Before all hope is lost...

I just read the draft article the Financial Times plans to publish as a Special Report for Greece on June 20, 2006 .

The report covers the national situation and progress in sectors such as the economy, banking, shipping, regional development, immigration, energy, tourism, culture and the environment.

With regard to the environment, it states: "Greece faces European court proceedings for failing to comply with EU environmental directives in an unprecedented number of instances. The lengthening case list ranges from permitting the operation of illegal waste disposal sites to failing to provide adequate protection for marine turtles or rare species of reptiles. Left uncorrected, Greece’s poor environmental record may have a negative impact on the tourist industry. ".

If I may add, left uncorrected it will have and already does have, a very negative impact on our quality of life and of the future generations. I just hope that this report will catch Mr Karamanlis' eye (I suppose he reads the FT) so that he can eventually realize that apart from being ridiculed on a number of occasions on the international news sphere, the government has to act NOW (or yesterday) and solve the imperative issues such as waste management.