Workers in Greece recorded the longest average working week in the European Union in 2025, according to new Eurostat figures, working nearly four hours more per week than the EU average.

The data, which covers both full-time and part-time employees aged between 20 and 64, showed Greek workers averaged 39.6 actual working hours per week, compared with the EU average of 35.9 hours.

The figures were recorded before Greece’s new labour legislation introducing a 13-hour workday came into effect in early 2026. The law provides businesses with greater flexibility but has also raised concerns that employees could face longer working schedules.

At the opposite end of the scale, workers in the Netherlands recorded the shortest average working week in the EU at 31.9 hours, almost eight hours fewer than their Greek counterparts.

Eurostat’s findings also highlighted a broader trend towards shorter working weeks across Europe. Since 2015, the EU average has fallen by one hour. After the Netherlands, the shortest average workweeks were recorded in Denmark and Germany at 33.9 hours, followed by Austria at 34 hours.

Greece topped the rankings ahead of Bulgaria and Poland, where workers averaged 38.7 hours per week, and Lithuania at 38.4 hours.

The data measures actual hours worked during the survey week rather than contracted hours and revealed notable differences between countries, professions and genders.

In Greece, men in full-time employment worked an average of 41.8 hours per week in 2025, among the highest figures in Europe, while women averaged 38.8 hours. Self-employed workers also reported significantly longer working hours than salaried employees.

Across the EU, full-time male employees worked an average of 39.4 hours per week, compared with 37.6 hours for women. Greece was one of only four EU countries where men worked an average of 40 hours or more per week, alongside Poland, Slovenia and Cyprus.

Source: To Vima

Cannabis use among teenagers in Greece has climbed to its highest level in 25 years, according to new findings released as part of the European Drug Report 2026.

Research by Greece’s National Documentation Center for the EU Drugs Agency found that 11.5 per cent of 16-year-olds reported using cannabis, highlighting growing concerns about substance use among young people.

The report also showed a significant rise in drug-related treatment admissions. Cases linked to cannabis increased by 32 per cent over the past decade, while admissions involving cocaine and other stimulants rose by 106 per cent in the last five years and 256 per cent over the past 10 years. Cocaine use was found to be particularly concentrated in the Greater Athens region.

Researchers also noted the increasing popularity of semi-synthetic cannabinoids. Among 16-year-olds who had recently used cannabis, 44 per cent reported using HHC, while authorities recorded multiple seizures of vaping products containing similar substances during 2025.

Further evidence of changing drug trends emerged from used-syringe analysis conducted in Athens, Thessaloniki, Patras and Volos, which revealed widespread polydrug use involving heroin, cocaine and pharmaceutical substances.

The findings have raised fresh concerns about drug use patterns in Greece, particularly among younger age groups.

Source: Ekathimerini

Fans attending recent concerts by Metallica and Iron Maiden in Athens created measurable seismic activity, with Metallica supporters producing the strongest tremors, according to Greece’s National Observatory.

Researchers from the Institute of Geodynamics analysed data collected by earthquake-monitoring equipment installed at the Olympic Stadium and found that crowd movements at both concerts generated micro-quakes.

The study concluded that Metallica fans were not only more numerous but also more energetic, producing seismic activity equivalent to a magnitude 1.5 earthquake during the performance of the song Moth Into Flame.

By comparison, Iron Maiden concertgoers generated tremors equivalent to a magnitude 0.9 earthquake during Killers.

The researchers also examined crowd activity during the EuroLeague basketball final held near the stadium on May 24. While supporters generated measurable vibrations, the seismic activity was lower than that recorded at Iron Maiden’s concert.

“The results highlight how seismology can record not only natural phenomena but also the effect of human activity on the environment,” the institute said.

“The two concerts served as a large-scale natural laboratory where… the Geodynamic Institute was able to study how the collective movement, rhythm and enthusiasm of tens of thousands of fans can be converted into measurable seismic waves.”

Around 80,000 people attended Metallica’s Athens concert on May 9, approximately 30,000 more than the crowd at Iron Maiden’s performance two weeks later.

Researchers said the findings demonstrate how large gatherings can produce detectable seismic signals, offering scientists a unique opportunity to study the effects of human activity through earthquake-monitoring technology.

Authorities in southwestern Greece are investigating the disappearance of a commemorative bell from a chapel inside the historic Niokastro fortress in Pylos.

The bell, located at the Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior, was last confirmed in place on May 29 through photographs. Visitors reported it missing on June 6, prompting an inquiry by local authorities and officials from the Ministry of Culture.

Weighing approximately 12 kilograms, the bell was gifted by Russian supporters of Greece and arrived aboard the Russian warship Azov in 2017 during events marking the 190th anniversary of the Battle of Navarino. It was installed in the fortress chapel as a symbol of the historic links between Greece and Russia and to commemorate a pivotal moment in the Greek War of Independence.

Investigators are exploring all possibilities, including theft or an unauthorised removal, as efforts continue to determine the bell’s whereabouts.

The disappearance has sparked concern among local residents due to the bell’s historical and cultural importance. The Battle of Navarino, fought in 1827 near present-day Pylos, saw British, French and Russian forces defeat the Ottoman-Egyptian fleet, helping pave the way for Greek independence.

The incident has also renewed discussion about the protection of religious and heritage artifacts across Greece. In recent years, authorities have examined several cases involving stolen or trafficked ecclesiastical objects, leading to calls for stronger security measures at churches, monasteries and historic sites.

Niokastro fortress, one of Greece’s best-preserved Ottoman-era fortifications, attracts thousands of visitors annually and remains one of the most significant landmarks in the Messinia region.

Source: Tovima

A disagreement has emerged between the Greek government and local authorities in Kalavryta over the reopening of the famous Diakopto–Kalavryta rack railway, a landmark tourist attraction in the Peloponnese.

Transport Minister Konstantinos Kyranakis has asked the Municipality of Kalavryta to provide formal confirmation that conditions along the Vouraikos Gorge route are safe for train operations during the summer period. The railway has remained largely closed due to concerns about rockfalls and landslides affecting sections of the line.

“The rack railway will not reopen through public statements or demonstrations,” Kyranakis said.

Local officials have argued that the railway has operated for more than a century without any accident caused by falling rocks and maintain that geological risks are considerably lower during the summer months. However, railway authorities say that verbal assurances are insufficient and that a written technical assessment is required before services can resume.

Infrastructure managers have already completed maintenance work, vegetation removal and track cleaning in key areas, while further inspections are ongoing. Authorities continue to evaluate safety conditions before making a final decision on reopening.

The prolonged suspension has frustrated businesses in Kalavryta, which rely heavily on tourism generated by the scenic railway. Many local residents and stakeholders believe the closure is harming the regional economy and are pushing for services to restart as soon as possible.

The debate comes at a time when railway safety remains under intense scrutiny across Greece following the 2023 Tempi rail disaster.

Source: Tovima