Explaining Greece

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Explaining Greece by To Vima unpacks the complexities of modern Greece, one story at a time. In every episode, journalists and experts shed light on the country’s most pressing issues, offering deep insight and fresh perspectives. Hosted by Charis Tzanis.

  1. 11 DEC

    Ag Sector Protests Across Greece As Viewed by Young, Female Farmer

    Farmers’ and stockbreeders’ mobilizations across Greece have been dominating the political agenda and media attention in the country over the first half of December, with standing demands for lower production costs and better prices for their goods now even more animated amid a farm subsidies furor – the OPEKEPE scandal - valued at hundreds of millions of euros. A now defunct state agency, known in Greek as OPEKEPE, remains at the center of parliamentary review and criminal investigations in the country and by the EU prosecutor’s office. The fraudulent payments of ag-related subsidies have generated heaps of criticism against the ruling center-right government, although the political opposition also struggles to propose solutions that don’t involve throwing “more state money” at the problem. Mobilizations that often lead to the blocking of highway intersections with heavy farm machinery as well as the blockading of ports, airports and border posts are scenes that have been played out in the country practically every “off season” for producers, late January and February, yet this year the anger from the farm subsidy scandal has energized the protests. Just as ominously, there’s an ongoing sheep and goat pox epidemic in Greece that has decimated stockbreeders’ herds, another headache for the sector and the state.   In this edition of “Explaining Greece” Celia Bakostergiou, a 20-year-old agronomy student at the Athens Agricultural University who is actively involved in her family’s farm near the south-central Greek town of Domokos, sheds light on some of the challenges facing the vital sector and what it’s like to be a young female farmer in a rural province. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    10 min

  2. 20 NOV

    An Energy Hub? LNG Imports, Off-shore Drilling & Power Cables

    November witnessed two major energy-related agreements finalized and signed in Athens, with the first foreseeing the import of American LNG to at least a couple of terminals in Greece for subsequent regasification and transport – by pipelines – to other countries in southeast and eastern Europe, including for the all-important Ukraine market.  Just as importantly for the Greek side, two major multinationals, ExxonMobil and Chevron entered into binding agreements with Athens to begin exploratory drilling in a handful of maritime blocks south of the large island of Crete and in the Ionian Sea – marking the first time that drilling will occur in Greek waters in decades. The country’s largest refinery group, the partially state-owned Helleniq Energy, will also participate in a consortium with ExxonMobil. A more-or-less unofficial regional energy summit in the Greek capital also apparently revitalized interest for the ambitious (and challenging) Great Sea Interconnector project, which entails the connection of the power grids of Israel, Cyprus (the government-controlled areas and not the illegally Turkish-occupied northern third) and Greece via an undersea cable laid across the breadth of the east Mediterranean’s seabed.  Ankara’s opposition to the project is standing and has been manifested with saber-rattling and attempts at “gunboat diplomacy”, yet an embryonic proposal floated by Athens to convene a meeting of five east Mediterranean coastal states (Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Libya and Turkey) to at least agree on a framework for resolving differences made headlines.  Additionally, ever closer Greece-Israel relations, both on a bilateral level and in multilateral settings, and which include defense cooperation and energy, now comprise a component of the wider region’s geopolitical “calculus”. On this segment of “Explaining Greece”, Triantafyllos Karatrantos, an expert in international relations, European security and new threats, is asked about these very recent developments and what they entail for the country and the wider region. He also touches on the Gaza conflict and how this possibly affects Athens. Dr. Karatrantos is a research associate specializing on the issues of radicalization, terrorism, law enforcement models, security and foreign policy at the Athens-based Hellenic Institute for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP), and conducts post-doctoral research on at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    24 min

  3. 6 NOV

    The Incomparable Dionysis Savvopoulos: 1944-2025

    One of post-war Greece’s best known and beloved music makers, Dionysis Savvopoulos, passed away last month (October 2025) at the age of 81, leaving behind a musical and cultural legacy that can’t easily fit into neatly defined genres or generational monikers. Savvopoulos was hugely consequential in Greece and with Greek-speaking fans yet remains more-or-less unknown beyond the “Hellenosphere”, i.e. the Greek-language world. Endearingly known as “Nionios” to his fans, Savvopoulos wrote his music, lyrics and enthusiastically performed his works. Some point to his often-eclectic mix of different musical styles – ranging from 1960s American folk to southern Balkan rhythms to rebetika (Greek blues) to the 1960s domestic New Wave – varying influences and even a limited use of the iconic bouzouki, the plucked string instrument (part of the lute family) that is famously associated with 20th century popular Greek music. Look up “syrtaki” and you can hear bouzouki-dominated scores. Dylan and Frank Zappa were his early and clearly visible influences. Savvopoulos’ lyrics are also playfully complex at times, using wordplay, metaphors and mischievous rhymes that were, possibly, difficult to convey in other languages and lacking the context entailed with the “Greece reality” in the 1960s and 1970s, his most productive periods. He was both a modernist and traditionalist, a non-conformist in his art and life, but not a nihilist nor a pessimist. The Thessaloniki native was on record (no pun intended) – in interviews and, more importantly, with his albums – as being an unabashed optimist and afficionado of the finer things that life has to offer. Savvopoulos also eschewed ideological and political confinement, repeatedly and calmly speaking his mind on politics and current affairs, earning the 20-something troubadour two arrests and rough treatment at the hands of authorities during the advent of the military dictatorship in Greece (1967-1974) – a “badge of honor” in the minds of democratically minded citizens. Years later, however, with the restoration of democracy in the country he slipped into near pariah status for the left and far left, given that many on this end of the divisive political spectrum considered that he prematurely and definitively “abandoned the cause” in favor of mainstream success and its amenities. The vast majority of Greek society, fans or not, disagreed and considered his death as the passing of a musical genius. This podcast merely “scratches the surface”, the real Savvopoulos will emerge through listening to his music. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    20 min

  4. 23 OCT

    Ban on Protests in Front of Tomb of Unknown Soldier Sparks Political Row

    A political “tempest in a teapot”, a mere diversion from other, more pressing issues, a necessary move to better protect a revered site for Hellenism, or, a “discount” on freedom of assembly and free speech? An amendment tabled by the center-right government in the latter half of October transferring jurisdiction of the Tomb of the Uknown Soldier monument and the commons in front of the memorial – which lie directly in front of the Greek Parliament – to the defense ministry sparked a passionate debate and sudden political tug-of-war.   Moreover, the first article of the now ratified law prohibits the occupation, alteration and holding of public gatherings in the area in front of the memorial monument, located between Parliament and Vasilissis Amalias Avenue – the thoroughfare that separates the commons from Syntagma (constitution) Square. Penalties for offenders are up to a year of jail time or fines. The amendment came immediately after a hunger strike and protest “encampment” was set up in the commons area by the father of one of the 57 victims of the Tempi two-train collision in February 2023. The latter demanded that judicial authorities allow the exhumation of his son’s body for DNA and toxicology testing. While ostensibly aimed at pressuring relevant judicial authorities to allow the exhumation, the nonstop protest – which attracted supporters and activists of other causes as well – vigorously targeted the center-right government over what critics say is its culpability in the deadly train accident and claims of a “cover-up” in its wake. In this edition of “Explaining Greece”, Alkmini Fotiadou, a constitutional law expert and practicing Athens-based attorney specializing in human rights, administrative law, privacy and protection of personal data, broaches the question of where protection of a venerated monument begins and ends – at least in Greece - and where the, at times, blurry boundaries of freedom of assembly and free speech exist - or should exist in relation to the latter. The amendment was ratified on Wednesday, Oct. 22, by 159 deputies in the 300-MP Parliament. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    20 min

  5. 9 OCT

    Electricity and ‘Green Transition’: Is Greece's Future Nuclear?

    Greece will need to at least triple its power production capacity - today at roughly 50 TWh - by 2050 and produce cheaper electricity, according to Purdue professor of nuclear engineering Lefteri Tsoukalas. Noted professor Tsoukalas stresses that the future use of nuclear reactors, possibly along the design of small modular ones (SMRs), is “imperative” for the east Mediterranean country. At the same, he emphasized that before any consideration is given to the possibility of generating power from nuclear means, infrastructure, such as “smart grids”, and a massive investment in human resources is necessary. Nuclear projects are akin to building dams, tunnels, bridges and offshore facilities, he emphasizes. The native of Elis (Ilia) prefecture in southwest Greece also first touches on the concept of “green transition” that now is now an almost ubiquitous topic in addresses by policy-makers and company executives. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    21 min

  6. 25 SEPT

    The Classic Grecian Street Food: Souvlaki

    For hundreds of millions of people from around the world that have visited Greece over the past decades one thing that more-or-less comes to mind when recalling their “food experiences” in the east Mediterranean country is the humble but filling souvlaki – essentially “meat on the stick” that’s often packed and folded into a type of pita bread with other ingredients, usually tomatoes, onions, the tangy yoghurt-and-garlic based tzatziki sauce and even fries.   In this edition of the “Explaining Greece” podcast, Dorothea Lentis, a biologist and clinical health researcher who lectures on biomedical sciences at Deree – the American College of Greece, explains what a souvlaki actually is, compared to the very similar and also homegrown gyro, for instance, or to the famous Turkish favorite doner and its expatriate “brother”: the doner-kebab. She details a single souvlaki’s nutritional value, depending on how one orders this street food, the concept of a “diet souvlaki” and even recent inflationary pressure that's making the traditionally inexpensive fare pricier. Giorgos Tsambas, the co-founder of the successful NYC-area food truck business King Souvlaki, talks about “Greek street food” in the “Big Apple”. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    24 min

  7. 4 SEPT

    Two views on ‘overtourism’, STRs and … trendy Grecian holidays

    By all accounts, 2025 will be another banner year for Greece’s all-important tourism and holiday industry, a sector that attracts tens of millions of people from around the world every year and annually pumps more than 20 billion euros into the local economy. The substantial economic benefits that tourism generates for Greece is a result of the east Mediterranean nation’s surging global popularity as a destination that combines the traditional “sea-and-sun” recipe with ample doses of culture, cuisine and “living” history - and more recently, “city breaks” in urban areas – especially in the historic Athens center. Yet the boon in the tourism and travel-related sector has not come without some side effects - marginal many would say when looking at the plentiful “bottom line”; “concerning and requiring action”, according to others, traditionalists, local residents and certain political quarters of the “anti-capitalist” persuasion. “Overtourism” is a leitmotif “making the rounds” of news sites over the recent period, with a handful of European sites (Barcelona, Venice, Santorini etc.) mostly in the spotlight. Additionally, the explosive expansion of short-term rentals (STRs) and leasing, the “Airbnb effect”, has also generated “blowback”, with the invective usually conjuring up perceived or real gentrification, hordes of trolley-totting tourists and locals priced out of rental residences and other amenities.   In the latest episode of “Explaining Greece”, we speak with Ioannis Pappas, an engineer by training with a doctorate in applied mechanics, whose has been professionally involved in the sector for more than a decade with a focus on tourism sustainability, which he details. Also on our latest podcast is Eftichea Koumartzaki, a UK and Greece-based tourism professional who manages short-term rental properties in the greater Athens area, the Peloponnese and two of Greece’s most popular isles. Koumartzaki is also a member of the local chapter of STAMA, the Short-Term Accommodation Managers Association of Greece. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    31 min

  8. 31 JUL

    How Dominant is Orthodox Christianity in Modern Greek Society; What’s the Faith’s Relationship with the Faithful

    In the latest episode of “Explaining Greece”, we speak with Effie Foka, a senior fellow at the Athens-based Hellenic Foundation for European & Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP), as well as a research associate for the London School of Economics – Hellenic Observatory. Prof. Fokas also teaches politics at the American College of Greece – Deree. On the occasion of a major Aug. 15 religious holiday in Greece, which commemorates the Dormition of the Virgin Mary on the Orthodox Christian ecclesiastical calendar, Prof. Fokas delves into the relationship between the Orthodox Church, the modern Greek state and the Greek Orthodox faithful. Fokas notes that the major August religious holiday is not the only one in Greece intertwined with a national dimension, with the most notable example being March 25, which is annually celebrated as the commencement of the Greek War of Independence in 1821 and coincides with the Feast of the Annunciation. “The secular and the religious overlap,” is one of her statements. Fokas also touches on the issue of religious education in Greek public schools and the Church’s standing vis-à-vis the state and its institutions, as well as its position in the country’s national identity. She also touches on how prevalent the concept of being “vicariously religious” is in Greek society, and debates about Church-state relations. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    23 min
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About

Explaining Greece by To Vima unpacks the complexities of modern Greece, one story at a time. In every episode, journalists and experts shed light on the country’s most pressing issues, offering deep insight and fresh perspectives. Hosted by Charis Tzanis.

Information

  • Creator
    Alter Ego Media
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    27
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Alter Ego Media
  • Show Website
    Explaining Greece

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