Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 17-03-24

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Athens pushing to reinsert 'social acquis' in Europe's agenda in Rome

[02] Greece outside Europe 'inconceivable' says President in March 25 message

[03] Greece needs a 'national reboot', ND leader Mitsotakis says

[01] Athens pushing to reinsert 'social acquis' in Europe's agenda in Rome

Following Athens' intervention, the sources added, the section of the Rome Declaration referring to social Europe was retained in spite of objections from many countries, while a reference to fighting unemployment that was not in the first draft had been added.

The government sources also welcomed Juncker's acknowledgement that Greece was not excluded from the European social model as a "positive step" and a "vindication of Greece's efforts."

In a letter sent to Gentiloni, Juncker, European Council President Donald Tusk, the current chair of the rotating EU Council presidency Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and the heads of the other 27 EU member-states apart from Greece, Tsipras asked them to clarify whether "the European acquis applies to all countries without exception or whether it applies to everyone except Greece."

Gentiloni: EU's social acquis must be protected, without exceptions

Speaking during a meeting with the social partners (trade unions and employer associations) on Friday, in the run-up to the Rome Summit, Gentiloni noted that the European Union's "social acquis" must be protected without exceptions.

The Italian prime minister noted that the EU was a system of values and rules that included the so-called "social acquis" - and that this was one of the most important achievements in its 60 years of integration.

"And I believe we must do whatever is in our power to protect this social acquis in all the member-states, without exception, as my friend the Greek prime minister quite rightly noted in his letter," Gentiloni added.

Juncker: I supported the return of collective bargaining with the Greek prime minister

In a statement after receiving Tsipras' letter, the European Commission's president pointed out that he had joined with Tsipras in publicly expressing his support for fair and effective collective bargaining systems since May 2015, while also noting that Greece's creditors must give it the necessary and desirable room to manoeuvre, in order to create its own future. He further underlined his respect for the social acquis, "of which we are the guardians."

Juncker then referred to the ongoing negotiations for the second review of the Greek programme, noting that all sides must work toward achieving a staff-level agreement as fast as possible.

The next deadline was the Eurogroup of April 7, he added, and noted that "ideally, we must be in a position to present a staff-level agreement by then and we will continue to support you for this purpose."

[02] Greece outside Europe 'inconceivable' says President in March 25 message

"We progress, with the overwhelming majority of democratic political forces united in this direction, on our European path, without doubts or scepticism, leading in the common struggle for the European Union to again find the roots on which it can support itself," Pavlopoulos said.

The president's message also touched on the refugee and migration crisis, noting that this was an existential problem for Europe. He urged the EU to "once again remember its values" and isolate the extreme voices possessed by anti-humanitarian and anti-democratic phobic syndromes.

In this context, he warned the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) that countries "claiming names that brutally misrepresent history and smack of irredentism" but also those that "display barbarity toward refugees" have "no European future".

Pavlopoulos stressed that Greece will not hesitate to protect its sovereignty, territorial integrity and its borders and - since Greece was an inseparable part of the EU - by extension, the sovereignty, territorial integrity and borders of the EU.

The Greek president underlined the need for a solution to the Cyprus issue that ensures, finally and irreversibly, that a member-state of the EU and the Eurozone will have a single international personally and full sovereignty, free of the outdated and undermining intervention of third-party "guarantors".

Pavlopoulos also referred to the recent terror attack in London, stressing that Europe must deal with it sternly "and in the manner fitting to those that commit crimes against humanity."

[03] Greece needs a 'national reboot', ND leader Mitsotakis says

"The Revolution of 1821 was a struggle for freedeom, independence and justice. This day reminds us that Greeks can take their fate into our own hands even when in the darkest conditions. It is not enough for us, however, to be proud only of our past. The heritage of our ancestors must be the springboard for moving forward. Today we need a revolution of logic, a revolution of the self-evident. To leave behind the mistakes, the lies and self-deception that led us into crisis and decline," Mitsotakis said.

Greeks needed to rediscover the values of hard work, decency, solidarity and responsibility, finding the strength to make the necessary changes to the state and the economy, he added.

"We must stand alongside those that are being severely tested. Chiefly, we must unite our forces to succeed in handing Greece over to the younger generations stronger and safer. We need a national reboot. We Greeks have the strength to achieve it, to win back the future," he said.

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