Greece took a significant step towards a more sustainable future by announcing the establishment of a €2 billion Decarbonization Fund specifically tailored for the Greek islands. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced the news during the 9th Our Ocean Conference held in Athens this week. The Decarbonization Fund, backed by the EU Emissions Trading System, aims to connect the Greek islands with the mainland power grid, support renewable energy and storage infrastructure initiatives including offshore wind farms and the development of multipurpose water reservoirs. Addressing the conference, a 2014 initiative by former United States special presidential envoy for climate John Kerry, Mitsotakis highlighted Greece’s commitment to accelerate the country’s transition to a ‘bluer’ economy with 21 initiatives totalling €780 million. These time-specific actions include the creation of two new national marine parks in the Ionian and Aegean seas, a ban on bottom trawling in designated areas – the first such initiative in Europe – the implementation of an advanced surveillance system utilizing drones and AI, and ambitious targets for the reduction of plastic waste in Greek waters. In this effort, Mitsotakis also referred to the urgent need to protect coastal areas, which recent legislation on beach and shoreline use aims to do. The 9th Our Ocean Conference in Athens came to a close on Wednesday with 469 new commitments worth over an estimated $11 billion. Source: tovima.com
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Arrival data from Athens International Airport (AIA) show that tourist flow to Greece’s capital is off to a good start. However, to the hoteliers’ concern, this increased traffic is not reflected in hotel bookings around the city. Passenger traffic at AIA during the first quarter of 2024 totaled at 5,215 million, a 16.5% increase compared to the same period last year, while the number of flights amounted to 46,334, a 12.8% increase. Nevertheless, hotel reservations in the capital do not seem to be fairing as well. Secretary-General of the Athens – Attica & Argosaronic Hotel Association Evgenios Vassilikos mentioned that this tourism surge is now distributed among the short-term rentals, which have reached 14,000 in Athens alone. Vassilikos explained that hotel occupancy rates in Athens this year is just about the same as in 2023, despite the spike in reservations during the previous days due to the Catholic Easter holiday. According to data for the first two months of 2024, hotel occupancy reached 59.3% compared to 54.4% during the same period in 2023. He also mentioned how hotel prices have remained almost the same since last year, despite increases in costs, which are getting harder to cover. According to recent data from the Association, the average room rate in Athens in February 2024 was 92.58, a 3% increase from last year. This number is significantly lower than the average rate in cities like Istanbul (114.85 euros), Madrid (138.03), Paris (279.98), Barcelona (154.39) or Rome (162.57), which also record better revenue per available room (indicatively, 68.45 euros in Istanbul, 183.39 in Paris, 93.86 in Madrid, 103.13 in Barcelona and 88.93 in Rome.) Vassilikos also touched upon the unfair competition between hotels and short-term rentals regarding climate change fees. He explained that while the specified fee for a room at a 4-star hotel is 7 euros, and 10 euros for a room in a 5-star hotel, it only amounts to 1.5 euros in short-term accommodations that can host up to 4 people and often charge higher than hotels. Nevertheless, Vassilikos remains cautiously optimistic for this year’s season, stating that “while things are good, they could be better.” Source: tovima.com The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a strict response, today, to the announcement from the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which expressed concern about the upcoming creation of marine parks in the Aegean. In this statement, it’s noted that the neighboring country is “politicizing an environmental issue,” while Greece pledges to “steadfastly defend sovereignty and sovereign rights in line with foreign policy principles.” Athens’ announcements regarding the establishment of two marine parks in the Aegean yesterday, April 9, sparked Turkey’s reaction, with the neighboring country pointing the finger at Greece for “exploiting environmental issues” speaking of islands in the Aegean “whose sovereignty has not been transferred to Greece through international agreements.” In its response, the Greek ministry emphasizes that the universal challenge of environmental protection should sensitize governments and not be used to create impressions. Further adding that “The Greek government will continue to unequivocally support the sovereignty and sovereign rights of the country within the framework of foreign policy principles. Drawing on international law and, in particular, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, of which Greece is a contracting party. The practice of transactional diplomacy and the use of hybrid means for geopolitical benefits do not befit Greek foreign policy.” Source: tovima.com |