After decades of making little progress in securing the return of the Parthenon Marbles from the British Museum, Greece appears to be edging closer to a possible deal for the repatriation of the ancient sculptures.Last December, Greek daily newspaper Ta Nea reported that Greek government officials, including Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, had held talks with the British Museum’s chair, George Osborne, about coming to an arrangement for the Marbles to be sent back.Further details of what this agreement might look like were reported by the Financial Times recently.The Agora caught up with Ta Nea’s London correspondent, Yiannis Andritsopoulos, to find out more about these talks, whether a deal really is in the offing and what any agreement would likely entail.Before that, though, hosts Phoebe Fronista and Nick Malkoutzis look back at the longstanding Greek request for the return of these priceless cultural artifacts, how that campaign has evolved over many years and how it has taken on a political hue at times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recently Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis dismissed concerns about media independence in his country and labelled the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) assessment of Greece as lying in 108th place in the organisation's annual World Press Freedom Index as "crap".In this episode, Nick Malkoutzis and Phoebe Fronista look into why Greece has scored so badly in the RSF ranking and try to find exactly where the problem with Greece's media lies.They speak to Pavol Szalai, the head of EU/Balkans Desk at RSF, about why Greece scores worse than every other EU country when it comes to media freedom.Also, Yannis Palaiologos, a former Brussels correspondent for Kathimerini newspaper, discusses whether the RSF index provides a true reflection of the shortcomings of journalism in Greece.Useful readingRSF World Press Freedom Index: https://rsf.org/en/rsf-s-2022-world-press-freedom-index-new-era-polarisationRSF's factfile on Greece: https://rsf.org/en/country/greeceA game for press freedom in Greece by Stavros Malichudis: https://wearesolomon.com/mag/accountability/a-game-for-press-freedom-in-greece/How Greece became Europe’s worst place for press freedom by Nektaria Stamouli: https://www.politico.eu/article/greece-became-europe-worst-place-press-freedom/A State of Absolute Solitude by Tassos Telloglou: https://www.boell.de/en/2022/12/08/state-absolute-solitudeGreek Photojournalist Nikos Pilos Arrested and Charged: https://fom.coe.int/en/alerte/detail/107638266Greece's triangle of power (2012) by Stephen Grey: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-greece-media-idUSBRE8BG0CF20121217 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since the summer, a surveillance scandal has been gripping Greece. It emerged that the leader of Greece’s third party, PASOK, was being spied on by the country’s National Intelligence Service (EYP) but that there had also been an attempt to install spyware on his mobile phone.Over the last few weeks, there have been further revelations about the use of wiretapping in Greece. Lists of dozens of alleged targets have been published in the local media, fuelling a clash between the centre-right government and the opposition. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis claims he knows nothing about the illegal phonetapping and that under his watch the Greek state has not bought or deployed the Predator malware that is at the centre of the scandal, which goes to the heart of Greece’s institutions and democracy.Official investigations into the matter have left much to be desired, while much of the mainstream media has played down or ignored the issue. In fact, much of what we know today about illegal phone hacking in Greece is the result of the persistence of a few journalists at small and independent outlets.In this episode of The Agora, we try to explain what’s happened, what it means and what might lie ahead.To help us understand this complex story, we speak to journalist Thanassis Koukakis. He was the first known victim of Predator and spent months trying to find out more about the use of spyware and sharing this information with the public.We also speak to Nikolas Leontopoulos, the co-founder of Reporters United, a collective of investigative journalists that have been probing the surveillance story from its early days along with other media, such as Inside Story and Solomon, before larger outlets started covering developments.Further readingInside Storyhttps://insidestory.gr/tagline/spywareReporters Unitedhttps://www.reportersunited.gr/en/7728/slapps-against-greek-independent-media-solomon-and-reporters-united/https://www.reportersunited.gr/en/7002/i-am-the-journalist-being-watched-by-the-greek-secret-service/Solomonhttps://wearesolomon.com/mag/accountability/solomons-reporter-stavros-malichudis-under-surveillance-for-national-security-reasons/https://wearesolomon.com/mag/accountability/solomon-files-complaint-against-intelligence-agency/European Parliament’s PEGA committeehttps://www.europarl.europa.eu/committees/en/pega/home/highlightshttps://www.europarl.europa.eu/committees/en/pega-findings/product-details/20221114CAN67684 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The leaders of Greece’s three main parties have set out their policies, but also the political parameters, that will define next year’s elections.So, what are the key issue at stake and what will decide the outcome of the vote, or more likely votes, that are due to take place in 2023?Co-hosts Nick Malkoutzis and Phoebe Fronista discuss what we can take away from the appearances made by the leaders of the three leading parties at the Thessaloniki International Fair in September.MacroPolis co-founder Yiannis Mouzakis and features editor Georgia Nakou join the discussion to look at the political and economic developments which will underpin the election campaign, ponder the permutations that will decide who will govern Greece next and muse about how many ballots will be needed to produce a workable result. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Like so many other countries, Greece is feeling the impact of the Ukraine war in many ways, whether this is through spiralling energy costs, turbulence in the global economy, a shifting geopolitical balance or the flow of refugees into the country.In this episode of The Agora, we take a closer look at the reverberations from Ukraine being felt across Greece.More than 40,000 Ukrainian refugees have come to Greece since the Russian invasion began in February, six months ago. Over a quarter of those were children. Phoebe Fronista speaks to Khrystyna Kobyliak, an aspiring yoga entrepreneur from Ukraine, who came to Athens with her 6-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son in March to find out more about their experience of seeking refuge from the war in her homeland.In the second half of the show, Nick Malkoutzis speaks to Wolfango Piccoli, the co-President & Director of Research at Teneo, the global consulting and advisory firm, about the various ways in which Greece has been affected by the fallout from the conflict in Ukraine and how things may play out in the months ahead, especially in terms of relations with Turkey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greece’s socialist party, PASOK, was the powerhouse of Greek politics since the early 1980s. However, the debt crisis that emerged from 2009 sucked the life out of the centre-left grouping. Its share of the vote fell from 44 pct that year to roughly a tenth of that in 2015 as PASOK became a toxic political brand.Recently, though, the party has been making something of a comeback. It elected a new leader, MEP Nikos Androulakis, at the end of last year and has seen its poll ratings increase to such an extent that it is being talked about as a potential kingmaker or coalition partner in the next government.In the last few days, party members voted to reinstate the party’s traditional name, PASOK, alongside the Movement for Change (KINAL) moniker it had gone under for the last few years. With national elections due in the next 12 months, The Agora podcast takes a closer look at PASOK’s return to the centre stage and what this means for Greek politics.Phoebe Fronista speaks to Irene Kostaki, a former journalist who is now working as a political advisor on EU affairs to Androulakis to find out more about how revitalised the party is and what plans it has.Nick Malkoutzis speaks to political scientist Elias Dinas, currently the Swiss Chair in Federalism, Democracy and International Governance at the European University Institute in Florence, about the political landscape in Greece, the new cleavages that have formed and how PASOK’s revival fits into the broader picture. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Following a deadly attack on a 19-year-old football fan in Thessaloniki in early February, the Greek government has announced new measures aimed at reining in hooliganism.However, we've been here before in Greece. So, will the latest measures actually make any difference or are they just a knee-jerk, ineffective reaction to a problem that needs a much wider, consistent approach?We start by asking whether Greece's thinking and methods when addressing sports-related violence are outdated. We spoke to Professor Geoff Pearson, a senior lecturer in criminal law at the University of Manchester, to get a better understanding of how this issue is addressed elsewhere. Geoff is an expert in hooliganism, crowd management and policing.To discuss Greek football's particular ailments, we spoke to Alexandros Kottis, a freelance journalist based in Athens working for AFP and Courier International, among others. He recently wrote an article for the BBC about the sad state of Greek football.Useful linksProfessor Geoff Pearson's publicationsThe infinite chaos of Greek football: How the latest hope for change was lost by Alexandros KottisAlexandros's "Supporters" photo project - https://www.facebook.com/Supporters-1784346485175846/Alkis Kampanos, a 19-year-old Greek football fan murdered for supporting the wrong team - The Athletic Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greece recently received the first six state-of-the art fighter jets it has ordered from France, hoping that their arrival marks the start of an upgrade of its military capabilities, but also an improvement in its geopolitical standing.The Rafale planes - of which Greece is expecting another 18 - touched down in Greece to much fanfare and excitement. This episode of The Agora examines whether this pomp and circumstance is deserved and how their arrival fits into the broader diplomatic picture.Co-host Phoebe Fronista was there to greet the aircraft and tells us about what she saw and heard. Nick Malkoutzis speaks to MacroPolis foreign policy analyst Alexandra Voudouri and Yiannis Ioannou, co-founder of Geopolitical Cyprus, about the Rafales and the other key developments in the Eastern Mediterranean.Useful linksGreece receives ‘game-changer’ Rafale aircraft from France - Al JazeeraGreece receives six French fighter jets as part of €11.5bn military overhaul - The GuardianThe France-Greece alliance and EastMed geopolitics - Geopolitical CyprusEastMed: A pipeline project that ran afoul of geopolitics and green policies - Politico Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Greek economy is back in focus on this episode of The Agora as we take a peak at the 2022 budget and a closer look at broader trends and challenges.MacroPolis co-founder Yiannis Mouzakis provides a whistlestop tour of the budget, explaining its key elements and what obstacles the Greek government's economic plan could encounter next year.Two men with extensive knowledge of the Greek economy, Bob Traa and Jens Bastian, join us for a broad discussion about causes for optimism, but also reasons to be cautious as 2022 beckons, including low productivity, high unemployment and limited prospects at home for young Greeks.Bob was the IMF’s senior representative in Greece at the outset of the economic crisis, between 2010 and 2013. He has also written a book about the country's economic challenges (more below).Jens is a senior policy adviser at the ELIAMEP think-tank in Athens. He also works an independent economic analyst.Mentioned on this episode:The series of articles by Bob & Jens for MacroPolis: https://www.macropolis.gr/?i=portal.en.the-agora&t=46Bob Traa's book: https://www.amazon.com/Macroeconomy-Greece-Odysseus-Journey-Sustainability/dp/B089CSJCL4Bob's article on migration shifts in the EU: https://www.macropolis.gr/?i=portal.en.the-agora.11150Jens's publications for ELIAMEP: https://www.eliamep.gr/en/members/jens-bastian/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the wake of the COP26 meeting, The Agora analyses what Greece brought to the discussion and how this tallies with the efforts being made on the ground to tackle the climate crisis.The head of policy at WWF Greece, Theodota Nantsou, evaluates the Greek authorities' actions.With the help of journalist Evridiki Bersi, we also take a closer look at wind power and why there are concerns about how this form of renewable energy is being expanded in Greece.First, though, we start with a look back at this summer's devastating wildfires in Greece. Documentary photographer Thodoris Nikolaou tells us what he witnessed in northern Evia, which suffered the most extensive destruction in August.Show notes:Kyriakos Mitsotakis at COP26: https://youtu.be/iBvhVsb5WTkEvridiki's article on wind power for Reporters United: https://www.reportersunited.gr/en/6557/too-much-of-a-good-thing-wind-power-and-the-battle-for-greeces-wild-heart/Thodoris's feature on the Evia wildfires for News247: Η καμένη Εύβοια είναι οι άνθρωποί της (news247.gr)WWF Greece's reaction to PM's COP26 speech: https://www.wwf.gr/ta_nea_mas/?uNewsID=4998416 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel was a ubiquitous figure during the Greek crisis, often making her a target for the frustrations generated by the austerity policies she and her party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), advocated.Some of that is water under the bridge now and her recent visit to Athens was accompanied by compliments and diplomatic niceties.As she continues her farewell tour, before a coalition led by the Social Democratic Party (SPD) assumes power in Berlin, we look back at the legacy of Merkel’s rocky relationship with Greece, during which she dealt with six different Greek Prime Ministers, and where it leaves ties between Berlin and Athens.Input comes from the head of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation’s (KAS) office in Athens, Henri-Giscard Bohnet, and Christos Katsioulis, who was in charge of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation’s (FES) office in the Greek capital between 2012 and 2017, at the height of Greece’s economic crisis.Useful links:Konrad Adenaeur Foundation Office, Greece: https://www.kas.de/en/web/griechenlandFriedrich Ebert Foundation Office, Greece: https://athens.fes.de/gr/gia-mas/to-fes-stin-ellada Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greece recently signed two major defence deals, one with France and another with the USA. On this episode, Nick Malkoutzis and Phoebe Fronista examine the significance and implications of these agreements.MacroPolis foreign policy analyst Alexandra Voudouri explains why we should take note of these pacts, which include the purchase of at least three new French frigates. Alexandra also looks at some of the criticism about the accords and takes a broader look at the direction of Greek foreign policy.When signing both defence agreements, Athens clearly had its relations with Turkey in mind. To get a better understanding of how these developments have gone down in Turkey, Nick spoke to Aydin Selcen, an Istanbul-based commentator and former diplomat.Also, Turkish journalist and writer Mehves Evin spoke to The Agora about the domestic difficulties troubling President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and how this may feed into Ankara's actions in the Aegean and beyond. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Earlier this month, Greece lost one of the most emblematic figures of its modern era, composer Mikis Theodorakis, who died on September 2 at the age of 96.Theodorakis was a multi-talented and multi-faceted figure who left his mark due to his radical politics and public interventions as well as his ground-breaking music, which blended Greek popular sounds with classic elements.On this show, we take a closer look at the influence of this prolific, towering figure. Phoebe Fronista speaks to Dr Panos Stavrianides, an entrepreneur, educator and active member of the Greek American diaspora about the impact Theodorakis’s music and political stance had on him and other Greeks living abroad.Also, Nick Malkoutzis speaks to Dimitris A. Sotiropoulos, a Professor of Political Science at the University of Athens and senior research fellow at the ELIAMEP think-tank, about what impact Theodorakis had on the public sphere and shaping modern Greece’s identity. Their discussion also touches on whether the composer’s passing marks the end of the public intellectual in Greece, and whether this matters.This episode also is interspersed with Theodrakis’s music, much of which is played by the Mandragoras group in Frankfurt, Germany and Achilleas and Nino Anastasiades.Mandragoras: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mandragoras.hannover/Achilleas and Nino Anastasiades: https://www.youtube.com/user/achanast/featuredMore background on TheodorakisBBC documentary by Maria Margaronis: Mikis Theodorakis Remembered: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct2ptyThe Guardian obituary by Gail Holst-Warhaft: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/sep/02/mikis-theodorakis-obituaryMikis, a Greek for all by Nikos Konstandaras: https://www.ekathimerini.com/opinion/1167289/mikis-a-greek-for-all/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The long, hot Greek summer is underway. But will it be like the summers we have grown to love or will Covid-19 get in the way again?The Agora podcast is back: Co-hosts Nick Malkoutzis and Phoebe Fronista launch the third season by trying to find out whether Greece has cause to feel optimistic this summer.Phoebe speaks to the manager of a private beach in southern Athens to find out if the customers are returning and how his business is coping with another summer blighted by the pandemic.Nick speaks to MacroPolis co-founder Yiannis Mouzakis about the broader picture for Greece, looking at the expectations not just for the tourism sector, but for the economy as a whole, especially now that EU recovery funds are on the way.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greece has been grappling with the coronavirus for just over a year, sometimes with success but other times less convincingly.As Greece went past 10,000 Covid-related deaths and prepares to reach 3 million vaccinations this week, The Agora looks back at what's gone right and wrong since Covid-19 first emerged.Nick Malkoutzis speaks to MacroPolis co-founder Yiannis Mouzakis and features editor Georgia Nakou about the policies adopted since last year to combat the pandemic, but also why Greece is coming out of lockdown now and how the vaccination scheme is going.Phoebe Fronista spends time with health correspondent Maria-Niki Georganta to discuss what stood out from Greece's experience with the virus.Phoebe also speaks to Dr Mata Tsikrika, the first woman to be elected president of Greece's pulmonologists, who works at a Covid hospital in Athens. They talk about what life has been like for Greek frontline workers since last year and the excruciating decisions faced by doctors and nurses. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The behaviour of the Greek police has come under scrutiny, again, following a number of incidents over which officers have been accused of using unnecessary and excessive force.In this episode, we take a look at why police tactics have triggered public protests, what ails the force and how it can be fixed.MacroPolis features editor Georgia Nakou speaks to co-host Phoebe Fronista about recent events and what kind of political reactions they have stirred.Photojournalists Louisa Gouliamaki and Nikos Palaiologos describe their experiences with the police at street level while covering demonstrations.Finally, Pavlos Eleftheriadis, a professor of Public Law at Oxford University who has also dabbled in Greek politics, explains why he thinks the police's problems mirror those in other parts of the public administration and how some, but not others, are being addressed by the government. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greece is celebrating the 200th anniversary of its war of independence, which began in 1821 and allowed Greeks to free themselves of Ottoman rule and oppression, and form their own nation-state.To mark this occasion, we spoke to Sakis Gekas, the Hellenic Heritage Foundation (HHF) Chair of Modern Greek History at York University in Canada. He told The Agora about where the Greek revolution stands in an international context as well as some of the broader themes to emerge from the momentous events two centuries ago.We have avoided going into historical detail because this is well served by various documentaries, online events and other podcasts that are currently available. One of those is "The idea of Greece", a seven-part podcast produced by the HHF's History Committee and in which Professor Gekas was involved.For the second half of this episode, we try to move the conversation forward by talking to Kathimerini columnist Nikos Konstandaras about the Greek revolution's legacy, where Greece stands today and what its future might hold. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of The Agora, we check in with the Greek economy again to see how it is performing under the pressure of the coronavirus.MacroPolis co-founder Yiannis Mouzakis and the site's economics editor Marcus Bensasson explain what the latest GDP figures mean, what sectors of the economy are suffering and how important the upcoming tourism season will be.We also take a closer look at a Greek export that is thriving despite the pandemic - wine. Co-host Phoebe Fronista sat down with Markus Stolz, a German based in Athens who has been making a success of exporting local products to the USA.Markus describes what prompted him to leave the world of finance and focus his efforts on making Greek grape varieties popular abroad. He also explains why Covid-19 has not put the brakes on his business. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greece is in the grip of a steady stream of claims about sexual harassment, assault and abuse allegedly carried out by men in positions of power.In this episode of The Agora podcast, hosts Nick Malkoutzis and Phoebe Fronista speak to a range of women about this developing story.New York Times correspondent Niki Kitsantonis explains how the #MeToo developments began and why they are becoming more complex, and political, as time goes on.Also, actress Amalia Kavali - from hit Greek TV show Agries Melisses - and dancer Katerina Foti, members of a new initiative called Women in Arts (WOM.A) whose goal is to combat gender discrimination, explain what #MeToo means for them and women in their field.Finally, Dr Elli Siapkidou, an expert on gender issues, discusses what obstacles Greek women face, what advances have been made and what more needs to be done. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For the last episode of The Agora podcast in 2020, we examine how Brexit may affect Greece's relationship with the UK.Naturally, we look at what the UK's departure from the EU means for trade and bilateral relations, but we also delve into the impact on studying and living in the UK.Hosts Nick Malkoutzis and Phoebe Fronista spoke to Nikos Skoutaris, an associate professor in EU law at the University of East Anglia, about all these issues, as well as his Christmas turkey.Our second guest, writer Alex Kemp discusses how he left London to discover Greece, its customs, culture and people - all of which he's captured in his book "Here is Greece." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.