Determined to continue, using all available institutional means, efforts to uncover those behind this monitoring appeared to him yesterday, talking to European ParliamentPASOK President Nikos Adroulakis. “The judiciary has an obligation to identify the perpetrators and those who tried to hide while insulting the Constitution and the intellect of the Greek citizens,” Mr. Androulakis emphasized in his position in the context of the debate in Parliament. Plenary meeting of the European Parliament on the rule of law in Greece, the wiretapping scandal and freedom of the press.

The PASOK president accused the government of obstructing the investigation after the cell phone surveillance was exposed. He also cited an attempt by the confused media to portray himself as being involved in a scandal involving third countries. “No matter how much they try to break my resolve with the help of sci-fi scenarios reminiscent of QAnon and Trump, rest assured they will not achieve anything,” he added. Speaking more broadly about the situation in Europe, he stressed that the point is to fight the dangers that threaten liberal democracy. “We have left the field open to the onslaught of fake news and internet monsters. Let us, as a Union, do something radical and institutional to prevent the complete triviality of the concept of the rule of law. Unless we believe that a united Europe can exist without its guarantees,” said Mr Androulakis. The debate could not have been affected by the country’s entry into the pre-election period. ND MEP Eliza Voseberg stressed in her statement that certain political groups obsessively and deliberately trying to draw attention to the problem with the rule of law in Greece. “Greece is a democratic country. By making false accusations, some are trying to harm the government by supporting the opposition campaign,” he added.

Androulaki’s interference over wiretapping of debates in the European Parliament on the rule of law in Greece.

SYRIZA MEP and EP Vice President Dimitris Papadimoulis continued his party’s line of constantly trying to pre-empt Mr. Androulakis’s choice. “I would like to believe that Nikos Androulakis will contribute to the transformation of Greece into a modern European country, not reminiscent of Poland and Hungary, so that in the next elections there will be a different government and a different prime minister,” he said.

Commissioner Mairead McGuinness, in her speech, stressed that the Commission is following developments regarding the rule of law in Greece. And he referred to the relevant report of the Commission, saying that for Greece it included recommendations on adapting the judicial system and appointing supreme judges to European standards. In addition, the report mentions the need for systematic verification of “where you are” claims. It also contained recommendations on the need to improve the working conditions and safety of journalists. With regard to wiretapping, the Commissioner emphasized that the Commission strongly condemns any violation of rights and freedoms and supports the adoption of a strong data protection system. Referring to the various investigations he said were currently under way in Greece, he added that the Commission believed that the Greek supervisory authorities would use every opportunity to investigate the cases.