“I have many reasons to be proud personally and collectively, but certainly much more to want to continue to deliver with undiminished intensity” he says in documentonews.gr Kostas Arvanitis for his tenure in the European Parliament and adds: “We have built solid foundations, but there is still a lot of important work to be done.”
The newly nominated MEP states optimistically that the nomination of 6 SYRIZA MEPs “is a visible and realistic milestone”.
He also responds to those who accuse SYRIZA – and him personally – of having brought and supported a resolution that reduces European funds and emphasizes that the Beleris candidacy is “an adventurous move by the ND under the responsibility of the prime minister himself”.
Finally, he speaks of a “dangerous game of patriotism played by the government” and gives the example of Mrs. Bakoyannis’s statements about Kosovo, which, as he claims, “pave the way for the partition of Cyprus.”
Why should people support SYRIZA in the European elections?
The European elections in June are crucial for the European Union and for our country. SYRIZA – P.S. it is the only force with a decisive role in the developments to create an agenda and narrative for a Europe with a progressive direction against a Europe of incessant cold weighing of costs. In the five years that are coming to an end, SYRIZA – P.S. had a decisive contribution to the negotiations concerning the recovery fund, on the amounts and logic of distribution, the European minimum wage, the right to affordable housing and cheap energy, and to issues that touch the entire Rule of Law theme, from Justice for the ordinary everyday person, until the emergence of cases of gross abuse of power, such as surveillance through illegal software from Poland to Greece and from Malta to Cyprus. Also, with particular emphasis we fought for the right of journalists to free and unbound expression and the right of citizens to global and honest information. For all of the above and why SYRIZA is fighting for a democratic, socio-centric, green Europe, for the Europe of peoples and rights, social cohesion and Peace.
What percentage will you be satisfied with?
I will be satisfied when SYRIZA brings back to the fore and expresses the real dynamics of society’s needs, that is, when it will not be just the first party and governing Left, but when it maintains the perspective to determine and guide the developments in Greece and Europe. Not even for a moment did second place cross my mind as a goal. When you implement planning with a government horizon and produce policy every day, the constant goal is to be first. In any case, I consider the re-election of 6 SYRIZA MEPs to be a visible and realistic milestone. I am talking about the number of MPs and not about percentages, because this is the really critical size in parliamentary relations. After all, this is also the difference between you and the ND, since Mr. Mitsotakis downgrades the European elections to a personal vote of confidence, while we ask for a vote of perspective for Europe and Greece as a truly equal Member State.
You have spent five years in the European Parliament… What reasons are you proud of?
We promoted a series of issues not with sterile denunciation logic, but with crucial and decisive institutional interventions: from the new rights of workers in the age of artificial intelligence to the safeguarding of EU funds for Greek men and women in the resolution on the Rule of Law, from crime of Tempe and its cover-up to the scandal of wiretapping and abusive surveillance, from freedom of the press and the transparency of the state allocation of advertising funds to the protection of free public speech from the abusive lawsuits of the powerful, from the refugee and our effort to prevent Greece from becoming a warehouse of souls until the universal right to housing and the fight for the public nature of addiction and dry programs.
For the values and priorities of the Left and primarily society, we fought for five years in the European Parliament with 61 interventions in the Plenary, with the co-formation of 44 resolutions, 7 reports, 26 opinions, and with the drafting of 150 questions to the European Commission on issues that plague the Greek society. So I have plenty of reasons to be proud personally and collectively, but certainly much more to want to continue to deliver with undiminished intensity. We have laid a solid foundation, but there is still much and important work to be done.
On the other hand, what do you think you failed to do?
We did not achieve the much-desired victory in the Refuge. We asked for the disengagement of the European Union from the creation of refugee flows, from the very causes that cause the uprooting, and we claimed rights for the people who come to the borders of Europe but also substantial solidarity and obligation in relocation. This position of ours eventually became the position of the European Parliament, which finally backed down in the trilogue under pressure from the Council and after the change of attitude of the Socialists. There we expected Mr. Mitsotakis to veto in favor of the interests of our country and in favor of the practical and proportionate assumption of the burdens, but the prime minister “bought” the voluntary relocation literally instead of a lentil board, creating a major problem for the country and the people. Refugees and immigrants are trapped people, Greece is a trapped country.
Even today, ND accuses you of bringing and supporting a resolution that reduces European funds. What do you answer?
I invite them to re-read article 27 of the resolution, and if they find something allegedly reprehensible, let’s examine whether they are just telling vulgar lies or if they don’t even know rudimentary Greek. Also, I believe that the journalistic community must not contribute to the recycling of questions that are clearly related to fake news, but on the contrary, to respond directly to the Government’s fake news and to publicly position itself with impudence. This is an unacceptable Goebelist tactic that completely erodes public debate, targets individuals, and assassinates characters. Instead of the Government spending time and resources to spread fake news and expose itself, listen to the essence of the resolutions and turn the steering wheel of Greece towards the Rule of Law, so that our country can fully harmonize with the European legal and value culture.
How do you comment on the Beleris candidacy with the ND?
The nomination of Beleris is an adventurous move by the ND with the responsibility of the prime minister himself. It opens up roads that we might not even want to imagine. Mr. Beleris is not a random person, he has a history from the 80s until today, and in fact his history includes a conviction by the Greek criminal justice system. The issue of the properties of the Greek minority in Albania and the unjust intervention of the Albanian state was raised by SYRIZA in a strong and institutional manner, respecting the fixed and consistent national foreign policy that Mr. Mitsotakis completely absurdly abandoned in 2019. We addressed the matter to the highest bodies of the Commission, and we provoked a decision of the European Commission with which the government of Albania had to comply, given that it was and is under pre-accession status. The choice of Beleris is another game of tactics by the right-wing apartment building… Neither does it serve the rights of the Greek minority, nor does it certainly promote the correct and sober perception of the Western Balkans and Europe. Of course, the dangerous game of patriotism played by the government with populist crowns is in addition to being anti-national and undoubtedly rigged, as is amply demonstrated by the statements of Mrs. Bakoyannis about Kosovo that pave the way for the partition of Cyprus, but also by the statements of Mr. Syrigos who called the Treaty of Lausanne “obsolete”.
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Tags: Arvanitis documentonews .gr place cross mind election MEPs realistic milestone
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