It is obvious that over the years, the Organization of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs needs to be modernized and respond to the emerging needs, stated the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexandra Papadopoulou, presenting to the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee of the Parliament, the draft lawy with the interventions in the organization and operation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The draft law, said Ms. Papadopoulou, aims to cover two basic needs, for the more efficient exercise of the responsibilities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. On the one hand, to strengthen it with human resources, capable of responding to the range of tasks it is called upon to perform, during its service in the diplomatic and consular authorities of the foreign service and which cover the responsibilities of a large sector of public administration. On the other hand, in upgrading the building infrastructure that houses the diplomatic and consular authorities as well as their equipment, for the benefit of the country’s international image.

The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs he also stated that the proposed arrangements seek to meet the needs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the immediate staffing of the foreign service authorities with new employees, with training relevant to the tasks they will be called upon to perform.

As far as building infrastructure is concerned, Ms. Papadopoulou pointed out that with the bill the administration and management of real estate owned by the Greek state falls to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which house diplomatic and consular authorities, so that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can manage them, repair them, maintain them, upgrade them energetically and also build or buy new buildings, in order to cover the housing needs of the foreign authorities service.

At the same time, with other arrangements, as pointed out by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs:

  • An article is introduced, for the first time, which determines the content of the yearbooks of the employees of all branches of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as the procedure for keeping and updating them.
  • The employee evaluation system is modified to respond to the special tasks related to the responsibilities and mission of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the examinations for the promotion, from the rank of Secretary A’ to the rank of Advisor B’, of the employees of the branches of diplomatic security and Communication Consultants and Secretaries.

During the discussion, the president of the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee of the Parliament, Dora Bakoyannis, and the parties raised the question of the low budget of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “It is clear that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has a budget problem. You all know that. No matter where you get it from, you have a budget problem. It has a problem of operating expenses, that sometimes you don’t have enough money even for electricity. He has a budget problem, for employee salaries. And there is the matter of the special salary, for those who serve at home, and the foreigner’s allowance, for those abroad. The special salary, ours, is the only one that did not increase, after the end of the crisis, it has remained at times 20 years ago and needs to be increased a little”, said the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and added that there is also a big problem with the amount expatriate allowance, given the steep increase in rents, fees, operating costs, faced by employees abroad. As a typical case, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs mentioned Kinshasa about which she said that “the apartment is more expensive than renting it in New York. Because in Kinshasa there are only two districts where you can stay. You can’t go any further and neither can the employee go to a basement and stay.” But also in Islamabad, as the Deputy Foreign Minister said, “if you don’t go to an area that has security, you are lost.”

D. Bakoyannis: The budget of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is unacceptably low

Earlier, Ms. Bakoyannis pointed out that the committee of the Parliament, in its previous meeting, had unanimously recommended the increase of the foreigner’s allowance, because the information that has reached the committee is that there is a very big problem in the applications of diplomats to go abroad, due to a complete inability to survive on rent, especially in the US but also in other countries. Dora Bakoyannis said that, as the president of the parliamentary committee, she has contacted the Minister of Finance, Mr. Hatzidakis, and informed him of this unanimous decision, and the request in view of the budget vote has been transferred.

Ms. Bakoyannis stated that the changes brought by the discussed bill are absolutely necessary, as for example in the building issue. “It is absolutely certain that if we continue with the logic of the real estate company, our buildings will collapse. Anyone who has been through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs knows that decisions must be made quickly, provided that there is funding”, emphasized Mrs. Bakoyannis.

The president of the Commission also mentioned that the budget of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs cannot be what it is today. “I don’t know how long I can and with what strength I have to react but I assure you that I consider it unacceptable. And it is unacceptable because we behave in the Greek parliament, as if we do not understand what world we live in. As if we don’t realize what the world realities are today. What is the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs called upon to do and how does it need to cope. And what is the harsh reality. How is it possible to demand that new children come with qualifications, with languages, when in the free profession, today, with the qualifications that we require in the special exams of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, they will find a job with double and sometimes triple the salary?”, he said. Ms. Bakoyannis and emphasized: “We must react now, as quickly as possible, to give the ministry the opportunity to do its job and it will not be able to do its job under these conditions. I hope the expatriate benefits issue will now be dealt with. But the total budget of the foreign ministry is very low, unacceptably low. We will therefore make an effort, and with colleagues, those I can convince from the New Democracy, I hope that the colleagues of the opposition will also lend a hand, to mention this issue, during the budget debate”.

The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs thanked the president and the committee in general, for the support to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the employees of all branches. “I’m going to take off the undersecretary’s hat and put on the diplomat’s hat, I’m still an active diplomat. During the tenure of Ms. Bakoyannis, we had really seen an improvement in wages and working conditions. Of course, then the economic crisis followed, we had a very difficult time, as a ministry, but we always remember your time, with a lot of nostalgia, I must say…”, said Mrs. Papadopoulou.