WWF Greece slams government for violations of environmental rulebook

An annual report released by the local branch of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) shames Greece for systematic violations of the environmental rulebook, while lamenting the waste of a historic opportunity to make the financial crisis a starting point towards a "truly sustainable economy."

"We are pretty much in the same mess as last year. Despite some progress in certain areas, the overall picture is quite grim," WWF Greece chief executive Dimitris Karavelas told a press conference Tuesday at the organization's headquarters in Athens.

"This is the picture of a country that is paying a hefty price for inaction, a lack of transparency, the 'tidying up' of violations and bad legislation," Karavelas said.

"This is the picture of a country that is killing its own hopes for a truly sustainable economy," he added.

Among other faults, the annual study, now in its...