Europeans Moving To Mediterranean To Avoid Harsh Winter, Energy Blackouts

Europeans Moving to Mediterranean to Avoid Harsh Winter, Energy Blackouts

German pensioners and citizens of other European countries with colder climate are showing interest in relocating to the Mediterranean to escape potentially harsh winter and power outages this year, locals in the Greek island of Crete as well as several retirees told Sputnik

HERAKLION (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th October, 2022) German pensioners and citizens of other European countries with colder climate are showing interest in relocating to the Mediterranean to escape potentially harsh winter and power outages this year, locals in the Greek island of Crete as well as several retirees told Sputnik.

Since 2021, energy prices in EU countries have been surging as part of a global trend. After the beginning of Russia's military operation in Ukraine in February and the adoption of several packages of sanctions against Moscow by the European Union, this price growth has accelerated, placing energy security high on both the global and national agendas, and pushing many European governments to resort to contingency measures.

In light of this, many Europeans are buying or leasing property in the bloc's southern countries in order to spend this winter in a milder climate and potentially avoid dealing with energy issues.

"There is a very big interest from northern Europeans to relocate to the south and especially to Crete this winter and this is, of course, connected with the energy crisis, as they want to move to the south where the winter is mild as they are even afraid of energy blackouts in their countries," Antonis Paterakis, a 37-year-old real estate agent in Crete, said.

According to Paterakis, most of those interested are looking to rent a villa near one of the island's major cities Heraklion, Rethimno and Chania. At the same time, he suggested that potential clients prefer something that is close to airports and also to major supermarkets and malls.

"Most of the requests that we have they ask information for a six months lease starting from late October to early April as after that the summer season starts here and prices are doubled and in many cases tripled," Paterakis explained.

The real-estate agent described the national makeup of those looking to pass the winter in Crete as about 80% German with some French and UK citizens as well as "very few" Scandinavians sprinkled in between. Most of them are German pensioners but there are also Germans who can work from home and are willing to relocate with their families. This second category is said to have been gaining ground in the last few months.

Stefanos, a 42-year-old small boutique hotel owner in Crete, provides a similar assessment, saying almost 10% of the interest comes from Germany.

"We have individuals getting in touch with us asking us for packages throughout the winter as well as we got inquires from a couple of retirement houses in Germany asking for group packages for their members," Stefanos said.

Throughout the year, Greece has been wooing retirees from northern EU countries to spend a winter in the country amid rising energy costs and inflation. Many of them took Greek officials up on that offer, purchasing or renting houses in places like Crete.

"We like the Mediterranean climate and the way of life as well, for us it is something that it was a dream of a lifetime to move here in Crete, however now with the situation that is unfolding with the high energy prices and the potential shortages we decided to buy this property so to move here and spend here the winter," Willem de Vries, a 68-year-old Dutch pensioner who just moved in his new villa that he bought a few weeks ago, said.

The gentleman drew attention to the fact that most of his villa's energy comes from renewable sources, including solar panels on the roof. Combined with mild winter, this creates a perfect condition to spend the next few months since solar panels and plenty of sunshine lowers the cost of energy.

Another recent real-estate buyer, a 67-years-old German named Berta Lange, echoed this sentiment saying during winter there is enough sun to keep the floor and the house warm which minimizes energy costs making them much lower than in Germany.

"There is a very big interest from Germany, especially for places like Greece and Spain, I know many people from Germany who are investing their funds in buying a property in the South of Europe or they are looking for a long-term lease and this is growing especially in the last two weeks with the first cold weather in Germany," Lange added.

Despite the decision to winter outside of Germany, Lange thinks it is unlikely for her country to experience blackouts due to all the preparations that are being made there, including awareness campaigns by the central and local authorities to inform citizens about preserving energy. Nevertheless, she admitted that if the winter is long and hard, this possibility cannot be ruled out.