|
1
- Political Status
Greece, or
Hellas (as it is called in Greek) is the cradle of
political thought and democracy.
The present
constitution, drawn up in 1975 and amended in 1986,
defines the political system as a parliamentary
democracy.
It is a republic
with a unitarian state structure and a multi-party
regime.
It has a legislative assembly (the chamber of
deputies) : the Vouli.
The President of
the Republic serves a five year term of office
which can be renewed once. He is elected by the
chamber of deputies, his only power is one of
arbitration.
The present President is Costis Stephanopoulos
(since the 8th March 1995).
It is the Prime Minister who holds executive
power.
The present Prime Minister is Costas Simitis (since
the 18th January 1996, and re-elected on 9th April
2000).
The Vouli is made up of 300 members who serve a
four year term of office, 288 of them are elected
by general election, 12 are designated by the
parties, on a pro rata with the election
results.
Justice is independent. Civil and political rights,
and human rights are guaranteed by the
constitution.
Voting is
obligatory. Each citizen over 18 years of age has
the right to vote, but can only stand for
Parliament at 25.
Greece is a member
of the UN, the IMF, the CSCE and most of the
important western institutions like OECD, NATO, the
Council of Europe and the European Union
Historical
outline :
1453-1832 :
conquest and Turkish occupation
1832 : England, France and Russia obtain the
country's independence and impose an absolute
monarchy
1897 : Greek-Turkish war
Following the Treaty of Lausanne, which marked the
victory of the Turkish national movement, 1,221,849
Greeks returned to Greece and 387,000 Turks and
52,000 Bulgarians left the country.
25th March 1924 : 1st Republic. From this date on,
coups took place one after another and the restored
monarchy became a royal dictatorship
24th April 1941 : capitulation : the country was
divided between the Germans, the Italians and the
Bulgarians
1944 : start of the civil war
1946 : restoration of the monarchy
1967 : military putsch, the colonels'
regime
1974 : Restoration of the constitution under
Mr Caramanlis
1st January 1981 : Greece becomes a member of the
EEC
October 1981 : Socialist victory of Mr Papandreou,
as Prime Minister.
19th March 1985 : Election to the presidency of the
socialist Mr Sartzetakis.
2nd June 1985 : The socialist party PASOK
wins the legislative elections
18th June 1989 : The socialists lose their
majority
5th November 1989 : PASOK wins the legislative
elections
10th October 1993 : Parliament gives a vote of
confidence to Mr A Papandreou's government
8th March 1995 : Mr Costis Stephanopoulos becomes
President
January 1996 : Mr Papandreou, already ill for
several months, tenders his resignation. He is
replaced by Mr Costas Simitis, who forms his
government on 21st January
December 1999 : the Helsinki summit : Greece at
last approves the candidacy of Turkey to the
European Union
9th April 2000 : Mr Simitis is re-elected to serve
a second mandate
January and February 2001 : George Papandreou and
Ismail Cem (of Turkey), the two diplomatic heads,
make historical visits to each other's capitals and
sign nine bilateral agreements concerning economy,
culture and security.
2
- Geographical
situation
Greece is a very mountainous country largely
surrounded by the sea. There is a total of 15,021
kms of extremely rugged coastline, the continental
coastline is 4,000 kms long and there is 11,000 kms
of island coastline.
80% of the country
is covered in mountains, the highest is Mt Olympus
(the domain of the gods), which is 2,917 meters
high. The Pindos range crosses the country from the
north-west to the south-east.
The biggest rivers
are the Aliakmon (297 kms) and the
Acheloos.
The total surface
of the country is 131,957 square kilometers, the
population is 10,500,000, giving a population
density of 78 inhabitants per square km.
Greece is situated
in the southern part of central Europe, it is made
up of 437 islands (25,000 sq.kms), 134 of which are
inhabited and which represent 18% of the territory.
The biggest are Crete (8,259 sq.kms), then Eubee
(3,908 sq.kms) which is so near the mainland that
it has been connected by a bridge, Rhodes (1,398
sq.kms), Cephanolia (935 sq.kms), Chios (904
sq.kms), Samos (778 sq.kms) and Corfu (640 sq.kms).
Several islands, like Thera (Santorin), Salamine,
Egina or Patmos are smaller than 100 sq.kms. Most
of them are grouped in archipelegos (the Ionian
islands, the Cyclades, Porades, Dodecanese).
They are often mountainous, with rugged coastlines
: the Ida range, peaking at 2,456 m, soars over
Crete, Thera is volcanic and several other islands
have also been shaken by earthquakes.
The vegetation is
typically mediterannean : evergreen oaks, cork
oaks, maquis, garrigue, olive trees.
Greece is divided
into 52 departments and 13 regions.
The
regions :
Attica, Thrace and
East Macedonia (+ Chalcidic), West Macedonia,
Epirus, Thessaly (+Pelion), central Greece (
Etolia/Acarnania, Phocide, Locrida, Beotia ),
Peloponnesos ( Achaïe, Elide, Arcadia,
Argolide, Messenia, Laconiae, central Macedonia,
Western Greece, Southern Aegean, Northern Aegean,
Crete and the Ionian islands.
WesternThrace
and Macedonia:
Thrace is bounded
at the north by the Rhodope mountains, on the east
and west by the Evros and Nestos rivers and on the
south by the Aegean Sea.
Macedonia goes from the Nestos river to the
Albanese border. In Macedonia cereals, tobacco and
animal fodder crops are grown.
On the higher land there are pasture land, forests
and maquis.
Epirus and
Thessaly
Epirus
:
situated between the Pinde mountains and the
Ionian Sea, it is a mountainous region with a few
wooded plains and some pasture land. The Katara
col, 1,700 m high, connects Epirus and
Thessaly.
Thessaly
: goes from
the Pinde mountains to the Aegean Sea.
It s made up of two large plains which are watered
by the Pinios, but it is cut off from the sea by Mr
Olympus (2917 m) and Mt Ossa (1978 m).
Central
Greece
This region
stretches to the south-east between the Corinthian
gulf and Atalanti, then up to the Sounion cape at
the extremity of the Attica peninsula.
It is made up of an irregular set of mountains and
mountain ranges with gentle slopes, which end up
with Mt Hymette (1,027 m) above
Athens.
Peloponnesos
:
This is the southern peninsula of the country,
joined to the country by the Corinthian isthmus. In
its centre there is the Arcadian plateau (600-800
m), the Tagete chain and the Argolid plain,
birthplace of the Mycenian civilization.
Most of the
agricultural zone is around the Patras gulf, a
well-watered region, with autumn and winter rains,
but very dry in summer, rich in olive trees and
vineyards.
The best known
gulfs are the Argolikos, Laconia and Messenia. Cape
Matapan and Cape Malea are the southernmost points
in Greece.
The
islands
The islands
represent nearly 18% of Greece's surface.
The Ionian islands are on the west : Corfu,
Leucadre, Cephalonia, Zakynthos.
Crete is to the south, very mountainous (Mt Ida),
covered in maquis and farmed plains
To the north of Crete in the Aegean Sea lies the
Cyclades, where wine is grown, 31 islands in
all.
To the north, near Attica, is the island of Eubea,
covered in woods and pasture land.
To the north east of Eubea are the northern
Sporades, to the north opposite the Kavalla gulf is
the island of Thases and on the south east,
Samothrace, Lemnos, Lesbos, Chios, Samos which is 2
kms from the Turkish coast and Rhodes.
3
- Economy &
statistics
Main economic indicators
|
|
1997
|
1998
|
1999
|
2000
|
|
economic
growth (%)
|
3.4
|
3.7
|
3.3
|
3.7
|
|
consumption
(variation) (%)
|
2.7
|
2.1
|
2.6
|
3.1
|
|
investment
(variation) (%)
|
13.1
|
8.1
|
7.5
|
8.4
|
|
inflation
(%)
|
5.6
|
4.7
|
2.5
|
2.2
|
|
public
balance/GDP (%)
|
-3.9
|
-2.5
|
-1.6
|
-1.6
|
|
unemployment
(%)
|
10.2
|
11.2
|
11.3
|
11.3
|
|
short term
interest rate (%)
|
10.4
|
11.6
|
8.6
|
5.8
|
|
public
debt (%)
|
108.6
|
105.4
|
103.8
|
103
|
|
exports
(variation)
(%)
|
7.9
|
4.2
|
6.2
|
7.5
|
|
imports
(variation)
(%)
|
9.5
|
1.9
|
5.1
|
7.3
|
|
balance
of
trade (billions $)
|
-15.4
|
-15.2
|
-16
|
-17.4
|
Greece
became the 10th member of the European Union in
1981. It is the only country in the Union which has
no borders giving on another member country. Greece
entered the monetary union in January 2001, with
the rate of 340.75 drachmas per euro. In order to
be able to get in it had to fulfill all the imposed
criteria : since 1996 it's inflation has been cut
to a third, the budgetary deficit has been divided
by five, the enormous debt has been reduced (it
presently represents 104.2% of the GDP), the
interest rates have gone down and the drachma was
revaluated by +3.5% in January 2000.
Despite these
austerity measures, the rate of growth has been
maintained. It has been supported in particular by
the first privatizing done by the socialist
government : in 2000 : the opening of the capital
of the public electricity board, Olympic Airways,
the Eydap water company, the ports of Pireus and
Salonica and the company which manages the
Corinthian canal. In 2001 the hypothetical budgets
show for the first time a 4 billion franc surplus,
a 5% growth rate, a 2.3% rate of inflation and a
public debt of 8.9% of the GDP. The Minister of
Finance has affirmed that the debt would be down to
the 60% needed to conform with the Maastricht
regulations by 2008 or 2009.
At the end of 1999
the 3rd Community Support Plan for Greece was
adopted for the period from 2000 to 2006 which
includes a group of programmes to help the
developement of the country. The community
contribution combines the structural funds (22.7
billion euros) and the union funds (3.3 billion
euros). To this will be added the Greek state
participation (11.8 billion euros) and that
"anticipated" from the private sector (10.5 billion
euros).
These finances will be distributed among seven
priority sectors :
1) Human resources : education (training) and
employment
2) communications : roads, ports, town
developement, railway, airports, urban
transport
3) competitivity : enable the industrial and
service sector to be more competitive
4) agriculture, fishing : mobilize private
investment to improve the rural environment and the
quality of the production and the processing of the
products
5) quality of life : health, environment (water
treatment and waste processing), culture
6) information : modernize the administrations, but
also give support to local companies in the plan to
liberalize the telecommunications market
7) regional developement
Consumption has
been stimulated by the expansion of credit, tax
reductions and the rise in the stock exchange
values. Investment, both public and private, has
been pushed by the transfers from the European
Union and the foreign capital coming in attracted
by the high interest rates. The government's task
now is to continue reforming the public sector and
tighten the budgetary policy.
However, the
unemployment rate is still high. The government has
presented a plan to reform the work market, giving
more mobility and flexibility to ensure the
competitivity of a bureaucratized economy. This
programme has met with hostility from the main
unions, but Mr Simitis has shown his determination
to deeply change the labour market to adapt to the
new economy and absorb the 520,000 unemployed. He
has promised to create 300,000 new jobs by 2004,
with the support of the small and medium size
companies and the privatizations, and forecasts
that unemployment will be down from 11.3% in 2000
to 10.4% in 2001.
The parallel
economy is very important : it represents 30% of
the GDP and 65% of the working population work at
least part time out of the fiscal framework.
Corruption, which is assisted by a heavy
bureaucratic system, is increasing.
The income per
capita is only 70% of the average in the European
Union (not counting the parallel economy). That is
why the government wants to accompany Greece's
entry into the euro system with a programme of
'social convergence' : reforming the pension
scheme, the health and education systems,
decreasing unemployment (maybe by reducing the work
time).
With regard to
external trade, Greece imports industrial goods,
capital goods, food products and petrol. It exports
manufactured goods, foodstuffs, drinks, cement,
petro-chemical products and
pharmaceuticals.
Private companies
are for the most part small and medium sized family
companies.
Direct foreign investment for the moment is
concentrated in large scale distribution.
The revenues coming
from tourism, the merchant navy (Greeks own the
third biggest merchant navy fleet in the world) and
from emigrate workers largely contribute to filling
in the deficit in the balance of
payments.
Greece exports its
agricultural products : fruit, grapes, tobacco,
olive oil and wine. It also has deposits of
lignite, bauxite and petrol in the south of the
Aegean Sea. It is the third biggest producer of
olive oil in the world, the 14th biggest producer
of wine, the 11th biggest producer of bauxite and
the 12th biggest producer of nickel.
64.4% of its total
imports come from the European Union.
(sources : Le
Monde, MOCI, le nouvel observateur)
4
- Agriculture
Agriculture
(in millions of tons, head, m³ for timber)
|
Production
|
1996
|
1997
|
1998
|
1999
|
Rating
|
|
wood
|
2.012
|
1.744
|
1.692
|
-
|
-
|
|
wheat
|
1.882
|
1.991
|
2.058
|
1.900
|
-
|
|
cotton
|
0.328
|
0.370
|
0.382
|
-
|
8
|
|
maize
|
2.018
|
2.025
|
1.816
|
1.900
|
27
|
|
oranges
|
0.972
|
1.011
|
0.814
|
0.900
|
12
|
|
barley
|
0.356
|
0.348
|
0.358
|
0.414
|
|
|
potatoes
|
0.980
|
0.883
|
0.876
|
0.900
|
-
|
|
rice
|
0.217
|
0.214
|
0.209
|
0.210
|
-
|
|
wine
|
0.411
|
0.399
|
0.400
|
0.420
|
14
|
|
cattle
|
0.550
|
0.593
|
0.596
|
0.577
|
-
|
|
sheep
|
8.869
|
8.869
|
9.516
|
9.29
|
27
|
|
pigs
|
0.917
|
0.928
|
0.938
|
0.933
|
|
|
fishing
|
0.202
|
0.214
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Greece has a varied agricultural production :
wheat, barley, sugar beet, tomatoes, cucumbers, but
especially olives, tobacco, cotton and
wine.
But
Greek agriculture is not very productive : it
employs 20% of the population and only produces 10%
of the GDP, in farms which are usually small and
which find it difficult to improve their production
methods.
The
imminent liberalization of the sector will oblige
the farmers, the producers and the distributors of
seeds and fertilizers to improve their
competitivity. The government is particularly
interested in expanding the production of fresh
food products, especially vegetables.
5
- Industries &
mining
The manufacturing industry represents 14% of the
GDP. Foodstuff production is the most profitable
and the most dynamic sector for exportation, but
other sectors like textiles, shoes, aluminium,
building materials, machines, electrical appliances
and activities to do with transport also show good
results.
The building sector
is very dynamic, with major works to do with the
2004 Olympic Games (extension of the underground
and Athens' airport, the Rion-Antirion highway
bridge ...). Several centres have to be built or
rehabilitated : the Olympic village (4 lots of
2,292 residences), the Olympic stadium in Athens,
the Olympic pool, a gym hall, a cycle stadium,
training rooms, football stadiums ...
Two underground
lines have been built in Athens, sections were
inaugurated in January and November 2000. 90% of
the financing was done by Europe, and 10% by the
Greek government. They will now have to be
completed, starting with the line 3 towards the
north east, with an intersection with the future
railway line going to the new airport of Spata and
the surrounding areas. The previsional budget is
for 194 million euros and the works should start in
September. In Salonica there is a project to build
the first automatized underground line with 14
stations and 18 trains.
It is also
necessary to build new road and rail approaches to
the capital. The project concerning the railway
includes the modernization of the two lines which
are already in place (Pireus-Athens-Corinthe and
Pireus-Athens-Chalkis) and their extensions in the
south to Loutrak and in the north to Thebes. Also
new lines are planned, one towards the new
international airport (Spata) going through the new
areas being built up around Athens for 35 kms. 5
stations with underground connections will also be
built.
Two tramway lines
will have to be built in Athens before 2004 to go
between the centre of town and the sporting
facilities in the south of the town. Apart from the
underground, the tramway and the train, Athens will
have to modernize its public transport network and
foresee parkings at the end of the underground and
bus lines. The Athens public transport company
(OASA) is planning to buy 800 buses to fill the
objectives of the programme. New bus corridors are
also under study.
Two main road axes
appear among the priorities in the European
programme : the PATHE highway (Patras, Athens,
Thessalonika) going from north to south, and the
Egnatia highway going from east to west
(Ighumenitsa-Ioannina-Kozani-Thessalonika-Comotini).
A third is planned for 2010 : the Attiki Odos ring
road around Athens.
The Greek railways
(OSE) will start works on their lines for a total
length of 2,700 kms. The projects concern the main
axe of Athens-Thessalonika, the lines will be
doubled, electrified and signals installed to be
able to insure that the trains can travel at a
speed of 200 kms per hour.
The production of
high technology equipment is increasing, in
particular telecommunications.
Greece is
traditionally a nation of shipowners (they have 10%
of the world tonnage), in 1999 the fleets were
spectacularly renewed, taking advantage of the low
prices in the Asian shipyards. There are 123 ports
in Greece, 11 of which handle national or
international maritime traffic.
The infrastructure is poor, and there is a lack of
equipment and storage place.
Priority has been given to the Ionian coast, to the
modernization of the ports of Igoumenitsa and
Patras which are two important entry points for
western Europe.
Works are also going on in three ports in the
Aegean to improve trade with the Balkan countries.
Airports : five out
of the 43 existing airports absorb 85% of the total
air traffic.
The airports of Thessalonika, Heraklion, Corfu and
Rhodes are being modernized. Also 19 heliports are
being built.
Mining
(in millions of
tons, silver in tons)
|
Production
|
1999
|
world
rating
|
|
silver
|
62
|
19
|
|
bauxite
|
1.7
|
11
|
|
lignite
|
59
|
4
|
|
nickel
|
0.017
|
12
|
|
petrol
|
0.3
|
-
|
|
lead
(1998)
|
0.025
|
13
|
|
|
6
- Other
sectors
The service sector represents 62.7% of the GDP, and
in spite of the lack of infrastructure, tourism
makes up 7% of it. It is the country's main
resource, particularly in foreign currency, and the
country's main employer.
This sector will benefit from the major works which
are taking place for the Olympic Games, it is a
strategical sector for the government at a time
when foreign investors are coming onto the market
(with numerous projects of hotels and
marinas).
In Athens the
archeological sites occupy an area of about 700
hectares and are scattered throughout the town.
A programme to unify the sites has been created
within a general plan to rehabilitate the
historical centre, this consists of creating a
pedestrial zone which links six of the
archeological sites which will integrate green
zones and covered spaces, restoring and preserving
the monuments.
Greece is playing
an ever increasing role in the Balkans.
It is participating in the reconstruction of this
region by investing, mainly in the banking and
telecommunications sectors.
Thessalonika has been chosen by the countries of
the European Union to be the seat of the European
Agency for the Balkan reconstruction.
French distribution
chains are interested in the Greek market :
Promodes has opened the first hypermarket chain and
Carrefour are also nearly ready to open.
Other French
companies in Greece are : the subsidiary Pechiney
Aluminium , created in the 60s, Alcatel which
produces cables and Alstom which makes medium
tension electrical equipment, the consortium of
Interinfra-Siemens built the Athens' underground,
and the Thessalonica underground contract has been
given to the consortium Bouygues-Bombardier, Gaz de
France has been short listed to be the operational
partner in a network of domestic gas distribution
in Athens.
7
- Population
There are approx. 10,500,000 inhabitants in
Greece.
Athens the capital has a population of 4.1 million
inhabitants.
There are over 7 million Greeks living abroad, 3
million of whom are living in the European
Union.
0 - 14 year olds :
15.85%
15 - 64 year olds : 67.20%
65 years and over : 16.95%
Women make up 50.7%
of the total population and 37.4% of the labour
force.
Life expectancy : men 75 years, women 80
years.
The ethnic
composition is : 95% Greeks, 2% Macedonians, 0.5%
Albanians, 0.5% Turks, 2% others (Slavic speaking
Pomaks, Israelies, Armenians).
Half of the
population live in the coastal areas and the
biggest population concentrations are in Attica,
Salonica, in the Ionian islands and in the western
Peloponnesos. The lesser inhabited regions are the
Chalcidic peninsula and the mountains of Etolia and
Epirus, Phocida and Acarnania. Past upheavals
caused by the ever swelling population in Athens,
and the consequences that accompanied the rural
exodus is a trend that has recently been
reversed.
The movement to the capital has slowed down and
stabilized, and several large regional urban
centres as well as the countryside itself are
developing.
Urban population :
59.74%
The working
population 3,854,000 (1997) is divided up :
- 765,000 in the agricultural sector
- 866,000 in the industrial sector
- 2,223,000 in the tertiary sector
Military service is obligatory at 19 years old,
women can also do military service if they choose
to.
8
- Language
The official language is Greek, but in the hotels
and in business many people speak English, French
or German.
There are 24
letters in the Greek alphabet. Greek has been a
base in forming all the occidental
languages.
In today's world
only the Greeks can show such a linguistic
continuity (3500 years).
Latin was the basis for many neo-latin languages in
the world, but then finally totally died out,
whereas Greek is still a living
language.
(see the Useful
Addresses in France section for Schools giving
Greek lessons)
9
- Religion
The Orthodox Greek religion was proclaimed the
official state religion at the beginning of the war
for Independence (1821-1822).
The Greek Church is autocephalic since 1850 and has
its own statutes, but its doctrine is indissolubly
attached to that of the Oecumenical Patriarchy in
Constantinople.
Religious
affiliations :
Christians 98.1% - of which 97.6% are Greek
Orthodox, Roman Catholics 0.4%, Protestants 0.1%,
Muslims 1.5%, others 0.4%.
There are 300
mosques in Greece.
The famous Mount
Athos, in the south east of Macedonia on the
Chalcidic peninsula, is a territory which is
auto-administered. Its numerous monasteries have
formed an orthodox monastical centre for the last
thousand years.
10
- Weights, measures & voltage
Voltage :
220 volts. Plugs are European standard.
11
- Money
The national currency is the Drachma (there are
coins and notes).
The drachma can be divided into 100 Lepta (which
only exists in coins).
The drachma is part of the European monetary
system.
The French Franc is worth 50.34 drachmas and the
euro 330.23 drachmas.
1 drachma = 1.9 centimes
All the
international credit cards are accepted.
12
- Main towns
Athens
: is the Greek capital, with a population of 4.1
million, situated on a coastal plain.
Modern Athens dates from 1834 when it was chosen to
be the capital of the new Greek state. It contains
a variety of architectural styles and magnificent
relics from the past, like the Parthenon, the
temple of Athena, the Erectheion, the Propylis, the
theatres of Dionysos and of Herod Atticus.
There are universities and archeological
institutes.
One Greek out of two lives in Athens today.
The city lives essentially from its tertiary sector
in which more than half the working population is
employed.
Tourism is flourishing, even if the visitors only
stay a few days in the town before moving on to
more 'relaxed' destinations. (see 'places to visit'
in the Tourism section under
'Observations')
 Thessalonika
: the main town and port of Macedonia, it is the
second biggest town in Greece with a population of
nearly a million. It is also the main economic and
cultural centre of the whole of northern Greece. It
reached the height of its fame under Roman
domination and during the Byzantine epoch, from
which time dates its magnificent churches.
Pireus
: the most important port in Greece and one of
the most active ports in the Mediterranean.
There are big naval shipyards, textile and chemical
factories, refineries, steel and foodstuff
industries (sugar factories, olive oil).
Corfu
: beautiful ruins of the ancient Greek town,
Byzantine churches and the relics of the Venitian
domination (1386-1797). The port is important and
the island is a tourist centre. It is situated in
the Ionian sea.
Heraklion :
the biggest town on the island of Crete. It exports
fruit, vegetables and wine. Occupied by the Arabs
and the Turks, it was at the height of its fame
under the Venitian domination.
Larissa : an
important town in Thessalia, going back to very
ancient times then abandonned in the Middle
Ages.
13
- Climate
The Greek climate is Mediterranean : warm from
April to October.
Summer in Greece,
which goes from the beginning of June to
mid-September, is dry, hot and sunny. Light breezes
blow regularly in the north, and the "meltem" blows
from July to September in the Aegean
Sea.
Big towns like
Athens are extremely polluted in July and August
with a "nefos" (a cloud) created by exhaust fumes
which causes a high rate of heart and breathing
problems.
Spring and autumn
are very pleasant seasons.
The heaviest
rainfall is in Corfu (1182 mm per annum) and Zante
(1135 mm). In the Cyclades there is only 400 mm of
rain a year. The summers are very dry, but the
summer winds are cooling.
The Ionian coast
enjoys mild temperatures, in the east the winters
are cold and the summers are hot. Generally the
winters in Greece are rainy but fairly mild, but it
can happen that the Acropole is covered in
snow.
14
- Insects &
animals
Scorpions, vipers, goats and lots of
cats.
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15
- Working in the country
Before
leaving
You
should take Greek lessons, or improve your
level.
The quality of job you would like to have may
depend on how well you speak the
language.
If
you are employed
locally
When
you find a job, your employer will take in charge
the formalities concerning your stay and get a visa
from the immigration authorities equivalent to the
length of your contract - usually for a year.
(Be extremely careful when you sign your contract
to check that it is valid and that it gives you the
possibility to resort to the local court if
necessary).
With
a French or international
company
If your
employer is a French or international company you
don't have to worry about formalities.
Usually the administrative services deal with all
the formalities concerning the expatriate
staff.
Unless you are the only representative of your
company in the country (sales representative, or in
charge of a liaising office ...), in this case you
will have to deal with the formalities
yourself.
Preparing
for your departure and looking for a job
:
You can start searching for information by writing
to French associations established in the country,
economic expansion services, commercial services of
foreign banks in France and French banks
abroad.
The French
consulate usually has a service dealing with jobs
and training, student grants and reinsertion in
France, and they can put you in touch with local
enterprises who are willing to accept French
personnel.
(See also in
the Practical Guide for the Expatriate).
The French Chamber
of Commerce also offers information about the job
market, the most dynamic sectors of the economy,
and edits a bulletin for French companies and local
members.
You could publish a job application in this
bulletin.
The Trade
Commission in Greece, or the CFCE in Paris can
furnish you with a list of French companies
established in Greece.
Documents about the
country are usually available in the cultural
service of the Greek Embassy in Paris.
You can however
prepare your trip in a more precise manner by
making a personal appointment with the Franco-Greek
Chamber of Commerce in order to complete your
information and get professional advice.
While you are
hunting for information you could contact companies
directly by sending a spontaneous candidacy
proposing your services.
The international
departments of the Chambers of Commerce and
Industry often have information about the country
available.
Directories and useful dossiers from the country
can be helpful in getting information on sectors of
activity and the local economic life.
Where
to find job offers
:
In the French press (Le Monde, Le France Soir,
Figaro, Moniteur du Bâtiment,...) for French
companies sending people abroad.
In the
international press, in nearly all the bigger
dailies there exists a page or a selection of job
offers (The European, The Guardian, Vacature,
Coriere della Sera, The Geneva Tribunal
..)
Leading recruitment
bureaus in Europe, and interim companies sometimes
offer international jobs.
There are several
data banks specializing in job offers abroad on
Internet which are easily accessible.
Writing
your CV and covering letter
:
Your dossier is a determining element towards being
recruited, it is the first step towards obtaining
an interview.
The CV should be
very clear, typewritten, detailled, preferably
written in English and it should be accompanied by
a handwritten covering letter.
Certain
countries do not accord much importance to
handwriting, but it is advisable to write the
letter by hand whichever country it is addressed
to.
If the company is
French or the subsidiary of a French company, the
CV and the covering letter should still be written
in the language of the country.
Don't forget to
attach a recent photo, preferably one where you are
smiling.
Your CV should
be detailled, and have the addresses and phone
numbers of ex-employers on it so that the company
can easily verify the main points of your
candidacy.
This can save you from sending a pile of
photocopies and documents with it.
You can always present these documents later during
an interview if necessary.
If you are thinking
of sending a false CV, you should know that a study
from the Florian Mantione Institute shows that 45%
of the employers check up on CVs, that 34% of the
candidates are eliminated during this verification
and that 60% of the verifications are made with the
previous employer.
Whatever your reasons for 'adapting' your CV to
suit the ad, be warned that it won't help you
during the interview and could even cause you
prejudice.
The
questions to ask yourself before an
expatriation
:
What exactly is the job?
What is the length of the contract?
Is it for the whole family or with bachelor
conditions?
What kind of life will you have locally?
Have you thought about when you get back, how you
will manage financially to fit in again?
Do you have the necessaries qualities to be an
expatriate?
Qualities
you need to succeed
:
emotional stability (so you can react quickly
in any situation)
autonomy (you can make decisions on your own in any
circumstance)
being mobile and being available for your job,
being able to relocate quickly
being good at meeting people (don't forget that the
expatriate is also an ambassador for his country
whether in his professional or his social life.
being adaptable (you can easily adapt to different
cultures, climates and life styles. )
being able to accept and understand different
cultures and cultural differences
tolerance and respect of other people's way of life
and way of living should be a natural part of your
character.
Your
family and recruiting
:
Your partner should have the same ambitions as
you. It is often an important factor in choosing an
expatriate.
In fact some recruitment bureaus or big firms when
they are recruiting, specially for long term
projects, insist on having an interview with the
wife to check that there are no problems in the
couple which could get worse abroad and maybe
disturb the mission.
Companies often propose that the whole family goes
together so that a good family balance is
kept.
During
the recruiting
:
Punctuality and precision are appreciated
everywhere. Be on time for your
appointments.
Be well dressed for
your interview, whatever kind of job you are trying
for. Your appearance will weigh with the
interviewer.
First interviews
are often very short but can last several hours if
your candidacy is interesting, depending on the
post offered, and if you have to do any
psychotechnical (graphological analysis) or
aptitude tests.
Be careful not to
appear pretentious about your know-how and don't
exaggerate your professional competence.
Don't forget that
nowadays the job market is a chronic problem nearly
all over the world, so take an interview
appointment seriously, jobs are not easy to come
by.
Emphasize your real
competence, your ease of adaption, your mobility,
your ability to work in a team, your readiness to
pool your experience.
The
company and the
expatriate
:
A lot of countries abroad like to have, and to
show that they have, expatriates on their
staff.
International personnel often bring in experience
and knowledge which can be very advantageous for a
company.
Salaries
- Salary requirements
:
If the candidate doesn't know the prospective
country, it isn't always easy to negotiate a
salary, especially if the amount has already been
mentionned on the ad.
However, there is nothing to stop you from showing
your previous salary and from discussing the salary
offered.
The recruiting agent or the employer may appreciate
knowing what for you is the minimum.
The standard of living that you find abroad is not
always similar to the one you know in your own
country and sometimes if the salary is much higher
you will find that the cost of living is also.
This is one of the reasons, and there are several,
including social security conditions, why it is
better to go abroad with a French company.
French companies sending people overseas budget for
differences in the cost of living.
They can reassure the expatriate that his
purchasing power will at least be the same as in
France.
The 'basic French salary' can be paid either in
France or abroad, it is usually a choice, and an
allowance is paid for living expenses
(accomodation, food,...)
This compensation is based on the cost of living in
the country.
Taxes
(see the page in the expatriate guide)
If you are employed locally you will have to pay
taxes in the country.
If you have an international contract your salary
can be negotiated free of taxes.
In some countries income tax is deducted at source
by the company.
Accomodation
- company car - other fringe
benefits
:
It is nearly impossible to negotiate for a company
house if you are employed locally. Getting a car
depends on your job and your level in the
company.
In a local company it will be very difficult to
negotiate a paid return ticket to France every
year.
There again, if you are an expatriate working for a
French company you will get fringe benefits, a
house, car, travel allowance, return flights to
France ...
Usually international contracts give 15 days leave
in France every 3 months.
Working
conditions :
These are the local ones with all the attenuating
advantages and disadvantages if you are working for
a local company.
The expatriate is often considered as an immigrant
and has to deal himself with the local
formalities.
On the
administrative side the expatriate does not have to
worry about the formalities concerning the police,
customs, immigration, income tax, visa or consular
declaration.
French or European companies abroad always have an
administrative department which completes all the
formalities for its personnel and deals with any
problems which could arise.
Foreign companies remain subject to the laws of the
country in which they are working.
General
information
In Greece
the fundamental social unit is the family, followed
by the village (xorio) which is a narrow network of
family alliances.
In this traditional society, there is the employer
(effendikos) who assumes all the
responsibilities.
Then there comes a whole hierarchy of
subordinates.
The "Parea", the company, is an essential element
in Greek life.
In Greece there is a mixture of extreme
individualism and group behaviour which foreigners
find disturbing. Everyone expresses his own
opinions during a meeting and everyone is listened
to.
On the other hand it is rare to find an agenda in a
meeting or an official report in Greek companies.
Everything is done by consensus and meetings will
be held over and over again until a compromise is
reached.
Personal contact is more important than the
telephone, which is only used as a last resort, and
conversations tend to be very long.
The written word is avoided.
Foreigners are judged on a trust basis. The Greek
language is very difficult, Greeks understand that
and appreciate efforts that are made to learn
it.
Social
security :
The two main social insurance organisms are IKA
(for employees) and the OGA (for farm workers),
they cover more than 80% of the labour
force.
16
- Formalities
An identity card or a valid passport is
sufficient to enter the country.
Free
allowance :
Gifts totalling not more than 10,500 drachmas
200 cigarettes or 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars or
250 gms of tobacco
1 liter of alcohol over 22° or 2 liters if it
is under 22°
500 gms of coffee, 100 gms of tea, 50 gms of
perfume
You need a licence to export antiques.
It is forbidden to import plants.
Foreign currency :
Arriving: you can bring in 100,000 drachmas or 1000
US dollars or its equivalent
Leaving : you can take out 40,000 drachmas,
depending on how much you declared on arrival
17
- Health
No
vaccination is obligatory.
But it is advisable to have the usual vaccinations
up to date (tetanos, typhoid, polio)
There are heatwaves nearly every summer which
result in cases of dehydration - drink lots of
water.
Pollution is a serious health hazard in
Athens.
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18
- Transport
You can get
to Greece by air, train, road or sea.
By
air :
Paris - Athens : 2,098 kms. The estimated flight
time is 3h10.
Air France has daily flights six times a
week between Paris and Athens, so does Olympic
Airways.
(the Olympic Airways flight Paris-Athens and return
is cheaper and the conditions are more flexible
than with Air France : you can book and get your
ticket issued up to two days before departure,
whereas it must be fourteen days for an Air France
flight.)
Cronus Airlines is the biggest private Greek
airline. It also has daily flights to and from
Paris, leaving Roissy at 2pm, arriving in Athens at
6.25pm. Tel 01 47 42 58 56 e-mail :
cronus@club-internet.fr.
Corsair does weekly charters.
There are also flights going to Greece from
Marseilles.
By
train :
the trip takes between 50 and 60 hours.
The Palatino and the Parthenon trains include a
ferry passage between Brindisi and Patras, while
the Mozart, the Simplon Express, the Galilleo and
the Orient Express include one or two
changes.
By
road : The
distance by road between Paris and Athens is about
3,000 kms.
Internal
transport :
By
air :
There are
several Olympic Airways flights between Athens or
Thessalonika to the other main towns and to the
islands
Airport Hellenikon, : (1) 96991.
Air France : 4 Karageorgi Servias, Athens. : (1)
325 5095.
Maritime
:
Countless
ferries and boats go between the islands, Pireus
and some of the mainland ports. The trips take from
15 minutes up to several days.
During the tourist season you have to book your
passage well in advance if you are travelling with
your car. The prices are fairly reasonable.
The best and the cheapest way to get between the
islands :
Ferry boats in Pireus : (1) 451 1311.
Jetfoils : (1) 453 7107.
For Crete
:
From
Pireus to Hania and vice versa (daily) (12 hrs)
Kastelli (Hania) - Kythera - Antikythera -
Monemvasia - Neapolis - Agia Pelagia Gythio -
Pireus and vice versa (weekly).
Pireus - Rethimno - Pireus
Pireus - Iraklio - Pireus (daily) (12 hrs).
The sea omnibus :
The maritime routes considered unprofitable, are
covered by the sea omnibus.
This service was created in 1937 to ensure that
unprofitable itineraries were covered by a regular
service.
The state subsidizes each "dromologion" (route) so
that the far out islands can have a weekly
transport service.
These routes are put up for tender for annual
contracts.
You have to buy tickets at least 5 days in advance
in summertime (between 50 and 80 FF a one way
ticket), you get them in the maritime agencies
dealing with internal lines.
It is necessary to confirm the departure time from
the information bureau in the port in Pireus (459
32 23) or at the tourist office in Pireus (452 25
86).
The longest route that the omnibus does can take up
to 15 days, going from island to island.
The route is complicated, and sometimes disturbed
by delays, break downs and bad weather.
The best place to travel is on deck, between the
peasants, their baskets of olives and figs and
chickens.
It
is possible to rent a sailboat or a yacht, with or
without a crew. You must be extremely careful
however, as both boats and sailors are not always
up to scratch. Watch out for the "meltem" : it can
make sailing difficult and dangerous in the
Cyclades in July and August.
Cruises
: To see
the points of interest in the islands, there is a
wide choice in cruises (the point of departure is
usually Pireus). Be careful, the duration of the
stopovers is often extremely short.
Companies : Epirotiki Lines, Ocean Cruise Lines,
American Star Lines, Royal Cruise Line, Seamborne
Cruise Line, Cycladic Cruise.
Railways
: There are
two railway lines : one going from the north and
the centre of the Peloponnese, the other crossing
the centre and Macedonia. The trains are very slow
(the fastest trains go at 45 kph) and not very
comfortable (2 classes). They only cover a small
part of the territory, but the railway company does
a lot of connecting bus lines.
O.S.E. : 1-3 rue Karolou, Athens : (1) 823 77
44
19
-Time differences
The time difference with France is + 1 hour
20
-
Telecommunications
Telephone :
To phone Greece
from France dial 00 30 + town or regional code +
the number of your correspondent. Athens : 1
To telephone France from Greece dial 00 33 +
.
Useful
numbers :
Firebrigade : 199
Police: 100
Medical assistance : 176
ELPA Tourist Information Service: 174
ELPA Road Assistance: 104
Tourist Police (GNTO): 171
Information to call abroad: 162
General information : 134
Greek railways (ticket office) : 5222
491
In
Crete
Hania
: regional code : 0821 Police: 24477
Rethimno : regional code : 0831
Police: 28156
Iraklio : regional code : 081 Police:
246539, 243466
Agios Nikolaos : regional code :
0841 Police: 22251
In
Santorini
Police : 22649
Press
:
Some Greek dailies
published in Athens :
- Eleftheros Typos (daily)
- Eleftherotypia (daily)
- I Kathimerini (daily)
- Ta Nea (afternoon paper)
- Adesmevtos Typos (daily)
21
- Airport
Airport :
Hellinikon is 15 km out of Athens
The new Athens airport, the Venizelos, should be
open in 2001. (it will replace the existing
airport, the land from which will be used to create
either a leisure area or a large congress
centre)
There are 43 airports in Greece.
Internal
flights
From Athens to the islands or vice versa :
Heraklion (HER) Corfu (CFU) Rhodes (RHO) Santorin
(JTR) Mykonos (JMK) Paros (PAS) Naxos (JNX)
Children's fares : - 2 years = - 90 % ; 2 - 12
years : - 50 %.
Inter-island
flights (both ways)
Heraklion
(HER)- Mykonos (JMK)
Heraklion (HER) - Santorin (JTR)
Heraklion (HER) - Rhodes (RHO)
Mykonos (JMK) - Rhodes (RHO)
Santorin (JTR) - Rhodes (RHO)
Santorin (JTR) - Mykonos (JMK)
Children's fares : - 2 years = - 90 % ; 2 - 12
years : - 50 %.
22
- Car rental
Speed limit
Built up areas
50 kph, roads 80 kph, highways 120 kph
Avis
has agencies all over Greece
The telephone number of the central reservation
office is : 0301 3224951
Some other numbers:
Athens
: airport 0301
3224951/9953440, Hotel Hilton 0301 7250301
Crete
: 0832 31991
Kalymnon
: 0243 28990
Karpathos
: 0245
22702
Kefalonia
: 0671 22770
Larissa
: 041 622131
Naxos
: 0285 26114/22009
Paros
: 0284 24924
Patras
: 061
275547
Rhodes
: 0241
91700
Thessalonika
: 031
227126
Corfu
: 066124404
Lesvos
: 0251
46171
Mykonos
: 0289 22960
Samos
: 0273
92341
Skiathos
: 0427
21458
Zakynthos
: 0695 27512
All Avis cars are
completely equipped, have done less than 15,000 kms
and have an average age of 3 months. The vehicles
are carefully prepared and checked between each
rental using a procedure containing 7 obligatory
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