- Mount Olympus – Greece’s highest mountain and the legendary seat of the ancient Greek gods has been included in UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites, confirming its status as a place of outstanding cultural and natural world heritage. Rising 2,918 meters (9,573 feet), Mount Olympus is celebrated as the mythical home of Zeus and the twelve Olympian gods. Its designation also recognizes the mountain’s distinctive landscape, rare flora and fauna. With the inclusion of Mount Olympus, Greece is now home to 21 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
- Greek Heritage – Parliament has established a new body for the development and management of Greece’s cultural assets: the Hellenic Heritage Organization SA, a private-law legal entity whose sole purpose will be to manage real estate assets – including museum shops, cafes, buildings and plots of land – controlled by the Ministry of Culture. Following a restructuring of the Ministry’s Organization for the Management and Development of Cultural Resources (ODAP) a few years ago, the government has dramatically increased its revenues derived from such activities, collecting €80 million between 2019 and 2025, a fourfold increase from the preceding four years.
- Marine Parks – President Constantine Tassoulas has issued a decree formally establishing a maritime sanctuary around the southern Cycladic islands, following last year’s pledge by the Greek government to create two new marine parks. The South Aegean Marine Park, along with the Ionian Sea Park in the west, will together form one of the Mediterranean’s largest marine protected areas covering 35% of Greece’s territorial waters and exceeding EU guidelines which call for 30% of such areas to be protected by 2030.
- Tourist Arrivals – Greek tourism appears to be on track for another record-setting year, despite a shift towards last minute bookings, according to industry sources. For the first six months of the year, international tourist arrivals by air are up 3.8% on year, totaling 10.7 million visitors, according to INSETE, the think tank of the Greek Tourism Confederation. The data show that the growth in visitor arrivals by air – a proxy for overall tourist arrivals – were mainly at regional airports around the country, particularly in the Ionian islands, Thessaloniki and Crete, but were virtually unchanged in Athens. Last year, Greece attracted a record 38 million visitors in total.
- Debt Repayment – Greece will repay a total of €13 billion in government debt ahead of schedule by the end of 2026, according to a social media post by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Since taking office in 2019, the government has consistently paid off debts stemming from the financial crisis ahead of schedule, something that has helped reduce the country’s debt burden. The move “represents the fulfillment of a basic goal,” wrote Mr. Mitsotakis. “By 2031, public debt will have fallen to less than 110% [of GDP], and since 2021 it has shrunk by a third. That translates into much greater national credibility. And more favorable borrowing terms for the state and businesses.”
- E65 Highway – Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis formally announced the opening of the northern section of the E65 national highway, completing mainland Greece’s third major north-south road corridor. Extending more than 181 kilometers, the E65 links the towns of Lamia and Grevena with northern Greece’s Egnatia Motorway, dramatically cutting travel times for passenger and freight transport from Central Greece.
- Achilles’ Shield – The Greek government’s high-level foreign affairs and defense committee has formally approved €3 billion worth of contracts to create a hi-tech, multi-layer defensive shield to counter air and sea attacks. Based largely on Israeli technology, the planned Achilles’ Shield will integrate missiles, radars, sensors and command systems into a nationwide network designed to counter aircraft, ballistic and cruise missiles, and drones. The full system is expected to be operational within 35 months.