: Tourism-Upbeat Prospects for 2010 Season  

“Med Diet” to Be Recognised by UNESCO 

The town of Koroni in Messinia Prefecture will represent Greece in an initiative put forth by four Mediterranean countries to have the “Mediterranean Diet” recognised by UNESCO as a cultural heritage of humanity. 
Koroni from Greece, Cilento from Italy, Soria from Spain and Chefchaouen from Morocco will join forces to ask the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to include the diet to its World Heritage List.
(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)

PM Papandreou meeting with French President Sarkozy

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA) Prime Minister George Papandreou flew to France yesterday, for talks with French President Nicolas Sarkozy – on an array of issues, focused mostly on economic matters – ahead of today’s European Council meeting.
After his meeting with the French president, Papandreou stated that the Greek government is committed to taking all necessary measures to fix Greece’s public finances.
 “We are ready to take any measures in order to cut public deficit to 8.7% of GDP in 2010 from 12.7% in 2009 and to meet the commitments the government has undertaken in its Stability and Growth Programme.”
Besides the pressing deficit and credit crisis burdening Greece, Papandreou said issues dealing with the Balkans, the Cyprus problem, climate change and even Europe’s position on the international stage were discussed.
Kathimerini daily: Premier talks tough but EU may offer help; Youtube.com: Greek prime minister in France for debt talks

”Έρως: από τη Θεογονία του Ησιόδου στην ύστερη Αρχαιότητα”- Μουσείο Κυκλαδικής Τέχνης

”Έρως: από τη Θεογονία του Ησιόδου στην ύστερη Αρχαιότητα” Μια μεγάλη αρχαιολογική έκθεση αφιερωμένη στον Έρωτα και τις διάφορες εκφάνσεις που πήρε κατά την αρχαιότητα – από τις πρώτες αναφορές του στα κείμενα του Ησίοδου έως τους ρωμαϊκούς χρόνους παρουσιάζεται στο Μουσείο Κυκλαδικής Τέχνης.
Η έκθεση περιλαμβάνει 270 εκθέματα από 45 αρχαιολογικά Μουσεία της Ελλάδας, της Κύπρου, της Ιταλίας και της Γαλλίας. Δίνουν  ραντεβού στο Μουσείο Κυκλαδικής Τέχνης σε μια τολμηρή και αποκαλυπτική έκθεση που έχει ως θέμα της τον χρυσόφτερο θεό και ακαταμάχητο δαίμονα με τον οποίο ασχολείται η ανθρωπότητα από τη γέννησή της ως τις μέρες μας: τον έρωτα.
Τα 270 γλυπτά, ανάγλυφα, αγγεία, ειδώλια, λυχνάρια, κοσμήματα- ορισμένα με υπογραφές διάσημων γλυπτών και αγγειογράφων της αρχαιότητας – που προέρχονται από 46 αρχαιολογικά μουσεία της Ελλάδας, της Κύπρου, της Ιταλίας και της Γαλλίας (μεταξύ άλλων και του Λούβρου) θα αποκαλύψουν τις αμέτρητες όψεις του από τον 6ο αι. π.Χ. έως τον 4ο αι. μ.Χ. μέσα από εννέα ενότητες (επιμέλεια: καθηγητής Νίκος Σταμπολίδης και Γιώργος Τασούλας).
Η έκθεση ”Έρως: από τη Θεογονία του Ησιόδου στην ύστερη Αρχαιότητα” στο Μουσείο Κυκλαδικής Τέχνης θα διαρκέσει ως τον Απρίλιο.
(Πηγή: Γενική Γραμματεία Επικοινωνίας-Γενική Γραμματεία Ενημέρωσης / Δελτίο Πολιτιστικών Θεμάτων)

Immigration: Greece Cannot Be Left Alone

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)  The French Minister of State, responsible for European affairs, Pierre Lellouche was welcomed yesterday by deputy Foreign Minister Yannis Valinakis in Athens.   The two ministers had the opportunity to discuss a number of issues of European interest ranging from the Lisbon Treaty and immigration to Balkans and Turkey’s candidacy for the EU.   Referring to immigration in particular, Lellouche acknowledged that his visit to Greece helped him realise the true extent of the problem which Greece is facing and stressed that in view of the 150,000 illegal migrants that have entered the country, Greece cannot be left alone to deal with the problem, whether that help consist in prodding Turkey to cooperate or coming up with a coastal protection scheme.  Greek News Agenda: Diplomacy on Migration- Barrot visits Migrant Centres

56th Acropolis Rally: Finland Takes Lead

Finnish Mikko Hirvonen is the winner of the 56th Acropolis Rally which ended on June 14.  Ford driver Hirvonen, who now ranks 7th in the World Rally Championship, was trailed by Sebastien Ogier (France/Citroen) in second place and by fellow team mate and compatriot Jari-Matti Latvala (Finland/Ford) in third. Following the win, Hirvonen narrowed to seven points (55) his distance from front-runner and current world champion Sebastian Loeb (48, France/Citroen) -last year’s Rally Acropolis winner- who crashed out of the Rally on Saturday when his car hit a rock.

Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Valinakis at Olive Group

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)     Deputy Foreign Minister Yannis Valinakis on Tuesday underlined the need for more effective EU policies in the Mediterranean region, pointing out that it was equally important to bring a Mediterranean dimension into European integration. Attending the 6^th Informal Meeting of the EU Mediterranean countries “Olive Group” that took place in Taormina, Sicily (15-16.12), the minister stated that the meeting focused on migration issues in the western Balkans and EU enlargement. He underlined there should be a “Mediterranean neighbourhood” to face the problems together and join forces to create opportunities that “will protect us during a crisis and at the same time produce long-term benefits.” The Olive group consists of Italy, Bulgaria, Cyprus, France, Greece, Malta, Portugal, Romania, Spain and Slovenia. Greek News Agenda: The Olive Group; Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus: 5th Informal Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Mediterranean EU Member-States, Concluding Remarks 

Greece: Democracy & Human Rights

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)  With the opportunity of the publication of its second round of reports, JURISTRAS research project has launched its own webpage at: www.juristras.eliamep.gr. JURISTRAS, a Hellenic Foundation for European & Foreign Policy project, comparatively explores processes of human rights litigation in the European Court of Human Rights judgments, and its effects in national legislative reform and policy making in a number of EU member states and Associate Candidate States. Nine countries are selected as case studies: eight EU Member States (Austria, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, and the UK) and one EU candidate country (Turkey). Gateway of the European Union: europa.eu 

Greeks on the World: Pioneering Research

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   Joseph Sifakis is a researcher at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and the founder of Verimag laboratory (www-verimag.imag.fr), in Grenoble, France. Joseph Sifakis is recognized for his pioneering work on both theoretical and practical aspects of Concurrent Systems Specification and Verification. He contributed to emergence of the area of model-checking, currently the most widely-used method for the verification of industrial applications. Sifakis, together with Edmund Clarke and Allen Emerson, won the 2007 A.M. Turing Award, widely considered the most prestigious award in computing, for their original and continuing research in a quality assurance process known as Model Checking. Secretariat General of Information, Global Greeks: Scholars and Scientists

Η Ελληνική Συμμετοχή στο Πείραμα του CERN / Greek Scientists at the “Big Bang” Test

(ATHENS NEWS AGENCY)  Με την ουσιαστική συμβολή του Α.Π.Θ. σε ένα από τα μεγαλύτερα και σημαντικότερα επιστημονικά εγχειρήματα του αιώνα μας, ξεκινάει σήμερα η ‘ζωή’ του Μεγάλου Συγκρουστήρα Αδρονίων στο Διεθνές Εργαστήριο Πυρηνικών Ερευνών CERN, στη Γενεύη. Το Αριστοτέλειο Πανεπιστήμιο Θεσσαλονίκης, μέσω της ερευνητικής ομάδας του Τομέα Πυρηνικής Φυσικής και Φυσικής Στοιχειωδών Σωματιδίων, συμμετέχει από το 1995, στο μεγαλύτερο σε όγκο πείραμα ATLAS.  (ΣΤΟ ΧΑΡΤΗ: Γαλαζια τα ιδρυτικά μέλη, πράσινα τα νέα μέλη)

Mediterranean Documentary Film Festival in Greece

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)  The 11th Mediterranean Documentary Festival will be hosted from September 6 to 9 at the Lavrion Technological Cultural Park. The festival is organized by the Association of Greek Film Directors and Producers. This year, the festival screens 26 movies from Greece, Italy, France, Israel, Egypt, Spain, Turkey, Portugal and Palestine. In addition to the traditional sections of work, immigration, political documentary film, people and places, there will also be an eco section, thus inaugurating a collaboration with the eco festival EcoFilms. The festivall kicks off with “Cairo” (1991) in memory of the late Egyptian director Youssef Chahine. The festival will also screen “The band’s visit” by Eran Kolirin, a joint production by Egypt and Israel followed by a discussion moderated by Kolirin on behalf of the Greek Film Critics Association. This year’s parallel events include a concert by Thanos Mikroutsikos and an exhibition featuring film posters. The Mediterranean Documentary Festival is not based on competition and therefore includes movies which are selected on the basis of the mark they have left in their time.

Greek Writers in Europe / Vassilis Alexakis (France)

Vassilis Alexakis was born in Santorini, in 1945 and moved to Paris in 1968.

Selected works: La Langue maternelle, Ap. J.-C., Je t’oublierai tous les jours.

FOR MORE LOOK AT: Vassilis Alexakis at Evene.fr , Alexakis at Wikipedia

Spanish Eyes in Greece

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)  Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis is scheduled to meet with Spain’s Prime Minister José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero today, who is on an official visit to Greece. Talks are expected to focus on the creation of a Mediterranean Union. First proposed by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, the union would bring together European Union states and countries washed by the Mediterranean Sea, including Turkey. Other topics on the agenda include the future of the EU and regional cooperation as well as bilateral ties. Zapatero, accompanied by his wife Sonsoles Espinosa, visited the site of the Parthenon yesterday. Kathimerini daily: A Mediterranean Union… Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Greece-Spain bilateral relations;  Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Greek Mediterranean Policy; The Bridge magazine, Sarkozy’s Mediterranean, A dream or an implementable agenda?

Think Global – Act European

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)    Notre Europe and the Fondation pour l’ Innovation politique (Fondapol) brought together a group of European think tanks with the aim of making recommendations to the EU’s next trio presidency including France, the Czech Republic and Sweden (July 2008 – December 2009): The “Think Global – Act European” (www.tgae.eu) project brings together 13 renowned think tanks including the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (www.eliamep.gr), which has contributed five papers to the final report. The other think tanks participating in the TGAE project are Bruegel, CEPS, CER, demosEUROPA, DIIS, ECFR, EPC, EUROPEUM, SIEPS, SWP.