After going through a really difficult time during the country’s long economic crisis, the Greek property market is booming, but that's creating a whole new set of problems.

High rental and purchase prices are pricing out much of the local population as foreign investors snap up apartments and entire buildings in pursuit of profits.

Host Nick Malkoutzis is joined by Stelios Bouras, a journalist who covers real estate and other economic issues for the Business Daily, to discuss a range of issues linked to the new conditions in the housing market - rising prices, a revival of construction and the much-debated Golden Visa scheme.

Useful reading

Inside one of Europe’s last golden visa programmes and what’s set to change - EuroNews

Local Greeks pushed out as mass tourism takes over Athens - France24

What is driving the Greek housing market's recovery? - MacroPolis

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the wake of the Covid pandemic, the European Union launched the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) - a package of around 700 billion euros to help member states recover from the economic impact and build for the future.

Greece's portion of these funds is considered vital for the country's efforts to overcome the effects of its long economic crisis, as well as the disruption caused by the pandemic.

The Greek government dubbed its RRF-related scheme "Greece 2.0", claiming it would help transform the country.

A couple of years in, how is Greece 2.0 performing? Has it had a transformative effect? How much money is Greece absorbing and where is it being invested?

These are some of the questions that Nick Malkoutzis and MacroPolis features editor Georgia Nakou attempt to answer in this episode.

Useful Reading

MacroPolis - Great Expectations: Is Greece 2.0 hitting the target?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Phoebe and Nick are back to examine the contrasting images of Greece abroad and how they sit side by side.

A few months ago, rating agencies started to restore the investment grade for Greece's sovereign debt - more than a decade after it was lost. It was a reflection of the growing confidence that markets have in the political situation, the government's policy choices and the country's prospects.

However, while this has been happening, there has been growing concern about the rule of law and effectiveness of justice in Greece. There have been several debates about these issues in the European Parliament, while rights groups have also raised the alarm.

The Agora spoke to Wolfango Piccoli, co-president of political risk advisory at Teneo, to discuss why investors feel they can trust Greece again and how this renewed faith can sit alongside the complaints about transparency and accountability.

Useful links

Greece is investment grade again – why it matters to keep it - ESM

Parliament concerned about very serious threats to EU values in Greece - European Parliament press release

2023 Rule of Law Report - European Commission

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.