Germany’s BILD has found the solution to the looming energy crisis: German pensioners could spend the winter in Greece, preferably Crete.
“Dear Germans, come and spend the winter at the beach” is the title of the publication in the online edition of BILD, which invites those interested to spend a winter without heating in Greece. “During the financial crisis, the Germans rescued the Greeks, providing billions in loans,” recalls BILD. “Now they also want to repay us. Greece offers asylum to Germans who suffer from the shock of precision and the fear of the energy crisis”.
Speaking to the German newspaper, Greek Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias says: “It would be a great pleasure for us Greeks to welcome German pensioners, who want to spend a Mediterranean winter with Greek hospitality, with mild weather and a high level of service. We will wait for you”. On the same wavelength, the mayor of Chania Panagiotis Simandirakis invites the Germans to spend the winter in his city, because as he claims, Chania has perhaps “the best climate in all of Europe” and “the houses don’t even need heating”.
Praise for Crete
But BILD itself writes that there is no better place than Crete to spend the coldest time of the year, because winter lasts only two months, but even these are interrupted by the “Alkyonides Days”, where again weather is excellent. The realtor Yiannis Kriaras declares to the German newspaper that “there is no crisis here”, while at the same time there are plenty of apartments and cottages available for rent for the winter at reasonable prices (from 300 euros plus about 40 euros for utilities). The newspaper even points out that, at the same time, one can sublet one’s house in Germany, collecting a rent from there as well.
Continuing the journey to Chania, the journalists of BILD do a thorough check on the prices of everyday life (coffee from 1.50 euros, bread from 90 cents, potatoes 80 cents per kilo at the laiki, feta 8 euros per kilo, haircuts from 8 euros for men and 10 for women), while reminding that in Crete there are also discount supermarkets and German doctors. Summarizing, the mayor of Chania Panagiotis Simandirakis states: “No German will freeze in Greece”.
At 19 degrees the radiator
But what about the majority of Europeans, who will certainly have to spend the winter in their own country? The newspaper Die Welt reveals the main axes of the emergency plan proposed by the Commission in the event that Russia shuts off the gas tap for good: “The emergency plan of the European Commission foresees that from the autumn public buildings, offices and commercial properties they will be heated to temperatures of up to 19 degrees Celsius. “If we take action now, we can mitigate by 1/3 the effects of a sudden interruption in the energy supply,” says a related text obtained by the German News Agency (DPA).
According to the Berlin newspaper, “the aim is to protect industries that are considered particularly important for the country’s supply chains and competitiveness. But private households are also asked to reduce consumption, on a voluntary basis. “Everyone can save energy and immediately,” writes the European Commission. With the current regulatory framework, if there is a shortage of natural gas, priority is given to private households and hospitals.”
Giannis Papadimitriou
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