Laws, Regulations & Policies

A recent decision by the ministers of merchant marine and health and social services places “rural” doctors on a number of Greek ferry vessels. The doctors’ wages will be paid by the ministry of merchant marine, which has set aside a budget of 696,000 euros to cover expenses for 2007. Under the program, shipowners are obliged to provide each doctor with a private cabin and meals.

With the signing of a recent Presidential Decree, Greece can now create an independent National Aeronautical Supervisory Command. The pertinent decree, which allows for the organization, operation and staffing of the new command, was signed last month by the country’s minister of transport, Michalis Liapis.

Greek citizens who left Greece by December 31, 2006 with their old passports will be allowed reentry into the country despite the fact that their old passports are no longer valid as of the first of this month.

Last month, the European Union’s new security rules regarding the amounts of liquids and semi-liquids passengers can take through security checkpoints and on airplanes took effect for all passengers and flights departing from or in transit in the airports of the EU, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland.

As we go to press, a new agreement has not been reached between the EU and the U.S. on the transfer of airline passenger name records (PNR) to the U.S. government.

Last month, the ministry of tourism development submitted two amendments to parliament to be reviewed with the so-called spa tourism legislation already under discussion.

In response to last month’s foiled terrorist plot to bomb transatlantic flights departing from London, an emergency meeting was held between UK Home Secretary John Reid and EU ministers from Finland (now holding EU presidency), France, Germany, Portugal and Slovenia, which hold the presidency in 2007 and 2008.

More than two years after it was first discussed, the new tourism legislation finally was submitted to parliament for approval.

Last month, finally, Greece saw the completion of studies for the country’s zoning plans. The studies, delivered to the Environment and Public Works Ministry, concern the national zoning plan as well as special zoning plans for industry, tourism, renewable energy sources and mountain areas.

Ferry ticket prices are likely to increase by at least eight percent shortly due to a European Union directive that requires companies to switch to a more environmentally friendly fuel, according to press reports.