Wavering on tender ban?

Government source implies controversial law may be up for revision

A senior government source yesterday indicated that pressure from the European Commission might force Athens to modify the controversial new law banning media barons from access to lucrative state tenders.

Following complaints from Greek and Italian firms affected by the law, which was passed on January 20, Internal Market and Services Commissioner Charlie McCreevy proposed the initiation of the process that could lead to legal action against Greece. The matter was to have been discussed by the College of Commissioners in Brussels on Wednesday, but was postponed. Following talks between Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis and Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso on Wednesday, it was announced that the College would convene next Tuesday.

The law is the ruling conservatives’ proudest achievement in their first year in office, and was billed as a major blow in the government’s keynote campaign against corruption.

But yesterday a government source implied that it might have to be revised.

“We are waiting to see what will happen on Tuesday,” the source told Kathimerini. Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos will fly to Brussels ahead of the discussion to defend the law before McCreevy, who has urged speedy action against Greece.

Athens has argued that any objections Brussels raises will actually concern the country’s constitution, as revised by the previous, Socialist government in 2001 in a bid to prevent businessmen from using their media clout to influence the awarding of juicy state deals. Article 14, Paragraph 9 stipulates that media ownership is incompatible with undertaking state contracts. It is unclear whether the Commission will press for changes to the constitution.

“The question is whether a discussion will open on revising the constitution,” the government source said, adding that that this would be legally impossible before 2008.