In the last years, nationalism in many European countries is on the rise, differently manifested in each of them. In Greece, a supposed threat from neighbouring countries has replaced to a great extent the concern about the real economic disaster caused in the last decade by the Greek and foreign elites. In many countries, including the Netherlands, refugees and immigrants especially from the Middle East ar ...

After two decades, the issue of the name of Macedonia is back at the center of public attention. This topic is now being discussed between the governments of Greece and Macedonia or F.Y.R.O.M. (‘Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia’ which is the temporary internationally agreed name) at Davos under the supervision of the United Nations and the great powers. After the breakup of Yugoslavia, the newly consti ...

From the start in 1967, the junta, trying to control every aspect of politics, had interfered with student syndicalism, banning student elections in universities, forcefully drafting leftist students and enforcing non-elected student syndicate leaders in the national student’s syndicate, EFEE. These actions eventually created a fierce anti-junta sentiment among students that was first manifested by the suic ...

A new blatant intervention of the European Commission was triggered by the decision of the third Court of Appeal of Athens on August 1st, on the hearing of the former President of ELSTAT (Hellenic Statistical Authority), Andreas Georgiou, for repeated breach of duty. By Leonidas Vatikiotis   The provocative intervention of the European Commission (indication of their great discomfort over the decision ...

Uit het recente enquêteonderzoek ‘Generation What’ blijkt tweederde van de Grieken tussen de 18 en de 34 jaar bereid te zijn om deel te nemen aan een grote opstand tegen de regering. Door Dimitris Pavlopoulos - Arbeidssocioloog VU   Landelijke staking tegen de nieuwe bezuinigingen - Athene , 17 mei 2017 Het Griekse drama gaat onvermijdelijk door. De Griekse regering heeft met de Trojka een nieuwe bezui ...

This is a story about far-right in the Netherlands and how it is trying to intimidate everyone who fights against it.   After the Dutch elections many commentators and citizens were pleased with the fact that Geert Wilders has failed to come first. Nevertheless the reality shows that despite this supposed fail, the ideas and practices of the far-right become more and more acceptable in Dutch politics a ...

ReINFORM invites you to a discussion with the title: Greek history X: is a left government possible in the EU?  The event will take place on Saturday 11 February at 12:00 at the LAB111, Arie Biemondstraat 111, Amsterdam (see poster below).  Two years have gone by since the so-called "left-wing" Syriza-Anelgovernment in Greece came to power on 27 January 2015. What are the promises and hopes it broke? What a ...

(scroll naar beneden voor Nederlands) Debt increased, public assets sold. The Greek and European elites make profits. In January 2017 the coalition government of SYRIZA and ANEL will be two years in power. During this time, in the Dutch media there has been an almost total silence about Greece, interrupted only by short references to the ongoing negotiations for the disbursement of the loan tranches. Silenc ...

(The article was initially published in the Greek newspaper "Prin" on 30th May 2015 and it was translated into English by ReINFORM.) When the mild arguments about the “people’s house” and the EU’s ability to transform fall apart, the neoliberal/Memoranda bloc resorts to the only argument left: breaking with the EU equals to returning to the “cave age”. By Leonidas Vatikiotis It is worthwhile to attempt an o ...

By Leonidas Vatikiotis Leonidas Vatikiotis has studied Statistics at the University of Piraeus. His doctoral dissertation, at the Sociology Department of Panteion University (2008) considered the causes of the 1970s economic crisis. It is not only the new austerity measures, which among others include VAT increase, reduction of pensions, reintroduction of the zero deficit clause, Sunday shop opening and imp ...