Kostas Karamanlis

Greece moves to open coast for development

Environmentalists oppose the new measures, citing the need to preserve beaches and the public's right to access to the coast.

Citizen groups are mounting opposition to government plans to allow development on Greece's coastline, saying it is more important to protect the environment there.

By Nikos Konstandaras

By Costas Iordanidis

The establishment of a monarch-free democracy was hailed as one of the biggest achievements of the Metapolitefsi era in Greece. It is argued that by changing the regime, the root of evil was removed, staving off the kind of national crises and dramas caused by crown intervention. We won’t argue the point: We are in a crisis right now, so enough said.

Former Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis on Wednesday urged voters to back New Democracy in Sunday’s local and European Parliament elections.

The ex-premier and New Democracy chief noted that the party's strength would safeguard "the country's necessary political stability."

The European Union was slow in its efforts to aid Greece in the wake of the country’s debt crisis, according to former Prime Minister George Papandreou.