Androulakis called for a radical change in the organization of the state from Komotini

The urgent need for the state and the government to change its mentality and culture and the dialogue for this attempted change to come within society so that ordinary people become protagonists, stressed from Komotini the president of PASOK - Movement for Change, Nikos Androulakis.

From the podium of the PASOK EMT Regional Conference and closing the proceedings late on Saturday afternoon, Mr. Androulakis emphasized that it is essential that local communities, local government, chambers and local bodies have a say and opinion on the developments.

He cited as an example the management of the Development Fund by the Greek government, saying "in all countries there were dialogue tables for the use of this great European recovery tool, in all countries regional priorities were given. In Greece, everything was planned and everything was implemented through a centralised and executive state which is nothing more than the company of the current Prime Minister. "Can the country continue with this mentality without respecting either the local government levels or the aspirations of the people of the region?" the PASOK president asked.

Addressing a large audience, Mr. Androulakis referred to PASOK's initiative to organize regional conferences in all thirteen regions of the country. The aim, he said, is to make the voice of local communities heard and for them, in turn, to listen to PASOK's program and initiatives, in order to ensure better and more efficient management of regional development plans.

He made special reference to the tragic accident in Tempi, noting that for two whole years the people patiently waited to see what would change, who would be punished. When they realized that neither the state was changing, nor was anyone paying, and there was continued impunity for corruption, then they reacted."

"Politicians," he stressed, "are a political example for young people. What messages do we send to our young people when they find out that the political system is tapping without anyone paying for it, that it is responsible for a contract that was not implemented, resulting in a tragedy. So when young people see a political system that produces corruption and cover-ups, why should they believe in politics?"

Mr. Androulakis emphasized that for PASOK, "politics and ethics are identical and not contradictory concepts."

At several points in his speech, the PASOK president spoke of clientelism and divisive discourse on the part of the current government without a substantial programme.

"We", he stressed, prefer the difficult path of political morality. The real political message of the next elections will not be Mitsotakis or chaos as they want to pass on to us. Will it be one of the same with the conservative policies of New Democracy, which led society to a dead end, or PASOK with the program that we will create together, in every corner of Greece? A programme that is concrete, subversive and progressive".

Health, education and justice, among others, were at the centre of Nikos Androulakis' speech. He stressed that there is a crisis of confidence in the institutions and independent authorities, underlining that "if political actors do not respect them, how can citizens respect them". Especially on the issue of Justice, he noted that there must be a change in the way of selecting its leadership, not as a one-party choice but with an enhanced majority in Parliament.

The development results of the EMT Region are negative

Referring to the growth rates and results of the Region of EMT, he stressed that "the indicators, especially in the last ten years, prove that unfortunately there have not been the desired results. The Region is ranked on the basis of development and economic indicators among the last regions of the country and the European Union according to official data from both the European and the Greek Statistical Authority. Consequently, regional disparities are perpetuated, with economic activity being concentrated mainly in Attica and to a lesser extent in Central Macedonia".

"Almost 50% of nominal GDP is produced in Attica", Androulakis noted, "with Central Macedonia following with 15%. The remaining eleven regions share the rest, with the Ionian Islands, Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, Western Macedonia at the bottom, with the North Aegean producing just 1% of annual GDP. The situation is further aggravated by the fact that the region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace has a sad first place, as it is the champion of poverty in our country.

"It is obvious", he continued, "that such a first will have a domino effect on other areas, such as the demographic issue. 2024 ended with a population decrease of almost 5,000 people due to the negative ratio between deaths and births."

The PASOK - Movement for Change president concluded by stressing that the region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace "needs policies that promote social cohesion and fight poverty, while it is urgent to take all the necessary initiatives that effectively address social exclusion".

"For this reason", he continued, "it is necessary to take initiatives that strengthen the primary sector, so abandoned by the New Democracy government, in order to give life back to the Greek countryside, to link manufacturing with the primary sector in order to strengthen the links between trade and local production, to give incentives to productive units to come and settle in the region and finally, to give opportunities to a new, innovative and creative business generation".

ERT