Greece’s ruling centre-right New Democracy party accused the far-right Voice of Reason party of aligning with the EU far right, particularly Viktor Orbán, whom they say is harmful to the country’s interests on migration.
After the EU elections, the Voice of Reason party led by MEP Afroditi Latinopoulou joined the far-right EU group Patriots for Europe.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Greek government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis rejected calls for “Orbán-style” solutions on migration, describing them as catastrophic for the country’s interests.
Referring to the Greek far right, he hinted that those “who supposedly want the good of Greece and want to solve the migration issue” cannot be affiliated with Orbán.
“Orbán’s position in Europe is disastrous for Greece. If the views of these countries prevailed in Europe, Greece would be a storehouse of souls”, Marinakis said.
Hungary’s Orbán has refused to accept migrants and refugees and has vowed not to abide by the new EU Migration Pact, which will take effect in 2026.
The Greek government official insisted that first-line countries cannot bear all the burden of migration and noted that EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen’s recent letter to the EU capitals reflects the Greek position on the matter.
What Latinopoulou says
MEP Latinopoulou was previously a member of New Democracy but broke away in 2023, creating her own Voice of Reason part 3.
National polls suggest thathard-right and far-rightt parties, such as the Voice of Reason, are on the rise, fishing votes from traditional right-wing New Democracy.
Contacted by Euractiv, Latinopoulou lashed out at the government saying Marinakis is trying to “throw dust in the eyes of the people” hoping to sweep the government’s failure in migration under the carpet.
“If they want to see how this issue is truly addressed, they should look at what Mrs. Meloni, Mrs. Le Pen, and Mr. Tusk are doing. However, it is noteworthy that the Government Spokesperson avoids mentioning the Polish Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, despite belonging to the same European political family. His selective silence clearly shows the real intentions and strategy of the government”, Latinopoulou said in a written response.
Poland’s Tusk, who belongs to the same EU political family (EPP) as New Democracy, announced the temporary suspension of asylum applications earlier this week. He also said his government would not respect the provisions of the new Migration Pact and would not receive any refugees from other countries.
Latinopoulou also defended Orbá,n saying that government officials are trying to present him as a “bogeyman to disorient and scare people”.
“However, the truth does not align with their narrative because if there were more policies like those of Mr. Orbán, Mr. Tusk, and Mrs. Meloni in the European Union, and not policies like those of Mrs. Merkel, Mrs. Von der Leyen, and Mr. Mitsotakis that prevailed, Europe would not be facing this existential danger of Islamisation today”.
[Edited by Alice Taylor-Braçe]
Source: euractiv.com
