Politics of Greece

Parliament is expected to begin on Thursday poring over the details of the extensive omnibus bill submitted to the House on Tuesday, although the government is continuing to make last minute changes to the draft legislation.

Greece’s current European Commissioner, Maria Damanaki, will not return to Greece or Greek politics when her tenure ends in October, Kathimerini understands.

Damanaki holds the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries portfolio and it is thought that she will continue in this field after leaving the Commission. Sources said she has already been approached by international organizations.

The next meeting between government officials and the troika will take place in Paris, not Athens, following a request from the Greek side, Kathimerini has learned.

By Angelos Stangos

Current Defense Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos will be Greece’s representative on the new European Commission, which will be named later this year.

Prime Minister Antonis Samaras wrote on Sunday to Commission President-elect Jean-Claude Juncker, who is due to visit Athens on August 4, to inform him of his decision to send Avramopoulos to Brussels.

New Democracy has begun firing staff from its party headquarters on Syngrou Avenue in Athens as it tries to rein in its spending.

Kathimerini understands that 10 members of staff lost their jobs last week and that another 50 to 60 may leave in the coming months. Some will be offered voluntary redundancy, while others will be fired.

Speculation over who will become Greece’s next European commissioner continued during the weekend, with Defense Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos emerging as the frontrunner to succeed Maria Damanaki.

Coalition leaders Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and Deputy Premier Evangelos Venizelos are expected to meet this week to finalize the details of the civil service evaluation process, far behind schedule due to protests by unionists and disagreements within the government.

Democracy was restored in Greece 40 years ago and the country owes a debt to Constantine Karamanlis for handling the transition and anchoring the country firmly in the safe port of Europe with wisdom and determination.

Numerous mistakes were made in the decades that followed the fall of the 1967-74 military dictatorship – mistakes that ultimately led to the crisis.

Prime Minister Antonis Samaras has told New Democracy MPs that he does not think Greece will go to snap elections early next year over the election of a new president.