The Greek government defended ruling party lawmakers caught up in a European Public Prosecutor's Office investigation into agricultural subsidies, arguing their decision to waive parliamentary immunity reflects a commitment to transparency rather than any acknowledgment of wrongdoing.
Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis, speaking to SKAI radio, rejected opposition claims that New Democracy harbors corrupt officials, noting that the implicated lawmakers voluntarily requested the lifting of their immunity. He turned the accusations back on the opposition, pointing out that seven PASOK lawmakers had faced similar immunity proceedings since 2023.
Mr. Marinakis highlighted a structural reform that transferred oversight of the national agricultural payments agency OPEKEPE to the Independent Authority for Public Revenue as the government's substantive response to the scandal, arguing the move permanently closes the door to political interference in subsidy disbursements. He criticized PASOK for voting against the measure.
The spokesman also rebuked PASOK leader Nikos Androulakis for what he described as endorsing social media attacks against a prominent Greek author, calling the behavior unacceptable and demanding Mr. Androulakis withdraw his support publicly.
On children's online safety, Mr. Marinakis confirmed that Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has formally written to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen urging an EU-wide ban on social media access for children under 15.
He acknowledged the scale of the technical and regulatory challenge, saying meaningful results require coordinated European action rather than national measures alone — an argument Mr. Mitsotakis has been making at EU summits since first raising the issue at the United Nations in late 2024.
The spokesman also rejected proposed electoral reforms that would abolish the preference vote system, arguing that a shift toward single-member constituencies would undermine direct democracy and concentrate power among political elites.