«A gradual reopening is our primary choice,» said Minister of State Giorgos Gerapetritis regarding the restrictive measures to curb the pandemic, while on the other current issue—the impact of severe weather and power outages—he estimated that «all problems will be resolved by this afternoon.» In the same television interview on ANT1, regarding the Greek #MeToo allegations, he emphasized that it is no coincidence that this movement «is emerging now and that this relationship of trust exists,» accusing the opposition of «blatant political opportunism.».
Starting with the restrictive measures to curb the pandemic, «beginning March 1, we hope to gradually reopen (provided the current plateau in cases continues). There will be a gradual reopening; this will be our position, subject to the recommendation of the health committee. Prevention and precautionary measures will obviously continue, such as personal hygiene measures, (but) a gradual reopening is our primary choice,» the Minister of State emphasized on the matter.
When asked specifically about the vaccination certificate, he clarified that it is issued in all countries, and that the prime minister’s goal is to have a standardized certificate format so that «the integrity of the certificate can be easily verified.».
And with regard to travel, more specifically, «the vaccination certificate is not a passport; we will all be able to travel, without restrictions, either within the country or abroad,» he noted, adding, «the certificate will not be a prerequisite for travel.» Those who ultimately hold a certificate will be treated differently with regard to entry requirements, avoiding tests, checks, and so on, he went on to explain.
On another matter—whether the certificate will be used by employers as a prerequisite for hiring—the Minister of State was unequivocal: «The certificate will be used exclusively for purposes related to facilitating travel. This means that any other use will be illegal and will not be permitted. If the certificate is used as a selection criterion in the workplace, this will result in the penalties provided by law and will constitute impermissible discrimination against employees,» he stated, announcing that next week, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Parliament will vote on «an important bill that establishes three new committees: the Accessibility Committee for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the National Human Rights Committee, and the Bioethics and Technoethics Committee.».
In the section on the pandemic, G. Gerapetritis also noted at another point in the interview that «distance learning has been very effective—a pioneering effort for Greece compared to the rest of Europe,» with up to 100,000 online classrooms operating daily. However, the minister also clarified that «the virtual classroom cannot replace the physical classroom, especially for children who have exams to take.».
Turning to the other major issue of the day, the severe weather and its impact on our fellow citizens, he began by referring to «a rare weather phenomenon, the likes of which had not been seen in this area for decades. It is estimated that approximately 1,500 trees fell on power lines, damaging 5 kilometers of lines.» As a result, approximately 850 households are currently without power, «and we estimate that all problems will be resolved by this afternoon.».
Mr. Gerapetritis publicly thanked the linemen, who have been working on the utility poles for five days under very difficult conditions, trying to repair damage to a power grid, «which is outdated, because for decades there has been a lack of investment in the Public Power Corporation and the Group in general. These people deserve at least our support,» he also noted, while announcing that the underground installation of cables has been partially allocated funding from the Recovery Fund.
He also cited the problems reported last week in the United States, where 5 million citizens were left without power for several days. However, he continued, «this does not negate the fact that it is absolutely unacceptable that we are unable to manage any crisis.».
When asked to comment on the chapter regarding the allocation of powers and responsibilities, he noted that the government had already announced that a bill concerning multilevel governance would be submitted to Parliament in the first half of 2021, that is, the various levels of public administration (beyond the state and decentralized administration, these include the regions, municipalities, public agencies), so that ’we have clearly defined competences, clear responsibility with corresponding accountability, clear resources so that no one can claim a lack of infrastructure and resources—this new framework we will introduce, will, we hope, be able to address the misallocation of responsibilities and resources that has prevailed in Greece for decades,« the Minister of State emphasized.
And, in response to the opposition’s related accusations, he said that «they constantly talk about the weaknesses of the state’s administrative structure, yet they clearly do not understand what an administrative structure is.».
Regarding the Lignadis case, based on the allegations made by the president of SYRIZA —Progressive Alliance in the government—who also called for the resignation of the Minister of Culture, G. Gerapetritis responded that «the opposition’s contradictions are a topic for a doctoral dissertation (…) Society sees the different philosophies between the political wings: the government operates as a coherent state governed by the rule of law, that is, it ensures that justice is restored. At this moment, an environment has been created in which this very positive social movement can develop to break the silence. »It is no coincidence that this movement is emerging now and that this relationship of trust exists,” he noted.
Regarding Tsipras’s demand that the minister in charge resign, G. Gerapetritis argued that «Ms. Mendoni appointed an individual who, at the time of his appointment, did not raise any concerns regarding the selection; no one objected to anything. When anonymous reports surfaced without any formal complaint, Ms. Mendoni maintained her basic position that we should wait to see the complaints. When a resignation was submitted, it was immediately accepted. And at this point, as a well-ordered state governed by the rule of law, we must wait to see what the courts will decide.».
And, culminating his criticism of the Official Opposition, he said: «What Greek society, in my view, cannot tolerate is this shameless political opportunism on the part of the opposition.» ‘After all,« he added, »this abscess seems to be bursting for the first time—and it doesn’t just concern the arts; it concerns all spheres where power dynamics exist, all workplaces and sports arenas.” Instead of treating this as an issue we should unanimously address—so that we can find a way out of it through various actions, educational initiatives, and regulatory changes to the law… Instead of addressing these issues together, there is, in my opinion, a highly untimely and pointless politicization of the phenomenon—this is completely unacceptable.”.
Mr. Gerapetritis announced a new package of measures that will include «legislative changes and stricter penalties, while we will also revisit the issue of the statute of limitations.» “With the revision of the Penal Code carried out by the previous government, there was a significant relaxation of these provisions.”.
In any case, «it is a broader issue that has to do with education in the country and, first and foremost, with issues of underlying discrimination; for example, there is an issue of underrepresentation of women in all sectors. These are the phenomena that foster discrimination and all these problematic situations,» she said.
When asked specifically whether the government is considering the issue of the statute of limitations for the rape of a minor, he replied that «it is something that will be examined.» «Unfortunately, with the revision of the Penal Code, the statute of limitations now applies almost before the victim reaches adulthood. All legal issues will be addressed in the very near future and will be part of a broader framework.».
Finally, when asked about the support plan for workers and businesses—acknowledging that this would be «an extremely difficult day»—the Minister of State emphasized that «Greece has managed, through the tools it has employed—quite innovative tools—and with a tremendous fiscal sacrifice, to keep its workforce virtually intact. Compared to all European countries, we actually have the smallest decline in the workforce. This means that the core foundation—employers and employees—remains intact. There will be measures to support businesses, but also to support workers so that they can stay afloat. These bridging measures will be announced in the very near future.».
