The Agora

Greece has been grappling with the coronavirus for just over a year, sometimes with success but other times less convincingly. As Greece went past 10,000 Covid-related deaths and prepares to reach 3 million vaccinations this week, The Agora looks back at what's gone right and wrong since Covid-19 first emerged. Nick Malkoutzis speaks to MacroPolis co-founder Yiannis Mouzakis and features editor Ge...

The behaviour of the Greek police has come under scrutiny, again, following a number of incidents over which officers have been accused of using unnecessary and excessive force. In this episode, we take a look at why police tactics have triggered public protests, what ails the force and how it can be fixed. MacroPolis features editor Georgia Nakou speaks to co-host Phoebe Fronista about recent eve...

Greece is celebrating the 200th anniversary of its war of independence, which began in 1821 and allowed Greeks to free themselves of Ottoman rule and oppression, and form their own nation-state. To mark this occasion, we spoke to Sakis Gekas , the Hellenic Heritage Foundation (HHF) Chair of Modern Greek History at York University in Canada. He told The Agora about where the Greek revolution stands...

On this episode of The Agora, we check in with the Greek economy again to see how it is performing under the pressure of the coronavirus. MacroPolis co-founder Yiannis Mouzakis and the site's economics editor Marcus Bensasson explain what the latest GDP figures mean, what sectors of the economy are suffering and how important the upcoming tourism season will be. We also take a closer look at a Gre...

Greece is in the grip of a steady stream of claims about sexual harassment, assault and abuse allegedly carried out by men in positions of power. In this episode of The Agora podcast, hosts Nick Malkoutzis and Phoebe Fronista speak to a range of women about this developing story. New York Times correspondent Niki Kitsantonis explains how the #MeToo developments began and why they are becoming more...

For the last episode of The Agora podcast in 2020, we examine how Brexit may affect Greece's relationship with the UK. Naturally, we look at what the UK's departure from the EU means for trade and bilateral relations, but we also delve into the impact on studying and living in the UK. Hosts Nick Malkoutzis and Phoebe Fronista spoke to Nikos Skoutaris , an associate professor in EU law at the Unive...

On a sunny October morning this year, thousands of people crowded outside an Athens courthouse to hear the landmark verdict in the trial of NeoNazi Golden Dawn. It brought the party's rapid rise during the Greek economic crisis to a halt but did not necessarily signal the end of the far-right's presence in Greece. Now that some of the dust from the lengthy court proceedings has settled, The Agora...

Greece has submitted its plans, outlining how it will use the money from the EU Recovery and Resilience Fund (RRF). The funds that will be pumped into Greece over the coming years should help boost the economy in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. But the Greek government also sees this money as vital to transforming the economy and the country's infrastructure. Investment in the green and digital...

Over the last few weeks, Greece has not just seen more worrying data on the Covid-19 front, but the forecasts for its economy have also been worsening. Nick Malkoutzis and Phoebe Fronista discuss where things have gone wrong this year for the Greek economy, particularly in the tourism sector. They hear from a tour operator and hotel owner, who explains why 2020 has been a disaster. MacroPolis co-f...

Donald Trump may not have accepted Joe Biden's victory in the US elections, but the rest of the world is preparing for a change of guard in Washington. Greece is among the countries that will have a very keen eye on what the new American administration will bring to the table in terms of foreign policy. The recent flare-up in tension between Greece and Turkey means that Athens is hoping Biden will...

Amid more pressing issues, the 10th anniversary of Greece's first international bailout went slightly under the radar earlier this year. However, to round off the first series of The Agora podcast, we have brought together three experts on the subject. Together, they look back at the events of a decade ago, which left a big mark on Greece, and asses the continuing impact of the first memorandum of...

In this episode, we have returned to one of the first topics we covered so can examine how the Greek economy is coping with Covid-19. Our producer, Phoebe Fronista, has been speaking to Constantinos Kouvaras, the area director in Greece for the Bacardi drinks company, to get a feel of how things are developing in the real economy. It turns out that the picture is constantly changing. Host Nick Mal...

In this episode, we take to the streets of our home city, Athens, to get an idea of what interventions would improve life in the Greek capital. Our producer Phoebe Fronista speaks to MacroPolis features writer Georgia Nakou about the Great Walk, a pilot scheme introducing pedestrian walkways and bicycle lanes to the heart of the city. The addition has sparked controversy and criticism. Phoebe and...

Usually, The Agora podcast is dedicated to analysing the latest political, geopolitical, economic and even social developments affecting Greece. In this episode, though, we have gone in a different direction. Sixteen years on from one of the greatest upsets in sporting history, we look back at how Greece managed to win football’s European Championship in 2004. A collection of journalists who follo...

In this episode, we're taking a closer look at the Greek media landscape. We'll be asking why the public has little trust in the country's media and examining what difficulties a local independent outlet faces as it tries to upset the established pattern of news coverage. Our producer, Phoebe Fronista, speaks to MacroPolis features writer Georgia Nakou regarding the controversial 20-million-euro p...

On the latest episode of The Agora podcast, we examine Greek-Turkish relations, which are going through another rough patch. Athens and Ankara being at odds is not something new, but a rising number of issues have been causing friction between the two capitals over the last few months. In late February, the Greek government decided to shut its land border with Turkey after Ankara gave free passage...

For the last few years, Greece has been in the frontline of the migration challenge - at least as far as Europe is concerned. Having a country with such limited financial and administrative resources in so prominent a role has generated a wide range of problems. There have been times when Greece was lauded for its efforts and others when it was admonished for failing to deliver. In the latest epis...

The European Commission has presented its proposal for a recovery fund to help EU countries stimulate their economies and overcome the impact of the coronavirus. In this episode of The Agora, Nick Malkoutzis speaks to John Springford and Christian Odendahl from the Centre for European Reform think-tank about what kind of economic damage the pandemic will leave behind and how EU member states might...

The second episode in our new podcast series looks at how the Greek tourism industry is faring amid the turbulence caused by the coronavirus. Host Nick Malkoutzis speaks to a specialist on the subject, Eleftheria Pantziou of Greek Travel Pages, to find out what the usually busy summer season is likely to entail for hotels and other businesses that rely on visitors coming to Greece. The Agora’s pro...

Our first podcast is on (what else?) the coronavirus. Host Nick Malkoutzis discusses with MacroPolis co-founder Yiannis Mouzakis and the website's features writer Georgia Nakou about how Greece has coped with the public health challenge of Covid-19 and what impact the virus could have on the Greek economy. Producer Phoebe Fronista introduces the "walk and talk" section of the show as she takes adv...

The Agora host, Nick Malkoutzis, explains what our show is about and what you can expect to hear in the coming weeks and months. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.