Author: Andronikos Pipellis

A staggering nine out of 10 Greeks believe there is extensive corruption in the country’s National Health System (ESY), according to the special Eurobarometer that surveyed citizens from February 7 to March 3 regarding corruption in the European Union. A total of 1,002 Greek citizens and 26,411 people from the countries of the European Union participated. More specifically, 89% of Greek participants said that tipping or generally paying bribes is widespread in the country’s healthcare system. A significant number said corruption is rampant among political parties (71%), politicians at national, regional or local level (68%), and officials who award public…

WHO/Europe and the European Commission have embarked on an ambitious new partnership to strengthen health information systems and boost health data governance and interoperability in the WHO European Region. The €12 million project, funded by the European Commission, will support health-care services for the nearly 1 billion people living across the 53 countries in the Region. Harnessing health data This 4-year project aims to improve the use and reuse of health data by health-care providers, policy-makers and patients, and to enhance the quality and interoperability of health information systems. For these purposes, WHO/Europe and the European Commission will develop and…

Toronto, Frankfurt (2/11 – 42) World media are jumping all over the conflagration in Gaza following the 7 October attack, killing 1400 Israelis and kidnapping several hundred others – followed by an all-too-predictable retaliatory response from Israel, with indiscriminate bombardment and gunfire into Gaza. The number dead and injured in the Palestinian zone will likely never be known but it is currently estimated at over 5,000 – many of whom are women and children caught in the crossfire. Is Hamas sorry about those who voted for them and support their cause being machine-gunned or trapped by crumbling concrete in a…

The crackdown comes after years of clashes between ultras and police forces, but fans blame the government for failing to address “a deep social problem”. Greece has introduced emergency legislation to ban all fans from its top football tournament, the Super League. Athens announced the crackdown after the hospitalisation in a coma of a young police officer on Thursday. The man was hit by a flare during clashes between Olympiacos and Panathinaikos hooligans in the Rentis area of the capital, suffering extensive bleeding and cardiac arrest. As a result, all games due to take place last weekend were postponed. The all-out ban will…

‘We believe that we are going through historic period in development of our relations with Greece,’ says Yasar Guler Turkish National Defense Minister Yasar Guler on Thursday said that Ankara is in favor of “peaceful and prosperous” future with Greece. “Our neighbor Greek people should be assured that Türkiye is in favor of a peaceful and prosperous future with Greece,” Guler said during his address in parliament in the capital Ankara. However, he emphasized that Türkiye will never compromise on its national interests while striving for a peaceful solution. “I would like to state very clearly that we are fully…

The Israel-Hamas war could have a significant impact on economic growth and inflation in the euro zone unless energy price pressures remain contained, according to Goldman Sachs. The ongoing hostilities could affect European economies via lower regional trade, tighter financial conditions, higher energy prices and lower consumer confidence, Europe Economics Analyst Katya Vashkinskaya highlighted in a research note Wednesday. Concerns are growing among economists that the conflict could spill over and engulf the Middle East, with Israel and Lebanon exchanging missiles as Israel continues to bombard Gaza, resulting in massive civilian casualties and a deepening humanitarian crisis. Although the tensions could affect European economic activity via lower trade…

NASDAQ columnist Larry Ramer has selected 4 of the most promising specialized companies for targeted mergers and acquisitions (Special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC for short), which investors should look at in the near future. It’s first SPAC by Kenges Rakishev, but not the first NASDAQ listing At the moment, they are not operating, and their main goal and characteristic is to bring selected private companies to the stock exchange through a merger, rather than a traditional IPO. Stock analysts are holding their breath, waiting for the upcoming deals to be announced, as they predict a sharp increase in the…

Stefanos Tsitsipas needed to be a hero on Sunday in Greece, but he wasn’t, losing both matches to cost Greece the tie. It’s not only his fault, but he didn’t do enough for his country to win. With his teammates being ranked much lower on the ATP Tour, he’s basically the whole team, and he needs to be perfect every time for the country to win. Today wasn’t the case as he first lost in the doubles together with his brother, Petros. That match was always going to be the crucial one because even if he won the singles match,…

This initiative serves Greek interests, as it promotes the use of infrastructures in Greek territory and their interconnection with both Bulgaria and Romania. Greek National Defence Minister Nikos Dendias co-signed the ‘Letter of Intent for the extension of NATO’s Fuel Pipelines Network towards the Alliance’s East Flank’ on the sidelines of a NATO defence ministers’ meeting in Brussels on Wednesday. Posting about it on X, Dendias mentioned that he signed it with Bulgarian Minister of Defence Todor Tagarev and Romanian Deputy Minister of Defence Simona Cojocaru. Elaborating, the Greek minister said that Greece’s “footprint as an energy hub is enhanced and the role of the port of Alexandroupolis is…

Local leaders, struggling to get wealthy residents to abide by water restrictions, are calling on the EU for help. When Ludwig Helm first heard that a villa in his town used 80,000 liters of water a day — 625 times the daily average consumption of a one-person household in Germany — he thought the meter must be defective. It wasn’t. The wealthy town of Königstein, which sits on the wooded slopes of the Taunus, a mountain range near Frankfurt in Germany, counts some 98 people with annual incomes above €1 million among its 16,700 residents. Those households are driving water consumption through the roof, flouting…