Greece
Greece This month - May 2015
dor in London, Mr. Konstantinos Bikas. Mr Bikas underlined that the progress done in Greece in the IVF has helped not only the society but also the industries on this specific field. The Head of the Greek Tourism Organization in the UK and Ireland, Mrs Christina Kalogera, was the next speaker who praised the organizers for this kind of initiatives concerning medical health and tourism in Greece, while expressing her enthusiasm on the work of the academics and doctors discussing the benefits of the IVF in Greece and worldwide.
This month
In this issue:
• Greek Finance Minister: ‘Catastrophic to leave the euro’ • In Vitro Fertilisation and Medical Tourism in Greece • Is Austerity Winning the Aurgument on Eurozone Recovery? • ‘Grexit or no Exit?’ • ‘Breathing Colours’ by Harikleia Papapostolou • Visit Greece: Top Greek Islands that Simply Rock!
Greek Finance Minister: ‘Catastrophic to leave the euro’ (24 May 2015, BBC Interview) In an interview to BBC’s Andrew Marr Show on May 24, Greek Finance Minister, Mr Yanis Varoufakis underlined that ‘if Greece left the euro, it would be catastrophic’, emphasizing about the membership to the Monetary Union, that ‘we do not have a currency peg to the euro. We just have the euro. It is like having a foreign currency as your currency. Trying to get out of it is tantamount to announcing in advance a devaluation, 10 months in advance. It would be a disaster. But it would be a disaster for anyone involved. It would be a disaster primarily for the Greek social economy, but it would also be the beginning of the end of the common currency project in Europe, whatever some analysts might be saying about 1
firewalls. These firewalls won’t last long’. As far as the progress of negotiations between Greece and its creditors is concerned, Mr Varoufakis pointed out that “Greece has made enormous strides at reaching a deal... It is now up to institutions to do their bit. We have met them three-quarters of the way, they need to meet us one-quarter of the way’’. Referring to the humanitarian crisis, the Finance Minister underlined that the reason the Greek people elected this government was to put an end to austerity and ‘the reason why people are with us is be cause it is the first time we have a Greek government prepared to bargain all the
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way to the wire in order to achieve a very sensible, a very basic programme of deep reforms on the one hand and a sensible fiscal consolidation plan, on the other hand’.
In Vitro Fertilisation and Medical Tourism in Greece’ (18 May 2015, Carlton Club)
The British- Hellenic Chamber of Commerce organized a one-day event on ‘In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) and Medical Tourism in Greece’ that took place at the Churchill Room of the Carlton Club in London, on May 18. The event was a part of a series of actions that the Chamber has undertaken in an effort to enforce and expand the financial relations between Greece and the UΚ. The inauguration speech was given by the Greek President of the British Hellenic Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Oikonompoulos, followed by the Greek Ambassa-
The first expert to talk was Mr. Nikolaos Paparisteides, director of the IVF Unit in “Elena Venizelou” hospital. He pointed out that the quality of the services provided in Greece to couples, who would like to give a chance using this method of fertilization, is very high indeed. Furthermore he pointed out the advantages of the IVF in Greece, such as low cost, comparing to other European countries, the flexible legislative framework and the combination of medical treatment with vacation and other means of entertainment in Greece. Every year many couples from Greece, Arabic countries, USA and Australia go to Greece 2
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Argument on ‘Euro-Zone’ Recovery? (LSE Event, 30.4.2015)
in order to try this kind of treatment. Mr. Konstantinos Pantos, the director of the Centre for Human Reproduction in the private medical clinic “Genesis Athens” was the second expert to present some data regarding the provision of IVF services in Greece, stating that Greece is a country that meets the requirements to attract people to have their treatment there and he added, among the advantages, the high quality and expertise of well trained doctors and staff. He stressed the need of the certification of more clinics as well as the creation of holiday packages that will promote both medical and vacation tourism in Greece.
ventions- underlined that the Greek doctors have inspired their colleagues in the UK and helped them to proceed further with the techniques in the field of the IVF. Last but not least, two young women, Mary Koustas and Joanna Matthiews, described their experience in their effort to have babies. It is noteworthy to mention that the Minister of Health in Greece Mr. Panagiotis Kouroumblis sent a message, through his daughter who attended the event, stating that “Greece will manage to get out of the crisis and help the development of the clinics’’.
Mr. Giannis Peristeris, doctor and gynecologist, expressed his opinion that the treatment in Greece can be 30-50% cheaper than in other European countries besides the quality of medical treatment given to patients. Mrs. Georgia Kokkali, talked about the techniques used for IVF and Mr. Kypros Nikolaidis- the well known Greek Cypriot maternal fetal medicine specialist, and a world expert in fetal surgery and inter3
The Hellenic Observatory and the Hellenic Bankers Association UK organized a public discussion, regarding austerity and the solutions to the economic crisis, at the Old Theatre of London School of Economics (LSE) on April 30. The four key speakers of the panel were John Milios, professor of political economy at the National Technical University of Athens and member of the Central Committee of Syriza, the Economics Editor of Channel 4 Paul Mason, Chief Economist at Berenberg Bank Holger Schmieding, and the former member of the IMF Executive Board, Miranda Xafa. The panel was chaired by the director of the Hellenic Observatory, Professor Kevin Featherstone. The goal of the discussion was to shed some light on the debate over the best solutions to the current crisis for a return to sustainable growth, discussing also the issues of austerity.
Mr Milios pointed out that the austerity constitutes the keystone of neoliberal policies, while the institutional arrangement of the Eurozone reinforces these policies. He concluded though on a positive note, stating that “from historical experience we know that an alternative to austerity and neoliberalism does exist. The European social model must and can be re-founded.”
Is Austerity Winning the
Paul Mason was also against the policies of austerity that were applied in the case of the Greek crisis. He said that with these policies, the human capital in 4
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Greece has been depleted, while the European Union is being self-destroyed by insisting on austerity. He stated that Grexit was a possible scenario for the future, which would be dangerous not only for Greece, but also for the Eurozone. On the other hand, Holger Schmieding, Chief Economist at Berenberg Bank, underlined that austerity is a necessary measure for countries that do not have the lenders’ trust, such as Greece. He also pointed out that Greece is in need of further adjustments that could help its economic growth, adjustments mainly in the job market. Finally, Miranda Xafa said that austerity is not a policy to be chosen, rather a precondition for countries to receive aid. She also mentioned that Greece’s problem right now is not austerity or its debt, but the fact that it has lost its competitiveness. She identified that this lack of production is the central problem and the government should focus on that. All in all, the discussion on austerity has revealed that there are two sides of the coin: on one side, there is the belief that austerity is almost synonym to policies that are dangerous for the Greek political, economic and social system, whereas others support that austerity is necessary for Greece’s future economic recovery and growth.
‘Grexit or no Exit?’ Ch. Xirouchakis examines the issue and the outcomes The likely consequences of a Grexit scenario were the focus on the presentation given by Mr Charis Xirouchakis, visiting lecturer in Economic Diplomacy, at the Diplomatic Forum of the London Academy of Diplomacy . After having given a brief overview of
how Greece, like other European countries at the time, balanced its books in order to meet the requirements set by the Eurozone and become a Eurozone member, Mr Xirouchakis proceeded in discussing the birth of ‘Austerity Economics’, i.e. deflating the economy by increasing prices and decreasing wages and then increasing taxes In the case of Greece, the question of what are the implications of austerity on an economic and political level, has given rise to an ongoing debate over the country’s future, where two theories have emerged: the ‘contagion’ theory and the ‘deadweight’ theory. According to the former, by failing to pay its debts to a neighbouring country, Greece would create a domino effect, in that the neighbouring country would in
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Greece This month - May 2015
turn fail to pay its own debts, causing the collapse of the EU system. The latter theory, supporter by the Grexit proposal, suggests that it would be possible to drop out the deadweight state, i.e. Greece, allowing the EU to survive. Since 2012, the European Central Bank has been building a firewall to protect the EU in case of a Grexit, however, there are ongoing risks that are hard to deal with, according to Mr Xirouchakis; If a Grexit occured, there would be devaluation of the new Greek currency, rising interest rates, capital controls and insolvency for the country. The alternative to Grexit (the worst possible scenario for everyone bearing incalculable political and economic costs) would be compromise, as Mr. Xirouchakis concludes.
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tioned: “I was astonished by the vivacity and intensity of the colours Harikleia used. It felt as if I was standing before an extremely beautiful Greek scenery. Therefore, I didn’t let time pass, I acquired my first piece of art made by Harikleia. In the flat I rent, near Patisia, a painting by Harikleia has a prominent position in the house, and I can assure you, that, even when I step into the house and the lights are still off, this painting has a light of its own. I am not an experienced art
‘Breathing Colours’ by Harikleia Papapostolou From 12-16 May, Greek artist, Harikleia Papapostolou exhibited her latest work, a collection of paintings titled, “Breathing Colours”, in the heart of London’s West End, at Belgravia Gallery. The exhibition was opened by the distinguished author, Victoria Hislop, whose books have been made popular in Greece and abroad. Ms Hislop praised the artist and among other men
collector myself, but when I first gazed at Harikleia’s paintings, I immediately fell in love with them. I love the power, the effect, the weaving and the dynamism of them”. The art curator of the gallery, Diane Soames, also delivered a speech, expressing her enthusiasm and trust on Ms Papapostolou’s work. Finally, Ms Papapostolou thanked her audience and expressed the hope that her work would encourage interpretations and instil emotions to the viewers she had never thought of herself before. “In that way, I can feel as if the viewer is entering a state of possessing the work of art through his gaze”, she mentioned. 6
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On the opening day, a number of distinguished people were present to honour the artist, among others, Mr Euripides Evriviades, High Commissioner for the Republic of Cyprus to the United Kingdom, Mr Dimitris Dochtsis, public affairs counsellor for the Greek Embassy in London, Mr George Fenton, internationally acclaimed composer, Mr Reuben Richards, singer of
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the Soul, Mr William Hayes, Senior Technology Manager at the BBC, Ms Louise Giblin, famous body cast sculptor, Mr Giles Milton, author, and Mr Victor Sebestyen, historian and journalist for the London Evening Standard, The Times and The Daily Mail. Other journalists for Daily Express, Evening Standard, the London Greek Radio were present at the event as well.
Greece This month - May 2015
the unique traditional aspect of this island. Ios was number one in the Trivago list and it is no wonder that this particular island has won the first place, when one thinks of its hillside clusters, golden beaches, picturesque windmills and white-and-blue little houses of its Chora-town. Being one of the most famous tourist destinations,
Visit Greece: Top Greek Islands that Simply Rock! For those who are familiar with Greece’s natural beauties, it comes as no surprise that many Greek islands have been shortlisted among the top 50 islands to visit in Europe, in an article published by the British newspaper The Times, on May 23rd. Starting with Alonissos and Skiathos, both belonging to the Sporades islands, and distinguished by their pine forests, sugar-cube villages and beautiful beaches, the islands of Cyclades are coming next; Folegandros is described as an ‘idyllic’ island, with a beautiful and picturesque Chora (main town), rocky ground and mountainous bulks. In Folegandros you can visit the famous Venetian castle in Chora and the small coastal settlement called Aggali, while you shouldn’t miss the chance of tasting traditional, homemade dishes like matsáta. Less popular —but not in the least less fascinating— summer destinations are the islands of Donousa, Schinoussa and Iraklia, all next to each other, which form an ideal choice for those who want to avoid the crowds and prefer a peaceful holiday instead. Remote stretches of sand hidden in coves, tiny villag 7
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es and crystal-clear waters make those remote islands a real paradise on earth!
Finally, the island of Santorini features prominently in the list. Ranked 5th in the Trivago list and having also scored the same number in the list of the Top-10 islands worldwide by the online travel site, Tripadvisor, Santorini is certainly one of the most popular and magnificent islands of Cyclades! The island’s beautiful black sandy beaches, its vast crater and its small Cycladic white-roofed houses lining the cliff tops are only part of what makes the island so amazing. Santorini has also a reputation for its wines, traditional food and thriving night life! Last but not least, the breath-taking view of the sunset from the gorgeous traditional hilltop village of Oia shouldn’t be missed either.
Ios has a lively atmosphere and its numerous bars and clubs will no doubt set you in a mood for partying, making justice to its reputation as a “party island”. The island of Hydra scores second in the travellers’ preferences; a real gem of the Saronic Gulf, Hydra is chic and well known for its Follow us: preserved stone architecture, narrow lanes and deep waters. What is special about this More evidence that Greek islands are considered to be among the best in Europe is provided by a survey on the 30 most popular islands in the Mediterranean, published by the online travel agency, Trivago. The survey was based on travellers’ reviews on 51 different platforms and among other took into account the reviewers’ opinion on accommodation costs, a factor that underlines the fact that Greek islands constitute not only one of the most beautiful summer destinations but also a relatively cheap one, in that they provide good and affordable accommodation.
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island is that no cars or wheeled vehicles are allowed on the streets; all you get to see when it comes to means of transport is mules and donkeys which further add to 8