This Week
MONDAY Attica taxi drivers stage a 24-hour strike for higher fares and the right to drive in bus lanes. It begins at 5 a.m. today. – Foreign Minister George Papandreou holds a working dinner with his Dutch counterpart, Josias van Aartsen. – National Economy and Finance Minister Nikos Christodoulakis travels to Brussels for a meeting of eurozone finance ministers. TUESDAY Foreign Minister George Papandreou travels to Istanbul to attend a meeting of EU foreign ministers and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). To Thursday. He will meet with his Turkish counterpart, Ismail Cem. – Doctors of the Social Security Foundation (IKA) begin a second, consecutive five-day strike to press for more pay and the permanent status of colleagues on open-ended contracts. – Deputy Development Minister Alexandros Kalafatis visits Halkidiki to examine the TVX gold mine and its methods, ahead of the government’s decision on Friday, on the continued operation of the mine. – Lord David Hannay, Britain’s special envoy for Cyprus, will be on the island for a two-day visit. – National Economy and Finance Minister Nikos Christodoulakis attends ECOFIN meeting in Brussels. – The General Confederation of Greek Labor (GSEE) begins talks with employers on a new collective labor agreement. – The Athens Academy hosts a conference on «Institutions and People.» Prof Constantine Despotopoulos will be the main speaker. For details, call 010.364.3104. WEDNESDAY Farmers of central and northern Greece meet in Larissa today to decide on further protest action and to plan their drive to Athens. – Justice Minister Philippos Petsalnikos and Interior Minister Costas Skandalidis travel to Santiago de Compostela, Spain, for an informal meeting of EU justice and interior ministers. – The Foreign Press Association holds a luncheon at the Caravel Hotel with US Ambassador Thomas Miller as guest of honor. – Alexandros Publications presents the «Atlas of Greeks Abroad.» Archbishop Christodoulos, the leader of Left Coalition Party Nikos Constantopoulos and Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos will speak. At the Old Parliament building. THURSDAY The Government Council on Defense and Foreign Policy (KYSEA) meets. – The Inner Cabinet is to discuss regulations regarding owners of mass media outlets. – Education Minister Petros Efthymiou attends meeting of EU education ministers in Brussels. FRIDAY Deadline for Integrated Airline Solutions Consortium (IAS) to finalize its offer for a stake in Olympic Airways. – The government is to announce its decision on the continued operation of the TVX gold mine in Halkidiki. – Gen Giorgios Antonakopoulos takes over as chairman of Greece’s joint chiefs of staff at a ceremony. He succeeds Gen. Manoussos Parayioudakis. – The government is to send the EU the provisional data regarding how much cotton was produced in Greece during the past season. SATURDAY Secondary school teachers’ representatives to meet to discuss further strike action. They are demanding a 25-percent pay increase and the withdrawal of legislation allowing for their evaluation.
