In his article in the newspaper “To Vima tis Kyriakis”, the government representative says that: “After the outbreak of the pandemic, Pandora’s box opened. Certainties of decades collapsed with a wave and our world is changing”
The government representative points out the need “to adamantly defend our values, our principles and international law”, Giannis Oikonomou, in his article in the newspaper “To Vima tis Kyriaki”. He refers to the prolonged test in which the Greek society is, he also emphasizes that “the magnitude of the difficulties imposes a new socio-political agreement. Individual measures and patchwork regulations are not enough” and he concludes by underlining that “the new world requires inventive and courageous solutions”.
In his article, the government spokesman says that: “After the outbreak of the pandemic, Pandora’s box opened. Certainties of decades collapsed with a wave and our world is changing. We need to be fully aware that our endurance will be sorely tested in the future.
Both the disruption in global production and movement of goods, caused by the pandemic, and the energy crisis, which intensified after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, caused a huge imbalance in the global economy. Pandemic and energy crisis have common characteristics. They are imported into Europe. That is why their treatment requires common European policies.
A direct consequence of the crises is the end of abundance, the end of certainties, without the immediate prospect of a piece of blue sky appearing, as President Macron has recently pointed out. It is not at all self-evident, for an unknown period of time, the access to raw materials and goods that in the last decades were constantly available, even to the large masses of the West. Public finances are not unaffected, making government interventionist policies even more difficult in the long run. No government can cover all the costs of the crises, even though the social support programs are the largest since the Second World War”, Mr. Economou points out.
“This reality creates a network of pressures at the social level. The quality of life of citizens is threatened with severe degradation. It is not only the weaker economic strata that suffer, but also the middle class. It is inevitable that living standards will fall for some time, at least as long as the effects of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine last. Because the normalization of the situation does not coincide with the end of major crises.
There is a danger that this crisis will turn into politics, by those who reject the modern liberal model of life and development. They take advantage of the real problems, difficulties and discontent of citizens to harm freedom and democracy. Historical experience shows us that the shaking of democracy leads to authoritarianism and the maximization of vital problems. In the case of Greece, moreover, revisionism is at our front door and constant vigilance is required.
Many wonder if it is worth to undergo all these sufferings. The answer is an emphatic yes. We need to steadfastly defend our values, our principles and international law: the foundations of the post-war world, on which the expansion of prosperity, rights, freedom and science rested. All this, and much more, will be lost if we retreat, as it finally happened in Europe in the 1930s. Freedom and prosperity come at a cost, which we, the Greeks, have always borne in our long history,” he underlines. .
At this point, Mr. Economou states: “We fully understand that Greek society is in a prolonged trial, as the arduous period of the memorandums preceded it. But, this very experience has made us more resilient and wiser. We have learned that easy and magical solutions do not exist; that prudence, planning, determination are needed; that sympathy, solidarity and patriotism are required.
The duty of politicians is to provide solutions to problems, because that is what the citizens demand. The magnitude of the difficulties requires a new socio-political agreement. Individual measures and packaging arrangements are not enough. We need a plan that takes into account the new facts and challenges of the immediate future, without anchors and dependencies on outdated ideologies and mindsets of the past. Citizens demand practical immediate solutions, not theory.
Civil society must be a participant in this agreement. In other words, the agreement to be built from the bottom up. Society should set the priorities and the political class should offer the appropriate realistic solutions and ensure their implementation. Greece needs a Greek plan, which will respond to our needs, our weaknesses and our advantages.
Citizens are invited to choose which Greece they want. The main criterion is policies, not ideologies. Do we want investment and new jobs or subsidized impoverishment policies? Lower or higher taxes? Digital or bureaucratic and outdated public? Strong or disorganized YOU? Open borders or strict immigration policy? Strengthening of the armed forces and security forces or cultural nihilism? Relations of mutual cooperation with the superpowers of the planet or naive wanderings in the third world? Universities of quality or sanctuaries of iniquity? Unyielding national politics or winking at revisionism?
The dividing lines are clear and practical. They go beyond the traditional dipoles, which do not correspond to the new reality. The new world requires inventive and courageous solutions”, concludes the government representative in his article.
RES-EMP
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