In permanent political poker for three, ND, SYRIZA and PASOK, processes, discussions and violent confrontations within and outside parliament will develop with a focus on surveillance.

The pre-planned debates at the level of party leaders, called for by SYRIZA President Alexis Tsipras and scheduled for the end of the week – most likely Friday – are already heating up the atmosphere. Given that PASOK President and the “protagonist” of the case, Nikos Androulakis, cannot be present, Harilaou Trikoupi throws his arrows at SYRIZA, which actually makes it easier for Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to expand the context of the confrontation beyond the “communication” on the PASOK president’s phone.

Since Mr. Mitsotakis has already acknowledged the “mistake” of surveillance and the associated political responsibility assumed with the resignation of Secretary Grigoris Dimitriadis, the Prime Minister’s speech will indeed extend to other areas, with thorns: first, further armor and more strict EYP control. Already last week there were contacts between the prime minister and London to study the “rules” that British intelligence adheres to, and in the coming days similar searches will be carried out on international practice. Mr. Mitsotakis’s goal is to bring to public debate, through parliamentary debate, the set of measures that will best solve the complex equation of ensuring the effectiveness of the EPM and the necessary strengthening of the “filters” before privacy is removed on national security grounds.

Second, Mr. Mitsotakis will highlight problematic aspects of EYP’s work in the past. In particular, he will raise the question of why SYRIZA canceled the ruling that required the signature of two prosecutors to start monitoring, and – since it is believed to be instigated by Mr. Tsipras – will ask for clarification on the KKE complaint, as on G. Varoufakis and P. Lafazani for listening to their telephone conversations.

“War” on committees

However, if the threshold in Parliament is especially tough, but few hours of fighting, then a real protracted war will unfold on the fronts of the commission of inquiry, which will be created on the case, as well as the Committee of Institutions.

It is expected that in Parliament the Prime Minister will touch upon the further reservation of the EMP, as well as the problematic aspects of its operation in the past.

PASOK’s proposal to set up a commission of inquiry was reportedly ready since the middle of last week and was awaiting a “green light” from the party chairman upon his return from Canada. In fact, Mr. Androulakis has been presented with recommendations to be submitted to Parliament tomorrow morning when it resumes to highlight the importance of the case.

In his proposal, Harilou Trikoupi will demand an investigation of established legal ties, as well as a search for whether and by whom the illegal Predator software is being used in Greece. PASOK’s proposal is expected to be supported by the opposition parties and win the necessary 120 votes after the revision of the constitution to enable a commission of inquiry to be launched.

The question is what position will the ND take, which wants a decade-long investigation by a commission of inquiry. Some discussions within Megaros Maximos about the creation of a second “parallel” examination at the initiative of the government were immediately stopped, as it was assumed that they would lead to a simplification of the institution. Thus, N.D. will apply political pressure to broaden the purpose of the committee: as they say, this will be done not only because of complaints of surveillance during the SYRIZA period, but also to make it clear that institutional “gaps” have coexisted with between the parties discussed by the EMP over time , as well as in order to strengthen control over its functioning.

However, according to the information, PASOK will agree to an extension of the investigative committee “only if there is concrete evidence.” According to many, the insistence on limiting the investigation to the period of N.D. makes Harilaou Trikoupi vulnerable to rhetoric that she is colluding with or even covering for Kumunduru.

It should also be noted that since N.D. has a majority on the commission of inquiry, he may, by act of Parliament, unilaterally change the agenda of the investigation. However, such a move runs the risk that the government will be condemned for violating the spirit of the Constitution, which allows the opposition, which has 120 votes, to launch an investigation.

The second conflict on the monitoring front will take place against the backdrop of the Committee on Institutions and Transparency. In any case, the committee will meet within a week, as the new EMP Governor Themistoklis Demiris will be called to a hearing based on the recent Legislative Contents Act. PASOK is expected to push for other meetings to provide information on the reason for Mr. Androulakis’s surveillance, as well as to question other critical witnesses such as former EYP commander Panagiotis Kontoleon, as well as the head of ADAE. Christ Rammos. However, based on the existing legal framework, it cannot be considered possible to discuss the national security reasons that led to the surveillance of Mr. Androulakis in a multi-member body such as the Committee on Institutions, while the position of N.D. whether other witnesses will be called by the commission of inquiry, which will be formed in any case.

TIF in priority

The case of wiretapping, although it remains on the agenda, does not dominate the discussions at the Maxim Palace. According to Mr. Mitsotakis’s closest associates, the priority is:
• The TIF basket, which will be completed in the next ten days when a more accurate picture of earnings dynamics becomes available. The political context of the Prime Minister’s speech in Thessaloniki, which will announce the start of a lengthy election campaign that will culminate in a double vote in the spring. Preparations for a possible new outbreak of the corona virus in the autumn, combined with instructions to be given to citizens regarding the fourth dose of the vaccine.
• Implementation of a new higher education law with a focus on policing universities, which will come into force for the first time. Immigration, especially after Ankara’s recent moves on Evros, as well as new “roads” used by traffickers.