Athens government

Greece on Monday acted to placate locals incensed over government plans to build new migrant detention centers on outlying islands, saying it was open to a compromise on their location.

Greece is offering the British Museum unique ancient archaeological pieces in exchange for the Parthenon Marbles, reports the Independent. From the Independent:

Short-dated Greek government bond yields spiked to a four-month high on Thursday ahead of a parliamentary vote on a controversial bonus to poor pensioners that threatens to derail the country's debt relief plans.

Finance Minister Michel Sapin said on Thursday that the eurozone had not changed a position agreed on December 5 to grant Greece short-term debt relief, after the Athens government proposed a one-off payout to pensioners ahead of Christmas.

The eurozone bailout fund ESM said on Wednesday eurozone lenders had put the deal on hold.

The European Commission believes there is no reason for eurozone lenders to question the debt relief deal struck with Greece, Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici said on Thursday, after they put the deal on hold.

As Parliament prepared to vote on a government proposal for a one-off payout to pensioners, New Democracy opposition attacked the left-led administration of putting Greece's future at risk.

"[Prime Minister Alexis] Tsipras is gambling with the country's future," ND chief Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on the sidelines of the European People's Party summit in Brussels.

Bulgaria's Transport Minister on Saturday voiced his outrage at action of Greek farmers and their intermittent blockade of the common border.

The minister took part in negotiations with other Bulgarian and Greek officials and representatives of the protesting farmers. Talks, however, did not result in a decision to end the blockade.

Protesting Greek farmers are set to continue their strike action at the common border with Bulgaria, the Kulata-Promachonas crossing having been severely affected since Monday.

Greece's other neighbors are also affected by blockades as farmers are venting their anger at the Athens government which plans on scrapping subsidies and reforming the social insurance system.

Migration Minister Yiannis Mouzalas slammed the Financial Times report alleging that several EU ministers and senior EU officials believe that threatening suspension from the Schengen Zone could force Greece to protect its borders more effectively.

Sofia and Athens believe EU member states should agree on clear common rules about how to handle the migrant crisis, Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev said on Monday.