Integrity needs to be apparent
It’s not enough to be honest deep down inside without appearing to be honest as well. This paradigm is well suited to the glitches that we have seen in the government’s plans to fast-track large investments by cutting down on the red tape. What recent developments have shown us is that, while this is an excellent measure to attract foreign investment to Greece, in order to be effective, it must also be implemented under conditions of complete transparency. One way to see whether the plan will work is for ministers and government officials whose job it is to negotiate or supervise investment negotiations and agreements to publish a list of the prior experience they have had in this field and especially of the businesses they collaborated with before coming to office and which are now interested in participating in the plan. Citizens have a right to know if there is a conflict of interest in cases where officials have been involved with applicants in the past. This is already the case in many other countries in the world, as it is a fundamental prerequisite for open governance.
