The Los Angeles Greek Film Festival marked its 20th edition in Hollywood with the Orpheus Awards Ceremony, honoring Greek and Cypriot filmmakers and paying tribute to Oscar-winning composer Alexandre Desplat.

The festival’s Closing Night Film and Orpheus Awards Ceremony took place on May 31 at the Egyptian Theatre, in collaboration with the American Cinematheque. This year’s edition brought together filmmakers, artists, industry professionals, and supporters of Greek cinema for a week of screenings, red carpet events, tributes, and awards. The festival’s virtual film program continues through June 14.

Founded in 2007, LAGFF has grown into one of the most important platforms for Greek and Cypriot cinema outside Greece. Over the past two decades, it has screened more than 800 films, hosted over 700 filmmakers, and reached an audience of more than 50,000.

Alexandre Desplat honored at closing night

One of the evening’s major highlights was the presentation of the Honorary Orpheus Award to Alexandre Desplat, one of the most acclaimed film composers working today.

Desplat, who won Academy Awards for his scores for The Grand Budapest Hotel and The Shape of Water, received the honor for his contribution to contemporary cinema. Filmmaker Malcolm Washington presented the award during the Closing Night ceremony, while Fay Lellios produced the tribute.

The evening also included a remembrance tribute to George Kolovos of G.P. Kolovos & Associates, a longtime benefactor of the Los Angeles Greek Film Festival.

“The 20th celebratory edition of LAGFF left indelible memories,” said Aristotle Katopodis, Artistic and Festival Director of LAGFF. “Feting Alexandre Desplat, remembering Dean Tavoularis, and paying respects to our 20-year-long benefactors, the Kolovos family, are images deeply etched in our hearts and souls.”

Katopodis also congratulated the filmmakers whose work was celebrated this year and thanked the festival’s supporters, sponsors, and team for championing Greek cinema.

Hold onto me wins best feature film

The Closing Night Film, Hold Onto Me, directed by Myrsini Aristidou, won the Orpheus Award for Best Feature Film.

The film, which previously won the World Cinema Audience Award at Sundance, was one of the leading titles of this year’s festival. Following the screening, actor Michael Grant hosted a Q&A with Aristidou.

KNX Radio’s Vivianne Linou hosted the Orpheus Awards Ceremony.

2026 orpheus awards winners announced by the Los Angeles Greek film festival

In the animation category, Dream by Semiramis Mamata won the Orpheus Award for Best Animation Film. The Special Jury Award for Animation Film went to Poppy Flowers by Evridiki Papaiakovou.

The Orpheus Award for Best Short Film went to Prelude to a Supernova by Christos Artemiou, while the Special Jury Award for Short Film went to Gekas by Dimitris Moutsiakas.

In the feature film categories, Hold Onto Me by Myrsini Aristidou won Best Feature Film. Krysianna Papadakis and Stergios Dinopoulos received the Orpheus Award for Best Director for Bearcave, while Amerissa Basta received the Special Jury Award for Best Director for Life in a Beat.

The Orpheus Award for Best Performance went to Denise Fraga for Dreaming of Lions. Niovi Charalampous received the Special Jury Award for Best Performance for Smaragda – I Got Thick Skin and I Can’t Jump, while Vangelis Mourikis earned an honorable mention for Patty Is Such a Girly Name.

Audience awards and social justice honors

The Audience Award for Feature Film went to Best Friends Forever by Konstantinos Mousoulis. The Audience Award for Short Film went to The Smoker by Alexa Economacos.

The festival also presented its Social Justice Awards in partnership with Loyola Marymount University’s Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts, Department of Classics and Archaeology.

The Social Justice Award for Short Film went to The Wolves Return by Stelios Moraitidis, while the Social Justice Award for Feature Film went to Maysoon by Nancy Biniadaki.

Award presenters included animator Aliki Theofilopoulos, actor and author Patricia Kara, music composer George Kallis, and film distributor Bill Vergos.

The jury panel included Leo Behrens, Nora Bernard, Karen Cifarelli, Cheng Guo, Harrison James, Chieh-Chih Liao, Eric Nazarian, and Irene Soriano Saxon.

Los Angeles Greek film festival celebrates orpheus awards at the Egyptian theatre

This year’s Closing Night continued LAGFF’s collaboration with the Egyptian Theatre, Netflix, and the American Cinematheque.

The Egyptian Theatre, one of Hollywood’s most historic movie palaces, opened in 1922 and helped shape the early history of film premieres in Los Angeles. Restored through a partnership between Netflix and the American Cinematheque, the venue now combines its historic character with modern projection capabilities.

For LAGFF, the setting offered a symbolic backdrop for a festival that has spent two decades connecting Greek and Cypriot cinema with the wider Los Angeles film community.

More than seven in ten property purchases in Greece in 2025 involved residential homes, with three-quarters of those sales concerning buildings over twenty years old, underscoring the country’s persistent shortage of new housing. The figures point to a structural imbalance in the Greek real estate market in which limited construction in recent years has failed to keep pace with demand.

As a result, buyers continue to turn to older properties, particularly in the country’s largest urban centers. Residential properties accounted for 74.8 percent of all property sales in 2025. Plots of land followed at 14.3 percent, agricultural land at 5.8 percent, and commercial properties at 5.1 percent.

The data comes from REMAX Greece, a real estate network, and is based on thousands of completed transactions recorded through its ninety offices and more than 1,200 agents nationwide.

Three-quarters of homes sold were over 20 years old

Homes more than twenty years old represented 75.6 percent of residential property sales across Greece. Newly-built homes, defined as properties up to five years old, accounted for just 12.3 percent of sales.

Properties aged six to ten years represented only 0.3 percent of transactions, while homes aged 11 to 15 years accounted for 2 percent. Properties aged 16 to 20 years made up 9.8 percent of residential sales.

The dominance of older housing reflects the limited availability of newer homes in the Greek market. Where newly built properties are available, however, they remain highly attractive to buyers because they offer modern energy efficiency standards and better meet contemporary living needs.

Athens reflects national trend

In Attica (Greater Athens), residential properties accounted for 85.3 percent of sales. Commercial properties and land plots each represented 7.2 percent.

Older housing stock was even more dominant in the capital region. Homes more than twenty years old made up 86.2 percent of residential sales in Attica, while newly built properties up to five years old represented only 3.3 percent.

Land purchases also gained ground in Attica. Plots and agricultural land combined rose by 1.8 percent year-on-year, indicating growing buyer interest in development opportunities amid the shortage of available modern housing.

Older homes drive Greece’s property market in Thessaloniki

A similar picture emerged in Thessaloniki, where residential properties represented 87.4 percent of total sales. Commercial properties followed at 8.7 percent. As in Athens, older homes dominated the market. Properties more than twenty years old accounted for 87 percent of residential sales in Thessaloniki, while newly-built homes represented just two percent.

The figures underline the depth of Greece’s housing supply challenge. Demand for residential property remains strong, but the limited availability of newly built homes continues to push buyers toward older stock across the country’s largest real estate markets.

Greek drivers display some of the most dangerous road behavior in Europe, with new findings showing that risky habits such as phone use, fatigue, alcohol-related driving, and low seatbelt compliance remain widespread among motorists, especially younger drivers.

According to the 16th Responsible Driving Barometer released by the VINCI Autoroutes Foundation, 66 percent of Greek drivers say they use their phones while driving, 41 percent admit to driving while severely fatigued, and 10 percent say they have driven after consuming alcohol.

Despite these behaviors, 97 percent of Greek drivers describe their own driving in positive terms. The contrast suggests that many motorists underestimate the risks they take behind the wheel, even when those risks are among the leading causes of serious crashes.

The survey, conducted by Ipsos BVA, polled 12,100 people across 11 European countries and highlighted a troubling gap between how Greek drivers see themselves and how they actually behave on the road.

Young drivers raise particular concern

The survey also points to alarming habits among younger drivers in Greece. Among those  aged 16 to 24, 48 percent say they drive without wearing a seatbelt, while 16 percent admit they occasionally drive under the influence of alcohol.

These figures indicate that road safety remains a serious cultural issue, particularly among younger motorists who may be more likely to normalize dangerous behavior such as not wearing a seatbelt, using a phone, or driving after drinking.

Road deaths show scale of Greece’s safety issue

The survey findings come at a time when Greece is also ranked among Europe’s five most dangerous countries for driving, according to data from the European Transport Safety Council.

Greece recorded 62 road deaths per one million residents in 2024, up from 60 per one million in 2023. While the increase may appear insginificant, it points to a wider road safety problem at a time when several other European countries are making progress in reducing traffic fatalities.

In the 2024 rankings, Greece placed fifth among the most dangerous European countries for road users. Serbia topped the list with 78 deaths per one million residents, followed by Romania with 77, Bulgaria with 74, Croatia with 64, and Greece with 62.

Greece has not historically been at the very top of Europe’s road-death rankings, but its current position shows that road safety remains a persistent national challenge. The country’s performance is also concerning because Croatia, which remains just above Greece in the ranking, has shown signs of improvement.

AI cameras reveal Greek drivers’ risky habits in Athens

Recent data from AI-powered traffic cameras in Athens adds further evidence that risky driving behavior remains widespread.

Eight pilot AI traffic cameras installed in the Greater Athens area have already recorded thousands of serious violations. In roughly one month, four of the cameras detected 39,543 major offenses, including running red lights, using a mobile phone while driving, and exceeding speed limits.

The violations were recorded at some of Athens’ busiest locations, including Syntagma Square and Syngrou Avenue. Separate data showed that on Syngrou Avenue alone, more than ten thousand violations related to seatbelt use and mobile phones were recorded between December 25 and January 28, along with more than 1,500 speeding violations.

The environmental organization iSea, in collaboration with the Hellenic Ornithological Society and the Municipality of Lemnos, has launched an ambitious project to restore the Eastern Mediterranean’s largest marine meadow—a 140-square-kilometer Posidonia sanctuary off the coast of Lemnos, widely known as the region’s “Amazon.”

This massive underwater ecosystem serves as a vital carbon sink, holding over 270,000 tons of stored carbon dioxide and effectively absorbing the annual emissions produced by the vehicles of an entire small city.

To mark World Environment Day 2026, the project partners are celebrating the completion of the initiative’s pilot phase under the “Reviving Lemnos” program, which successfully transplanted more than 250 posidonia shoots.

A Vital Marine Ecosystem

Posidonia oceanica is not an algae, but a flowering marine plant (seagrass) that forms dense underwater meadows. These meadows act as a crucial sanctuary for an abundance of marine life. While most people recognize it from the long, brown “seaweed” leaves that wash ashore, its true value lies beneath the surface.

The Lemnos marine meadow thrives at depths of up to 30 meters and stretches over 20 kilometers long, extending beyond the boundaries of the Natura 2000 Protected Area and into international waters. According to data from iSea, this single ecosystem hosts more than 66 species of marine organisms.

Looking Ahead: The “Reviving Lemnos” Project

During this pilot phase, the transplanted shoots have been secured inside protective metal cages to shield them until they mature, and they will remain under close scientific monitoring.

This initial phase sets the foundation for a much larger effort: restoring more than 10,000 posidonia rhizomes across a 400-square-meter area over the coming years.

“The knowledge gained from monitoring this pilot application will provide a valuable roadmap for completing our restoration actions and ensuring the long-term success of ecosystem conservation in Lemnos,” said Nikoletta Sidiropoulou, Project Manager at iSea.

The “Reviving Lemnos” project is one of seven large-scale initiatives funded by the international Endangered Landscapes & Seascapes Programme.

Related: Posidonia Seagrass Meadows in Greece Reveal their Secrets

In ancient Greece, the experiences of women varied dramatically from Athens to Sparta. While the prevailing image often portrays women as largely “invisible” in public life, a closer examination reveals a striking contrast between the lives of Athenian and Spartan women.

As archaeologist Evi Pini emphasized in speaking recently to the Athens-Macedonia News Agency (AMNA), it is crucial to avoid broad generalizations about women in ancient Greece, given the vast differences across regions and centuries.

Pini’s research, which focuses on the classical period in Athens and Sparta, illuminates how these two prominent societies treated women in fundamentally distinct ways, revealing that invisibility was far from a universal reality.

Women in ancient Athens: The “invisibles of history”

For the most part, Athenian society aimed for women to be unseen and unheard. The ideal Athenian woman was confined to the home, managing the household and raising legitimate children. Their public presence was minimal, and their lives were largely dictated by their male relatives.

As Pini notes, there were specific primary obstacles women in ancient Athens confronted, as indicated below.

Limited legal rights

Athenian women had no legal right to inherit property directly. Their dowry, while providing some security in case of divorce, remained largely under the control of their husband or father.

If a woman was the sole heir to her father’s property (an epikleros kore), she was legally obligated to marry her closest male relative, even if it meant divorcing her current husband. This highlights a system in which women were often pawns in the preservation of family property and lineage.

Marriage and love

Conventional wisdom, often derived from ancient male writers, suggests that Athenian marriages were devoid of emotional connection, serving primarily the purpose of procreation. Love was supposedly reserved for concubines and courtesans.

However, Pini challenges this stereotype, pointing out the economic impracticality for most men in maintaining multiple partners and citing funerary monuments as evidence of genuine affection between spouses.

High mortality in childbirth

Childbirth posed a significant danger for women, contributing to high female mortality rates. This was a grim reality for women across ancient societies, including Athens.

Sole area of distinction

The primary public role for Athenian women was in priesthood. Their participation in religious ceremonies and rituals was crucial. Beyond this, opportunities for distinction were virtually nonexistent.

Women in ancient Athens and Sparta: A striking contrast

According to Greek archaeologists, in stark contrast to Athens, Spartan society granted women a much more prominent and respected position.

While not entirely equal to men, their social status, legal rights, and public recognition were remarkably progressive for the time.

High social status and public honor

Spartan women, especially mothers, held high social standing and were not shy about expressing their opinions publicly. They were even honored with public praise, a stark difference from the Athenian ideal of female silence.

Numerous “Lakaean aphorisms” attributed to Spartan women attest to their wit and influence.

Economic power and inheritance

Spartan women possessed significant economic power. Unlike their Athenian counterparts, they could inherit property from their parents and manage it independently. Due to high male mortality in warfare, Spartan women controlled approximately two-fifths of the land by the 4th century BC.

This economic independence was so unusual that other Greeks, including Aristotle, reportedly viewed Spartans as “womanizers” because of it, misinterpreting their women’s power.

Physical education and health

Spartans prioritized the physical training of girls from a young age, believing that strong bodies would lead to healthier offspring who could better cope with the rigors of childbirth.

They also married their daughters off at an older age (18-20) than Athenians (15-16), considering physical maturity beneficial for motherhood.

Absence of dowry and adultery laws

Spartan law prohibited dowries, ensuring that even less fortunate girls could marry. Furthermore, the concept of adultery as a punishable offense largely didn’t exist in the same way as in Athens.

Consensual extramarital relations, often for the purpose of procreation and to ensure strong offspring for the state, were acceptable and not kept secret. While secret affairs might have occurred, they didn’t lead to the severe penalties and social ostracism faced by Athenian women caught committing adultery.

“Secret” weddings

Spartan weddings involved a ritualistic “secret abduction” of the bride, a haircut, and disguise.

While Plutarch offered a practical, though likely inaccurate, explanation for these “secret” marriages (testing for offspring), Pini suggests they were more likely ancient customs signifying a transition from one state to another, a young woman “disappearing” to reappear as a married woman with a new identity.

Distinction in arts and philosophy

Beyond their domestic roles, Spartan women, alongside women from other Dorian and Aeolian cities and colonies, could achieve distinction as poets and philosophers.

Stereotypes about women in ancient Athens and Sparta to break down

Evi Pini’s insights reveal several crucial stereotypes pertaining to women in Greek antiquity that need to be challenged, as indicated below.

The monolithic “ancient Greek woman”

It’s a significant oversimplification to generalize about “women in antiquity.” The vast differences between Athenian and Spartan societies, among others, demonstrate the diverse realities of women’s lives across different regions and periods. The notion of a single, universal experience for women in ancient Greece is inaccurate.

Absence of marital love

The stereotype that emotional bonds were absent in Athenian marriages, with love reserved for concubines and courtesans, is largely unfounded. Economic realities for most Athenians would have made supporting multiple partners impossible.

Furthermore, evidence from funerary monuments suggests genuine affection and grief existed between spouses.

Universal invisibility

While Athenian women were indeed largely “invisible” in public life, Spartan women were far from it.

Their economic power, social standing, and public voice demonstrate that invisibility was not a universal experience for women in all Greek societies.

Adultery as a universal sin

The draconian Athenian laws surrounding adultery, including the husband’s right to kill the adulterer, are often projected onto all of Greek antiquity.

Sparta’s approach, where consensual extramarital relations for procreation were accepted and “adultery” as a concept barely existed, shows a dramatically different cultural norm.

By examining the nuances of different Greek city-states, particularly the contrasting experiences of Athenian and Spartan women, we gain a much richer and more accurate understanding of women’s roles, rights, and visibility in Greek antiquity, dismantling simplistic and often misleading generalizations.

(With information from AMNA)

Related: What Did Everyday Life in Ancient Athens Really Look Like?

In the UK, there is a stunning Greek temple where visitors can spend the night. The location has been described as a “secret Cotswolds utopia” in Stancombe Park. The 19th-century Doric replica is located near the town of Dursley about two hours from London.

Dursley is located in the western part of England, and according to a 2021 census, it has a population of 7,463 people. The town lies between the cities of Bristol and Gloucester, and it’s just four miles from the River Severn.

A piece of Greek architecture in a small UK town

This location offers a piece of ancient Greek-style architecture in rural England, allowing British tourists to get in touch with Greek culture without leaving the UK.

This stunning Greek temple in the UK does not exactly make for affordable accommodation. A couple who wish to stay at the temple for three nights can count on a bill of approximately $1,737 (£1,350).

The Greek temple is situated on a hill overlooking a lake and seems as if it was pulled straight out of a movie set. It inspired author Evelyn Waugh, who wrote about a Doric temple overlooking a lake in his novel Brideshead Revisited.

The temple is decorated with all kinds of antique furnishings and home decorations, and offers a glimpse into 19th-century English luxury. It is surrounded by landscaped gardens which themselves host an Iron Age fort and two Roman villas.

The location has been described as “the most romantic destination in the UK”

The beautiful Greek temple has been described as “the most romantic destination in the United Kingdom.” Guests enjoy picturesque scenery, and they can explore the private gardens and secret tunnels or go grotto boating on the lake.

The temple also features a central hall with an adjoining kitchen. However, the remarkable Greek architecture is best witnessed in the master bedroom. The master bedroom is framed by Doric columns, allowing guests to enjoy the privacy of the location.

There are numerous sites in the UK where the rich heritage of Greece is reflected. Alongside the temple, perhaps the most delectable part of Greek culture in the United Kingdom is the Real Greek, which features authentic Greek cuisine.

The Real Greek is a chain of restaurants across London and southern England. Its aim is to offer customers authentic Greek cuisine, blending flavors from Greece’s islands, mainland, and mountains.

The UK is home to up to 300,000 ethnic Greeks. Unsurprisingly, Greek culture is thus a vibrant part of life in the island nation, and the Greek community enjoys a significant presence in cities such as London, Birmingham, and Sheffield.

Greece is marking World Environment Day 2026 with a nationwide program of events that brings the global call for climate action down to the local level—from protected areas and wetlands to city galleries, museums, and island beaches.

Observed every year on June 5, World Environment Day is the United Nations’ main global platform for raising awareness and mobilizing action to protect the natural world. First celebrated in 1973, the day has grown into an international campaign involving governments, organizations, schools, communities and citizens around the world.

In Greece, the Natural Environment and Climate Change Agency, NECCA, is at the center of the program, organizing 65 events across the country. Activities include guided nature walks, biodiversity recording, wildlife observation, educational games, workshops, public information events and volunteer cleanups, many of them in or near protected areas.

Greece’s government highlights achievements on World Environment Day

Greece’s Minister of Environment and Energy, Stavros Papastavrou, highlighted some of the government’s environmental policies and key achievements over the past seven years.

• Expanded Marine Protection: Moving forward from commitments made at global ocean conferences (2024 in Athens and 2025 at the UN), Greece is establishing two new large National Marine Parks in the Ionian and South Aegean seas. This will double protected waters to 36% of territorial waters, surpassing the EU’s 30% target well ahead of 2030.
• Banning Industrial Fishing: Greece is pioneering marine conservation internationally by completely banning bottom trawling in all national marine parks.
• Renewable Energy Zoning Restrictions: New regulations prohibit the installation of solar farms in all Natura areas, forests, and woodlands, and ban wind farms at altitudes above 1,200 meters (3,937 ft).
• “Untrodden” Landscapes: Greece has introduced pioneering designations for strict ecological preservation, establishing thirteen “Untrodden Mountains” and 250 highly protected “Untrodden Beaches” to limit human development in sensitive ecosystems.
• Targeted Species & Habitat Conservation: Twelve National Action Plans have been launched to protect endangered species (including the brown bear, Mediterranean monk seal, Loggerhead sea turtle, and bearded vulture). Additionally, all major wetlands (Ramsar sites) and Key Biodiversity Areas are now placed under strict legislative protection.

Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem met with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday afternoon, June 4. The forty-minute discussion focused heavily on protecting Christian communities across the Middle East and safeguarding freedom of worship in the Holy Land.

The meeting comes at a time of severe regional instability, as Christian populations in Lebanon, Syria, and the Holy Land face mounting pressures and security challenges. During the talks, Patriarch Theophilos expressed deep concern over the vulnerability of these communities, emphasizing that their protection is vital not only for religious reasons but as a cornerstone for regional stability, coexistence, and peace.

“In recent years, Christian communities in the Middle East have faced a harsh reality of instability, growing threats, and rising pressures,” the Patriarch of Jerusalem stated in an official release. “We see ancient communities asking for something fundamentally basic: to continue living in safety, to preserve their faith, and to protect their freedom of worship.”

Safeguarding religious freedom

Addressing President Trump, His Beatitude noted that “safeguarding religious freedom and maintaining open access to the Holy Land is more than a spiritual matter; it is a prerequisite for stability, coexistence, and peace throughout the entire region.”

During the encounter, Patriarch Theophilos honored Donald Trump with the “Grand Cross” of the Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, one of the highest distinctions bestowed by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

According to the Patriarchate, the meeting builds upon the established relationship between the Patriarch and the Trump family, serving as a continuation of the US President’s landmark 2017 visit to Jerusalem and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

As one of the world’s oldest Christian institutions, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem holds a historic role in guarding holy sites, including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Patriarch Theophilos III, who has held the patriarchal throne since 2005, has frequently been involved in global religious events, including the consecration of the holy oil used in the coronation of King Charles III.

Related: Millions of Christians Face Persecution, Violence Worldwide: Holy See

On June 5, 1947, US Secretary of State George C. Marshall stood before a Harvard University commencement crowd. He proposed a radical blueprint for the survival of post-war Europe—the European Recovery Program, famously known as the Marshall Plan.

Conceived in a climate of escalating Cold War anxieties, Marshall famously declared:

“Our policy is directed not against any country or doctrine but against hunger, poverty, desperation and chaos. Its purpose should be the revival of a working economy in the world so as to permit the emergence of political and social conditions in which free institutions can exist.”

While the resulting Marshall Plan is celebrated globally for sparking Western Europe’s golden age of growth, its application in Greece was uniquely volatile. It acted as an economic accelerator for a nation on the brink of collapse. Still, the cure arrived with heavy-handed strings that permanently altered Greek sovereignty, escalated an internal civil war, and drew fierce resistance from the country’s left-wing factions.

Greece in ruins

By 1947, Greece was a landscape of absolute ruin. The brutal wartime Axis occupation had destroyed its railways, burned hundreds of villages, and decimated the merchant marine fleet. Infrastructure such as the vital port of Piraeus serving Athens and the three-mile-long Corinth Canal lay unusable.

Compounding this physical tragedy was a bitter, bloody civil war between the royalist government and communist-led insurgents of the Democratic Army of Greece (DSE).

Starvation was an immediate threat. Appealing to Congress for immediate intervention, President Harry S. Truman painted a grim picture of the Greek reality: “Greece is today without funds to finance the importation of those goods which are essential to bare subsistence…the people of Greece cannot make progress in solving their problems of reconstruction. Greece is in desperate need of financial and economic assistance to enable it to resume purchases of food, clothing, fuel, and seeds.”

The American response was unprecedented. Between 1947 and 1951, Greece received roughly $2 billion in Marshall Aid and related Truman Doctrine funds—an astronomical sum worth more than $21 billion today. At its peak, US aid financed 67% of all Greek imports and constituted a staggering 25% of the nation’s gross national product.

Marshall plan rebuilds Greece’s infrastructure

The economic injection quite literally rebuilt the country’s shattered spine. Over 6.5 million tons of American food, clothing, and medical supplies flooded into Greek ports, staving off a humanitarian catastrophe.

American engineers and funding dredged and reopened the blockaded Corinth Canal, completely reconstructed the Port of Piraeus, and paved thousands of miles of modern highways that connected isolated rural provinces to urban markets.

In the fields and factories, the money drove rapid modernization. Thousands of American tractors, advanced irrigation pumps, and high-yield seeds were imported, shifting Greek agriculture from primitive subsistence farming to a competitive export industry.

Furthermore, the plan financed the establishment of the Public Power Corporation (DEI), laying the initial brickwork for a unified national electrical grid.

The cost and institutional decay

Yet, this massive economic lifeline had a darker, counterproductive underside. Unlike in Great Britain or France, where aid was managed by robust local governments, the United States viewed the unstable, war-torn Greek administration with deep suspicion.

Consequently, Washington established the American Mission for Aid to Greece (AMAG), an oversight apparatus that wielded extraordinary, direct control over the country’s domestic affairs. Dwight Griswold, the head of AMAG, made it very clear to the Greek government that the money came with absolute American leverage: “We are here to help Greece, but we must be sure that the help is used effectively. If the Greek government does not take the necessary steps to stabilize its economy and clean up its administration, we will have to reconsider our position.”

American administrators held functional veto power over the Greek state budget, tax legislation, and currency issuance. Greek cabinet ministers routinely had to clear basic administrative policies with US advisers. This heavy-handed intervention saved the state from collapsing into communist hands—Washington’s primary geopolitical goal—but it severely eroded Greek political autonomy.

Prominent Greek intellectual and novelist Giorgos Theotokas captured the growing local resentment in his diary during the late 1940s: “The Americans have become our true masters. Ministers do not dare make a move without asking the permission of some American adviser. We have been saved from the rebels, but we have lost our independence.”

Furthermore, because aid was distributed through a centralized state apparatus during a civil war, funds and import licenses were frequently weaponized. Capital was often allocated based on political loyalty to the right-wing government rather than economic merit, inadvertently reinforcing a rigid system of political patronage and favoritism.

Konstantinos Karamanlis, a rising political figure who would later become Prime Minister, looked back on how the rush of money warped the country’s institutional health:

“The aid was a blessing, but the way it was managed taught Greeks to look to the state for salvation rather than their own productivity. It fed a system of dependency and favoritism that outlived the docks and roads we built with it.”

Marshall plan opponents in Greece

Because Marshall Aid was fundamentally tied to Washington’s anti-communist containment strategy, it faced fierce, violent opposition from the Greek Left, primarily spearheaded by the Greek Communist Party (KKE) and its military wing, the DSE.

To the communists, the Marshall Plan was not a humanitarian gesture but a textbook example of “American imperialism” designed to turn Greece into a strategic military outpost for the United States. KKE propaganda aggressively painted the American administrators as the “new conquerors,” succeeding the German occupiers.

They argued that the economic restructuring pushed by AMAG was explicitly designed to restrict Greek industrial self-sufficiency, forcing the nation to remain a dependent market for American manufactured goods and agricultural surpluses.

This opposition extended far beyond rhetorical propaganda into active physical resistance and domestic warfare. Communist circles actively orchestrated plans to paralyze American reconstruction work. Guerrilla cells launched targeted bombings and acts of sabotage against critical infrastructure projects, focusing on the newly restored Piraeus docks and the Corinth Canal to disrupt the flow of American supplies.

An ambiguous legacy

Ultimately, the Marshall Plan in Greece achieved its immediate, vital objectives. It prevented mass starvation, facilitated the defeat of the communist insurgency, and laid the concrete physical foundations for the country’s mid-century economic expansion.

However, the sheer velocity and volume of the aid left a profoundly ambiguous legacy. It demonstrated how foreign aid can simultaneously rescue a nation’s people from chaos, while binding its political institutions and sovereign decision-making to the strategic whims of an external superpower.

The ideological battle over the economic recovery is captured visually in the following historical archival footage, which illustrates the intersection of American material aid and public relations efforts during the height of the reconstruction program. The “Story of Koula” Marshall Plan Film demonstrates how the US government utilized media to promote the agricultural modernization of the Greek countryside during this volatile era.

Related: What Has the United States Ever Done for Greece?

A section of an ancient wall in Veria, northern Greece, collapsed into the backyard of a private home, raising safety concerns for residents and triggering a dispute between local authorities over who must remove the fallen stones.

The incident occurred near the Archaeological Museum of Veria, in Central Macedonia, where parts of the city’s historic fortifications still stand close to residential properties. Large stones from the wall fell into the yard, where children reportedly play, leaving the family worried about further collapses, especially during heavy rainfall.

Residents say the problem has not only created a physical hazard but has also exposed a familiar challenge in Greece: the difficulty of managing ancient heritage when it intersects with everyday life.

Homeowner caught between heritage rules and safety risks

The homeowner told local broadcaster MEGA that he has become caught in a bureaucratic dispute between the Ephorate of Antiquities and the Municipality of Veria.

The homeowner said the Ephorate of Antiquities treats the wall as a monument under its authority, while the municipality argues the fallen stones are now debris on private property.

However, he says officials told him they do not have enough workers to remove the fallen stones. Meanwhile, the municipality reportedly argues that once the stones landed inside private property, they became rubble and therefore the homeowner’s responsibility.

The homeowner says this leaves him in an impossible position. On the one hand, authorities allegedly told him to arrange the cleanup himself. On the other hand, he says he received instructions not to touch the stones because they form part of an ancient monument and may be needed for future restoration work.

As a result, the family fears that moving the material could expose them to accusations of mishandling antiquities. For now, residents say the authorities have placed two containers at the site, but they have not delivered a permanent solution.

Βέροια: Κατέρρευσε τμήμα αρχαίου τείχους στην αυλή του#ingr #news #βεροια pic.twitter.com/qL3s3A4AZY

— in.gr/news (@in_gr) June 4, 2026

Ancient stones, modern bureaucracy

The collapse has sparked frustration in Veria because it highlights the tension between heritage protection and public safety. Greece’s archaeological landscape often overlaps with homes, roads, and modern infrastructure, especially in cities with continuous habitation from antiquity to the present day.

Veria is one such city. Located in Central Macedonia, it has deep historical roots and played an important role in ancient, Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman periods. According to the Ephorate of Antiquities of Imathia, evidence suggests that Veria acquired a city wall and a basic urban plan around the second half of the 4th century BC.

That historical depth gives the city much of its cultural value. However, it also creates practical responsibilities. When ancient remains stand beside private homes, any damage or deterioration can quickly turn into a matter of both archaeology and civil protection.

Residents in Veria, Greece urge action after ancient wall collapse

Residents have urged the competent authorities to intervene quickly, warning that more sections of the wall could collapse. Their main concern remains the safety of children and families who live next to the site.

The case now raises broader questions about how local and national authorities should coordinate when protected monuments create risks in residential areas. While the stones may hold archaeological value, residents argue that the authorities must act before the situation causes an injury.

Brussels has placed Greece’s tax system back under scrutiny, highlighting tax exemptions, the VAT gap and diesel policy in the European Commission’s latest review of the country.

The review does not introduce binding measures and does not amount to a formal directive. However, it shows where the Commission sees structural weaknesses in Greece’s tax framework and where future policy changes could be considered.

While the Commission acknowledges Greece’s strong fiscal performance, it also points to areas that continue to affect public revenue, tax fairness and the country’s green transition. These include the large number of tax exemptions, the structure of energy taxation, the favorable treatment of diesel compared with gasoline and electricity, and the environmental pressure created by Greece’s aging vehicle fleet.

Greece’s tax expenditures cost €22.88 billion

A central issue in the Commission’s assessment is the scale of Greece’s tax expenditures. These include exemptions, reductions and special tax treatments that reduce state revenue.

According to the review, Greece had 1,236 tax expenditures in 2024, with an estimated fiscal cost of €22.88 billion ($26,5 billion). The most important categories include exemptions for first homes, rental-related tax benefits, personal income tax, corporate taxation, reduced VAT rates and excise duties.

The Commission notes that Greece does not have an official mechanism to regularly evaluate whether these tax benefits are effective. By comparing both their number and cost with other EU countries, Brussels suggests that Greece could benefit from a more systematic review and rationalization of its tax exemptions.

VAT gap remains a persistent weakness

VAT is another major area highlighted in the review. Although Greece has improved tax compliance, the Commission stresses that exemptions and reduced rates continue to weigh on revenue collection.

The VAT gap reached €9.4 billion in 2023, equal to 18.3 percent of potential VAT revenue. The Commission recognizes that the compliance gap has narrowed significantly, but it says progress has not been even across the economy.

The review points to exemptions that complicate the functioning of the VAT system, including those related to private education and financial services. It does not propose an immediate specific measure, but its wording leaves open the possibility of future restructuring.

Self-employed workers remain under scrutiny

The Commission also refers to persistent tax evasion in personal income tax, especially among self-employed workers and sectors where cash transactions remain common.

The issue is particularly visible in technical trades and services provided outside fixed business premises, where payments may be made directly and with limited electronic recording.

Although the Commission does not explicitly recommend a new measure in this area, its assessment suggests that existing tools aimed at addressing underreported income among freelancers and self-employed professionals are unlikely to be withdrawn soon.

Brussels review says Greece’s energy taxation sends mixed signals

Energy taxation receives some of the sharpest comments in the review. The Commission says Greece remains heavily dependent on fossil fuels, while electricity prices are higher than the EU average, partly because of the country’s reliance on natural gas.

The review argues that Greece’s current energy tax structure continues to favor fossil fuels over electricity, sending mixed price signals at a time when the EU is pushing for faster decarbonization.

Diesel is central to this concern. The Commission views the lower tax burden on diesel as a distortion, especially because diesel remains a key fuel for production and road transport in Greece.

The issue is politically sensitive. During the energy crisis, the Greek government supported diesel prices, with the impact estimated at an additional 15 to 20 cents per liter, in an effort to prevent further price increases. At the same time, public debate in Greece continues to include demands for deeper fuel tax cuts.

Diesel policy comes into focus

The Commission takes a clear position on diesel compared with gasoline and electricity. It notes that excise duties on diesel remain particularly low compared with gasoline, even though diesel is considered more harmful to the environment.

This does not mean that a diesel tax increase has been announced. The remarks form part of a broader review and recommendation process. Still, they indicate the direction of EU policy as the green transition becomes more central to national fiscal planning.

Over the next five years, the EU’s green transition agenda is expected to push member states toward measures such as higher excise duties on diesel, closer alignment between diesel and gasoline taxation, and vehicle taxes more closely linked to emissions.

Other possible policy tools include incentives for electric vehicles, purchase subsidies, tax deductions and changes to registration taxes designed to favor cleaner cars.

Greece’s aging vehicle fleet draws attention in Brussels review

Vehicles are also part of the Commission’s assessment. The review notes that Greece has one of the oldest vehicle fleets in Europe, a factor that contributes to higher emissions and increases the need for policy intervention.

For Brussels, the issue is not only fiscal. Tax policy is also seen as a tool for influencing consumer behavior, encouraging the replacement of older vehicles and supporting the transition to cleaner transport.

The review therefore opens a wider debate over how Greece should balance fiscal stability, household costs, business needs and EU climate goals.

For now, no binding measures have been imposed. But the Commission’s review makes clear that Greece’s tax exemptions, VAT gap and diesel policy are likely to remain under European scrutiny.