Athens, 26 May 2022

Meetings of cross-party delegations of Hellenic Parliament Standing Committees with delegation of Parliamentary Group of Bavaria's Christian Social Union (CSU)

A delegation of members of the Christian Social Union (CSU) Parliamentary Group, in the framework of their official visit at the Hellenic Parliament, met with delegations of the Standing Committees of Public Administration, Public Order and Justice, Economic Affairs, Production and Trade and Educational Affairs.

MPs A. Mani-Papadimitriou, Vice-Chair, D. Avgerinopoulou, K. Zachariadis and F. Bakadima participated in the meeting of the delegation of the Standing Committee on Public Administration, Public Order and Justice. During the meeting, the two delegations exchanged views on the current situation of migrant and refugee flows, the impact of the war in Ukraine and the contribution of Greece to address the new refugee crisis, the progress of negotiations for the new pact on migration and asylum and finally the provision of housing, school education and social benefits, as well as access to the labour market for refugees and migrants.

Mrs Mani-Papadimitriou, in her intervention, said that Greece is treating Ukrainian refugees with humanity and solidarity. More than 26.000 Ukrainian citizens have arrived in our country and almost 11.500 have already received residence permit with temporary protection. At the same time, Ukrainian refugees are being hosted in the structures of Serres and Sintiki, while a hosting structure is being set up in Eleusina. Regarding the new pact on migration and asylum, she underlined the need to strike a balance between responsibility and solidarity in order to achieve fair burden-sharing for member states at Europe’s external borders, as well as the mandatory relocation of asylum seekers, with fair criteria. Asked by the Bavarian delegation about the role of Frontex and Turkey’s stance, Mrs Mani stressed that the organisation offers valuable support to national authorities primarily for rescue at sea and has already contributed substantially to reducing migrant flows, to over 80% with the least possible losses. The instrumentalisation of the migrant issue by Turkey and the false allegations of non-existent refoulements require –as she noted- a coherent approach from Europe, which should insist on the need to implement the 2016 Eu-Turkey Joint Statement. Lastly, the MP referred to the HELIOS programme which provides a housing subsidy of up to 12 months, Greek language and culture courses, but also provides access to the refugees to the labour market through individualised vocational guidance.   

The Chairman of the Committee Vasileios Digalakis, the Secretary of the Committee Christina Alexopoulou and members Panagiotis Skouroliakos and Chara Kefalidou participated in the meeting of the delegation of the Standing Committee on Educational Affairs.

The two sides had the opportunity to exchange views on issues related to school education systems, the legal framework for higher education reforms, Bavarian-Greek relations in the fields of science and arts, and, more specifically, cooperation on the conservation of ancient monuments. The Chairman of the Committee on Educational Affairs, Mr Digalakis, briefed the Bavarian delegation on the Greek education system, emphasising digitization in school units and the need to reform higher education, with the aim of connecting it with the real economy. Referring to cooperation prospects between the two sides, he stressed the importance of establishing joint studies' curricula and the exchange of knowledge in the field of technology, always in connection with the labour market.

The Head of the German delegation focused on the subject of reform in Bavarian universities with a focus on science, noting that through proper training the right decisions can be made to effectively deal with crises that plague our planet.

Finally, special reference was made to issues related to culture, while the issue of Parthenon sculptures’ repatriation was emphatically stressed by the Greek delegation.

The Bavarian delegation also met with a cross-party delegation consisting of the Chairmen of the Standing Committees on Economic Affairs and Production and Trade Stavros Kalogiannis and Georgios Vlachos and deputies Dionysios Stamenitis, Aikaterini Papanatsiou, Christos Gokas, Vassilios Viliardos and Georgios Logiadis.

The two sides had the opportunity to exchange views on economic growth, investment and reforms in Greece, the impact of the war in Ukraine, the use of renewable energy sources, the labour market, digital transformation, as well as on the fields of agriculture and tourism .

The Chairman of the Hellenic Parliament Committee on Production and Trade Georgios Vlachos, highlighted the country’s important trade relations with Germany, but especially with the federal state of Bavaria. More specifically, he mentioned that, in the trade sector, in 2021, Germany had the first place among suppliers and the second, after Italy, as a destination country for Greek exports. In addition, he noted that bilateral trade with Bavaria accounts for 12.7% of trade volume between the two countries, also stressing that our country has managed in recent years to invigorate the business climate and interest in investments. Referring to the Ukrainian crisis, he stressed that this is a time of great decisions and responsibility for the European Union, and that our country has supported EU decisions, while the government and the Prime Minister himself have taken important initiatives in the field of energy.

The Chairman of the Hellenic Parliament Committee on Economic Affairs Stavros Kalogiannis, stressed the historical background of Greek-German relations and their excellent level today, highlighting Bavaria as an important trading partner of Greece. He added that at the governmental level, bilateral relations have been strengthened in the framework of the Greek-German Action Plan. Regarding the course of the Greek economy, he noted that the European Commission's recent Report on Greece paves the way for the country to exit enhanced surveillance. Closing, Mr Kalogiannis emphasised Greece’s firm commitment to structural reforms and ambitious investment, especially in the energy sector, while, regarding European fiscal policy, he stressed the need for Member States’ fiscal flexibility in the light of current geopolitical developments.

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