“We can indict the perpetrator of this vile and barbaric attack, to charge him with a felony under a fast-track procedure,” Parliament Speaker Constantine Tassoulas said, adding that parliamentary immunity applies to misdemeanors but not felonies. The lawmaker, Constantinos Floros is an independent member of parliament who was elected with the small Spartans party in June 2023 but later left it. The alleged assault victim was a lawmaker from the small nationalist Hellenic Solution party. State-run ERT television said he required hospital treatment for a broken nose. The incident occurred during a debate on whether to lift the immunity from prosecution of the Hellenic Solution party leader following a complaint by a relative of Floros. A prosecutor charged Floros with assaulting a politician. If convicted, he faces a maximum 10-year prison sentence. He remained in police detention and is due to appear before a magistrate Thursday. Floros was suspended for 15 days over the incident, which was unprecedented in modern Greek parliamentary history. All political parties condemned the alleged assault. Separately on Wednesday, Greece’s Supreme Court excluded the Spartans from a list of political parties that fulfill the requirements to field candidates in the European Parliament election in June. The decision followed a petition by three political parties to bar the Spartans for alleged ties to the extreme-right Golden Dawn party, whose leading members were jailed in 2020 after being convicted of belonging to a criminal organization. 

Starting last week, a pilot project for contactless payments via bank cards and digital wallets launched on Athens International Airport’s (AIA) Express bus lines. The system reads cards or digital wallets, charging fares directly. By 2024, contactless transactions will expand to all OASA public transport. The initiative aims to simplify fare payment, eliminating the need for ticket purchases from vending machines. 

Additionally, the Prime Minister spoke with representatives from over 70 companies participating in the 30th "Career Day," seeking employees for more than 1,000 positions in the blue economy sectors. He also conversed with unemployed individuals seeking employment and employees looking to change jobs, who, through the "Career Days," can directly contact employers. The Prime Minister congratulated the director and DYPA overall, as well as the Ministry of Labour, for their initiatives in the active labour market policies sector. "As unemployment decreases and wages rise in our country, it becomes increasingly important to align the potential of the workforce with the real needs of the labor market. In this area, the Greek Public Employment Service plays a decisive role, not only through actions such as Career Days but also through training and retraining programs, including DYPA's apprenticeship schools. This enables us to offer more employment opportunities, especially to our young fellow citizens, and, above all, more stable, well-paid jobs," said Mitsotakis.

Speaking at the conference “Greece Talks_Thessaloniki: Thessaloniki on the tourist map,” he referred to initiatives to increase the air connections between the US and Greece, and clarified that “We are pressing on this, not only to increase them, but to bring them to Thessaloniki as well.” He stressed that United Airlines would be the most likely candidate airline to do so, due to the connectivity that is necessary, that is, people coming from the US, going to Thessaloniki and then able to travel to the Balkans. Tsunis further noted that there are no flights from Miami, Texas, Seattle, San Francisco, Silicon Valley and the second largest market in the US, Los Angeles. He emphasized that continuous investments should be made in airports and further mentioned the prospect of strengthening the cruise industry. The US ambassador also noted that while Americans have discovered Greece as one of the most popular destinations in the world, but there is also a need to diversify the way they see tourism in Greece. Finally, Tsunis pointed to the need to diversify the tourism season and expand the tourism product, with investments in infrastructure such as golf courses.  

Specifically, the price of lamb in supermarkets was at the same levels as in 2023, at just under 10 euros per kilo. The price of goat meat was slightly higher than in 2023, while the prices of products such as eggs and feta were somewhat lower. The same sources said that the stalling of price hikes of basic Easter goods, combined with the good performance that has already been observed of measures for controlling prices in supermarkets, created a positive framework and expectations for a further decline in food inflation, which has already dropped.

The increase, which was widely expected, will benefit hundreds of thousand of workers, said the government, which survived a no-confidence vote on Thursday. The monthly minimum wage was raised by 9.4% to 780 euros in April 2023. "Today's decision will relieve workers without affecting the strength of the economy and the competitiveness of businesses," Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told his cabinet. Greece's economy expanded by 2% last year, slightly lower than the government's projection but still well above the euro zone average of 0.4%. It expects growth of 2.9% this year buoyed by tourism, increased investments and domestic demand. "We are implementing one more step to fulfil our pre-election commitments," Mitsotakis added. The government, which won re-election last June, has promised to raise the monthly minimum wage to 950 euros by 2027, when its term ends, and increase the average wage by more than 25% to 1,500 euros in the same period. It has also pledged to increase public sector wages and pensions further as part of its economic recovery following a decade-long debt crisis that slashed incomes across the board. Mitsotakis said earlier this month that there was no fiscal room for a one-off handout to support the most vulnerable, a common practice in recent years, and that he preferred increasing wages instead. The EU parliamentary elections in June will be the first official test of the government's popularity since its re-election. Greece emerged from a series of international bailouts in 2018 and last year regained investment-grade status from credit rating agencies after 13 years in the "junk" category due to its overwhelming national debt.  

The complaints that have been reported - until now - to the competent services of the Attica Region, refer to an alleged refund of tax withheld from invoices that have been issued. The Region of Attica underlines that under no circumstances are such calls made to any citizen and that this is an attempt at telephone fraud. He calls the citizens: Be extra careful, both with spam calls and spam text messages (sms), especially those asking them to give access to their bank account profile or other personal information. Do not disclose personal data such as passwords and other sensitive information. To contact the competent authorities and report the incident. Citizens should know that the Department of Financial Management of the Attica Region always communicates with the public, without any exception, either by e-mail (dt@patt.gov.gr, dtinfo@patt.gov.gr), or by landline service numbers: 2132065033, 2132065034, 2132065036, 2132065129, 2132065815, 2132065817, 2132065816 and always mentioning the full name of the employee.

The transfer ceremony is scheduled to commence on Friday, April 26, at 6:30 PM at the Panathenaic Stadium (Kallimarmaro) in downtown Athens, featuring the presence of renowned artist Nana Mouskouri. The event will be hosted by Nikos Aliagas. Greek race walking champion Antigoni Drisbiotis will deliver the Olympic Torch to the Panathenaic Stadium, with the final torchbearer being Ioannis Fountoulis, captain of Greece's national polo team, alongside his teammates, who clinched the silver medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games. Concluding the proceedings, Spyros Capralos, President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee, will transfer the Olympic Torch to Tony Estanguet, President of the "PARIS 2024" Organising Committee, marking the torch's onward journey to Paris. In light of the handover ceremony for the XXXIII Olympic Games "PARIS 2024," special traffic arrangements will be implemented in Athens on Friday.

The network recorded 158 attacks in 2023, up from 74 in 2022. Of those, 89 targeted migrants, refugees or asylum seekers and 61 targeted LGBT people, it said. Violence was at its highest reported levels since 2015, when Greece was on the frontline of Europe’s migration crisis. The actual number is likely higher, however, as many victims do not report crimes, RVRN said. Hostility towards migrants remains widespread in Greece, where three ultra-nationalist parties won seats in parliament in last year’s election. Far-right parties across Europe are expected to prosper in June’s European Parliament elections with pledges to toughen the bloc’s approach to immigration. RVRN, founded in 2011 by the UN refugee agency in Greece and the National Commission for Human Rights, defines racist violence as “criminal or violent acts or behaviour against people because of their ethnic origin, colour, religion, gender identity, sexual preferences or disabilities.” In its annual report, it said it had identified “intense and continuous” racist violence at Greece’s borders as well as systematic racist violence and behaviour by security officials. Attacks were carried out both by individuals and organized groups, it said. “The emergence of incidents of organised racist violence … remains a particularly worrying trend,” it said. A police spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The migration ministry said it “fully implements national, European and international law and investigates every complaint.” It added: “The responsibilities of the ministry … should not be confused with those of other ministries or the country’s security authorities.” Rights groups have accused Greek authorities of mistreating migrants and refugees and carrying out so-called pushbacks – or forced deportations of asylum seekers – at its borders, accusations the government denies. The report also found a rise in violence against LGBT people, saying they were victims of “unprovoked violence … usually homophobic and transphobic verbal attacks often resulting in physical violence.” In February, Greece passed a law legalizing same-sex marriage in a landmark victory for LGBT rights.

The limited-access visa will allow Turks to visit 10 Greek islands for up to a week without having to apply for full access to the European Union’s passport-free travel zone, known as the Schengen area. NATO members Greece and Turkey launched several initiatives last year to try and sidestep decades-old disputes — mostly over sea boundaries and mineral rights in the Aegean Sea— to focus on trade. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in December to sign a series of bilateral cooperation agreements in Athens. Mitsotakis will visit Turkey next month. “The express visa can be issued not only in summer, but all year round. The measure is designed to boost tourism in areas and at times of the year when there is not a lot of traffic, so it will help the local economies,” Mitsotakis wrote in a weekly online post Sunday. Granted at participating Greek ports, the new visa will cost 60 euros and will include a passport check and fingerprint recording, while visitors will not be allowed to travel onto other EU member states, Greek officials said. “The new system is ready and there is a lot of demand from Turkish visitors. But there were no boats scheduled to arrive today. We will have arrivals later this week,” Vassilis Vayiannakis, head of the Rhodes Port Fund, told the AP. The islands in the vacation visa program all lie near the Turkish coastline and also include Lesbos, Limnos, Chios, Samos, Leros, Kalymnos, Kos, Symi and Kastellorizo, with the smaller islands due to join in June. Turkey has long sought more relaxed travel rules for its citizens visiting the EU in exchange for its cooperation with member states of the bloc that include efforts to curb illegal immigration. Tourism is a vital industry for the Greek economy. The country welcomed 32.7 million visitors last year, raising 20.5 billion euros, according to central bank data.  

Tourists rushed to evacuate the hotel, while workers in vests offered first aid to an injured woman in a tent as part of a quake drill dubbed “Minoas” after the mythical Cretan Bronze Age king. “It’s good, because then we know what we are doing in real situations,” said British tourist Leah Pickles, 36, one of the hotel’s residents in Heraklion. Since a strong quake killed 143 people near Athens in 1999, tremors have not caused severe fatalities or damage but the Mediterranean country has struggled with other emergencies such as wildfires and floods in recent years.   A wildfire on the island of Rhodes last summer consumed swathes of land and forced the evacuation of some 19,000 tourists and locals, weeks before Europe’s deadliest blaze killed at least 20 people and destroyed an area larger than New York in the Evros province in the north. Separately on Tuesday, a wildfire near the city of Chania in western Crete forced authorities to evacuate part of a naval base and adjacent schools, hours before a real quake measuring 3.8 hit off the island’s southwestern coast. A fire brigade official said later the blaze had abated.

"The report records, without further investigation, allegations by non-governmental organisations that are not independently verified," the foreign ministry said. "Precisely because of this indiscriminate recording, there is the appearance that all countries with a highly developed rule of law have serious human rights issues," the ministry underlined, while adding: "Particularly important for the integrity, reliability and objectivity of the report is the fact that the opinion of the Greek state was not sought in relation to the reported issues." "Although the progress made with respect to the protection of rights in Greece is recognised on many levels, the report overlooks or completely ignores regulatory measures and national strategies in recent years to protect the rights of vulnerable categories of citizens, such as the disabled, LGBTI and unaccompanied minors." The ministry also emphasised that the reports on Greece have always presented similar human rights issues. Particularly in the period 2016-2019, very serious complaints were cited, which gradually disappeared.   STATE DEPARTMENT There were “no significant changes” in the human rights situation in Greece over the past year, the US State Department said in its annual report which includes, however, a list of issues pertaining to the treatment of migrants, police and the use of spyware.   The report says that “significant human rights issues included credible reports of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment of prison detainees and of migrants and asylum seekers by law enforcement authorities; crimes involving violence targeting members of national, racial, or ethnic minority groups; and crimes involving violence or threats of violence targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or intersex persons.” The Greek government regularly took steps to investigate, prosecute, and punish officials who committed human rights abuses, whether in the security forces or elsewhere in the government, the report said. “There were, however, complaints from nongovernmental organizations and international organizations regarding government failures to effectively investigate allegations of forced returns of asylum seekers and to hold those responsible to account,” it added. As examples, the State Department mentions the reports of mistreatment and abuse by police and the coast guard, including against members of racial and ethnic minority groups, undocumented migrants, asylum seekers, demonstrators, and Roma.   Furthermore, prison and detention centers remained overcrowded, often with inadequate sanitation or health care, the report said. On corruption, the State Department found that “the most notable cases” involved police. In 2022, the National Transparency Authority (NTA) received 3,513 complaints of alleged corruption, fraud, and maladministration (3,057 in 2021) and carried out 575 audits and inspections (393 in 2021), of which 13 (21 in 2021) were referred for prosecution. There were 32 convictions either at appeal or first instance levels (24 in 2021) and 15 acquittals (21 in 2021). Imprisonment was suspended in 28 of the 32 conviction cases. Concerning media plurality, the report said that domestic and international agencies said journalists and media outlets faced pressure to avoid criticizing the government or reporting scandals. Furthermore, media freedom watchdogs continued to raise concerns about the use of Greek liber and slander laws to intimidate journalists. In her March report, the UN special rapporteur on human rights defenders noted journalists faced “criminal lawsuits and strategic lawsuits against public participation for their investigative reporting on corruption and environmental pollution.” On gender-based violence, a November 14 EU Group of Experts on Action against Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence report revealed that “although Greece had made progress in combating violence against women, serious concerns remained, particularly regarding victim protection, implicit attitudes about gender-based violence among police, prosecutors, and judicial decision-making officials.” There were also high rates of witness and victim attrition and low conviction rates, particularly in cases of rape.   Responding to the report, the Greek Foreign Ministry appeared to question the findings, stating that the State Department did not seek the view of the government. “Particularly important for the integrity, reliability and objectivity of the report is the fact that the opinion of the Greek state was not sought in relation to the mentioned issues,” the ministry said it a press release.  “The report lists, without further investigation, complaints by non-governmental organizations that are not independently verified. Precisely because of this indiscriminate recording, it appears that serious human rights issues exist in all countries with a developed rule of law,” it added.