MacroPolis

The authorities are stepping up their efforts to encourage Greeks to take greater care not to spread the coronavirus after a significant rise in confirmed cases over the last few days.

The long-awaited decision on compensating pensioners for retirement pay cuts ruled unconstitutional by Greece’s highest administrative court was unveiled by PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Parliament on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has been briefing opposition leaders on the situation with Turkey in a series of one-on-one meetings following his return from the EU summit in Brussels.

Parliament approved on Thursday night the government’s legislation aimed at bringing street protests under greater control but the political reverberations from the contentious legislation are likely to last for some time.

Details of the government’s spending on the Covid-19 public information campaign were released on Monday, prompting fresh accusations of political favouritism and untransparent dealings.

The spotlight fell on Greece’s tourism sector on Wednesday as regional airports, including on the islands, reopened to international flights, rekindling hopes that the arrival of visitors from abroad will boost the scant receipts gained so far this year by the industry.

Legislation aimed at regulating public demonstrations, which the ruling New Democracy deems necessary to restore order to city streets, is due to be debated in Parliament this week.

With New Democracy and SYRIZA locked in an intense verbal battle over alleged scandals, the impact of the coronavirus on the Greek economy has moved down the political agenda for now.

The latest macroeconomic data has highlighted the fiscal pressure that is mounting on Greece’s centre-right government, especially as it hopes to return to its programme of tax cuts later this year.

The question of how the pandemic communications budget was distributed continues to dog Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s government, as the voices calling for full transparency are intensifying.