Answering the journalists’ questions during the political editors’ briefing, the government representative, Pavlos Marinakis, regarding the question submitted yesterday by ND MPs noted: “I think we had counted that another 6,200 questions had been asked in the 5 years that the ND has been in the government and there is a discussion about the last two. Alas if a parliamentary question was a problem. The basic duty of the parliamentarians is to defend the interests of the citizens. They ask questions, put pressure on the government, get answers. In other parties they have real internal party problems.”

When asked if there will be another question from MPs about the energy for providers’ prices and if there are ministers who are not doing the job well, he answered that the opposite is true.

Regarding immigration, the government representative said that it was discussed at KYSEA and we are ready for any eventuality. “The policy we implement shows us the way. There is no visible danger. We are on full alert,” he added.

After a related question about the juvenile delinquency and bullying in schools, he emphasized that it is a given that no one is allowed to slap anyone and mentioned a series of actions implemented by the government to deal with the problem as a whole. “There is also the responsibility of parents. When a child is involved in stabbings and dating over and over again, then the parents’ responsibility is huge. The neglect of minors will be greatly tightened,” he added, pointing out that parents should be allies of teachers.

Commenting on Mrs. Katerina Monogiou’s statements about returning to catechetical education, she said that it is a proposal from a member of parliament that we are listening to with interest. “It certainly won’t solve the problem. But pushing children into healthy activities is one dimension of tackling the problem,” he underlined.

Referring to the presence of the Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, at an event of EBEA candidate Yannis Bratakos and to a question whether there will be a problem if he is not elected, he replied that “what you are asking me does not make sense”. As he argued, whatever decision the voters take, the government will respect it and cooperate with the new president of EBEA.

When asked if there is political responsibility in the event that the Personal Data Protection Authority determines that the ND is responsible for the leak of voters’ data, Mr. Marinakis answered, among other things: “Let’s wait for the decision. Let’s not talk about something we haven’t seen yet.”

Regarding the criticism leveled by opposition parties at the government regarding its foreign policy, on the occasion of the assassination of Ionas Karousis in Israel, he noted that Greece has an exemplary and balanced foreign policy aimed at de-escalation and this is not words but actions such as the recent meetings of the prime minister in New York where he also saw the leader of the Palestinian Authority. “A young child, Greek, was killed by terrorists’ bullets. This is something you have to look at with respect and pain towards relatives. Let the parties, especially of the Left, look at who makes which announcements. Who do not call the attacks terrorist? There are not a few times that we have expressed our support and we have spoken about the protection of civilians. It goes without saying that support for the people of Israel and the families of the people who were lost. We are asking for a cease fire and that there be passages for civilians. Greece honors its history and its relationship with its perennial allies”, he added.

Asked to comment on the statements of the Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Vassilis Kikilia, that we did not expect such a fire in Xylokastro, and the firemen’s announcement of 4,000 staff vacancies, the government representative stated that every year we have more and more firemen and vehicles, and obviously we need more. As he pointed out, this year we had over 5,000 fires, the vast majority of which were contained.

Mr. Marinakis spoke about the prevention policy, which is paying off and he noted that there are also fires that escape, while the goal is to reduce them. “Official data show that our country is improving. Also, the climate crisis is increasingly showing its “teeth”, he added.