Subject: Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 17-01-05 From: "HR-Net News Distribution Manager" CONTENTS [01] Refugees are no longer living in the cold, says migration minister [02] Ferries tied up in Piraeus due to stormy winds [03] PPC and Larco are close to a deal on power tariffs, says energy minister --------------------------------------------------------------------------- [01] Refugees are no longer living in the cold, says migration minister The government has successfully completed the procedure of overwintering in camps and refugee centers around the country and there are no more refugees or migrants living in the cold, Migration Policy Minister Yiannis Mouzalas told journalists on Thursday. "There are no refugees or migrants living in the cold anymore. We successfully completed the procedures for overwintering," he said, with the exception of 40 tents left in Vayiohori, near Thessaloniki, and another 100 in Athens. "Of course, without the EU-Turkey deal we wouldn't have been able to do what we are doing. We would have had another 100,000 people whom we would have to shelter," he added. Mouzalas also said the European Union must fulfill its responsibility to relocate refugees, noting the procedure is progressing very slowly. "We have 2,500 unaccompanied minors, 700 of which are entitled to immediate relocation, but they have only taken 200," he said. He also spoke of the "unaccompanied brides" – minors who were married off in their country of origin but when they came to Greece they lacked the necessary paperwork, which means that they are not treated as a couple with their husband in their relocation application. Asked about the NGOs who are operating in various camps, he said that those that do not register with the ministry by March will not be allowed to work in the camps. He also admitted that without the NGOs the government would not have made it through the first phase of the refugee crisis. [02] Ferries tied up in Piraeus due to stormy winds Stormy winds on Thursday led port authorities to issue a sailing ban for ferries bound for the Cyclades, Crete, the Dodecanese and the northeastern Aegean. A similar ban has been issued by the ports of Heraklion and Chania, while routes from Piraeus to the Saronic Gulf and Salamina are still in operation. The coast guard advised all passengers planning to travel to call their local port authorities or tourist agencies ahead of their journey, to check if there are any changes in ferry services or cancelations. [03] PPC and Larco are close to a deal on power tariffs, says energy minister Power utility PPC and Larco, the state-controlled general mining and nickel producer, will soon sign a mutually beneficial agreement on new electricity tariffs, Environment and Energy Minister Giorgos Stathakis told SYRIZA MPs during a meeting on Thursday. The lawmakers from the regions of Fthiotida, Boeotia and Evia said they were interested in the issue of the new power prices PPC wants to sell to the miner, noting they will affect the latter's viability. Stathakis said talks between the two sides are in an advanced phase and in the coming days the new electricity tariff will be submitted to the boards of the two companies for approval. Larco is one of PPC's largest debtors, while both companies are majority-owned by the state.