Articles by Mary Drosopoulos

Sea, sun, and a good book: reading habits in Greece and Croatia

30/08/2024 -  Mary DrosopoulosGiovanni Vale

The analysis between the two countries shows similar trends, with a rather low number of readers. In both cases, reading habits reflect existing inequalities at the socio-economic level

Migrations: Greece and Cyprus: from solidarity to fatigue

10/07/2024 -  Mary Drosopoulos Thessaloniki

Driven by economic difficulties, European public opinions have taken increasingly skeptical positions on migrants and asylum seekers in recent years, an extremely visible phenomenon in "front line" countries such as Greece and Cyprus

2025 Elections: Albanian Diaspora Calling

26/06/2024 -  Mary DrosopoulosÇelik Rruplli

One year ahead of the next general election, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has embarked on a tour across Europe to make citizens living outside the country “Proud of Albania”. But the issue remains the electoral code, which currently does not allow people to vote from abroad

Thessaloniki: Eid in the mosque, one hundred years later

25/04/2024 -  Mary Drosopoulos Thessaloniki

For Eid, the Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the city of Thessaloniki offered believers the opportunity to pray in the historic Yeni Cami: a highly symbolic act in a country with a large Orthodox majority

Greece, fires and responsibility

19/04/2024 -  Mary Drosopoulos Thessaloniki

In the controversial trial for the disastrous fire that destroyed the Moria refugee camp on the island of Lesvos, which ended with a conviction, the defence used new scientific data on the fragility of ecosystems to the threat of fire

Private universities in Greece, education and democracy

15/03/2024 -  Mary Drosopoulos Thessaloniki

Last March 8, the Greek parliament approved a law that enables the creation of private universities: a provision that divides the country, bringing the right to education and democracy back under the spotlight

Greece, historic legalisation of same-sex marriages

22/02/2024 -  Mary Drosopoulos Thessaloniki

Greece has made history by becoming the first Orthodox-majority country to legalise same-sex marriage. A step that comes after a long journey, marked by strong opposition from the Church and conservative forces in the country

Fires in Greece: if migrants become scapegoats

11/01/2024 -  Mary Drosopoulos Alexandroupolis

The Greek region of Evros, devastated by fires last summer, is also the external border of the EU: there is a strong temptation to blame the fires on the migrants who cross it. Experts, however, point out the responsibilities of the Greek institutions

Cyprus’ Plan for a Maritime Humanitarian Aid Corridor to Gaza

21/11/2023 -  Mary Drosopoulos

While the international community is facing the challenge of getting humanitarian aid to Gaza amid restrictions in place, Cyprus has proposed the creation of a maritime corridor to reach civilians in need. Despite the technical challenges lying in its implementation, EU leaders seem to be supportive of this plan

Preventing and managing extreme wildfires in Greece via the FIRE-RES project

30/10/2023 -  Mary Drosopoulos

The region of Kassandra, Halkidiki, is one of the fire-prone areas in Greece. In the aftermath of the extreme weather phenomena that hit the country in the last months, a holistic approach involving prevention and civic education is now seen as necessary

Greece: refugee reporting in times of surveillance

19/09/2023 -  Mary Drosopoulos Thessaloniki

It could be the plot of a psychological thriller movie. It's the true story of a young investigative journalist, Stavros Malichudis, who unintentionally became one of the protagonists of the Greek Watergate. His reports, awarded with many international prizes, told the stories of refugees in Greece

Greece and Turkey, disaster diplomacy

13/03/2023 -  Mary Drosopoulos Thessaloniki

Relations between Greece and Turkey have deteriorated steadily in recent years, leading to fears of a clash between the two countries. The earthquake that devastated Turkey on February 6, however, has opened up new spaces for solidarity and dialogue

Greece, the limits of democracy

02/03/2023 -  Mary Drosopoulos Thessaloniki

With an amendment to an existing law, political parties with actual leaders convicted of crimes might soon be banned from running in Greek national elections. The decision started a heated debate over the boundaries of democratic political participation in the country

Restoring trust in Greek journalists: George Tragkas’ controversial legacy

02/02/2023 -  Mary Drosopoulos Thessaloniki

George Tragkas was a prominent journalist who passed away in December 2021. The post-mortem discovery of his colossal wealth has sparked public controversy on the role and power of journalists in the country

Revythoussa, the islet of gas

16/11/2022 -  Mary Drosopoulos Thessaloniki

Τhe islet of Revythoussa is a small, barren piece of land in the Gulf of Megara, west of Athens. There would be nothing special about this place, except it has become the only LNG terminal in Greece and a strategic energy stronghold for the wider Balkan region

From Thessaloniki to Izmir, the friendship ferry

13/10/2022 -  Mary Drosopoulos Thessaloniki

Against the backdrop of growing tensions between Greece and Turkey, a positive counter-signal comes from the sea: the first regular ferry was recently launched between the cities of Thessaloniki and Izmir

Astypalea, the first ‘smart & sustainable island’ in the Mediterranean

13/09/2022 -  Mary Drosopoulos

On a remote island of the Aegean, thanks to a public-private collaboration and European funds, an innovative sustainable mobility system is being developed

Cyprus: halloumi diplomacy

16/08/2022 -  Mary Drosopoulos Nicosia

In Cyprus, cooperating across the lines that divide Greeks and Turks is always complicated. Also thanks to EU intervention, however, halloumi cheese – one of the symbols of the island – is once again a heritage shared by the two communities

Economy and morality on the long way towards reconciliation in Cyprus

09/08/2022 -  Mary Drosopoulos Nicosia

First the pandemic, now the price crisis have been increasingly pushing the Greek and Turkish communities of Cyprus to cross the de facto boundaries that divide them and to interact, despite the persistence of prejudices and mutual distrust. A reportage from the island

Greece: media freedom is stifled also by criminalising "fake news"

01/06/2022 -  Mary Drosopoulos Thessaloniki

As evidenced by the latest report by Reporters Without Borders, press freedom in Greece today is in great pain. A situation that also has its roots in the unresolved regulatory framework