LISBON TREATY RATIFIED

The European Union’s Lisbon Treaty was ratified yesterday by the Greek parliament, by 250 votes cast in favour in a 300-seat chamber with 292 deputies present.  Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis stated that the Lisbon Treaty constitutes a roadmap for a Europe of the 21st century "that serves the interests of both the Europeans and the Greeks." The premier stressed the fact that the treaty stems from a political compromise and noted that there is no alternative to secure "the common European perspective." Both the ruling New Democracy party and PASOK, the main opposition party, voted in favour, though the latter argued the case for holding a referendum. All other opposition parties voted against. 

The Lisbon Treaty was signed on December 13, 2007, and in order to go into force on January 1, 2009, it has to be ratified by all 27 EU member countries by the end of 2008.  Ireland is the only country to ratify the treaty by referendum, which is taking place today.

Athens News Agency: Greek Parliament ratifies Lisbon Treaty; European Union: Treaty of Lisbon- Taking Europe into the 21st Century

INFO ON ECONOMIC REFORMS

The structural economic reforms implemented by the government, including the Development Law, the Tax Law, the Public Private Partnership Law, and the Investment Incentives Law, all aim at supporting Greece’s competitiveness and upgraded role in the region.

The Ministry of Economy and Finance website, where the minister's speeches are available online, provides official Economic Data, Reports & Fact Sheets on a regular basis.

Ministry of Economy and Finance: Fact Sheet on the main structural reforms (May 2008)

Greek News Agenda: Special Issue - The Greek Economy Pointers

ATHENS PRIZE FOR LITERATURE

The new Athens Prize for Literature, comprising both Greek Novels and Foreign Novels (translated into Greek) sections, is the first award ever designated in Greece for foreign works. The (De)kata literary journal (www.dekata.gr) (in Greek), edited by Dinos Siotis,  has modelled some aspects of the Athens Prize after other noted awards such as the Booker Prize in Great Britain and the National Book Circle Award in the U.S. 

Judges announced the names of the two award recipients on June 9 2008 at Citylink, central Athens. Javier Cercas, who flew in from Barcelona especially for the occasion, won the first prize in the foreign novel category with "The Speed of Light," whereas Ioanna Bouratzopoulos was awarded for best Greek novel, with her "What Did Lot’s Wife See?"

THE CULTURE AGENDA

Theatre

Shakespeare’s masterpiece "Hamlet" will be staged by the avant-garde New York theatre company Wooster Group, LeCompte’s company, at Pireos 260 from June 13 to 16, as part of the Athens Festival.

The Wooster Group’s famous production of "Hamlet" is a show based on John Gielgud’s film version of "Hamlet" (1964). The film is actually screened on stage, while LeCompte’s actors imitate the film actors’ movements, thus offering an absolutely contemporary Hamlet which yet remains utterly faithful to the original. 

Athens-Epidaurus Festival: Event Calendar-Theatre; Kathimerini daily: A ‘Hamlet’ like no other by the Wooster Group; Greek News Agenda: Summer Festive Themes

Visual Arts

The "Selective Knowledge" exhibition is taking place at the National Bank of Greece Cultural Foundation till July 20.  The exhibition focuses on how the artists chose consciously to reject, select, and accept information creating associations and interpretations on the basis of need, desire, and expectation, until a story unfolds.

Revolution I Love you, at the Thessaloniki Centre of Contemporary Art, until June 14. The exhibition explores the events of May '68, as well as other related manifestations that took place in various parts of the world.

"Library’s Vision" is a photography exhibition held at the Goethe Institut Athen until June 20. The 23 architectural approaches on display explore the role and function of today’s libraries, highlighting the interaction between libraries and architecture.

The exhibition on Religious Monuments in Turkish-Occupied Cyprus continues at the Museum of Byzantine Culture, until June 30. Organised by the Museum of the Holy Monastery of Kykkos (Cyprus) and the Museum of Byzantine Culture, the exhibition features photographs which depict the present condition of the Christian monuments.

Exploring Greece: photographs taken from 1898 to 1913 by the French linguist and important Hellenist Hubert Pernot will be presented at the central building of the Benaki Museum, until August 31, featuring items from the Neohellenic Institute's collection at the Sorbonne university.

Music

Madonna is coming to Greece. The last European stop of her "sticky and sweet" tour will be the OAKA Olympic Complex in Athens, on September 27.

Ayre: The incomparable soprano Dawn Upshaw, performing for the first time in Athens, sings Osvaldo Golijov’s composition at Pallas, on June 17. Ayre incorporates tales of love and war, religion and rage from 15th-century Spain.

European Music Day celebrations are taking place from the 19th to the 21st of June in various locations throughout Greece. Upcoming Greek and foreign bands of every musical genre will participate in over 100 performances all over the country.