Athens 50th in 66 entries in Expat City Ranking
Athens ranks very low in the Expat City Ranking 2020, published yesterday by InterNations, the world’s largest expat community with around 4 million members. Out of 66 cities in the Expat City Ranking 2020, Athens ranks 50th. It ranks best in the Local Cost of Living Index (20th) and worst in the Urban Work Life Index (64th). In Athens, 60% of expats rate the local career options negatively (vs 34% globally), and more than half (55%) are not satisfied with the state of the local economy (vs 18% globally). A 58-year-old British expat says that the “job opportunities are not as good as in other countries, especially for my age group.”
Bulgarian lockdown. This evening Bulgaria will enter a new nationwide lockdown that is set to last until December 21, aimed at containing the rapid spread of Covid-19. New restrictions include the suspension of in-person attendance of kindergartens, crèches, schools and universities and discontinuing extracurricular activities for all age groups and the operation of training centers. All congresses, conferences, seminars, training sessions and other public, cultural and entertainment events will be canceled. Private parties will be limited to 15 people. Athletes under 18 will be barred from competing and practicing except in international competitions that are already under way. Gambling halls and casinos, gyms, food-service and amusement establishments will be closed, and restaurants will be permitted to make home or office deliveries only. All package tours using organized transport and group visits to tourist sights will be discontinued. Shopping malls will be closed except for food stores, pharmacies, opticians, pet shops, and banks and telecom offices. Convenience stores will not be closed.( Xinhua)
Croatian quotas. The Parliament of Croatia passed a new Foreign Nationals Act on Wednesday, stipulating that the government will no longer set employment quotas for foreign nationals. The new law that will come into force on January 1, 2021 will oblige employers to ask the Croatian Employment Service to conduct a labor market test before submitting applications for residence and work permits for foreigners. (Xinhua)