MPs’ ways must be amended
It is an old political trick for governments to tag on at the eleventh hour an amendment to a draft law that is about to be voted on in Parliament. These amendments usually have nothing to do with the content of the bill and are simply there to satisfy niche interests. It seems that this is what happened in the case of the recently tabled amendment regarding roadside assistance companies, which has provoked the hostile reaction of insurance companies. The amendment foresees that anyone wanting to provide breakdown help in the countryside will have to work with one of the major, established firms in Athens or Thessaloniki. Such blatantly provocative support of powerful interests raises a lot of questions about the motives of those who were responsible for putting it forward. The government took the right decision in postponing the implementation of the controversial amendment. However, it should also explain to its deputies that these sorts of amendments stir the public’s ire.
