“The organisation and operational independence of judicial officials is a prerequisite for deepening the rule of law in our time but also a component element of democratic life in our country, especially given that in the recent past, there has unfortunately been raw intervention by political power in their work and behaviours that have damaged the prestige of justice,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Tuesday. The prime minister was speaking at a ceremony for the swearing in of graduates of the National School of Judges in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki.
He called on them to ignore any threats and daily signal their independence through their rulings.
The prime minister also referred to the government’s plans to improve the infrastructure of the justice system, such as new buildings and digitalisation, the foundation of a school for court employees as well as judges, as well as reforms in the organisation of the justice system to give incentives for excellence.
The event was attended by Justice Minister Konstantinos Tsiaras, Deputy Macedonia-Thrace Minister Stavros Kalafatis, Supreme Court President Maria Georgiou, Council of State President Dimitris Skaltsounis, Court of Audit President Ioannis Sarmas, Supreme Court Chief Prosecutor Vasilis Pliotas, Central Macedonia governor Apostolos Tzitzikostas and New Democracy MPs.
Earlier, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who is visiting Thessaloniki on Tuesday, made his first stop at the facilities of the company DIOPAS, where he was briefed on its activities.
“There are no successful companies without satisfied employees,” underlined Mitsotakis, adding that “a big part of our reform, of the labour reform, is exactly about being able to guarantee not only good working conditions but also that, for those employers that have the propensity to take advantage of their employees… the employees have all the tools at their disposal to defend themselves and, particularly, to record their real working time,” he said.
“After all, I have never seen any successful company in which there is not a good climate between employers and employees,” he added.
Among those participating in the visit were Infrastructure and Transport Minister Kostas Karmanlis, Deputy Interior Minister responsible for Macedonia and Thrace Stavros Kalafatis, Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Giorgos Karagiannis, the general secretary for coordination Thanassis Kontogeorgis, the head of the prime minister’s office in Thessaloniki Maria Antoniou and MPs elected with New Democracy’s ballot in the city.
SOURCE: AMNA
