Metsola to discuss Greek rule of law case in Athens visit

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola will discuss the issue of Greece’s rule of law at a visit to Athens on Tuesday following a recent resolution which sparked intense debate in the Mediterranean country, an EU official told Euractiv.

Jüri Laas, spokesperson for EU Parliament Metsola, said the visit to Greece aims to raise awareness and encourage individuals, particularly young people, to vote in the June European elections as it’s part of the president’s “get out the vote” tour.

“However, during the visit and in her meetings, she will, of course, have the opportunity to also discuss other issues, including the recent resolution”, Laas said.

In early February, a majority of progressive forces in the European Parliament (S&D, Renew Europe, EU Left, Greens) passed a resolution expressing severe concerns about the status of Greece’s rule of law.

The centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) and conservative and far-right forces opposed the resolution.

In the resolution, the EU lawmakers raised a long list of issues: Poor media independence and SLAPPs, the so-called “Greek Watergate” wiretapping scandal, which saw politicians, businessmen and journalists having their phones bugged with illegal Predator spyware, as well as alleged efforts to prevent the country’s independent privacy watchdog (ADAE) from shedding light on the case.

The resolution also criticised the lack of progress in the judicial investigation over several issues, including the Pylos shipwreck in which more than 600 people died, as well as the murder of the Greek journalist George Karaivaz.

The EU Parliament’s vote sparked an intense debate in Greece, with the opposition accusing the right-wing New Democracy government (EPP) of turning Greece into “Orbán’s Hungary of Europe’s south”.

Government rejects allegations

For its part, the government reacted strongly and denied the allegations.

In an interview with Star TV channel on Monday evening, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said no EU lawmaker has the right to intervene in the Greek justice and rejected any allegation regarding press freedom.

“On the contrary […] Everyone says and writes what they want, and of course, if someone feels that he has been offended in some way or that some inaccuracy has been written, he has great difficulty asserting it”, Mitsotakis said.

The Greek leader also urged EU policymakers to “think a little” and stop “shooting ourselves in the foot”.

“The problem is elsewhere. Greece is not the problem of the rule of law in Europe”, he noted.

“The European People’s Party should, as it has done in the past, be able to agree with the Liberals, with the Socialists, possibly with the Greens, perhaps with some more reasonable voices on our right”, he added.

Moreover, Greece’s Supreme Court also reacted, rejecting the outcome of the EU Parliament’s resolution.

“To my knowledge, this is the first time that a supreme court of an EU member state responds to a political resolution, in an unusual public relations effort”, Renew Europe MEP Sophie in ‘t Veld commented.

Meeting with the opposition

Meanwhile, before Metsola’s visit, there was a big discussion over whether she would meet with the opposing political parties.

Two MEPs, Green Petros Kokkalis and leftist Dimitris Papadimoulis, called on Metsola to meet the opposition as they said in two letters it was not provided in her agenda.

Laas confirmed to Euractiv that Metsola will ultimately meet with representatives of the political parties right after her speech in the Greek parliament.

Nikolas Farantouris, professor at the University of Piraeus and EU Policy Counsel of the main opposition Syriza party, told Euractiv that representing the most democratic and representative European institution, Metsola is welcomed “with great joy” in Athens.

“We want an upgraded role for the European Parliament, not only in decision-making but also in controlling the executive, European and national, as was done with the recent resolution on the rule of law and the responsibilities of the Greek government”, Farantouris commented.

(Sarantis Michalopoulos | Euractiv.com – Edited by Alice Taylor)