Greece braces for another week of political acrimonies
Political tensions are expected to remain high this week as we enter the final 60 days before the European elections.
Safety concerns, the effectiveness of the Greek police, and the debate on gender-based violence are set to dominate the agenda following last week’s tragic incident where a 28-year-old woman was fatally stabbed by her ex-partner outside a police station, mere minutes after seeking help from police officers.
The surveillance scandal has resurfaced after the Council of State ruled that a 2021 law introduced by New Democracy on surveillance was unconstitutional.
Meanwhile, a number of high-profile visits are anticipated in the country ahead of the 9th Delphi Economic Forum, scheduled for later this week.
Surveillance
On Monday, PASOK leader Nikos Androulakis is to visit Greece’s independent privacy watchdog ADAE to inquire why he was placed under state surveillance.
Last week, the Council of State, Greece’s highest administrative court, deemed unconstitutional a law introduced by the government amid the country’s spyware scandal. This law prohibited affected citizens from being informed by ADAE about whether they had been monitored, and the data collected.
The court declared that the law violated the Greek Constitution, the European Union Charter of Fundamental Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights. ADAE is now obligated to provide surveillance subjects with information on the collected material.
It remains uncertain whether Androulakis will receive further details about his case during the meeting with ADAE’s president Christos Rammos. Government officials noted that the legislation has since been revised, and the ADAE board has a new composition, voted in by ruling New Democracy with the support of the far-right Greek Solution party.
Economic review
Experts from the European Union, the European Stability Mechanism, and the European Central Bank will visit Athens on Tuesday to conduct a review of the Greek economy and assess the forecasts for 2024-2027.
Work stoppage
The union representing Greece’s air traffic controllers has announced a four-hour work stoppage on Tuesday, April 9, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. following the death of a colleague at the airport of Thessaloniki while on duty on Friday, March 30.
The union has called for more hirings, as well as the permanent presence of a doctor at all airports and equipping all units with pharmacies and defibrillators.
Delphi Forum
The 9th Delphi Economic Forum will take place this week from April 10th to April 13th. Geopolitics, security, and diplomacy will be among the main issues discussed, with talks focusing on developments in Ukraine, the Middle East, the Western Balkans EU course, and transatlantic relations.
The forum will host over 1,000 speakers from 70 countries. Expected attendees include the Slovenian President Natasa Pirc Musar and the president of Montenegro, Jakov Milatovic. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will address the forum online.
European elections
Political parties continue to unveil their lists of candidates for the upcoming European Parliament elections in June. On Sunday, the socialist PASOK party presented the first 34 candidates of its ballot paper.
Ruling New Democracy will present its full list of candidates on Monday April 15. Next Sunday, April 14, potential candidates from the main opposition SYRIZA will compete in the preliminaries with the aim of representing the party in the European elections.
