Environment Ministry

A bear attacked the two victims on the streets of Fagaras in southern Transylvania on Monday morning - the 40th such incident in recent weeks in the region, according to local authorities.

The bear attacked the 14-year-old when she was leaving of her apartment building in Fagaras at 7.30 am on Monday.

The Environment Ministry said Thursday it is imperative that the Agia Zoni II tanker which sunk last month in the Saronic Gulf is removed from the sea as soon as possible, as part of the efforts to deal with the environmental impact of the oil spill it created.

The tanker was shipwrecked off the island of Salamina, causing a slick that reached the southern coast of Athens.

Coastal erosion has wreaked a significant impact on nearly a third of Greek beaches, according to data made public on Wednesday at a seminar in Athens organized by the Technical Chamber of Greece (TEE) which also reported problems at river estuaries. 

The Environment Ministry has banned any further construction activity on the slopes of Mount Hymettus in Attica until October 2018.

Homeowners found to be in violation of building regulations will be able to pay their fine in 80 installments instead of 60 as is the case today, and may pay as much as 60 percent less than current rates for minor infringements, a plan submitted by the Environment Ministry to lawmakers foresees.

The Environment and Economy ministries are hoping to launch a new town planning project that will cover the entire country.

The state intends to call a tender - similar to the tenders for the land registry - for the drafting of local town plans for each of Greece's 325 municipalities.

Following the launch of a "constructive dialogue" with the government, Canadian mining company Eldorado Gold said on Thursday that it would not suspend its operations in northern Greece as it had threatened earlier this month.

The Canadian mining company Eldorado Gold and the government appeared to remain at loggerheads Wednesday over mines in northern Greece whose operation Eldorado has threatened to suspend unless Greek authorities issue a series of pending licenses.

Public discussion of the Struma highway route will take place in Simitli and Kresna. Local residents will say their opinion on the 5th proposed option - how to cross the highway in the section from Krupnik to Kresna, informs BNT.

More than a million applications have been submitted to legitimize infractions of zoning regulations since 2011, according to data from the Technical Chamber.

Legislation passed in 2011 and 2013 has led to the legalization of zoning violations - such as the conversion of balconies into rooms and a host of other infractions - concerning slightly more than a million properties.