Who’ll Stop the Rain

By Constantine Capsaskis

Newsletter Editor

Welcome to the weekly round-up of news by Kathimerini English Edition. Just a few weeks after the devastation wrought by Storm Daniel, Greece was once again battered by a new storm. Storm Elias flooded several regions across the country, some for the second time in less than a month, and is a grim warning of a possible ‘new normal’.

The storm hit the city of Volos and northern Evia the hardest, with the former being tested for the second time. The emergency services in the area received 1,820 distress calls over three days, as Hellenic Fire Service crews and Hellenic Army marines conducted rescue operations.

The port city, one of Greece’s largest, has faced power outages and water shortages since Storm Daniel, a situation exacerbated this week. The municipal authority continues to hand out free bottled water as specialists have warned that the city’s running water is not fit to purpose.

Indicative of the rising tensions in the areas struck by the weather phenomena, a video emerged this weekend showing a citizen verbally insulting the mayor of Volos as he inspected a heavily stricken part of the city. The mayor was then caught on camera physically attacking his heckler.

The northern part of the island of Evia, that was devastated by wildfires in 2021, was also struck by intense rainfall, with the volume of rainwater in the area over two days approaching the annual average of Attica. Several villages were flooded almost in their entirety, with over 40 homes flooding in Rovies and the village mayor stating that the village was “70% destroyed”.

The roads connecting the island’s north to the south were cut off and have not yet been fully restored, with hundreds of heavy vehicles (both private, state, and military) working through the weekend to restore access to the flooded villages.

Finally, while Storm Elias may have caused a multitude of new problems, the areas hit by Storm Daniel have yet to fully recover. Residents face the spread of diseases, with nine people dying of leptospirosis.

At the same time, the very landscape of the region itself was altered and the total cost of repairs for just the region’s infrastructure alone is expected to exceed 600 million euros.

In response to both the destruction caused by both Storm Daniel and Storm Elias, as well as the difficulties in managing the situation in their aftermath, the government is reportedly planning to reform the state’s emergency response protocols.

Spotlight

• Stefanos Kasselakis had his first week at the helm of main opposition party SYRIZA following his victory at the leadership elections held last Sunday, but there were few signs that the party would be able to once again coalesce. Supporters of Kasselakis and his opponent Effie Achtsioglou continued to trade barbs throughout the week, with the two sides seemingly setting up for a showdown in the near future. “SYRIZA will operate as a cohesive party – no factions, no internal divisions, no upheavals, and no internal opposition”, said SYRIZA MP Evangelos Apostolakis, a close advisor of Kasselakis, adding that “those who do not share this vision are free to step aside.”

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• All sporting and cultural activities held at the Olympic Athletic Center of Athens (OAKA) Olympic Stadium and Velodrome were suspended indefinitely on Friday after its landmark roof, designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, failed safety tests. The decision led to political sparring as Kasselakis criticized the government, presenting the roof as a “symbol of a country that is collapsing at all levels”, with Minister of State Akis Skertsos responding that it is the good economic track record of the current government that will allow for its rebuilding. Panathinaikos FC, one of Greece’s preeminent football clubs who play their home games in European tournament matches at the stadium, released a statement criticizing the decision and questioned its timing after two matches with very high attendance.

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OPINION

Regional elections, an early test for the government

By Tom Ellis

Editor-in-Chief, Kathimerini English Edition

The government faces its first early test?in the local and regional elections that will take place on October 8;?and 15 where?runoffs are needed.

Following its?overwhelming victory?in last June’s national polls, the short and medium?term seemed an easy ride?for the government.?

But the inability of the state mechanism to adequately prepare for and deal with numerous natural disasters that hit Greece during the summer, from wildfires to floods, have put a serious dent in its popularity and made it more vulnerable than one would have expected a few months ago.

And then?came?the unknown factor that is the new leader of leftist main opposition SYRIZA, Stefanos Kasselakis,?and the effect his unconventional presence might have on?the electorate.

A former Goldman Sachs trader and political neophyte, Kasselakis aims to broaden the appeal of his party to centrist voters.

With this goal in mind?he is looking to capitalise on?any potential gains in this?first ballot after he became leader of the country’s second largest party.

New Democracy’s clear dominance among both the?governors of Greece’s 13 regions, and the?mayors of the major cities?will be tested.

To what extent the candidates?supported by the government – who are?in most cases?seeking re-election –?will pay a price for the?widely criticised?mismanagement of the disasters, remains to be seen.

What seems certain?is?that any?potential losses will make the prime minister’s work more difficult as he faces?numerous challenges, not only domestically but also on the?international front, more specifically in the?relations with Turkey and the effort that is underway to?improve them.

CHART OF THE WEEK

The prices of fruit and vegetables continue to rise at a steep rate, with fruit prices in August jumping 10.6% year-on-year and those of vegetables, 17.5%. In fact, prices have been increasing in 2023 faster than they did in 2022 despite lower productions costs. Experts suggest that psychological factors are behind the price hikes, a situation that was exacerbated by the recent flooding in Thessaly. They also point out that there is a failure of competition in Greece both at the local level of producers and between the country’s major supermarket chains.

ESCAPADE

Harvest Fever: The Diary of a Vineyard Worker

We took part in this year’s wine harvest in the Cyclades, which turned out to be one of the most challenging in recent years.

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ECONOMY IN A NUTSHELL

1. “The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index recorded its fifth consecutive week of losses but stayed above the 1,200-point threshold. Closing at 1,209.394 points on Friday, down 0.69% on a weekly basis, the benchmark dropped by 7.86% in September.”
2. “Data released by the Hellenic Statistical Authority suggest widespread income concealment in Greece. Specifically, households in 2021 declared an average annual income that was 25% less than their average expenditure, while household deposits increased by 7%.”
3. “About 41.5% of properties listed on short-term letting platforms were acquired solely for this purpose, more than double the equivalent average European rate according to a European Commission survey. This is also largely due to the high number of foreign investors who were attracted by the high level of returns.”

WHAT'S ON THE AGENDA

03/10/2023

Kasselakis visits Cyprus: Newly elected leader of main opposition party SYRIZA Stefanos Kasselakis will conduct a three-day visit to Cyprus where he is expected to meet with the island’s civic and political leadership.

04/10/2023

Frigate ‘Kimon’ launch: The first Kimon-class FDI frigate built by the French Naval Group will be launched with a ceremony expected to be attended by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Defense Minister Nikos Dendias.

05/10/2023

EPC Summit: Prime Minister Mitsotakis will travel to Granada in Spain to attend the third meeting of the European Political Community and attend the informal meeting of the heads of state or government the next day.

08/10/2023

Local elections: The first round of municipal and regional elections will be held across Greece.

PODCAST

Theft at the British Museum puts spotlight on the Parthenon Sculptures

This summer it became known that more than 2,000 items were stolen from the British Museum over a long period of time. Angelos Chaniotis, a professor of ancient history and Classics at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, joins Thanos Davelis to look at what this crisis means for the British Museum, and explore whether it could impact efforts aimed at reuniting the Parthenon Sculptures.

Listen to the episode >