The big wave of refugees from Ukraine was mentioned in an interview with by the Deputy Minister of Immigration and Asylum in charge of Integration, Sofia Voultepsi, who clarified that Greece will do everything to help all families with young children in order to to have a “decent living”.
The Undersecretary also referred to the successive crises that the country has been experiencing for the last three years, to the solutions that the government is trying to give to all the difficult fronts that create problems in the daily lives of the citizens, while she also responded to the opposition’s accusations of “mishandling”. of accuracy. He also referred to the scenarios of the post-election collaborations but also to the second round of the French elections on Easter Sunday.
Mr. Minister, are the measures announced by the government enough for the accuracy, the price increases and the inflated electricity bills?
Greece is the country that has experienced the largest number of consecutive crises, culminating in the last two years. No other country has found itself in the place of our homeland. At the same time, we are facing a series of threats and for two years we have put on alert all our forces – armed forces, port, police, medical personnel, the entire public and private sector. 44 billion euros have been allocated for the health crisis and more than 4 billion euros have already been allocated for the energy crisis. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has submitted his proposals to the EU, many of which are adopted, while on the domestic front he decides every month on new measures to support and address this unprecedented situation with clearly global dimensions.
The opposition claims that other countries have taken more measures that the government refuses to adopt because it “serves interests”.
According to his favorite tactics, SYRIZA uses various examples from abroad and is convenient for him. In Italy, the Consumers’ Union announced that Italian households will spend 38.5 billion euros more this year than last year due to the increase in electricity and fuel.
Germans engage in “fuel tourism”, visiting gas stations in Austria and the Czech Republic, while research by German economic institutes speaks of the German economy entering a recession. Inflation in Germany climbed to 7.3% in March, for the first time since reunification. France recorded the worst trade deficit in its history in 2021. In Spain, inflation reached 10% for the first time in 37 years.
The country has a record of bankruptcies since 2014. Last year, in Spain there was an increase in electricity of 62%. As for the measures that were announced and are expected to take effect from May, they do not have retroactive effect and concern the new contracts. In Portugal, consumer price growth in March was 5.3%, the highest since 1994, and the price of energy reached its highest level since 1991. In Norway, the price of electricity was at a decade high. The same goes for the other Nordic countries (all with left-wing governments), with Sweden at the top. There is also propaganda about the exclusion of Spain and Portugal in their energy economic policy. However, as announced by the EU, this is not only due to a different energy mix, but mainly due to the low interconnection of the Iberian Peninsula with the rest of the European energy market. At the moment, however, nothing has happened, because the final decisions of the EU are expected.
All countries have taken some measures – either bonuses or tax cuts (from 1 April) the results of which are disputed. But no country has found the magic recipe and no one has come out of the vortex.
How do you respond to SYRIZA regarding its reports of scandal in the electricity bills?
The government addresses these issues with ongoing scrutiny. And the prime minister has pledged to tax 99% of any super profits. The results of the RAE investigation are expected, but here I must tell you that the Spanish government, which is constantly invoked by SYRIZA, has rebuffed the issue, as the companies justified 90% of their profits. SYRIZA is the party that Greekizes all international crises, pretending to be the protector of the poor and the weak. The label of protector, however, was torn down forever when SYRIZA cut EKAS and pensions from widows and orphans. When he imposed 29 taxes – in this they proved admirable for their ingenuity. When they increased the tax on gasoline and diesel, when they increased the VAT on heating oil and LPG. Now we are told that they will restore D to PPC. They are the same people who created the super fund and gave it 34% of PPC, while 17% were already in the HRDH that belongs to the super fund. They are the ones who on December 20, 2015, in the privatization program, registered 100 million from the sale of PPC. They justify themselves by saying that they ruled with memoranda. The truth is that they ruled with their own memorandum. And the biggest truth is that the New Democracy also ruled with memoranda, but then they called us Germanotsoliades and … Tsolakoglou, in the company of Mr. Kammenos.
Is Greece frightened by the rise of Marin Le Pen in France? How dangerous do you consider a possible election for both Greece and Europe?
This is not the first time Le Pen has reached the second round of the French presidential election. It is the third. What is most frightening is the way in which the so-called anti-systemic vote is expressed – which ultimately serves the “system”. It is striking that the voters of the left Melanson seem to be indifferent to the danger he hears in the name of Le Pen.
Surveys show that 52% choose abstention and white, only 30-33% choose Macron and 18-23% say they will vote for Lepen! What does this mean; But that the ideological background has been lost. If it were a national election, we would think that all the votes that went to Melanson’s left came from people of the same ideology. It turns out that this is not the case. And why not? In my opinion because the extremes use the same phraseology, thus removing the political and ideological dividing lines. And as a result, people decide based on anger, based on mood. When the left uses extreme expressions, it perfectly sends the world everywhere – and therefore to the far right. In France, for example, Le Pen and Melanson disagreed with pandemic measures, led protests and crowds, and challenged vaccines.
Lepen said she was waiting for something more “traditional” to be vaccinated and Melanson said that “a number of conditions have not been met”! In Greece we hear SYRIZA talking about “crimes” and complaining to the government that it “carries the dead of the coronavirus on its back”. SYRIZA collaborated with ANEL of Kammenos, all together (including Chrysi Avgi) overthrew the government in 2014, while counting their votes when they demanded a referendum for PPC. This behavior confuses and removes ideologies. Turns on the green light for any protest vote. How did Charilaos Florakis say that? When you urinate in the sea you will find it in salt …
Are there many scenarios for post-election collaborations lately? Is ND open to this possibility if it is deemed necessary due to the simple analog?
We are clear on this point: We want stable governments. Greece does not have the luxury of months of post-election consultations to form a government, as happened in the Netherlands, for example. As for the famous examples of Spain and Portugal, which are idealized by SYRIZA, they do not correspond to reality. In Spain the Socialists are hostages of the Podemos and the country was left without a budget for two years because Iglesias did not vote. And in Portugal it is known that the … left threw the left, the country went to early elections and finally Costa celebrated his independence. We see the same in Sweden, where the Socialists formed a minority government when the left withdrew its confidence. It is obvious that this was Mr. Tsipras’s purpose when he voted for the simple proportional system. We believe that the Greek people will realize the dangers and will give the answer at the ballot box. Beyond that, New Democracy has been put in charge of a co-operative government. What we are interested in is for the country to take firm steps forward. And not to be a hostage of solvent states.
In your area of ​​responsibility, what is happening in Greece with the Ukrainian refugees?
About 20,000 refugees from Ukraine have arrived in Greece. The vast majority of them are women, children and the elderly. They are people who need protection. We have almost 6,000 children. We have women who, depending on their age, are anxious for their husbands, their sons, their brothers, their fathers who are fighting in Ukraine (where there is a general mobilization) to face the Russian invasion. They live mainly with relatives, friends and in houses provided by Greeks.
In cooperation with the Embassy of Ukraine, State, Church, Local Government, International Organizations, Civil Society we try to help by any means. On the part of the Ministry of Immigration and Asylum, only for Ukrainians (as the populations are not mixed) there are two structures in northern Greece (Sintiki and Serres) and one in Elefsina, which is being completely renovated. At present we can not know how many refugees will remain in the country. Their will is to return to their homes – which is why they prefer neighboring countries. However, everything will be judged by the outcome of the war. If the next day we have a free and independent Ukraine, they will return to rebuild their homeland, which they are so passionately defending. After all, these are women who want to be close to their husbands. If we have a Russian-occupied Ukraine (a difficult thing we all avoid) then some may decide to stay away from their country. The EU has for the first time implemented the 2001 Directive, following the bombings in Yugoslavia.
A special, exceptional temporary protection regime is provided with direct access to health care, education, housing and work. There will be some financial tools, but these will be directed mainly to the host countries. We are currently solving problems, but much remains to be done. Health care is provided, while some children are enrolled in our schools. However, Ukraine has favored e-learning with the covid program and this will end the school year. For this purpose we provided the structure of Elefsina with computers. The decision is for a “soft integration”, essentially pre-accession which is the first pillar of our National Strategy and that is where we focus, with emphasis on the third pillar which is protection. As far as work is concerned, it depends both on the recognition of professional qualifications (there is an EU recommendation) and on even a minimal knowledge of the language. At the moment, in cooperation with the International Organization for Migration, I am expanding the integration program “HELIOS”, to include Ukrainians. It is a program that combines Greek studies courses with housing and work. After all, this is the triptych that ensures refugees a decent living.
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