PM Mitsotakis meets with European Parliament President Metsola

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Tuesday met the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, in Athens and discussed all matters relating to Europe. In his statements, Mitsotakis put particular emphasis on the issue of the rule of law in Greece, stressing that it was stronger than ever, while attacking those who questioned it and noting that the sole entity competent to judge Greece was the European Commission, which monitors the progress of each member-state in rule of law issues. He also underlined that following the European Commission’s report, the “Economist” had included Greece in the top 20 countries where the rule of law was strongest in the world. “The dangers for Europe lie elsewhere and must be condemned in the European elections,” Mitsotakis pointed out. The prime minister noted that the EuroParliament elections are coming in four months time and that “Europe must have its own answers.” He said it was very important for the member-states to forge a common path, adding that the key in these developments will be the voters’ participation. He also noted that the Greek government has has established the postal vote so that all citizens can participate in the electoral process. Mitsotakis said that he relayed his concern to Metsola over the destabilisation caused by developments in the Red Sea, adding that Greece is providing its military headquarters in Larissa and, as a power for stability, can’t be absent from the West’s effort to tackle the attacks against ships, many of which are Greek. They also discussed defence policy and the problems faced by farmers. On her part, Metsola praised the way the Greek government had handled the problems of recent years. She said that, ahead of the European elections, we can further enhance democracy through the postal vote. She also said that they had discussed the Middle East and Ukraine and expressed her support for the agricultural sector. “It is important to address the situation, we do not want anyone lagging behind,” she said, referring to farmers. On the rule of law in Europe, she noted that it was important to deal with all member-states in the same way and that, for this reason, “we insisted on a report on the rule of law for all member-states.” According to Metsola, the aim was to have an open discussion of the issues in order to avoid instrumentalising or making the rule of law a matter for party politics. Metsola concluded by praising Greece’s introduction of legislation for full equality in marriage and said the country had taken significant steps to ensure equality and counter racism.

Roberta Metsola addresses the Greek parliament

“I want to pay tribute to Democracy by honouring Alexei Navalny, who was first deprived of his freedom and then of his life,” President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, said while addressing the Hellenic Parliament in Athens on Tuesday. “His legacy and struggle live on in the people of Russia and in all of us. For me, it is important to acknowledge his courage, his bravery, here, in this place, because Democracy needs courage. Alexei Navalny knew this and every Ukrainian that is struggling and fighting on the battlefield knows this, we all are know this and we all know that Greece will be always the symbol of Democracy,” she said, adding: “This ancient nation created the architecture, the art and the philosophy which shaped our culture and our thought. It is fitting, therefore, that the cradle of democracy was recently ranked in a list of the 20 strongest democracies of the world. However, this does not mean that there is nothing more to be done. It simply means that our responsibility is even greater,” Metsola said.

PM Mitsotakis meets with European Parliament President Metsola https://t.co/1yCK0C7gmp pic.twitter.com/oewMfRHSfo

— ANA-MPA news (@amna_newseng) February 20, 2024