What Nikos spoke about.

Mr President, I regret that my last intervention in the European Parliament is on the rule of law in Greece, as well as the provocative attitude of the New Democracy government, which avoided meeting the Committee on Civil Liberties, insulting above all the Greek people. That is why I pledge to fight with all my might so that illegal wiretapping, human rights abuses, attacks on independent authori

Mr President, democracy cannot exist without a strong and credible rule of law for the citizen, which guarantees the protection of his rights against state arbitrariness. In recent years, the institutions have suffered severe blows. But the answer to this slippage cannot be the set-offs between this and the previous government. The Greek people deserve much more than an ongoing downhill. I am here

Mr President, in 2022 it appeared that the appeasement policy did not work against revisionist leaders who did not respect international law. Europe must immediately take the necessary steps towards a defence union so that it can adequately protect its citizens. While we are experiencing the consequences of Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine, the European leadership remains apathetic to Turkey's

Mr President, Turkey is once again bombing the Kurds in northern Syria, whose struggle has intercepted the Islamic State, the terrorist organisation that has left hundreds dead in Europe and thousands dead in Syria. It seems, however, that we forget too easily, as we remain observers of the challenges and constant violations of international law. But that's not all. Turkey is the only NATO country

Mr President, first of all, congratulations to the Belgian authorities for having revealed this scandal, as opposed to others covering up the scandals. No one has the right to discredit the European Parliament. We have a duty to be guardians of transparency and democracy, not examples to avoid. That is why, from the very first moment I learned about this shocking case, I immediately removed Ms Kai

Mr President, I would like to thank the services of the European Parliament from the bottom of my heart, because it is thanks to them that the attempt to trap my mobile phone with the Predator software has become known. As subsequently revealed by the investigations of the Hellenic Authority for Communications Privacy Assurance, an independent authority established thanks to our faction, on the ve

Madam President, over the last decade, Europe has been confronted with a series of crises that have exacerbated inequalities to an extreme degree. The impossibility of understanding, synthesis and comprehensive responses to these challenges made the era of convergence seem a distant past. The fewer opportunities for a better life for millions of European citizens, the more they feel outside the wa

Mr President, only in recent months has Mr Erdogan called for the demilitarisation of the Greek islands of the Eastern Aegean, directly challenging Greece's sovereignty. It continues the provocations in the Eastern Mediterranean and the illegal actions in the enclosed area of Varosha, disregarding UN resolutions. It blackmails Europe over the entry of Finland and Sweden into NATO, while it is the

Madam President, the Summit today must decide on immediate measures that will shield citizens and the whole of the European economy, such as joint gas purchases and the creation of strategic reserves, financial tools such as the Eurobond and the financing of support instruments, investments to end our dependence on fossil fuels in a socially just and sustainable way. Finally, the Recovery Fund sho

Madam President, spring this year has not come for the children of Ukraine. Putin's invasion is an illegal and barbaric act, plunging an entire people into destruction and despair. Unfortunately, we are facing challenges that we considered a very ugly and distant past. The blind adherence of European governments to their economic interests underestimated the dangerous imperial revisionist ideas of

Madam President, safeguarding the sovereign rights of our country is our top priority. For this reason, today the Greek parliament approved a high-cost armament program with the French government. In 2022, Greece has the highest defence spending in the Union. It is, however, inconceivable that at a time when the Greek people are funding these programs with hardships and sacrifices, there will be E

Madam President, energy prices have risen dramatically in recent months. There are several causes, but the main one is the rally of fossil fuels and natural gas. In Greece, energy poverty affects more than 20% of Greeks, with the corresponding European average being only 7%. The current crisis risks leaving even more households without heating. Some Member States have taken some temporary measures

Mr President, last summer was marked by deadly floods in Central Europe but also by devastating forest fires in the Mediterranean countries. In Greece it was at least nine times the area destroyed compared to last year. The burnt acres exceeded by far one million and the entire area of Northern Evia is at risk of abandonment. This requires a comprehensive rehabilitation plan with development proje