Parliament: The multi-bill for national pension of expatriates, forested fields and responsibility of the Press was voted

With the votes of ND, the “fundraising” bill was approved, which was discussed in the Plenary Session on Tuesday and was voted shortly after midnight.

ND stated in favor of the principle of the bill. All the opposition parties stated against the beginning of the bill.

ND, SYRIZA, the Movement for Change, the Hellenic Solution and MERA25 voted in favor of Article 60 for the national pension of the expatriates from Albania and the former Soviet Union. “Present” said the KKE. Opposition parties have stated they will not run in the by-elections.

Article 80 for the forested fields was voted by ND. “Against” stated SYRIZA and MERA25. “Present” were the Movement for Change, the KKE and the Hellenic Solution.

In the amendment for the responsibility of the Press, “yes” said ND. “No” said SYRIZA, the KKE, the Hellenic Solution and MERA25. “Present” declared the Movement for Change.

The responsibility of the press

The amendment tabled by the government for the responsibility of the press, was at the center of the interventions, shortly before the start of the vote.

The opposition must explain why it is voting against the amendment on the responsibility of the press, said Interior Minister Makis Voridis, who wondered if in the minds of the opposition parties “freedom of the press is the innocence of insult and slander? Is it vulgarity?” mud;”.

“It also seems logical to you as a freedom of the press to be constitutionally protected to have a form that does not tell us who publishes it? Is this normal? No. I hope we say no. and when I go to find the legal representative of the company this person is a foreigner, overweight, of course I do not have the only personal property in his possession? Do you think this is normal? I am affected. Not me. Any citizen. You have to explain to “Citizens, what are you doing, what are you voting against? Go out and explain it to us and tell us what you mean by freedom of the press”, said Makis Voridis and added: “Does this process affect the freedom of the press? does not affect the freedom of the press? Of course not, because here we have constitutionally protected values. On the one hand the freedom of the press and on the other hand the protection of the satiety. “The Constitution protects both.”

“The amendment for the daily and weekly newspapers of nationwide circulation, obviously does not want to abolish the free press, nor is it even thought to do so. All it wants to do is make the identity of the owner and the director of the Media visible, so that they also take any responsibility for what they write “, said the rapporteur of ND George Kotronias.

“Obviously you know that with these provisions you can lock many companies in the industry. We always support any regulation that contributes to transparency and we are very sensitive to the issue of ownership in the media. But what you bring is a half-measure.” SYRIZA’s rapporteur Dionysis Kalamatianos said: “If you really want to capture the ownership status, why did you not name the shareholders or shareholders? If you really want to impose transparency, why did you rush to take over the country? abolish the mandatory “where are you from” submission by shareholders of TV stations and press agencies? “. The MP stressed that his party stands against the slander, but it must also protect the Constitution and the freedom of the press.

“PASOK wants the media to operate in terms of transparency, without straw people and without hiding,” said Evangelia Liakouli, a spokeswoman for the Movement for Change. . He also pointed out that the amendment occupies only the printed press, and does not refer to electronic media. “We want a regulation that ensures parity and proportionality. In no case can we defend straw people, but we want to have uniform rules for all,” said Evangelia Liakouli, adding: “You would find an ally in us, you would find an ally. in the faction of the Movement for Change, if you were not in a hurry again, if you did not behave like that again, and even if you had the choice not to talk to anyone, you should discuss with ESIEA, if nothing else, bring us an opinion, substantiated opinion here “.

The KKE special spokesman Manolis Syntychakis opposed the provisions on the civil liability of the press and called on the government to explain why the provision is limited only to the press and not to other media and the internet. He also complained that the ESR, “a disgraceful body, a government spokesman, which does nothing to violate the equal or even proportional coverage of the parties in the media, is now undertaking to mediate the imposition of fines.” Manolis Syntychakis also pointed out that “journalists have no responsibility or do not have the main responsibility and should not be tried”, “but the owners and the managers have full responsibility” and “as the first violins of the owners, they can not participate in the same unions, in the same unions in which the working journalists participate “because” these are the people of the employer par excellence, their interests are with the employer against the interests of the employees “.

Earlier, Hellenic Solution expert Konstantinos Hitas had referred to the amendment, commenting: “Kim would vote for this amendment. The government, Mr. Economou, must explain to us why he is bringing this amendment and in fact he is bringing it only for the printed press “. Mr. Hitas also called on the government, “because it is interested in the media” to explain what will happen to the ESR and the “national drone that leads there”, when it will do its job, because at the moment, it distributes fines only to “channels in the periphery”.

The special speaker of MERA25, Maria Apatzidi, accused the government of trying to terrorize and silence the newspapers that oppose it. The MP spoke about provisions of “junta origin” and unconstitutional that violate the freedom of the press and provisions that abolish, through fines, the freedom of the press. Like the KKE, MERA25 raised the issue of the new role assigned to the ESR. “The amendment arbitrarily confers the power to impose fines on the National Broadcasting Council. “, said Maria Apatzidi.

Source: AMPE