Athens, 12 April 2022

Meeting of SEECP PA General Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Security Cooperation

In the framework of the SEECP PA Greek Chairmanship, the meeting of the Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Security Cooperation took place this morning in the Senate Hall of the Hellenic Parliament.

The meeting was attended by delegations of the Assembly's member-states; during the meeting the following were presented:  report on "Protection of human rights and especially the rights of vulnerable groups" and the relevant resolution by the Assembly acting head and Committee Chair, Mr Dermentzopoulos .

The meeting was opened by Mr Dermentzopoulos and speeches were delivered by the Deputy Minister of Justice George Kotsiras and the Secretary General of Justice and Human Rights Panos Alexandris.

In his opening remarks, the chairman underlined the urgent need for "initiatives to be undertaken by national parliaments participating in the Assembly, so that the new social dynamics find us united, as developments in Ukraine leave no room for complacency." Mr Dermentzopoulos focused on the need for members’ solidarity for delivering maximum benefits for Southeast Europe. He also stressed that the Greek side pursues stability and security in the Western Balkans, therefore firmly supporting their European perspective as a strategic goal.

He further added that "our common commitment to South Eastern Europe’s European and Euro-Atlantic perspective, considering and assessing each Member State’s aspirations and progress, is the only way to achieve lasting peace, reconciliation, democracy and prosperity for the peoples, especially in a context where balances are changing and many countries are locked in their national security, while others are questioning the European edifice."

Among other things, Mr Dermentzopoulos referred to major challenges such as climate change and the concern for saving the planet and protecting mankind from natural disasters, all calling for a radical transformation of our growth model, the best possible use of the digital revolution, and, moreover dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, which has drastically changed our priorities.

Finally, Mr Dermentzopoulos expressed his conviction that “despite these complex challenges occurring in a critical period of geopolitical and social developments, together, we have the strength to face them” and expressed the hope for a full quorum and participation in the 9th Plenary Session, to be held in June in Athens.

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