Sovereign Credit Ratings Questioned

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• Sovereign Credit Ratings Questioned
• Tree-planting Event on Kastellorizo
• Gas Pipeline Route Identified
• New Transplantation Policy Unveiled
• The Culture Agenda

Sovereign Credit Ratings Questioned Posted: 31 Mar 2011 03:18 AM PDT The European Commission yesterday questioned the decision of credit rating agency Standard & Poor's to downgrade Greece's economy. European Commission spokesperson for Economic and Monetary Affairs Amadeu Altafaj Tardio told reporters that the Commission does not share the view of rating agencies, as it has its own assessments, which it shares with the International Monetary Fund. He also expressed the Commission's satisfaction for the Greek government's "ambitious efforts" towards promoting privatisations. On his part, Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou said that the rating agencies do not take into consideration the strict assessments that Greece receives from the EU, the IMF and the European Central Bank at regular intervals. In related news, according to an IMF working paper, the European debt crisis "has been the theater of sovereign credit rating downgrades, widening of sovereign bond and credit default swap spreads, and pressures on stock markets." European Commission - Audiovisual Services: Midday Press Briefing [VIDEO]

Tree-planting Event on Kastellorizo Posted: 31 Mar 2011 03:16 AM PDT "Every time I'm here with you on Kastellorizo -this island on the edge of the Aegean but in the heart of Greece- I feel the same admiration and respect for all of those living in border regions," Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas said, addressing a tree-planting event on the island of Kastelorizo, organised by the Society for the Study of Diaspora Hellenism, in collaboration with Megistis Municipality and the Greek American foundation Plant your Roots in Greece. He then said that "Turkey's provocative behaviour has not changed, just as the firm replies we make to every provocation have not changed. We aren't budging an inch. We will not suffer the slightest dent in our sovereign rights, from one end of Greece to the other. And of course, we are not relinquishing Kastellorizo's rights to its natural wealth. Greece's weapon is not shouts. It is not slogans. Greece's weapon is international law, international legality, our position in the international community."

Gas Pipeline Route Identified Posted: 31 Mar 2011 03:16 AM PDT Natural gas pipeline project Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) said on March 28 that it has outlined the best route for the 190 km stretch running through Greece after completing detailed studies on the proposed link. According to the announcement, more than 50 national and international experts have conducted comprehensive and detailed studies and three extensive field missions were organised in northern Greece to identify geological, environmental and cultural heritage constraints as well as safety and social concerns. TAP's proposed routing in Greece will be 190 km in length - the pipeline will start in Nea Mesimvria near Thessaloniki and extend to the Greek-Albanian border north of the town of Dipotamia. TAP AG is a joint venture company established with the purpose of planning, developing and building the TAP pipeline which will bring natural gas from the Caspian and Middle East regions to Europe.

New Transplantation Policy Unveiled Posted: 31 Mar 2011 03:16 AM PDT A draft bill introducing an opt-out system regarding organ donation was presented by Health Minister Andreas Loverdos at the Cabinet on March 30. The bill foresees the principle of presumed consent to organ donation, according to which all citizens will be considered potential donors unless they have expressly stated otherwise. The National Transplantation Organisation will be entrusted with the relevant registry, in which adult citizens who do not wish to become donors can refuse their consent and be excluded from transplant procedures. The bill further includes provisions regarding cases of organ transplantation from a living donor, as well as criminal sanctions for organ trade. Government.gov.gr: Draft Bill on Organ Transplantation (in Greek)

The Culture Agenda Posted: 31 Mar 2011 03:16 AM PDT E X H I B I T I O N S Polyglossia @ Onassis Centre  Polyglossia is a Greek word meaning both the existence, use and knowledge of many languages, and the expression of multiple views simultaneously or sequentially. The exhibition Polyglossia -at the Onassis Cultural Centre in Athens until June 30- relates both to artists of Greek descent who were born or live and work outside Greece, and to a desire to cover every means of visual expression (painting, sculpture, installations, environments, videos, photography, drawings) employed by artists of different generations. Messolonghi through Engravings The Michael Cacoyannis Foundation is hosting, until April 30, the exhibition The City of Messolonghi today through Gravure, featuring artworks belonging to the Aitoloakarnania Contemporary Art Gallery of Christos and Sofia Moschandeou. A wide range of artists is being presented, showcasing the evolution of Greek engraving art, from Theordoros Vryzakis to Vasso Katraki. M U S I C Tribute to D. Mitropoulos Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the death of the great Greek conductor and composer Dimitri Mitropoulos (1896-1960), the Gennadius Library is co-organizing with Irida Classical a musical event on March the 31. Balkan Brass @ Megaron Famous director, actor, musician and singer, Emir Kusturica, is visiting Greece for three concerts with his "No Smoking Band," bringing in his luggage the Balkan sound of brass instruments and violins combined perfectly with the rock mood of his electric guitar. At the Thessaloniki Concert Hall on April 4 and at the Athens Concert Hall on April 5 and 6.

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