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“Under the new prime minister, Greece is giving the best of itself,” he writes in his comment on the Greek plan for the use of resources from the EU Recovery Fund, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and observes: “The Greek government has just presented its plans for the use of the intended European Fund resources, at a time when Rome is still in the process of laying out general lines. Even more important than speed is the fact that the Athens plan is financially sound and addresses the country’s biggest weaknesses: low investment, a lack of competitiveness, the need to fill the gaps in digitization, and a lack of infrastructure for green investments. . Therefore, the Athens plans not only help to deal with the coronavirus crisis. Greece could also emerge from its own national crisis, mainly because, unlike in the past, this time the rulers believe in reforms. With his plan, Kyriakos Mitsotakis can become a role model in the EU Faced with his program, challengers can hardly deny the significance of the Recovery Fund. However, Mitsotakis could present it in Europe even better. “
“Golden passports”, corruption and scandals …
The sale of “golden passports” from Cyprus and Malta is widely reported in the newspaper. Time. Specifically for Cyprus, he notes: “Zeit has at its disposal a list of the names of thousands of people who have applied for a passport. The list was compiled by the US-based Center for Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS). Many Innocent US businessmen are involved, including former Google boss Eric Schmidt. But also criminals and dark figures. ”Zeit cites as examples, among others, the Russian magnate Oleg Deripaska who has a Cypriot passport and” is included in the sanctions list from the United States and is accused of money laundering, extortion and corruption. “Also on the list is the Iranian Maleksabat Ibraimi,” who is wanted by Interpol for money laundering, fraud and participation in a criminal organization. “Zeit wonders: “Why did these people have European passports? “And who can get to Europe this way?”
“These programs are often accompanied by corruption and have caused scandals,” the article reads, referring to the scandal that broke out in Cyprus in October and the actions the Commission has taken since then against the two member states. “The EU accuses these countries of undermining the integrity of European citizenship because buyers lack a real connection to their new country. But this sounds vague and points to a legal problem: the sale of citizenship within the EU is morally reprehensible but not explicitly prohibited by law. This is because citizenship issues are under the sovereignty of the respective states (…) Therefore, the EU is probably at the beginning of a long legal dispute. “Concluding Zeit’s article, he observes:” Ultimately For instance, the question remains what citizenship should be in a democracy: a pure commodity? Or the result of identity and integration? “This issue will be negotiated in the EU in the coming months.”
Source: DW – Dimitra Kyranoudi
