Kyriakos Mitsotakis was cornered by spokesman and 2nd vice-president of the right-wing party of the European Parliament ID (Identity and Democracy) Gunnar Beck, characteristically stating that “you managed to make the Greek minimum wage equal to the solarium in Mykonos.”
“Inflation in Greece is 12%, rents in Athens have risen by 17% and gasoline prices are approaching 3 euros per litre. Nearly 30% of Greeks are at risk of poverty or social exclusion”, he said, proving with facts the very bad situation in which the Greek economy has fallen.
On immigration, an ID spokesman criticized the Greek prime minister for “at a recent conference on demographic change, you adopted the logic of replacement immigration, praising the integration of populations from Asia and Africa as a viable solution to low birth rates, instead of supporting creative Hungarian-style family policies”, and accused him of destroying European culture and civilization.
He characteristically tells him that he strongly disagrees with the expansion EU in the Western Balkans, especially in an era of hyperinflation, while being surprised by the choice of the F-35 over a European fighter that would save European jobs.
“Mr. Prime Minister K. Mitsotakis, I welcome you to the European Parliament. I would like to congratulate you more than once.
First, for paying off the debt to the IMF two years ahead of schedule. You have succeeded where all previous Greek governments have failed. However, apart from an initial speculatively overblown boom, the euro has not served Greece well.
Inflation in Greece is 12%, rents in Athens have risen by 17%, and gasoline prices are approaching 3 euros per litre. Almost 30% of Greeks are on the verge of poverty or social exclusion.
One million Greeks work in tourism, but the cost of renting sun loungers in the luxury resorts of Mykonos is now equal to the monthly minimum wage in Greece. The increase in prices for rooms in Greek hotels is 110% higher than the increase in prices in other holiday destinations. Layoffs in the Greek tourism sector are inevitable.
Secondly, I would like to thank you for your efforts to protect Europe from the ongoing influx of migrants. Last week, you decided to triple the length of the border fence with Turkey and prevented more than 1,000 illegal immigrants from landing on the Greek islands on boats with illegal immigrants.
Third, I applaud your determination to counter Ankara’s aggressive stance. The territorial integrity of Greece should be sacred to the EU to a greater extent than the integrity of neighboring non-EU countries.
On the other hand, Mr. Prime Minister, I categorically disagree with you about the expansion of the European empire.
Both the Austrian and Ottoman empires were exhausted in their attempts to conquer, rule and pacify the Balkans. Given the highest inflation since the 1970s, now is not the time to waste energy and money on making the Western Balkans habitable for 55 people.
Instead, it’s time to focus on a Greek pensioner who gets 384 euros a month and the 14 million Germans living below the poverty line.
In addition, your government recently decided, following Germany, to order American F-35 fighters. Instead, you might prefer European options to protect European workers and jobs. Perhaps in recognition of the fact that Europe has backed Greece with billions and billions of euros.
Finally, at a recent conference on demographic change, you supported the logic of replacement immigration, praising the integration of populations from Asia and Africa as a viable solution to low birth rates, rather than favoring creative Hungarian-style family politics.
The truth is that European governments have let us down for forty years. Even the wealthiest countries in Europe have never been wealthy enough to allow most families to raise 2 or 3 children in moderate comfort. And now they bring in millions of immigrants who rarely work and usually live on welfare.
Unfortunately, you, Mr. Prime Minister, together with your colleagues from the EU, are destroying the welfare state through the back door, and with it our European culture and civilization.”
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