Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 15-11-25

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] PM Tsipras visits the Museum of the Holocaust

[02] Alt, FM Xydakis: EU faces challenges that threaten its cohesion

[01] PM Tsipras visits the Museum of the Holocaust

"We are in a place of particular historical symbolism. In my first visit as prime minister in Jerusalem I asked to visit the Museum of the Holocaust which is a milestone in the modern history and it is the task of all of us not to let this black spot in history to be forgotten, not to allow anyone to repeat it. We should resist the ideology of hate, racism and transform this city from a city of violence and hostilities into a city of peace and peaceful co-existence."

Earlier, the Greek Prime Minister laid a wreath at the Hall of Remembrance of the museum.

After his visit to the museum, Tsipras left for his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

[02] Alt, FM Xydakis: EU faces challenges that threaten its cohesion

Xydakis was speaking on Wednesday to the Standing Special European Issues Parliamentary Committee on the European Commission's working programme for 2016.

The asymmetrical terror threat following the recent attacks in Paris as well as the economic and refugee crisis tests the resistance of the European society, the European bonds and the EU acquis, said Xydakis adding that also challenges EU's fundamental values and certainties.

Focusing on the EU's annual legislation programme for 2016 that provides for 10 political guidelines, Xydakis unveiled the Greek positions and priorities.

He referred particularly to the Commission's policy on employment, growth and investments stressing the need for immediate action against the economic crisis with the invigoration of the competitiveness of the European economy and in parallel the strengthening of the social dimension.

Referring to the European Commission's second priority "for deeper and fairer economic and monetary union", Xydakis noted that this is the field for the expression of our more general goals towards the strengthening of the democratic and social character of EMU and for the rapid completion of the banking union with the establishment of a common European deposits guarantee.

On the migration policy, Xydakis clarified that the immediate management of the refugees and migrants inflow and the adoption of a long-term management planning based on public order, the protection of human rights and the safeguarding of the European asylum acquis and in general the European values. At this point he made clear that the protection of the borders is a national issue and underlined the need for an effective implementation of the relocation mechanism and the immediate implementation and broadening of the relocation mechanism to their countries of origin, particularly from Turkey.

On the digital single market, he emphasised on the development of the e-governance and Greece's support towards the creation of new businesses.

On the energy issue, he stressed that Greece's adamant position is the upgrading of the differentiation of the energy sources and the development of the domestic energy sources for the natural gas supply within Europe.

Moreover, Greece, within the framework of European Commission's aim for "deeper and fairer market with upgraded industrial basis," aims to the promotion of a powerful, competitive and balanced European defensive, technological and industrial basis because, as Xydakis pointed out, "it is linked with the strengthening of the Common Security and Defence Policy as well as with the upgrading of the domestic defence industry and the development of crucial national and European defence potentials."

The "reasonable and balanced agreement of free transactions with USA" is very important for Greece provided that the Greek side can claim and safeguard the effective protection of geographical indications on a number of products.

Additionally, Xydakis referring to the European Commission's effort to promote measures and actions that will strengthen the institutional balance in the EU, its accountability and its democratic legalisation, he noted that it is a challenge for the Greek parliament "that must make the maximum use of its institutional role in order to dynamically intergrate into the co-policymaker of the European policy."

Finally, the minister made a special reference to the Data Protection Agreement between the EU and the USA through which the high protection of personal data is sought. In this context, he added, that the European Union seeks the completion of the directive proposal on the European PNR (Passenger Name Record) within 2016.

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