Media monopolies and room rents
Media monopolies and room rents
- dystopian dreams and souvlaki schemes
It was Monday evening and the industrial courtyard at PLYFA was full. It could have been a concert or a party.
I would have never guessed that all those hundreds of people gathered there to listen to four journalists speak about an investigation that hadn’t even been published yet.
But that was the reason they were all there. Independent outlet Solomon’s investigation, “Who owns the media?”. Hundreds of people, all gathered to listen to Danai Maragoudaki, Iliana Papangeli, Corina Petridi and Eliza Triantafyllou (also a reporter for Inside Story, that I talked about before) speak about this huge effort to map all media owners in Greece.
Left to right: Iliana, Corina, Danai and Eliza.
You can check out the special website of the investigation here.
Ok, you’ll say, but why is this important? Nobody imagined that business owners were a bunch of honest, low profile, well intentioned, friendly bunch. Especially in this part of Europe - but honestly, anywhere in the world.
Well, no, nobody imagined that. But this information should be freely available to the public. It shouldn’t require a month long investigation.
Solomon is a non-profit based in Greece, they have 4 European Press Prizes. You can read more about them here. It’s an outlet I wanted to introduce you to anyway, but this event gave me the perfect excuse.
I was honestly really moved by that crowd - so forgive the very long introduction.
Now, to the round-up of this week’s news.
Weekly Spotlight
True story: I just came across a post in a Facebook rental group of someone who was renting a room in a flat in Kypseli for 700 euros per month.
One single room.
In a flat with 2 other housemates.
Now, there are always two extreme sides to this debate: the “what the f**k, people, are you losing your minds?” and “if you can’t afford it, just find something else”. Both can be true, depending on the house, the area, the market - or all three, usually.
But in the first two years I spent in Athens I’ve seen so many dark, moldy, cold overpriced spaces, advertised as “cozy, central apartments”, and I’ve wasted so much time arguing with agents who were asking for 3 months warranty for houses that didn’t even have a sink in the kitchen, that this has become a sore spot for me.
In this context, the government apparently announced several measures to address the housing issue:
My Home II Program: A €2 billion initiative from the Recovery Fund to help over 15,000 young people or couples acquire their first home at reduced interest rates.
Renovate and Rent Program: Updates include eligibility for families with incomes up to €40,000 and properties valued up to €300,000.
Student Accommodation Allowance: Increased to €2,500 for students living away from their home prefecture.
Upgrading My Home Program: A €400 million program for energy upgrades of homes, funded 75% by the Recovery Fund and 25% by banks.
You can check here for more details. This, along with the airbnb cap that I was mentioning last week, and the rise of the Golden Visa threshold should, in theory, help deflate this bizarre bubble that has been inflating for a few years now.
But I’m skeptical. Some market experts are already warning of new house price increases amounting to 10-15%, due to My Home II.
Others experts are saying that the government’s incentives won’t be enough to motivate owners to give up short term rentals in favor of long term ones.
What is your take on this? I’m curious.
***
Thousands gathered in Keratsini yesterday to commemorate 11 years from Pavlos Fyssas' murder by Giorgos Roupakias of Golden Dawn.
The anti-fascist march, led by Fyssas' mother, honored his memory and continued the fight against fascism, emphasizing that although Golden Dawn has been convicted, the threat persists. See photos and videos here.
The demonstration, heavily monitored by police, remained peaceful.
Who is Pavlos Fyssas?
Pavlos Fyssas, also known by his stage name "Killah P," was a Greek anti-fascist rapper who was murdered on September 18, 2013, in Keratsini, Greece. He was stabbed to death by Giorgos Roupakias, a member of the far-right, neo-Nazi political party Golden Dawn. The attack was part of a coordinated assault by Golden Dawn members, targeting Fyssas for his outspoken opposition to fascism and his anti-racist activism.
Fyssas' murder became a pivotal moment in Greece's fight against fascism, sparking massive protests and public outrage. It also led to a government crackdown on Golden Dawn, resulting in the arrest and conviction of several of its members, including its leadership, on charges of running a criminal organization. Fyssas' death is widely viewed as a symbol of resistance against fascism and far-right extremism in Greece.
Here’s an amazing story on Solomon about how Pavlos’ mother became, in turn, a fighter against fascism. And another one, a bit older, in al Jazeera.
News You Can Use
If you’re planning to drive around over the weekend, you should know that, as part of the This is Athens-City Festival and World Car-Free Day, traffic will be halted and parking prohibited from 20:00 on September 21 to 22:00 on September 22 on:
Athinas Street (between Evripidou and Ermou)
Kar. Serbias Street
Perikleous Street
Athinaidos Street
Agias Irinis
Plateia Ag. Asomaton (between Sarri and Ermou, in the direction towards Ermou)
Ermou
But maybe just stay home, this weird weather isn’t going anywhere soon.
The government is considering freezing real estate objective prices for a year to tackle rising property costs. Current market trends show a 9.2% increase in apartment prices, with high demand pushing values up.
The first suspension for using a mobile phone in school, after this year new regulations, that forbid them, was given to a student in Patras. The parents complained that the school was “abusive”. Could school lockers be an answer?
Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis announced plans for a new system for confirming prescriptions via text message to people’s mobile phones.
The federation of public sector employees announced a nationwide 24-hour strike scheduled for Wednesday, November 13.
Greece ranks third in EU for material and social deprivation.
Greece is also one of the countries battling a lot of eating disorders.
30 brand new laptops were stolen from the Ministry of Labor in the center of Athens. How was this possible?
A power bank exploded on a plane in Heraklion. How dangerous are they, though, really?
Soon, vaccines against seasonal illnesses (like the flu) will be available in pharmacies.
The Greek Ministry of Digital Governance is launching the "Gigabit Voucher Scheme" to subsidize households and businesses for high-speed internet connections (at least 250 Mbps). With a budget of €80 million, the program will provide a €200 voucher per beneficiary, covering connection fees and a monthly service discount for two years.
995,000 euro fine for a businessman with 199 undeclared Airbnbs in Mykonos.
And the saddest news of all: souvlaki prices have gone up again. I still remember the good old days of 1,8 euros. Now they’re reaching 4,2 euros.
The Long Reads
The paradox of Greece’s most popular destination
Why is electricity so expensive in the Balkans and Central Europe?
If someone collapses next to you, do you know how to help them?
Wanderlust
You’d better be hungry, because on the next two weekends, BurgerFest is coming.
One of Europe’s oldest art festivals, ArtAthina, is taking place this weekend, in Zappeion. Read more about it here, but it sounds pretty intense.
Down for one last beach party? You can dance to Fatboy Slim on Saturday at Bolivar.
If you’re looking to adopt a pet, you can try this adoption event in Glyfada, on Saturday.
It may be raining, but I’m sure this autumn still has warm days in store. If you want a last minute trip to an island that is both beautiful and still authentic, you can try Lipsi or Leros.
Have a great weekend and do write back. Even if it’s just to complain.
Ioana