Sovereignty of SeaWitch

If I can get my act together, I'm going to do a bi-weekly blog on current events which have caught my eye in the Greek news over the two week period. These items are noteworthy but not necessarily blogworthy (worthy of devoting a whole blog to the subject) and will keep my readers abreast of what's going on in Greece without having to wallow through dozens of websites. I'll add my own commentary to the news items I find and hope that you will do the same in the comments section. So....towards that end....

The Good News
Cremation Law Passed
On Wednesday, Greece passed a new law which will finally allow cremation as an alternative to burial for those who aren't of the Greek Orthodox religion. This is a welcome law especially since the graveyards are full to capacity and since many people who aren't Orthodox have had to ship the bodies outside of Greece for cremation. The Church's official stance is still against cremation and will refuse burial ceremonies for their brethren who do choose cremation. The up side is that Archbishop Christodoulos may consider reviewing the policy in the future.

Recycling Comes to Athens
For the past week, I've been noticing a strange site in Athens. The appearance of plastic blue garbage bins on street corners all over Athens. Finally, it seems Athens is joining the Recycling ranks. Now, Athenians can separate their garbage into recyclable items like cans, cartons and plastic bottles and put them in the special blue bins for that purpose. It remains to be seen if they will or not. The Municipality has been handing out blue nylon bags to help us in the effort. I got mine last week but I'm still waiting for the blue bin to appear on my street so I can empty the bag contents into the bin. Hopefully, they've fixed the Recycling plant since a mountain of rubbish collapsed on it.

$210 Million in Funding for SMEs
If you own a business in the tourism or manufacturing sector, you could be eligible for funding. Economy Minister, Giorgos Alogoskoufis, announced that $210 million would be made available to Small and Medium Enterprises who qualify and submit their applications between March 15- July 15. Banks will hold complete responsibility for the approval and disbursement of the funds under the supervision of the Public Sector. Considering Greece's track record as a bureacratic and favouritism gold medallist, I pity the poor applicants who will no doubt, be sent on a never-ending paper chase.

The Bad News
Growth Rate
For quite some time, the world has been hearing about Greece's high growth rate which has exceeded the EU average for several years. Living in Greece, you might wonder how this phenomenon has occurred when many citizens are complaining of unemployment, high cost of living and rising inflation. The growth rate is real but as Kathimerini reports, "it was based on increased state spending, inflows from the European Union and credit expansion". So the growth rate in Greece isn't based on increased production but on continued cash injections. This can't be good.

PASOK Takes the Lead
For the first time since the March 2004 elections which saw New Democracy put an end to almost 20 years of PASOK rule, PASOK has again taken the lead in the latest polls. 34.4% of Greeks would vote for PASOK in the next general elections as opposed to 34% for ND. Greeks are disillusioned. After 2 years with ND in power, Greeks don't know which way to turn. Although ND has implemented (albeit rather clumsily) new reforms, they just aren't enough to convince Greeks that the country is doing any better. The government's handling of the Vodafone scandal probably had a lot to do with the results of this poll. Once the clamour of that botched PR fiasco dies down, maybe Karamanlis will manage to get some of his voters' confidence back.

Greek Poultry Farms in Danger
Since the outbreak of the avian flu was confirmed in Greece several weeks ago, poultry farms have seen their sales plummet by as much as 80%. In an industry which employs over 15,000 people, the economic effects of the outbreak will most certainly jeopardize those jobs. The Association of Greek Poultry Industries has stated “Losses are incalculable and we are already in a position where keeping all jobs intact is impossible.” As usual, the fear-mongering media exacerbates the situation by failing to mention that eating poultry doesn't put you at risk to contract the disease.