– Hello there. The topic of the day is yesterday’s amendment regarding the guarding of the Monument of the Unknown Soldier, which is to be discussed in Parliament. I imagine that, apart from Mitsotakis himself, who will defend the new provision — meant to bring some order to the “campground” at the monument — Floridis will also speak.

As for the substance of the provision, I think we’ve said enough already: if you can find a place, a country, where the local Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is not guarded by the military, do let the Opposition know.

But moving on — there should be no doubt that something perfectly normal everywhere else in the world will, here, spark backlash, noise, and likely “multi-speed” episodes from the opposition — ranging from the KKE, the far left, and the “conspiracy crowd,” all the way to the classic rioters with Molotov cocktails. I’m not including Karystianou in that description, since I’ve seen no acts of violence from her or her followers.

The Filises and the Skourletises

It’s interesting to hear the view of an old, very experienced politician still in office:
“Look, these are not easy times… for the Left.” An entire generation has “retired” — the Filises, the Voutsises, the Skourletises — all done, and what’s more, even Tsipras doesn’t want to see them anymore. You see, these people had only two things to do: protests for Palestine (168 marches — bless them) and Tempi. Now that the Palestine issue has run its course — what’s left? The chaos in Syntagma.

And the government…

Starting tomorrow, the law will be in force banning tents in Syntagma — next to or on top of the Unknown Soldier — so, as the saying goes, “no sooner said than done.” Chrysochoidis has drawn up a plan to protect the monument, without any intent to provoke, though the others will be itching for it. Still, since the government announced and passed it — truth be told, six years late — it has to enforce it, because if it doesn’t, things will only get worse.

All together on the amendment

Let me inform you that the big internal debate within the government yesterday was about who would table the amendment on the Unknown Soldier. In the end, they went with a “let’s all go together” model — so it was submitted jointly by several ministries: primarily Defense (responsible for the site), Justice (responsible for penalties), and Citizen Protection (responsible for the actual guarding). Usually, an amendment is simply presented by the lead ministry — in this case, theoretically Defense — maybe together with Finance for budgetary impact. But as you can see, this one required some careful handling. Or rather, they need to handle it carefully — since they’re all a bit faint-hearted.

Adonis–Dendias

Also worth noting: the intra-party “match” between Adonis and Dendias has restarted — despite the cheerful photo-ops at the Cabinet meeting and the recent book launch of Stylianides, where they sat side by side. Adonis’s response yesterday on Action24 — “Ask Dendias, he’ll tell you about the Unknown Soldier” — reflects the Health Minister’s view that Dendias will soon have to get his hands dirty and do something politically costly, instead of making popular moves aimed at the broad audience. Personally, I think he’ll do nothing and leave it all to Chrysochoidis.

The Mitsotakis interview

In this environment, I’m told that K.M. wants to be out front, letting nothing slip by. That’s why, in addition to today’s appearance in Parliament to defend the amendment about the Unknown Soldier, he’s expected to give a radio interview on SKAI tomorrow morning (Portosalte) before heading to Brussels for the EU Summit.

Poll – We told you so…

Yesterday I read the Marc poll (Antenna). On the government front, nothing new — ND hovers around 30% after adjustments, with inflation remaining the top concern. But on the center-left, the (now official) reappearance of Tsipras has almost immediately flattened our dear Nikos. You might say, “flattened the already flattened,” but still — when the question “Who best represents the center-left?” gets you folded in half by Tsipras (24% versus 12.6%) and you’re tied with little Zoe — well, you’ve got a problem.

Thessalian derby: Koureta vs. Tsiaras

Now let’s move on to another kind of derby — a more pastoral one this time. The regional governor of Thessaly, Koureta, called a press conference yesterday to announce that, following recent meetings in Brussels, there’s a vaccine for smallpox and doses are also planned for Greece — with vaccination responsibility falling to the regional authorities. He even took a swipe at the Ministry of Rural Development, implying they knew and kept quiet. Now, why he needed a trip to Brussels instead of simply asking the relevant authorities back home, Koureta didn’t say. But I get the sense that, with parades coming up and given the beating politicians have been taking from farmers and ranchers, he decided yesterday to play the good guy — even if it meant throwing Tsiaras and others under the bus. The Ministry, caught off guard, quickly started circulating a statement from the relevant department of the University of Thessaly, declaring the existing vaccines unsuitable and citing experts who say vaccination is an extreme, desperate measure. A similar sentiment came from Bulgaria — in the same boat — where Commissioner Hansen sounded the alarm about the export credibility of meat and dairy products.

The Ministry of Tourism properties on Amalias Avenue go to Alpha Bank

As we approach the end of the year, we should expect more moves and deals in the domestic real estate market, with banks also looking into selective placements—particularly in income-generating properties with reliable tenants in so-called prime locations. To that end, Alpha Real Estate Services CEO Ioannis Ganos confirmed last week, speaking at a conference about Alpha Bank’s strategy, that the bank is indeed focusing on “investments in stable-income, core real estate.” As he said, the bank has an investment plan worth €1 billion, of which €500 million has already been implemented (see: Skyline, Ermou properties, etc.). According to reports, Alpha Bank has purchased from Prodea Investments REIC two buildings that house the Ministry of Tourism’s offices on Amalias Avenue. These highly prominent, prime properties—now under Alpha Bank’s control—had been part of Prodea’s portfolio slated for sale to AKTOR, a deal that ultimately fell through.

What Bouzna’s lips didn’t say…

It’s not just what Euronext CEO Stéphane Bouzna said yesterday at Aegli, but what could be read between the lines. First off, the man’s a professional—executing the full “package” required by his public offer for the Athens Stock Exchange (ATHEX). His presentation was polished and on point: he highlighted all the right features (increased liquidity for ATHEX, cybersecurity investments, after-hours trading, etc.), while promising to attract companies from the Balkans and establish a technology and support hub in Athens. Throughout the presentation, he was polite, friendly, smiling often—even reminisced about the ancient Greek he’d learned as a teenager.

But the moment that revealed what he’s really made of came when he talked about the offer price. Though his audience was journalists—supposedly neutral observers—he twice urged them to “read his lips” before firmly stating he had no intention of changing the price, which he described as “very attractive,” valuing ATHEX at 22 times its 2024 earnings. The message was clear: “That’s the deal—take it or leave it.”

ATHEX: The most expensive stock exchange in Europe

The only moment of visible unease during the press conference came when Bouzna was asked about potential changes to the public offer regime, given that this is a cross-border transaction. If he gets the chance, Bouzna will merge ATHEX—and though he didn’t say so outright, it was clear that many things will change once he takes control. Dark Room’s prediction: Giorgos Kontopoulos will remain until his contract expires and then depart; meanwhile, Bouzna and Kontopoulos will privately admit that cooperation was difficult. As for ATHEX employees—it might be wise to start reconnecting with headhunters. Bouzna also dropped several zingers supporting his strategic narrative for ATHEX—remarks implying that the current management should feel, if not outright failed, at least embarrassed. He pointed out that the Athens Stock Exchange is the most expensive in Europe—2% higher than all others. Another killer line: “The Oslo Stock Exchange has more shipping companies than ATHEX.”

Prokopiou’s Dynagas caught in the sanctions crossfire

Greek shipowner George Prokopiou, head of the New York–listed Dynagas, is once again at the center of international financial chatter—this time because three of the company’s LNG carriers have been included in the UK’s new sanctions list targeting Russian energy firms. From an economic standpoint, the move “makes absolutely no sense,” said the Greek owner, noting that the vessels are not Russian-owned, their cargoes and charterers have no sanctions link, and they exclusively serve Yamal Trade, a subsidiary of Russia’s Yamal Arctic, delivering LNG to European markets.

The Korean Intralot investor’s pharaonic project in Las Vegas

After closing the deal involving Intralot—which, together with Bally’s International Interactive, now forms a €2 billion market-cap group active in lotteries and online gaming—Soo Kim, the major shareholder of both the Greek firm (now holding 57.8%) and the American Bally’s group, is already pursuing his next mega-investment. It’s a pharaonic $3 billion project: the creation of Bally’s Las Vegas, a landmark integrated resort and casino complex on the Las Vegas Strip. The plan, recently announced, envisions construction on a 350-acre site formerly occupied by Tropicana Las Vegas, alongside a new 33,000-seat stadium for the Las Vegas Athletics baseball team. The resort will include two hotel towers totaling around 3,000 rooms, a theater, shopping and dining venues, entertainment spaces, and more. Development is expected to begin in the first half of 2026 and be completed by March 2029. At the same time, Bally’s is also competing for one of the new casino licenses to be issued in New York, proposing an integrated resort-casino in the Bronx—on the site of the former Trump Organization golf course. The project has received initial approval from the local Community Advisory Committee, though it still faces opposition from neighborhood groups and residents.

The Papastavrou–Tsafos duo and the Energy Council backroom scene

Behind closed doors at the EU Energy Ministers’ Council on October 20, Greece—represented by the Papastavrou–Tsafos duo—joined Bulgaria, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Hungary in submitting a joint proposal to simplify EU methane-emission regulations. According to diplomatic sources, the move “speaks Washington’s language.” For weeks, the U.S. has been quietly pressuring Brussels to ease the new rules, which could raise the cost of American LNG and hurt its competitiveness in the European market. Washington views the upcoming EU regulation—requiring third countries, starting in 2027, to meet strict methane-measurement and reduction standards—as an obstacle for U.S. LNG exports. More monitoring means higher costs—and the U.S. doesn’t want to lose the advantage it gained in Europe after Russia’s exit. Greece, without saying so openly, is fully aligned with this reasoning, arguing for a “realistic transition” and the need to safeguard supply security. Athens, aspiring to cement its role as the energy hub of Southeastern Europe, seems to be playing a double game: supporting Europe’s decarbonization ambitions while simultaneously aligning with U.S. strategic interests—building valuable trust capital with Washington in the process.