Despite being the poorest country in the European Union, Greece has one of the three highest rates of television ownership in the 15-member bloc, according to a Eurostat survey made public yesterday. However, Greeks are much less keen on video and DVD players.

The survey by the EU’s official statistical service found that a staggering 99 percent of the Greek population owns a television set. Luxembourgers came first at 100 percent, followed by Germans at 99.7 percent. The EU average is 95.8 percent.

But only 38.2 percent of all Greeks own videocassette recorders — the lowest rate in the EU where the average is 72.4 percent. Britons come first, with ownership reaching 85.9 percent. And DVD players are practically unknown in Greece, with only 0.4 percent of the population owning the digital version of the VCR. The EU average is 3.2 percent.