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Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Deeply-divided EU holds emergency summit on migrant crisis

BRUSSELS (AP) — The migrant crisis overwhelming the European Union tugged at the very fabric of the 28-nation bloc Wednesday with bitter divisions casting a shadow over an emergency summit aimed at staunching the flow of asylum-seekers. Leaders meeting in Brussels were looking at long-term ways to tackle "the dramatic situation at our external borders and strengthen controls at those borders," according to a draft text seen by The Associated Press. Proposals included deploying more personnel to patrol EU borders, donating at least $1.1 billion (1 billion euros) to international aid agencies to help refugees in camps near conflict zones like Syria and boosting support to Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan to help them cope with the millions fleeing the fighting in Syria. Hungary's hard-line Prime Minister Viktor Orban said the European Union should come to Greece's aid in protecting the bloc's most porous border. Before the summit, the European Commission's top official in charge of relations with the bloc's neighbors said he hoped that 1 billion euros ($1.12 billion) could be drummed up for a "trust fund" to help Syrian refugees.


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New Alexis Tsipras-led Greek government takes power

‘Our goal is recovery and reconstruction,’ says Yannis Dragasakis, deputy premier, as conservatives say they don’t see anti-austerity coalition lasting A new government charged with taking Greece out of its worst crisis in modern times assumed office on Wednesday, three days after the leftwing Syriza party returned to power. The 27-member cabinet, faced with a forbidding agenda set by creditors keeping the debt-stricken country afloat, was sworn in as the prime minister, Alexis Tsipras looked on. Continue reading...


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EU parliament president: We wouldn't last longer than a day with closed inner borders

The European Union leader's summit on the refugee crisis came after a week of scuffles between refugees and police, diplomatic tensions, and more shelters reaching full capacity. In Brussels on Wednesday, President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz asserted that Europeans have both a moral and legal duty to take in refugees even as their numbers grow.  Addressing the fact that many European countries re-instated border controls amid the unending flow of refugees and migrants entering the European Union, Schulz stressed that closing borders inside of Europe was not a solution and that even if it sounded "good" it could not be done. Twenty six countries in Europe are part of the Schengen zone, which allows the free movement of people and goods. Schulz said Europe without Schengen "would last one day, not longer," before people started protesting against it. Schulz appealed to unity, saying the refugee crisis was "not a German problem, not a Greek problem, not a Hungarian problem [but] our common task." To help complete this task, Schulz said, the EU must give financial aid to Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey since they have the most refugees. Europe should not be surprised that those refugees would also flee to the EU if those three countries ran out of money and couldn't feed them anymore.   Schulz also stressed that the financial help should not only come from Europe but also from the US and the Gulf states. CONTINUING TENSIONS BETWEEN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES EU ministers voted on Tuesday for the implantation of quotas to relocate 120,000 refugees all over Europe. That's a small percentage considering that almost half a million refugees that have arrived in Europe so far this year, and thousands more arrive each day. Although most countries voted yes to the plan, though Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and the Czech Republic voted against it. Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico said his country was challenging the decision and made a legal complaint at a EU court. "We won't implement this decision because we think it can't work," Fico told reporters Wednesday ahead of the EU summit in Brussels, according to the Associated Press. Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka said that although he did not like the use of quotas, he would not challenge them legally, adding that "Europe must not fall apart over solving the migrant crisis," the AP reports. And Romania's President Klaus Iohannis admitted that his country could easily cope with the extra people the EU wants them to take but disagrees with the notion of quotas. "Romania is not against refugees, or receiving refugees," Iohannis said, but he added that those quotas should "take into account the realities of every state," according to the AP. Despite some resistance from certain countries, Schulz also stressed that a durable solution could only be achieved at a European level and that countries needed to show solidarity. Comparing the number of refugees who entered Europe (almost half a million in 2015), to the number of people living in the EU (over half a billion), Schulz concluded by saying, "This is feasible." Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Suddenly all of Europe is dealing with a massive migrant crisis


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Business Line: Syriza's rocky road ahead in GREECE

In this edition of Business Line we focus on the political déjà vu in GREECE, where voters headed to the polls in the country's second elections of this ...


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New Study Shows Damage of Refugee Crisis to Greek Islands

A new study conducted by the former Greek Economy, Shipping and Tourism Ministry  shows the far-reaching effects of the refugee crisis on the Greek islands, particularly the East Aegean Greek islands. The report notes that according to the United Nations Refugee Agency there has been a 602% increase in the number of seaborne migrants and refugees to Greece from 2014 to 2015,


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Juncker-Tsipras Meeting Focused on Refugee Issue and Reforms

A meeting on Wednesday between Greece’s Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker focused mainly on the European Council to discuss the refugee crisis and the need for a common European solution, EU sources said. The meeting was held before the European leaders’ summit at the Commission’s headquarters in Brussels and was


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Greek Minister Dimitris Kammenos Resigns- Panagiotis Sgouridis Reportedly to Replace Him

Just over 12 hours after the new Greek government’s inauguration, one of the cabinet’s initial members is already part of the administration’s past. Former Infrastructure,Transportation and Network Minister Dimitris Kammenos announced his resignation shortly after 11 pm on Wednesday evening. Independent Greeks (ANEL) leader Panos Kammenos essentially forced ANEL MP Dimitris Kammenos to resign from his ministerial post


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Relocation Is Only Temporary Solution to Migrant Crisis, Bulgaria Says

The European Union should urgently work with its partners towards stabilizing the countries of origin and helping transit countries in order to resolve the current migration crisis, Bulgaria said on Wednesday. "The adoption of a mechanism for relocation of migrants in response to the crisis is a temporary solution,” the government in Sofia said in a statement on Wednesday prior to the informal summit of EU leaders in Brussels in the evening. Bulgaria will be represented by its Prime Minister Boyko Borisov at at the meeting called by EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. A lasting and stable solution is needed to alleviate migratory pressure at the EU’s external borders and the resultant secondary migration, the cabinet said. Bulgaria, which is not member of the EU’s Schengen passport-free travel zone but forms part of the bloc’s external border, believes that neighbouring non-EU Turkey is a key country in the efforts to resolve the migration crisis. Therefore, “the EU should consider urgent measures to support Turkey’s capability to accept refugees,” the Bulgarian government said. EU Interior Ministers on Tuesday approved a much disputed plan of the European Commission to redistribute 120,000 asylum-seekers from Greece Hungary and Italy around the bloc according to binding quotas despite objections from four eastern European states. EU leaders have to ratify the vote in Brussels on Wednesday. Draft proposals include increasing support to Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and other countries neighbouring Syria from where many migrants come.    


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Appointment of racist & homophobic minister sparks outrage, PM Tsipras considers ousting D. Kammenos

Greeks are stunned. Possibly, also some members of the Independent Greeks, Tsipras’ junior coalition partner, wonder about the appointment of Dimitris Kammenos from ANEL as deputy minister in the new cabinet. The ANEL lawmaker has been known in the local tweeter-sphere for his antisemitic, racist and homophobic stance as well […]


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Tsipras Says He’ll Press Reforms

Greece's new coalition government formally assumed its duties Sept. 23, pledging to enforce creditor-demanded spending cuts and reforms. The post Tsipras Says He’ll Press Reforms appeared first on The National Herald.


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World Press View: Storm Warning On Horizon For Greece

Still feeling flush after winning re-election, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras now will have to hit Greeks with a barrage of harsh austerity and weather the storm. The post World Press View: Storm Warning On Horizon For Greece appeared first on The National Herald.


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VW scandal could hurt Germany more than the Greece crisis

The Volkswagen emissions scandal has rocked Germany's business and political establishment, and analysts warn the crisis at the car maker could develop into the ...


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GREECE swears in new government

The new left-wing government of Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has taken office with a core of returning ministers pledging to restart the country's ...


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Personal Finance: What we can learn from GREECE

GREECE'S financial crisis has receded from the headlines – for now. But it will be back, because the latest bailout did nothing other than postpone a day ...


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Migrant summit: Hungary's Orban suggests GREECE should allow others to defend its borders

Meanwhile, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is suggesting GREECE – a main gateway for migrants – gets outside help with border control.


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Hungary PM: EU nations should 'defend' GREEK border

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Oban has suggested other European nations should "defend" Greece's borders from refugees, as he arrived for a ...


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Greek coalition partners confer over new minister's racist, homophobic tweets

#politics


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Draghi: if Greece embraces reforms programme, debt relief could happen

#economy


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Greece's New Left-Wing Government Led by Alex Tsipras Takes Oath

… Greece's bailout obligations had been carried out. He said Greece … help Greece," Moscovici tweeted. Keeping the balance The liberal daily Kathimerini … election helped ease pressure on Greek islands swamped by refugee arrivals …


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Get a taste of Greek Festival with chicken and pilaf

… to hear Greek music, witness Greek dance performances and savor tempting Greek dishes … or faxing 205-716-3085. GREEK FESTIVAL'S GREEK CHICKEN WITH GREEK PILAF (Serves …


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A boy and his dog make the treacherous trek from Syria to Greece

… miles from Damascus to the Greek island of Lesvos with nothing …


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New Greek government gets off to bumpy start, with a row ...

Newly elected Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras demanded explanations from his coalition partners on Wednesday, after allegations a member of his new ...


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New Greek govt takes office as painful reforms loom

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras' new leftwing government took office on Wednesday with a mandate to tackle painful economic reforms as well as a growing migration crisis that has shaken the EU.


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Greece: Alexis Tsipras retains economics team in cabinet with unenviable task

Familiar names Dragasakis, Tsakalotos, Stathakis and Houliarakis assume office to meet bailout demands and rebuild economy A new government tasked with taking Greece out of its worst crisis in modern times has assumed office, three days after the leftist Syriza party was triumphantly returned to power. The 27-member cabinet, faced with a forbidding agenda set by the creditors keeping the debt-stricken country afloat, was sworn in on Wednesday as prime minister Alexis Tsipras looked on. “Our goal is recovery and reconstruction,” said Yannis Dragasakis, the deputy premier after the ceremony. Related: The Greek election in maps Related: Get back to grassroots, Syriza – and show us a radical vision to transform Greece | Marina Prentoulis Continue reading...


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VW could pose bigger threat to German economy than Greek ...

Thu Sep 24, 2015 12:11am IST VW could pose bigger threat to German economy than Greek crisis


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Tsipras beefs up his bailout cabinet

The Greek prime minister puts two bailout negotiators in charge at the finance ministry.


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UPDATE 1-Bank recap and debt relief top priority, says GREEK finance minister

... so that nominal payments would be lower if the GREEK economy struggles. ($1 = 0.8986 euros) (Reporting By George Georgiopoulos and Lefteris ...


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Passengers delayed 24 hours after sinkhole opens up on GREEK airport runway

A sinkhole opened up on a runway at Rhodes International Airport in Greece on Tuesday, causing the airport to temporarily shut down. Some of the ...


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GREECE: second Tsipras government sworn in

ATHENS - The swearing in ceremony of the new Greek government headed by Alexis Tsipras has started at the presidential palace. The cabinet's ...


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GREECE: sharp increase in migrant arrivals on Lesbos island

More than 3,000 mainly Syrian and Afghan refugees, soaked and exhausted, reached the Greek island of Lesbos within hours on Wednesday, a sharp ...


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GREECE-Based Olympia Submits Notification of Dispute to Polish Government for LTE Auction

ATHENS, GREECE, Sept. 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- "Olympia, the Greek entity controlling the majority stake of the Polish mobile operator P4 Sp. z o.o., ...


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Migrants and Refugees Leave Lesvos Island As Thousands More Arrive

The East Aegean Greek island of Lesvos is currently caught between mass departures and arrivals of migrants and refugees. In the past day, the port of Piraeus has been the scene of yet another major wave of migrant and refugee arrivals. Five thousand people who were transported from the Greek islands, disembarked at Greece’s biggest port between Tuesday and Wednesday. The “Eleftherios


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Foreign Media Reports on Greek PM Tsipras’ New Cabinet

According to foreign media reports, Greece’s newly re-elected Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras showed that he is planning on continuing on the path he already set before the elections, following the agreement lines. Most articles made note of the fact that Tsipras chose to make a coalition government with the Independent Greeks – as before –


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A Few Hours After the Greek Government’s Inauguration a Minister Could be Fired

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has asked his coalition partner and Defence Minister Panos Kammenos to consider sacking Deputy Infrastructure, Transport and Networks Minister Dimitris Kammenos if a series of racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic comments posted on Twitter and attributed to him prove real, according to ANA-MPA’s sources. In a phone call to the leader of


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Chinese Community Newspaper Publishes Articles in Greek

China Greece Times, a community newspaper that has been published in Greece in the Chinese language since 2005, has added a new section in the Greek language. “Our readers used to be Chinese who live and work in Greece but also Chinese visitors to the country,” the paper’s editor-in-chief, Lydia Liang, said to the Greek


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New Greek Government a Smart Reshuffle to Please All ...

The new Greek government inaugurated today is a smart reshuffle orchestrated by Alexis Tsipras to please the SYRIZA faithful MPs and reward the Independent


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Hair, horror and hooks: Frieze reveals commissions for art fair

As well as buying a Rembrandt or Lichtenstein, visitors to the London fair can peruse an eclectic mix of conceptual artworks Visitors to the contemporary tent of London’s Frieze art fair will have to first push their way through heavy plastic butchers’ curtains before walking down a spookily dark corridor past phrases such as “Welcome to purgatory”. Once inside they might bump into wandering twin girls conjoined by their long hair. Or visit a cave and discuss the Greek god Pan with a 16-year-old. Or hear Bach as a rabbit does. They might even buy art. Continue reading...


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Your 2015 Atlanta Greek Festival survival guide

Opa! This week the annual Atlanta Greek Festival kicks off with four days of music, dancing, food and shopping filling the festival grounds. Festival Dates ...


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New Greek Government Sworn In

New Greek Government Sworn In ATHENS - The new government of Greece was sworn in on Wednesday before Greek President Prokopis … the third bailout package for Greece. Yorgos Juliarakis was appointed as …


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Social media accounts were hacked, says Greek minister at the center of racist allegations

#politics


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Tsipras-Pittella discuss Greece's debt in Brussels

#politics


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Syrian migrants sit-in in second week in Turkey’s northwest

Nearly 2,000 Syrian migrants have been holding a sit-in in the northwestern border province of Edirne for more than a week in the hopes of crossing to Greece, after they were prevented by security forces from traveling to European countries.


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EU says GREECE, Germany not upholding EU asylum law

The European Commission has launched 40 inquiries against 19 countries, including Germany, GREECE, Italy, and Hungary for failing to follow asylum ...


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New 1000-bed UN refugee camp on GREECE border with FYROM

The makeshift stopover facilities near the small town of Idomeni in northern GREECE aim to offer temporary shelter and facilities including health care to ...


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Wedding party stranded overnight at GREEK Airport after huge sinkhole appears in runway

Wedding guests claim they had to spend the night at a GREEK airport - after a crater in the runway delayed flights. It's understood the hole in a runway ...


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Mario Draghi just dropped a big hint to let us know what would push the ECB to do more QE

European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi spoke at the European Parliament on Wednesday, testifying to and taking questions from the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs.  Since the Federal Reserve's decision not to hike interest rates in its September meeting, analysts have been wondering whether the ECB will be pushed to increase its quantitative easing programme. We got Draghi's opening testimony, and he also fielding questions from MPs.  * He talked about the "diverging paths" of monetary policy, saying that some countries were in much more advanced stages of their recovery than the eurozone. He also said the ECB was ready and willing to take further action, and that if volatility and uncertainty in markets become a source of financial tightening, they would act.  * The eurozone started doing QE in January, but with the slowdown in much of the world and the remaining weakness of the European economy, investors and analysts have been wondering whether the programme would be expanded. * Draghi's comment gives you a strong idea of what the ECB is looking at. Unlike in the US, where financial conditions have tightened considerably, in the eurozone they have still been loosening: * Draghi also just fielded a question about "People's QE," UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's plan to fund infrastructure investment with central bank purchases. He said "we'll certain consider these ideas," but added that "we should also not underestimate the legal issues." * David Coburn, a UKIP MEP, asked if an Irish MEP could ask a question about the ECB's treatment of the Irish government. He's breaking some sort of procedural rule, and the chair shot him down. * Taking questions from a Greek MEP, Draghi confirmed that the ECB will leave the Troika (the group that dispenses and organises bailout programmes to struggling governments), but said that it is "up to you" on the timing. Here are some of the highlights from his opening remarks: During the summer break, our Union faced exceptional challenges. First, there was the long and complicated discussion on the new adjustment programme for Greece. And now, in an area very much outside the ECB’s competence, there is the challenge of harbouring a large number of refugees that had to leave their homes behind. Both these events – although very different in nature – have shown again that Europe can only be strong if it acts in unity on the basis of solidarity and cooperation. This is a lesson we should draw also for the challenges to come... Slowing growth in emerging market economies, a stronger euro and the fall in oil prices and in commodity prices more generally are the main causes for these developments. As a result, renewed downside risks to the outlook for growth and inflation have emerged. For many of these changes, it is too early to judge with sufficient confidence whether they will cause lasting slippage from the trajectory that we initially expected inflation to follow when we decided to expand our asset purchase programme in January... I would also like to say a few words about Greece. During the last hearing in June, I called for a comprehensive and fair agreement with Greece. In the following weeks, coming to such an agreement was very difficult and necessitated tremendous efforts from all those involved. But I am grateful that in the end, an agreement was reached. If it is completely implemented, the new programme will put Greece in a position to grow again and to reap the full benefits of participating in our common currency... The negotiations over the summer revealed again the fact that our institutional framework is still not commensurate with the requirements of sharing one currency. In the Five Presidents’ Report that we published shortly after the last hearing, the five authors shared one common conviction, namely that to make monetary union stable and prosperous, a more complete union is necessary. But we did not only outline this common conviction; we also presented a concrete roadmap showing how to attain this objective. This roadmap should now guide our discussions in the months to come. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: The one thing you can add to coffee for even more energy in the morning


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ECB's Draghi says too early to decide on further stimulus

By Francesco Guarascio and Balazs Koranyi BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Risks to Europe's inflation and growth outlook have increased due to the emerging market slowdown but the European Central Bank needs more time before deciding on further stimulus, ECB President Mario Draghi said on Wednesday. Draghi said price growth will take longer than previously expected to rise back to the ECB's near 2 percent target and that the euro zone's central bank is ready to beef up its 1 trillion euro plus asset buying program if needed. But it needs more evidence to conclude whether China's slowdown, the euro's rise and falling oil prices will divert inflation from its projected path. Draghi's relatively hawkish comments confounded some market expectations that the ECB was close to expanding its asset buys and sent the euro slightly stronger. "The asset purchase program has sufficient in-built flexibility," Draghi told the European Parliament's Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs. "We will adjust its size, composition and duration as appropriate, if more monetary policy impulse should become necessary." He said more time was needed to determine whether the slowdown in emerging markets is likely to be temporary or permanent and to assess the driving forces behind tumbling commodities prices and recent turbulence in financial markets. The ECB targets inflation of just under 2 percent but the bank has said inflation could turn negative in the next few months before recovering later in the year. CHINA WORRIES Draghi's comments come after the U.S. Federal Reserve left interest rates on hold last week on concerns about China, though it left open the door to a hike later in the year, particularly as the U.S. economy approaches full employment. China's economic slowdown was also one of Draghi's main concerns on Wednesday and he said emerging market challenges would stay for "some time." PMI data on Wednesday showed activity in China's factory sector unexpectedly shrank to a 6-1/2 year low in September, the latest in a string of weak data for the world's second-largest economy. [ID: nL4N11R3E2] China's slowdown has depressed global commodity prices, a particular worry for the ECB as inflation, now at a barely visible 0.1 percent could miss the bank's target for years to come, possibly forcing it to expand its asset purchases. Although economic data, particularly September PMI data showed that European economies remained relatively resilient to the turbulence, Draghi warned that growth in the second half would be "slightly" slower than in the first half. Greece, for years the Achilles heel of the euro zone, has made considerable progress in recent months and Draghi said that if Athens sticks to its bailout program, space could open up for debt relief. (Reporting by Francesco Guarascio, Balazs Koranyi and Francesco Canepa; Editing by Catherine Evans) Join the conversation about this story »


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Kyriakos Mitsotakis Announces Candidacy for New Democracy Leadership

Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Wednesday announced his candidacy for New Democracy president, after the conservative party’s defeat on Sunday’s election in Greece. The lawmaker spoke on Skai television saying that he will be candidate for the leadership and that he “can make the difference.” Mitsotakis said that he doesn’t want to see New Democracy divided into


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EU Commission Proposes Set of Immediate Actions to Tackle Migration Crisis

The European Commission on Wednesday unveiled  a set of priority actions to be taken within the next six months to tackle the current refugee crisis. EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker will present the measures to the informal summit of EU leaders tonight in Brussels. "In spite of our fragility, our self-perceived weaknesses, today it is Europe that is sought as a place of refuge and exile. This is something to be proud of, though it is not without its challenges,” Juncker said in a statement ahead of the summit. The European Agenda for Migration presented by the EU Commission in May set out a comprehensive approach to migration management. Since then, a number of measures have been introduced – including the adoption of two emergency schemes to relocate a total of 160,000 people in need of international protection from the Member States most affected to other EU Member States. “The decision to relocate 160,000 people from the most affected Member States is a historic first and a genuine, laudable expression of European solidarity. It cannot be the end of the story, however. It is time for further, bold, determined and concerted action by the European Union, by its institutions and by all its Member States," Juncker said. The priority actions for the next six months include full roll-out of the relocation schemes and migration management support teams working in hotspot areas; activating the civil protection mechanism or rapid border intervention teams to call on immediate practical support of the EU and other EU Member States; normalisation of the Schengen area and lifting internal border controls. Stepping up the diplomatic efforts and intensifying cooperation with third countries are also among the priority actions called for by the EU Commission. The Valletta summit on migration on 11-12 November will be an opportunity to show the new priority of migration issues in the EU’s relations with African partners, the Commission said. Next month’s high-level Conference on the Western Balkans route will be the place to discuss the common task of tackling today's pressures and restoring stability to the management of migration via the Western Balkans route. Budgetary support measures include a proposal - to be put forward by the Commission next week - to add EUR 100M to the emergency funding for the most affected member states under the 2015 EU budget. Increasing the funding for the three relevant EU agencies by €1.3 million to cover 60 staff for Frontex, 30 for EASO and 30 for Europol this year is also part of additional budgetary support measures, the Commission said. In addition, the emergency funding for the most affected member states and the funding for Frontex, EASO and Europol will be increased by EUR 600M for next year.  Restoring funding for food aid via the World Food Programme to 2014 levels, increasing humanitarian aid by EUR 300M next to be ready to help refugees' essential needs like food and shelter and boosting support for Syrian refugees are also part of the plan. Another priority action is targeting work with EU’s immediate neighbours to help alleviate migratory pressure on the bloc. The EU is ready to mobilise EUR 1B for Turkey and EUR 17M for Serbia and Macedonia to help the two countries tackle the migration challenge. The two non-EU states have become transit points for thousands of migrants and refugees trying to reach western Europe overland from Greece.


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9/11 Conspiracy Theorist Joins New Greek Government

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras was criticised Wednesday for appointing a nationalist to his new government who is notorious for anti-Semitic and ...


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