JOURNALIST: If you look at Europe from Athens’ perspective, what condition is our continent in?
M. VARVITSIOTIS: The EU is moving in the right direction. The Commission’s recent proposal for the Recovery Fund is a good foundation: We need a decisive response to the coronavirus crisis. We have to safeguard the Common Market as well as European cohesion.
JOURNALIST: Social cohesion in particular went through quite a rough patch recently.
M. VARVITSIOTIS: These dividing lines between North and South, between East and West, between frugal countries and those that like to spend are based to a great extent on prejudices. We are so closely interconnected in the economic sector; at least ten countries participate in the construction of every car made in Europe.
JOURNALIST: Especially at the beginning of the crisis, it didn’t look like cooperation was going too well.
M. VARVITSIOTIS: The realisation that Europe doesn’t manufacture enough medical supplies for its members was very painful. This made it even clearer that we have to be come sustainable – as a whole. The European Commission proposal, which is based on an agreement between Paris and Berlin, reflects precisely this. I welcome the fact that the majority of the parties in the Bundestag, with the exception of AfD, came out in favour of the package.
JOURNALIST: You told a Greek newspaper that your country has to rebuild its credibility from the ground up.
M. VARVITSIOTIS: Ten years ago, Greece sank into a debt crisis, which was a crisis of credibility. Everyone accused us of sweeping the debt under the rug and not honouring our commitments. In the meantime, we left the assistance programmes behind and returned to a growth policy. Then, in 2015, the spotlight was back on Greece, and we were accused of not handling the refugee crisis prudently. Now, in Evros, we proved that we can of course secure our borders and stop Turkey’s exploitation of the refugees. And in spite of the fact that our health system wasn't adequately funded, we managed to flatten the curve early in the crisis. Now it is time for us to also show credibility on human rights issues.
JOURNALIST: Is there anything you should do, given the way the refugees were treated recently in Greece?
M. VARVITSIOTIS: Without a doubt. First, we need to speed up the asylum process. The second is living conditions, especially at the hotspots, which have improved since influx was reduced. Third, we need to send back those who are not eligible for asylum.
JOURNALIST: MEPs are asking for an investigation into reports that Greek soldiers fired shots at the border, using live rounds.
M. VARVITSIOTIS: We made it clear that these reports were fake news. These accusations have been launched repeatedly, at Ankara’s instigation. During the crisis, the Turkish Minister of Interior posted on Twitter every hour, saying how many people had succeeded in entering Greece illegally. This number eventually reached 130,000 – which is obviously fake news. This is an issue that we want to put on the agenda during the Greek Chairmanship of the Council of Europe: How can we defend our Democracies from fake news.
JOURNALIST: Some accusations aren’t fake news. Your government suspended asylum rights for a month and violated international law.
M. VARVITSIOTIS: The temporary suspension took place in the framework of the European Convention on Human Rights and was limited in time and scope. We wanted to avoid receiving people with Covid-19 at the hotspots, to protect those who were already there. We didn’t want to increase the tensions on the islands.
JOURNALIST: Now you want to strengthen Europe’s positions as a human rights refuge. How will you go about this?
M. VARVITSIOTIS: I am cautiously optimistic. Europe can come out of this crisis stronger. Regardless of any backsliding, the Commission’s proposal for responding to the crisis shows that we are in a position to act in unity. Our continent has the opportunity to take a leading role, especially at a time when the U.S. claim on world leadership is being questioned.
June 9, 2020