Despina Konti

Almost 19 months since the deadly train crash near the Vale of Tempe, in central Greece, that claimed 57 lives, Greece's railways are still seriously underperforming.

More than 18 months since the country's worst train disaster, in Tempe, central Greece, its railways are still haunted by deficiencies in safety systems even on main axes, by unguarded level crossings that can turn into death traps, understaffing, legal disputes and shortages in rolling stock and infrastructure, according to Tuesday's deliberations of Parliament's permanent Production and Trade Committee.

Greece's progress in the global innovation index is hindered by perennial problems that the country faces, such as the absence of a stable regulatory framework, as well as the incomplete interconnection of universities with industry at the level of research and development.

There has been a sustained investment frenzy in the artificial intelligence sector in recent years, prompting would-be entrepreneurs to turn their sights to secure the attention and ultimately the capital of investors in such companies.

Athens’ 45-year-old road space rationing system (daktylios) is now seen as a major contributor to the city’s worsening traffic congestion, with experts calling for a comprehensive review.

Greece continues to grapple with alarmingly high road fatality rates, as traffic accidents remain a daily tragedy. To make matters worse, there were, according to the SOS Traffic Crimes Association, 38 hit-and-run incidents in July and August, 74% of which occurred in urban areas.

Interest in space technology solutions is growing in Greece.

The Pfizer Center for Digital Innovation (CDI) in Thessaloniki runs over 250 global projects.

In the battle for the reuse of organic materials, startups are fighting to stop the misuse of plastic. “There is a trend in Europe to use organic raw materials in the packaging industry. Those that were previously waste – e.g. coffee grounds, wood, paper etc,” Alexis Panziaros, chemical engineer and co-founder of the startup company Coffeeco, which develops a plastic substitute from leftover espresso coffee, recycling bins, packaging and even cosmetics, tells Kathimerini.

Greece is set to implement stricter regulations for light personal electric vehicles (LPEVs) as part of a new traffic code being pushed by Deputy Transport Minister Vassilis Oikonomou.