Costas Simitis, who served as Greece's prime minister between 1996 and 2004, died at the age of 88 on January 5. He left behind a bountiful legacy, which included Greece's entry into the euro and a raft of infrastructure projects.

His record, though, is contested by some Greeks who feel that the seeds of future problems were sown during his period in office.

On this episode of The Agora, host Nick Malkoutzis discusses Simitis's contribution and record with Kathimerini columnist Nikos Konstandaras.

Useful links

Costas Simitis, former Greek prime minister and socialist leader, dies at 88 - Associated Press

Costas Simitis and the measure of things - Kathimerini

‘This is Greece!,’ Costas Simitis’ rallying cry - Kathimerini

Greece Recalls Former PM Simitis as Architect of Country’s Modernisation - BIRN

Imia, behind the scenes - Kathimerini

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Greek Parliament is about to vote on the 2025 budget, so The Agora is looking at what the government's economic plan entails, while also examining the bigger picture as far as the country's economy is concerned.

MacroPolis co-founder Yiannis Mouzakis joins us to explain why there has been so much attention on the revenue side of the budget. He also identifies where the key strengths and weaknesses of the Greek economy lie as we prepare for a year that seems full of uncertainty.

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SYRIZA, the leftist party that experienced a stunning rise to power from the fringes of Greek politics, has elected a new leader but will it be enough to rescue it from its slide back to the sidelines?

Its former leader, nascent politician Stefanos Kasselakis, has hit back by launching his own party, Movement for Democracy. Will he have any impact or is it all show?

These are some of the questions host Nick Malkoutzis attempts to answer with the help of MacroPolis co-founder Yiannis Mouzakis and features editor Georgia Nakou.

Useful reading

Greece’s wounded left elects new chief - Euractiv

Assessing Greece’s new political landscape - Ekathimerini

Greek politics goes from stability to state of flux - MacroPolis

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In mid-November, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis decided to expel from the ruling New Democracy party one of his predecessors, Antonis Samaras.

Samaras headed the centre-right party for several years and was the leader of a coalition government between 2012 and 2015, which means his dismissal was big news in Greece.

So, why did Mitsotakis make this dramatic move and what it could mean not only for unity within New Democracy, but also for the stability of the Greek government?

MacroPolis co-founder Yiannis Mouzakis and features editor Georgia Nakou joined Nick Malkoutzis to discuss all the permutations.

Useful reading

Former Greek premier Samaras is expelled from the ruling conservative party - Associated Press

Turkey rapprochement sparks rift in Greece’s ruling party - Politico

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Nikos Androulakis has been re-elected as leader of PASOK, the centre-left party that is hoping to establish itself as the main opposition party in Greece and, ultimately, challenge centre-right New Democracy for power.

Given that Androulakis cruised to his victory, was there any point to this leadership contest? Also, where does it leave PASOK as it seeks to take advantage of turmoil at leftist SYRIZA and build some momentum as the social democrats seek to close the gap on Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis?

MacroPolis co-founder Yiannis Mouzakis and features editor Georgia Nakou join host Nick Malkoutzis to work out what has happened and what might happen.

Useful reading

Androulakis Wins Second Chance to Revive Greece’s Centre-Left Party - Balkan Insight 

Androulakis’ last chance - Kathimerini

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The Agora hosts a discussion on how Europe, and Greece specifically, have been handling the green transition, addressing questions like how the pivot away from natural gas is going.

The basis for our discussion is three articles written by MacroPolis features editor Georgia Nakou, and senior policy analyst and partner at The Green Tank, an Athens-based think-tank, Nikos Mantzaris.

The articles were published in English by MacroPolis, and in Greek by Inside Story. They were produced with the support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Athens as part of a climate journalism project.

Useful links

Is Greece on track to decouple from fossil gas? - By Nikos Mantzaris

Can the Green Transition be just? - By Nikos Mantzaris

From pipe dreams to power cables: the changing map of Greece's energy ambitions - By Georgia Nakou

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The European Parliament elections held in Greece on June 9 produced a few surprises, some of which could be significant for the country's political scene over the next few months and years.

The ruling centre-right party, New Democracy, performed worse than opinion polls had suggested and fell below the bar set by its leader, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. The main opposition parties, leftist SYRIZA and socialist PASOK, had mixed nights but failed to make any major progress, raising questions about what the future holds for the Greek centre-left.

The far right appeared to be the major beneficiary of the voting patterns in these elections, but a closer inspection of the numbers tells a more complicated story.

MacroPolis co-founder Yiannis Mouzakis and features editor Georgia Nakou step into The Agora to discuss the twists and turns produced by this vote, which was marked by a record low turnout.

Useful reading

Greece’s centre-right wins but with heavy losses - Euractiv

Greek PM hints at cabinet reshuffle after EU vote disappointment - Reuters

Where did all the far-right votes in the EU, but also in Greece, come from? - Kathimerini

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Greece is preparing to welcome a record number of tourists again this year, but their visits will take place against a backdrop of growing concern among locals about the damage being done to the islands and their way of life by rapid development.

Greek policy makers face a dilemma over how to balance the growth and job creation provided by tourism, a vital industry for the local economy, against the fear that going down this path too fast and too far is ultimately unsustainable.

Journalist Yannis Palaiologos joins us on The Agora to discuss these issues. Yannis is part of the team behind the Sustainable Cyclades media project, which has been reporting on the impact that overtourism and development has been having on the Aegean islands and their residents.

Useful reading

Sustainable Cyclades

Local Greeks pushed out as mass tourism takes over Athens - France 24

'Without rules we cannot live’: Greece seeks ways to tackle ‘overtourism’ - Al Jazeera

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After going through a really difficult time during the country’s long economic crisis, the Greek property market is booming, but that's creating a whole new set of problems.

High rental and purchase prices are pricing out much of the local population as foreign investors snap up apartments and entire buildings in pursuit of profits.

Host Nick Malkoutzis is joined by Stelios Bouras, a journalist who covers real estate and other economic issues for the Business Daily, to discuss a range of issues linked to the new conditions in the housing market - rising prices, a revival of construction and the much-debated Golden Visa scheme.

Useful reading

Inside one of Europe’s last golden visa programmes and what’s set to change - EuroNews

Local Greeks pushed out as mass tourism takes over Athens - France24

What is driving the Greek housing market's recovery? - MacroPolis

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In the wake of the Covid pandemic, the European Union launched the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) - a package of around 700 billion euros to help member states recover from the economic impact and build for the future.

Greece's portion of these funds is considered vital for the country's efforts to overcome the effects of its long economic crisis, as well as the disruption caused by the pandemic.

The Greek government dubbed its RRF-related scheme "Greece 2.0", claiming it would help transform the country.

A couple of years in, how is Greece 2.0 performing? Has it had a transformative effect? How much money is Greece absorbing and where is it being invested?

These are some of the questions that Nick Malkoutzis and MacroPolis features editor Georgia Nakou attempt to answer in this episode.

Useful Reading

MacroPolis - Great Expectations: Is Greece 2.0 hitting the target?

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