Pangalos debunks ‘six myths about Athens’
The problems that plague the center of Athens are the result of chronic political dysfunction, Deputy Prime Minister Theodoros Pangalos said in a commentary published in Kathimerini on Tuesday, adding that fixing the situation is difficult because of uncontrolled external factors such as global migration flows.
In the article, Pangalos debunks six ?popular myths? concerning the state?s failure to tackle persisting issues including illegal immigration, crime, prostitution and unlicensed street vendors. The deputy PM blames the large number of illegal migrants on Turkey?s failure to implement a European Union agreement obliging it to take them back. He also criticizes right-wing parties for impeding Greece?s asylum procedure. Granting refugee status to those who are entitled to it ?would enable more people to reunite with their relatives in Europe,? he says.
?But there are no magical solutions,» Pangalos adds. «The situation in the center cannot change overnight.?
