Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 17-04-11

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Katrougalos: Protecting UK-based Greeks after Brexit a priority for Athens

[02] More than 20 pct of TAP's pipeline work has been completed, company says

[03] Aegean, Olympic to transfer 'Holy Light' to 17 destinations in Greece

[01] Katrougalos: Protecting UK-based Greeks after Brexit a priority for Athens

Briefing journalists covering the foreign ministry, Katrougalos noted that two important milestones for the first goal will be the European Commission's reflection paper on the social dimension of Europe by 2025, due to be released on April 26 as part of the White Paper process, and the EU Summit in Goteborg on November 17.

Katrougalos admitted that adopting such a protocol would require modifying EU treaties. "The discussion can begin now, we can have the first steps on the social pillar, then seen what can happen intergovernmentally, so we arrive at a protocol," he said.

Part of this effort were his recent visits to Sweden and Estonia, where Greece's proposals were well received, the minister added. Greece wants the discussion on the future of Europe to put great emphasis on the social dimension, Katrougalos explained. Its proposals to the Commission included action to make economic governance more social and democratic, as well as the introduction of European social targets, such as European social insurance against unemployment and protecting the social acquis.

"Either we will succeed in making Europe more social or it will cease to exist," he concluded.

Regarding the protection of some 70,000 Greeks and 250,000 Greek-Cypriots currently living in the UK after Brexit, Katrougalos said that Greece "wants to negotiate together with the other 27. We do not want this process to take on a punitive dimension. We want a discussion to begin on the method of departure and to discuss the future relationship as soon as possible."

Finally, Katrougalos announced that Greece plans to put in a bid for the European Medicines Agency when this is transferred from its current base in the United Kingdom, saying that he would be meeting officials at the health and economy ministries, Attica Region and pharmaceutical companies to discuss the plan.

[02] More than 20 pct of TAP's pipeline work has been completed, company says

Ten months after the inauguration ceremony held in May 2016, construction has significantly progressed in two of the three northern Greek prefectures to be traversed by the pipeline: Eastern Macedonia-Thrace and Central Macedonia.

As of end-March 2017, contractors have received 66 percent of the total 32,000 line pipes to be used for the construction of the pipeline's Greek section, cleared and graded 260 km of the project's route, strung 217 km of pipeline, welded 184 km of the mainline and opened 154 km of trench.

There are more than 2,500 people working for the project in Greece, out of which about 400 are archaeologists and specialized archaeological workers.

TAP will transport natural gas from the giant Shah Deniz II field in Azerbaijan to Europe. The approximately 878 km long pipeline will connect with the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) at the Turkish-Greek border at Kipoi, cross Greece and Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Southern Italy.

The company's shareholding is comprised of BP (20 pct), SOCAR (20 pct), Snam (20 pct), Fluxys (19 pct), Enagás (16 pct) and Axpo (5 pct).

[03] Aegean, Olympic to transfer 'Holy Light' to 17 destinations in Greece

The two airlines will charter three extra aircraft on Holy Saturday (April 15) to transfer what in the Orthodox tradition and is called the "Holy Light" to Larisa, Alexandroupoli, Lemnos, Samos, Chios, Zakynthos, Kefallonia, Mykonos, Santorini, Heraklion, Ioannina, Thessaloniki, Chania, Kos, Lesvos, Rhodes and Corfu.

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article