Evangelos Meimarakis expressed the opinion that the Leader of the Official Opposition, Stefanos Kasselakis, is not discussing European issues because in fact he does not have a similar proposal.

The vice-president of the European People’s Party, pr. president of New Democracy, head of the ND MEPs and MEP candidate spoke to Planet Webradio about the issues that will concern the next European Parliament and what is at the top of the agenda in Europe for the next five years.

Excerpt from the radio interview

Did this experience of yours in the European Parliament help you throughout the time you were there?

Dear Kostas, I would say… Not only did he help me, he helped me a lot. Because as secretary of the party, but also as president of the Euro-group in all the European institutions of the European People’s Party. and in the Secretariat, and in the Assembly, and in the conferences. And then, of course, as Minister of Defense and much more as President of the Parliament and President of the Party in a very difficult period, when we had cooperation with the European Union on how to keep Greece in the hard core of the Euro. And they recognize me, I would say, that I was one of the protagonists of that period. New Democracy, with me, was the one that dragged Tsipras to do the somersault and also dragged the other opposition parties. That’s why going there, even though you know, there is a tradition for the newly elected MEP not to be elected to the Bureau, they not only gladly accepted me to be elected, but as you saw, they also honored me with their trust.

Do you think we have finally talked too little about European issues during this pre-election period?

I’m only talking about the European ones… and I don’t intend to spend even a second on domestic current affairs, not to imply that I’m underestimating it. After all, about the whereabouts of Kasselakis you ask me, many discussions have already taken place and will continue to take place, the national parliamentarians will discuss, the institutions will discuss. I just want to please the communicators who pay, to give them such advice and make such a finish.

Of course, I would tell you that he does not discuss European, precisely because he does not have a proposal. He has no proposal. We have not heard any effective European policy with a proposal from his mouth and from SYRIZA. I will tell you that citizens must know and understand that the European Parliament is not an advisory body. It has many authorities. And the main one is that he is a co-legislator. Legislates. If the parliament by majority does not legislate the issues do not reach the summit and no decisions are made. And let me tell you that more than 70% of the laws passed by the national parliaments are laws, resolutions, regulations, directives, wishes of the European Parliament.

So, what I say to the citizens who often tell me abstractly what Europe is doing about it, I answer them that what the parties you voted for and the MPs are doing about it. Because if we do not discuss it as parties in the parliament and there are no deputies who know the issues and the agenda, then of course the issues do not progress. Let me give you an example so they understand us.

Right now, the big question is whether we’ll have a deterrent defenseman at short. And this because with the war all the states have now converged on our point of view that we used to say that the borders of Greece are also the borders of Europe. Now with the war everyone has an insecurity. But only the European People’s Party has raised the issue and is asking for a defense commissioner. SYRIZA says that they do not want to give money for equipment.

PASOK says to end the cohesion and we will see. Look, if something happens and they say what is Europe doing? It’s not what Europe does, it’s what the parties do. The parties which the citizens send. We are the only European institution directly elected by the citizens, with decisive procedures.