Terms to rent archaeological sites for commercial eased

The Acropolis hill is not for sale or lease, but the Greek Culture and Tourism industry announced on Thursday that debt-laden country will ease the terms to rent archaeological sites for commercial use, such as filming and photography for advertising in order to boost revenues. According to the official announcement, Greece eases access to ancient monuments on lower prices, aiming to raise funds for their maintenance, as the Ministry has faced budget cuts due to the debt crisis that has hit the country. Under the new plan, the permit for one- day filming in front of the 2,500- year- old Parthenon temple, will now cost some 1,600 euros (2,062 U.S. dollars) down from some 4,000 (5,157 U.S. dollars) euros in the past. The price for professional photographers is reduced to about 200 euros (258 U.S. dollars) down from 300 euros (387 U.S. dollars). Despite the cost issue, the permissions granted by the Greek Central Council of Archaeology over the years have been just a few, amid debates among Greek experts for decades whether the commercial use of historic ruins is a blasphemy. Ten days ago a Greek deputy suggested that Acropolis and other archaeological sites nationwide could be leased to raise revenues to avert a Greek default, causing a "storm" of criticism by other politicians, media and ordinary Greeks.