untitled design

SYRIZA: A. Tsipras demands inter-party ‘observatory’ for the funds of the Recovery Fund

Yesterday, the President of SYRIZA requested the establishment of a parliamentary Committee for the management of the funds of the Recovery Fund in a letter to the Speaker of Parliament, Costas Tassoulas.

In essence, this is a cross-party “observatory” of the management of funds, an idea that Alexis Tsipras had publicly expressed that he is considering proposing his party, for about a year now, in May 2021 when presented the positions of SYRIZA, to manage the resources of the Recovery Fund.

The official announcement in which Koumoundourou announced Mr. Tsipras’s letter to the Speaker of Parliament, Costas Tassoulas, speaks of “top-level institutional initiatives” by the SYRIZA President, “aimed at transparency in the management of the Recovery Fund. “.

This “special” Committee, based on the same source, will undertake as a project of national interest the supervision, the control, the continuous evaluation and re-evaluation of the way of financing, the way of implementation and the course of implementation of the actions and the milestones concerning the resources of the Mechanism Recovery and Durability in Greece as well as the resources of the NSRF 2021-2027.

For SYRIZA, “at a time when the Greek economy and the majority of citizens are groaning from the unprecedented wave of accuracy, these resources, which reach unprecedented heights, can really support society, give breath to small and medium-sized businesses and significant prospects in Greek economy “.

SYRIZA’s tips to the Government for the management of public finances are not missing, talking about “characteristic opacity” in their management.

“The fact that the Mitsotakis government manages public finances with a characteristic opacity combined with the fact that these European programs go beyond the term of a government make it imperative that there be institutional cuts in the direction of transparency and accountability and safeguards.” “Socially and nationally beneficial use of European resources. After all, it is no coincidence that similar initiatives have taken place at European Parliament level.”

In addition to the letter, however, the President of SYRIZA also contacted the Speaker of Parliament, who was diagnosed positive in the coronation, to whom he wished a speedy recovery, with the Speaker of Parliament, where he wished him a speedy recovery and informed him about relevant initiative. Mr. Tassoulas replied that he would consider the proposal and would respond as soon as he recovered and returned to his duties.

The letter to the Speaker of Parliament

“To the Speaker of the Greek Parliament, Mr. Konstantinos Tassoulas

Mister President,
The pandemic has made it clear that the current government can not meet a model of rational and prudent management of public finances, through which it would be able to convince, in Greece and in Europe, that the allocation and utilization of European resources will be done objectively and compliance with the principles of transparency and accountability.
The country’s credibility and readiness to meet the specific requirements of the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism is directly related to institutional cuts in the direction of transparency and accountability, such as the establishment and maintenance of specific procedures and controls that will serve as objective guarantees for safe, social fair and nationally beneficial use of the relevant European resources.
Moreover, the very financing of the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism in combination, in fact, with that of the NSRF 2021-2027 is of unprecedented amount. The relevant programs have been designed with reference to a period of time that exceeds the horizon of the term of a single government, if it is considered that the rule in the Greek political system is the rotation of political forces in the government of the country. There is, therefore, a de facto issue of preserving the timeless and national horizon of policies and actions concerning the development of the country in the post-pandemic period.
Transparency and dialogue in relation to the Recovery and Sustainability Mechanism are political objectives and procedures followed by the European institutions themselves (Articles 25 and 26 of Regulation (EU) 2021/241). Accordingly, the political wings of the European Parliament have already rushed to take solid initiatives. In particular, the European Parliament’s political groups have called for the establishment of a permanent working group on thorough oversight of the Mechanism by the Committee on Budgets (BUDG) and the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) of the European Parliament. The Working Group on the Recovery and Sustainability Mechanism (RRFWG) has been set up and includes members from the Employment and Social Affairs Committee (EMPL), the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI), and the Committee on Industry. Research and Energy (ITRE) and the Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN).
These initiatives should be an inspiration and a “good practice” for taking similar action at national level. In order to ensure democratic control, transparency and accountability regarding the utilization of the resources of the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism in Greece, (Regulation (EU) 2021/241 of 12 February 2021), as well as the resources of the NSRF Program for the period 2021- 2027, it is necessary to set up a special cross-party, parliamentary committee, which will undertake as a project of national interest the supervision, control, continuous evaluation and re-evaluation of the way of financing and the way of implementation and in general the course of implementation of the actions and of their landmarks.
Under all of the above:
a) I suggest that the provision of article 44 par. 1 of the Rules of Procedure of the Parliament be used immediately and that a Committee be set up to study an issue of national interest entitled “Parliamentary Consultation and Accountability Committee for the Recovery and Sustainability Mechanism and the NSRF 2021-2027” , whose responsibility will include in particular the study of the problems of design, implementation, evaluation and financing of the policies of the Recovery and Sustainability Mechanism and the NSRF period 2021-2027 and their comparison with international “good practices”, and
b) in order for the committee to be set up to be equipped with more powers, I submit a proposal under Article 118 of the Rules of Procedure of the Parliament and request the amendment of the Rules of Procedure of the Parliament, in order to add a new provision, as Article 44A, as elaborated in the attached annex.

Yours sincerely
The Leader of the Official Opposition

Alexis Tsipras”

Niki Zorba

Source: Capital

You may also like

Get the latest

Stay Informed: Get the Latest Updates and Insights

 

Most popular