Author: Pericles Dimitriallis

Apartment prices (in nominal terms) are estimated to have increased on average by 11.9% year-on-year in the third quarter of 2023, according to provisional data released by the Bank of Greece on Thursday, ANA reports. In the third quarter of 2023, the year-on-year rate of increase in prices was 11.6% for new apartments (up to 5 years old) and 12.2% for old apartments (over 5 years old). According to revised data, in 2022 prices of new apartments increased on average by 12.4%, against an increase of 8.2% in 2021, whereas prices of old apartments increased by 11.5% in 2022, against…

Greece on Tuesday moved toward building its first offshore wind farms, identifying areas for private development in a draft plan that the conservative government hopes will lessen the country’s dependence on fossil fuels. The Mediterranean country, which is surrounded by sea and has strong, steady winds suitable for producing energy, generated more than 50% of its power from onshore wind, solar and hydro last year. The rest of its electricity was produced from greenhouse gas-emitting natural gas, coal and oil. Greece is aiming to build installed capacity of at least 2 gigawatts from offshore wind by 2030, representing one-tenth of…

Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects Aaron Farrugia participated at the eighth tripartite meeting on maritime affairs in Greece with Minister of Maritime Affairs & Insular Policy of the Hellenic Republic (Greece) Christos Stylianides and Deputy Minister for Shipping of Cyprus Marina Hadjimanolis, with the aim of consolidating a common position on maritime affairs both at international and regional level. Maritime issues are of paramount importance to the three countries, being the three largest maritime jurisdictions in the European Union. The Ministers discussed a number of contemporary maritime issues such as environment sustainability and GHG emissions from shipping, cooperation…

Diplomats from Türkiye will meet their Greek counterparts for a two-day meeting in Athens that will start on Monday. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced that a Joint Action Plan Meeting and Political Consultations would be held in the Greek capital, within the scope of the “Positive Agenda” dialogue between Türkiye and Greece. Türkiye and Greece have often locked horns over several issues, including competing claims to jurisdiction in the Eastern Mediterranean, overlapping claims over their continental shelves, maritime boundaries, airspace, energy, the ethnically split island of Cyprus, the status of the islands in the Aegean Sea and migrants. Tensions flared…

Last year was a bumper year for shipping with alarming consequences for the climate, new emissions data shows European shipping emissions reached an all time high last year, new Transport & Environment (T&E) analysis shows. With the UN’s global shipping body failing to agree on binding emissions measures at its landmark summit back in July, Europe must move ahead with its own ambitious decarbonisation path, says T&E. Every year, Europe’s shipping operators must by law hand over their emissions data to the EU. For the past years, T&E has used this to assess how Europe’s shipping emissions have evolved. In July, T&E…

An Austrian couple on their honeymoon in Greece are confirmed to have died after torrential rains swept away the house they were staying in. Their holiday home in the resort of Potistika, near Mount Pelion, was washed into the sea by flash floods brought by Storm Daniel on 6 September. Thanasis Samaras, owner of the home, previously said they were from Graz. Although the pair have not been named, the Austrian foreign ministry said DNA tests had verified their identities. A spokesperson told the BBC: “It is with deep sadness that we have to confirm the death of two Austrian…

One man confessed to having set four other fires on island of Evia as Greek authorities struggle to contain blazes Fire department officials in Greece have arrested two men for allegedly starting wildfires on purpose, while hundreds of firefighters battled blazes that have killed at least 21 people in the past week. One man was arrested on the Greek island of Evia for allegedly setting fire to dried grass in the Karystos area. The fire department said the man confessed to having set four other fires in the area in July and August. A second man arrested in the Larissa area of…

Eighteen bodies have been found in a forested area of northern Greece hit by wildfires for the past four days, the Greek fire service says. Initial reports suggest those who died may have been migrants. A coroner and investigation team are heading to the scene near the Dadia forest. The Evros region of north-eastern Greece, not far from the Turkish border, has been ravaged by fires. A hospital in the city of Alexandroupolis had to be evacuated. Newborn babies and intensive care patients were among those moved to a ferry at the port. Fires are raging across several fronts in…

The hour is finally approaching. From 2024, it will no longer be free to travel to Europe. The ETIAS visa waiver program will allow entry into EU countries from $7.70. As the name suggests, it isn’t a visa – it’s a system for visitors from countries who don’t require visas to enter Europe, to preregister their visits. Those who currently need visas to enter will still need them, While many US citizens appear shocked by the move, they might be surprised that the ETIAS system is modeled on the ESTA visa waiver program, which was introduced in 2009 by the…

Nearly 100 Croatian soccer fans appeared in an Athens court Wednesday to face criminal charges that include murder and membership of a criminal organization over their alleged involvement in deadly fan violence. The handcuffed youths — many with their shirts pulled over their heads to hide their identity — appeared before an investigative magistrate a day after a 29-year-old Greek fan was stabbed to death outside AEK Athens’ stadium, prompting the cancellation of a Champions League qualifier against Dinamo Zagreb. Court officials said the magistrate issued the blanket charges against all 103 suspects, including 97 Croatian nationals. The indictments also included charges of…