Kostis Hatzidakis

The Energy Ministry presented a new bill on the electricity market on Thursday that introduces a series of important shifts, including an end to the ban on dismissals of staff hired at the Public Power Corporation (PPC) from now on.

Greece has announced a campaign against plastic pollution and promised to end the use of single-use plastics by June 2020, AFP reported.

"39 tonnes of plastic waste end up in the sea in Greece (every day) and a lot of it turns into fish food," Environment Minister Kostis Hatzidakis said at a press conference.

"The fight against plastic pollution is a government priority."

Environment and Energy Minister Kostis Hatzidakis says that financially troubled electricity utility PPC is not yet attractive enough to private investors despite the fact that its stock price has tripled since late May.

In an interview to ANA-MPA state news agency, Hatzidakis indicated that the governmebt could seek to sell PPC divisions, but not the whole company.

Greek Energy Minister Kostis Hatzidakis will be in Bulgaria on Thursday to sign an agreement for the Interconnector Greece Bulgaria (IGB) gas pipeline with counterpart Temenuzhka Petkova.

The signing ceremony will be followed by working lunch for the delegations of the two countries.

A new, more favorable settlement scheme for debts to Public Power Corporation is in the pipeline, Energy Minister Kostis Hatzidakis told Skai TV on Saturday, saying that the amount of the required downpayment will be reduced while the number of tranches will remain the same.

Energy Minister Kostis Hatzidakis on Thursday said he believed an auditor's report on the second-quarter results of troubled public power utility PPC will deem it viable, following the measures announced by the government and the company to shore up its finances.

The Greek government is considering the full sale (100 pct) of the country's state-controlled gas company DEPA as part of its privatization's plan, according to Energy Ministry sources cited by state-run news agency ANA-MPA.

Eldorado Gold Corp is open to discussions on potentially paying higher royalties in Greece as it seeks permits needed to restart work at its stalled Skouries development, chief executive officer George Burns said on Monday.

Greece is in talks with Canada's Eldorado Gold to secure higher royalties from its mining development projects and new jobs, Energy Minister Kostis Hatzidakis said on Monday.

The transformation of Public Gas Corporation (DEPA) is back on the table ahead of crucial decisions for the privatization of the utility that is 65 percent owned by the state privatizations fund (TAIPED) and 35 percent owned by Hellenic Petroleum (HELPE).