Athens News Agency: News in English, 09-12-14

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Visa-free travel for fYRoM citizens

[02] Patriach on climate change

[01] Visa-free travel for fYRoM citizens

The liaison office added that for the measure to be implemented in the most efficient way, citizens of fYRoM travelling to Greece should make sure of the following:

-- Visa-free travel concerns only holders of biometric passports

-- When citizens of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (fYRoM) enter and leave Greece, the entry/exit stamp will not be put on their passport, but on a separate document, which will be available at the border

-- This document will also be available, as of Dec. 16, 2009, at Greece's liaison office in Skopje and at the Greek consulate in Bitola (Monday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 12 noon and 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.)

-- Travellers are encouraged to obtain it and fill it in advance, in order to save time at the border

-- The holders of this document have the obligation to retain it when travelling within the Schengen area (and not only to Greece)

-- The holders of this document also have the obligation to retain it for one year after its last use

-- Apart form their passport and the separate document, citizens travelling to Greece may be asked to present -- at the border -- other documents justifying the purpose of their visit and the conditions of their stay in Greece. In particular, travellers should have with them health insurance and documents proving their work or retirement status, or, for instance, their student ID

-- Moreover, travellers should carry with them 50 euros per each day of their intended stay in Greece

-- Persons registered in the Schengen Information System or the nationals databases as personae non gratae cannot enter the Schengen space.

[02] Patriach on climate change

Reaching a beneficial agreement within the framework of the international negotiations in Copenhagen is not only morally imperative for the protection of the universe but a path to social and economic survival as well, he underlined.

"The action against the climate change should not be regarded as an economic burden but as a major opportunity for a healthier planet for the benefit of humanity as a whole, the underdeveloped countries in particular," the Ecumenical Patriarch stressed.

"Profit, especially, short-term profit, should not motivate our actions more so when it downgrades our shared and God-given natural heritage," he said.

Bartholomew underlined that "the climate change, as a threat to humanity and the planet, and the progress observed in science and technology clearly show that the only way to a low carbon economy (LCE) is the development of the renewable energy sources (RES), energy saving and no more deforestation."

The letter of the Ecumenical Patriarch was addressed to the leaders of the United States, China, Russia, India, Pakistan, the European states and the UN Secretary General.

In a letter addressed to Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, the Ecumenical Patriarch called for bold commitments in the Copenhagen negotiations that will lead Greece as soon as possible to a low-carbon energy policy.

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