With Kyriakos Mitsotakis insisting that the issue – more or less – is personal, i.e. that 330 MEPs, including seven from the EPP, decided to pass a negative resolution on the rule of law in Greece just to hit New Democracy and the prime minister, the day marked by the mass rally of farmers at Syntagma also coincided with the visit of the president of the European Parliament to Athens.
And Roberta Metzola may have come to our country, as part of her campaign to convince the European peoples to vote in the European elections, however, it was inevitable to mention the resolution condemning the government, with her keeps the necessary distances and Mr. Mitsotakis to repeat the “methods”.
Besides, the prime minister made it clear yesterday (19/2): “I understand why someone wants to hit the EPP and why someone wants to hit me politically. We are a very strong party within the EPP, and perhaps the most powerful party. It is convenient three months before the elections to issue a resolution to ‘shoot’ the New Democracy”, he said in a television interview.
To continue on the same… path one day later, in the presence of Roberta Metsola: “The dialogue on common problems must be conducted responsibly beyond myths that create non-existent conclusions, as Greece has often been the target of slander – sometimes with its history of little Maria from Evros which turned out to be a tale of traffickers, sometimes with strategies for the rule of law which is stronger than ever in our country and there was even a response from the Areio Pagos”, emphasized Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
“It is no coincidence that after the Commission’s positive report on the rule of law, the Economist ranked us among the 20 countries with the best democracy. Let some people not worry, Democracy lives and progresses in the place where it was born”, the Prime Minister recommended to the “some” who continue to worry.
For her part, as expected, after all, the president of the EP, both in her statements with the prime minister and in her speech in Parliament, limited herself to noting that “we must treat all member states in the same way as it is about the rule of law. That is why MEPs are pushing the Commission to examine each country and make recommendations every year. It is a plan to meet the demands of the citizens.”
“Shots” from parties for not having a dialogue with Roberta Metsola
It is characteristic, however, that both SYRIZA and the New Left attacked the government for the way in which Metsola’s visit to Athens was organized and, above all, her presence and intervention in the Parliament, as they pointed out that the opportunity was not given – “intentionally” – to have a dialogue between the deputies and the president of the European Parliament
As SYRIZA-P.S. we support the institution of the European Parliament and we want its social, democratic, ecological and inclusive voice to be strengthened, stressed Sokratis Famellos, in his statement during the meeting with Roberta Metsola.
“We regret the choice, our discussion today with the president of this leading elected institution of Europe, to take place behind closed doors, sealed, in a room of the Parliament. While it should be held in the Plenary, democratically, with all the parties and with a direct broadcast to the Greek citizens”, stressed the head of the SYRIZA Parliamentary Group, Sokratis Famellos, while addressing Roberta Metsolas he characteristically noted: “You are not responsible, but this process belittles the European Parliament and the Greek Parliament and we submit our strong disagreement”.
Famellos: How do you think Mitsotakis insulted the MEPs?
Speaking about the EP resolution, in fact, Mr. Famellos asked the president of the EP two crucial questions:
“We want to ask you if you were given an answer by the Greek government about the initiatives it will take, so that our country can resolve the very serious problems in clearing up cases, such as Tempi and Pylos, the Karaivaz murder, the very serious problem of wiretapping, the silencing of the press and threats against journalists, the silencing of independent authorities and prosecutions of judges’ was the first question.
As for the second one, it was somewhat more personal, since it concerned the Chamber chaired by Mrs. Metsola: “How do you deal with the fact that the government did not agree to meet the delegation of MEPs from the LIBE committee? That the prime minister himself underestimated and insulted the MEPs, characterizing the resolution as pre-election and that he is talking about another country?”
Of course, he did not get an answer to any of them, since in the end it was not foreseen by the procedure, however, he continued by saying that he imagines that Roberta Metsola also agrees with the fact that the characterizations of leading ministers that the resolution is “passionate”, “extreme” and constitutes “bad taste (re)presentation in view of the European elections of a play”, that it is “unacceptable and anti-Greek” and that “it was based on allegedly controversial investigations by disreputable non-governmental organizations, they affect the European Parliament itself”.
Metsola remained silent…
New Left: “ND is afraid of dialogue after the deadlock resolution”
And the New Left denounced the fact that “the ND decided that Mrs. Metsola would make a speech, but not that there would be a public dialogue with the parties, as had happened in the corresponding visit of David Sasoli in 2021.”
According to information, in fact, the MEP of the New Left, Dimitris Papadimoulis, discussed this issue last weekend with the president of the European Parliament, with her expressing her desire for an open dialogue with the opposition parties.
However, this did not happen, “due to the refusal of the governing majority”, as the Parliamentary Group of the New Left pointed out.
Sources of the New Left estimate that the refusal of the governing majority for an open dialogue of the opposition parties with Roberta Metsola is due to its “fear, after what was recorded in the European Parliament’s core resolution on the rule of law in the country”.
Response to Mitsotakis from Sophie Ind Velt
With a typical post, he commented on the statements of Mitsotakis, during his meeting with the president of the European Parliament, Sophie Idvelt, who became known in our country for her interventions against the government on the issue of violations of the rule of law and wiretapping, in from her institutional position in the PEGA Committee of the European Parliament.
The Dutch Liberal MEP, in her post, referred to the recent resolution of the European Parliament, responding to the Prime Minister’s objections.
“Greek PM responding to rule of law concerns raised by EP: democracy is healthy and voters will speak,” he wrote.
To underline: “However, democracy and the rule of law are distinct. They must go hand in hand, in a democracy without the rule of law there is a risk of abuse of power.”
The Greek PM in response to the rule of law concerns expressed by @Europarl_EN: democracy is healthy and voters will speak. However, democracy and the rule of law are distinct. They must go hand in hand, in a democracy without the rule of law there is the risk of abuse of power https://t.co/i6VRzYRkpM
— Sophie in ‘t Veld (@SophieintVeld) February 20, 2024
Androulakis: Nepotism, opacity and bribery
Nikos Androulakis also launched an attack on the government, for the EP resolution on the weakening of the rule of law in our country, emphasizing the tragedy of Tempe and the wiretapping scandal.
“The European Parliament resolution proves that MEPs of all political stripes are calling for pressure to be put on Greece to change course. Because Europe has certain values: respect for human rights, the rule of law and the separation of powers”, stressed the president of PASOK-KINAL.
To add that “when in democratic Greece there are some who violate them, will the European Parliament turn a blind eye so that Mr. Dimitriadis or Mr. Karamanlis do not pay for it?” I will fight for those responsible to be revealed.”
#powerful #EPP #hitting #Mitsotakis #criticizes #rule #law
2024-02-24 05:41:56
