Author: Marios Chondrotzis

The European Union’s approach to tackling Foreign Influence and Manipulation Interference (FIMI) highlights the serious attention placed on combating disinformation, particularly in the context of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and broader geopolitical tensions. The European External Action Service (EEAS) reports that, between December 2022 and November 2023, it detected and documented 750 instances of foreign information manipulation and interference. This equates to approximately two false narratives being propagated every day, underscoring the scale and frequency of disinformation activities that need to be addressed. The contrast with U.S. efforts is evident, as the U.S. has been criticized for having a less effective…

The US State Department has approved the potential sale of Aerosonde uncrewed aircraft systems and armored vehicles to Greece for an estimated $130 million. Athens’ procurement request includes an unknown quantity of Aerosonde drones with anti-spoofing modules and Global Positioning Systems. Also requested is an unspecified number of M1117 wheeled armored security vehicles, MK19 grenade machine guns, and spare parts. “The proposed sale will improve Greece’s capability to deter current and future threats, support coalition operations, and increase interoperability with the United States,” the Defense Security Cooperation Agency stated in a press release. Hunt Valley, Maryland-based Textron Systems is the principal contractor for the…

Two Greek shipping companies will pay $3.4 million in fines after admitting their vessel’s crew dumped oily bilge water into the narrow shipping channel between New Jersey and Staten Island, then falsified records to hide it. In addition to the fine, the U.S. Department of Justice ordered Avin International Ltd. and Kriti Ruby Special Maritime Enterprises, owner and operator of the offending Motor Tanker Kriti Ruby, to make a $1.1 million community service payment to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. The feds also sentenced the two companies to five years of probation “during which they will be subject to…

A Pole, a German, a Frenchmen, and a Swiss meet in a bar, or was it a Swiss, a French, a German, and a Slovak, I forgot. However, what otherwise sounded like the beginning of a quirky joke was in fact an informal luncheon by some of the brightest analysts of the European Union in early December last year. Nationalities aside, the topic of the lunch was, of course, the Ukraine. The basic question was simple, Are We at War? Will Russia win? What’s the consequence for Europe if Russia wins? What is the European Union willingness to defend the…

Time to Make Hard Choices If devastation is the goal, Israel’s military campaign in the Gaza Strip has been a resounding success. More than two months after Hamas killed over 1,100 people on October 7, Israeli air and ground operations have killed some 20,000 Palestinians, many of them children, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry. Much of Gaza lies in ruins, with the United Nations estimating that almost 20 percent of the territory’s prewar structures have been destroyed. More than half of Gazans are experiencing severe hunger, unemployment has risen to 85 percent, and disease is spreading. But the statements…

After initial vows of unwavering support, a growing number of European countries have started voicing concerns over Israel’s actions in Gaza In Europe, political divisions over the continent’s support for Israel are widening, particularly due to the mounting death toll of Israeli attacks that have now killed more than 14,500 Palestinians, including over 10,000 women and children. Initially, Europe was united in condemning Hamas for its Oct. 7 attacks, expressing unconditional and strong support for Israel, while many European leaders even raced to Israel for a show of solidarity. In a move that later drew much flak, European Commission President…

In August, wildfires in Evros killed a group of people, including children, passing along a well-trodden migration route. Locals and politicians made the victims scapegoats for the disaster. Dr Pavlos Pavlidis leans back in his chair, puffing on a cigarette in his office at the morgue of Alexandroupolis University hospital. Pavlidis has witnessed many horrors in the two decades he has been the coroner in Evros, a region in north-east Greece located on a well-trodden migration trail. But even for him, it has been difficult to look at the scorched remains of the people caught in the wildfires this summer. On his…

Euronet Worldwide, Inc. (“Euronet”), a leader in the provision of payment services on a global scale, announces the launch of a new ATM Network in selected locations in Greece, which allows cardholders of all banks and financial institutions to carry out cash withdrawals without ATM fees. The creation of the new ATM Network is part of the company’s wider initiative to offer immediate access to cash to all our fellow citizens, both in urban centres and in the periphery, as banks are reducing their physical presence in both branches and ATMs in the territory. Euronet’s new ATM Network is easily…

Jet2 said profits were still on the up overall, as the average price of one of its holiday packages rose 11% to £855 in the six months to the end of September. Travel company Jet2 took a financial hit this summer due to traffic chaos caused by wildfires and flooding on Greek islands, in an illustration of the potential risk climate change poses to businesses. However, the business still saw a major jump in profit overall, which it attributed in part to the higher amount it could make per customer. It was a combination of disruption to the National Air…

Kenyan President William Ruto’s nominees for diplomatic postings say they will prioritise more export of Kenyan agricultural products into the European markets and also strive to bridge the gap of trade imbalance that have existed between Kenya and Europe. Europe has traditionally been a key market for Kenyan produce such as cut flowers, coffee and tea. But the diplomatic nominees vetted by parliament since last week are promising to tackle something that is also a political hot potato for leaders in Europe: much of the agricultural production in the European Union, for instance, is heavily subsidised, effectively rendering exporters from…