Anna Triandafyllidou is Professor (part-time) at the European University Institute in Florence, Italy and Senior Research Fellow at the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP). She is currently on leave...

In a recent report of Human Rights Watch, the well known NGO accuses FRONTEX for having contributed to violations of the human rights of migrants apprehended at the Greek Turkish border for illegally entering into Greece. FRONTEX officers deployed at the Evros region in the context of the first ever RABIT operation (that took place in Greece during the winter 2010 and early 2011) conducted interviews with apprehended aliens with the aim of establishing their nationality/country of origin. While they were aware that the period of detention and overall treatment of these aliens by Greek authorities had clearly to do with their nationality they did nothing for ensuring that these people would have fair treatment and the opportunity to lodge an asylum claim, if they had reasons to do so.

According to the Greek authorities tactics, apprehended aliens who were entering Greece illegally were held for several months if they came from a country that cooperates with Greece and where these people could realistically be sent back to. If the apprehended aliens came from a country that has no consular authorities in Greece, does not cooperate with the Greek state and to which, hence, these people could not realistically be sent back to, they were released from the detention centres (with an expulsion decision asking them to leave the country within 30 days) within a few days. While FRONTEX authorities were aware of this tactics of the Greek border authorities they did not contest it and rather contributed to the violation of the fundamental rights of the people in question who were actually not given a proper chance to apply for asylum.

As the HRW report shows many people hid their nationality and/or did not apply for asylum by fear of being held for a long time in detention. It was actually confirmed by the study that they were generally told by the Greek authorities that if they applied for asylum they would be held in detention for a long time. This was again a strategy of the Greek authorities to discourage asylum applications. In this report FRONTEX is thus accused for collaborating with these unacceptable practices and violating its own mandate.

Nonetheless responding to a question by a journalist (see the video above), the Commissioner Cecilia Maelstrom and her collaborators defend the FRONTEX forces saying that they had no responsibility since they were acting under the command of the national forces. As if this was an appropriate and good enough justification... One wonders then why there has been such a public outcry (which was actually quite well justified) against Greece - if then FRONTEX holds no responsibility for... doing just the same! Indeed one would have expected that RABIT forces aim not only to assist countries that need emergency help and are facing exceptional migration/asylum pressures but also to contribute not only enforcemennt but also legal know how on how to deal with the situation, ensuring that while the borders are guarded, the Human Rights of the people involved are also respected!

For a full version of the Human Rights Watch report see here.

Δυσκολεύομαι να κατανοήσω τους μαχητικούς τόνους πολλών αποφάσεων των ΔΣ των συλλόγων καθώς και των ΓΣ διάφορων τμημάτων και γενικώς πολλές από τις απόψεις που έχουν εκφραστεί από συναδέλφους τους τελευταίους μήνες αλλά και τα όσα έγιναν παλαιότερα για να ΜΗΝ εφαρμοστεί ο προηγούμενος νομος για τα ΑΕΙ (της Μ. Γιαννάκου).

Καταρχήν δεν ξέρω πώς γίνεται να αρνούμαστε να εφαρμόσουμε νόμους που ψηφίζει η ελληνική Βουλή. Δηλαδή τι κάνουμε καταργούμε την δημοκρατία? Στο όνομα της δημοκρατίας μέσα στο Πανεπιστήμιο? Για να το πω απλά: αν με σταματήσει ένας τροχονόμος γιατί πάρκαρα παράνομα ή γιατί δεν φοράω ζώνη εγώ δικαιούμαι να του πω ότι εγώ τον ΚΟΚ δεν τον εφαρμόζω γιατί δεν συμφωνώ; Αρα και όσοι έχουν αυθαίρετα κτίσματα για παράδειγμα δικαιούνται να το κάνουν? Γιατί δεν συμφωνούν με το νόμο και δικαιούνται να μην τον εφαρμόζουν; (είμαι σίγουρη ότι μπορόυν να βρουν πολλούς καλούς λόγους γιατί θεωρουν οτι το πολεοδομικό πλαισιο σε πολλες περιοχες δεν επαρκεί ή οι σχετικοίι κανόνες είναι δύσκολο να εφαρμοστούν;) κ.λ. κ.λ.

Δεύτερο: υπήρχε δημοκρατία στο ελληνικό πανεπιστήμιο πριν απο το νομο αυτό και δεν το αντιλήφθηκα εγώ η απλοϊκή; Υπήρχε διαφάνεια στο έργο των Πρυτανειών; Οι φοιτητικοί σύλλογοι είναι πραγματικά δημοκρατικα όργανα εκλεγμένα από μεγάλη μάζα φοιτητών, ανεξάρτητα από κόμματα και με μεγάλη και ενεργό συμμετοχή των μελών τους; Ή μήπως οι φοιτητικοί σύλλογοι είναι three and the koukos bands που κάνουν καταλήψεις με 10 άτομα και το βασικό έργο που κάνουν για τους φοιτητές είναι να "δημοσιεύουν" και αυτοί τις ανακοινώσεις μας, να ερχονται στην ΓΣ και να ζητάνε να συγχωρέσουμε τον τάδε ή τον δείνα φοιτητήτ που ξέχασε μια προθεσμία ή έκανε κάποιο γραφειοκρατικό λάθος, ή ΄τελος να φωτοτυπούν σημειώσεις των καθηγητών και να τις μοιράζουν για να "καλοπιάσουν" τους συναδέλφους τους; Μήπως δεν είνιαι αλήθεια ότι πολλες φορες οι πρυτάνεις έχουν περισσότερο σεβασμό στους αρχηγούς των φοιτητικών παρατάξεων (γιατί αυτοί έχουν τόσο ψήφους στις πρυτανικές εκλογές όσο και κόμματα πίσω τους, και γονείς που έχουν τηλέφωνα και γνωστούς και κινούν βουλευτές και υπουργούς) παρα σε εμας τα μελη ΔΕΠ που ξερουμε να κρίνουμε τι χρειαζεται για το έργο του τμήματος μας; Δηλαδή τα είχαμε όλα αυτα την δημοκρατία, την αυτονομία, την διαφάνεια κκαι την αποτελεσμαατικότητα, και τα χάσαμε με τον καινούριο νόμο;;;;

Τρίτο: μήπως ο καινούριος νόμος (όπως και η προηγούμενη μεταρρύθμιση της Γιαννάκου αν και εκείνη ήταν πιο δισταχτική από τον νεο νόμο γιατί την είχε "αδειάσει" το ίδιο της το κόμμα όπως φάνηκε μετά) είναι μια σοβαρή (αν και όχι τέλεια) προσπάθεια να μεταρρυθμιστεί το ελληνικό πανεπιστήμιο και να βελτιωθούν πολλες από τις δομές του, σύμφωνα με κάποια μοντέλα δοκιμασμένα σε πολλές αλλες χώρες των οποίων τα πανεπιστήμια έχουν υψηλότερο επιπεδο σπουδών από τα δικά μας (και μην μου πείτε ότι τα συστήματα αξιολογήσεων είναι ατελή. Ναί είναι παρόλα αυτά είναι ηλίου φαεινότερο ότι τα ελληνικά πανεπιστήμια είναι ουραγοί στην Ευρώπη. Το ότι κάποιοι φοιτητές αργοτερα διαπρεπεουν ως επιστήμονες ή κάποιοι εξ υμών έχουν και διεθνή αναγνώριση δεν διαψεύδει του λόγου το αληθές).

Γιατί πρεπει εμεις παντοτε να πρωτοτυπούμε στο χειρότερο; Στο όνομα καποιου ακαδημαϊκού ιδεαλισμού που δεν εφαρμόζεται πουθενά και δεν είναι βιώσιμος;

The Greek Parliament is a former Palace of the Bavarian king of Greece in the 19th century, Otto. It has beautiful marbles, antique furniture, prestigious paintings. Indeed this is how the Parliament of a European country and indeed a European country with a long and tormented history should be. What is wrong then with the Greek Parliament? well its... Members!

In a report prepared by Kathimerini journalist Nikos Vafeiadis he has documented the luxury conditions in which the Greek MPs work. Or rather do not work. They receive high salaries (of approx 10,000 Euro per month ) of which only 50% is taxed normally (the other half is taxed separately), they have all kinds of free services e.g. free hotel allowance for MPs from outside Athens, free tickets, 52 free air tickets if their electoral district is farther than 200 km from Athens. They have FOUR assistants who are public fonctionnaires, transferred from other services to the Parliament to serve the MPs. They have black cars leased by the Parliament. They receive a pension at age 65 if they have served for 4 years. And if they are members of the Parliament and aged over 65 they receive both their monthly salary AND the pension! Former prime ministers have offices overlooking the national garden (one of central Athens few green areas) even if they are no longer MPs!

Employees of the Parliament are far too numerous (over 2,000 - so many that not everybody comes to work every day because there would not be enough chairs for them to sit!) and receive 16 salaries per year. When all other public fonctionnaires in Greece have seen their 13th and 14th salary (their holiday allowance so to speak) reduced by approx. 70%) the fonctionnaires serving at the Parliament have managed to incorporate these extra-extra salaries as special allowances. The Parliament TV station has over 100 employees when its viewers rate is below 1%.

Such conditions were a scandal before the crisis anyway and they had often been debated in public. But they are a 'crime against the citizens' (if I am to paraphrase the 'crime against humanity') under the present conditions. There is an ancient Greek sentence from the story of the war of Troy, that we often use in colloquial Greek: ΑΙΔΩΣ ΑΡΓΕΙΟΙ!! (SHAME ON YOU PEOPLE OF ARGOS). Well this is the only thing I can say: SHAME ON YOU Greek MPs and members of the Greek government. You go on mambling at radio and TV channels about how bad you feel for the austerity packages - but how many have actually refused their black cars? (they have just decided two days ago to limit these cars to 1400cc power for those living in Athens and to 1800 cc for those outside Athens - what a sacrifice indeed! one wonders don't they have private cars? can't they pay for them with a 10,000 euro salary?!!) their four assistants and their 'free' tickets? (the tickets are not for free actually - they are paid with taxpayers money!) How many have declared it when they were absent from the Parliament so that as per the Parliament's rules they would see their monthly salary (indemnity it is called of course) cut by 1/30 for each day of absence from 'work'?

While Violence was raging in the streets of Athens and Syndagma square in front of the Greek Parliament was being destroyed for the 3rd or 4th time in 2 years by angry protesters wearing hoods, the Greek MPs voted with a slight majority 155 (out of 300) in favour of asking for the new loan by the IMF and the EU and in favour of a series of new frugality measures including a tax reform, privatising public entreprises, reducing the size of the public sector, cutting down the costs of the state, introducing an unemployment fund for freelance professionals, and other measures (to be voted in detail today 30 June 2011 in Parliament)

 While most blogs and the left wing parties accuse the police for excessive brutality (indeed the videos above are eloquent) a well known columnist (Pashos Mandravelis) in the major centre right wing Athens daily Kathimerini praises the 155 MPs who voted yesterday in favour of the government's plan and did not let the country go bankrupt with facile promises of easy solutions that are not there. Mandravelis notes that it is neither pleasant nor easy to take such decisions like the 155 MPs did while it is easier to abstain or to vote no, without however proposing a viable alternative.

While I outrightly condemn police violence which together with extreme left and right wing violence by small groupings of 'koukouloforoi' has become endemic in the last few years in Greece (when did it start actually ? and why? in 2008? or earlier? there is room for a serious sociological analysis here), I believe that Mandravelis is right.

We Greeks can no longer be free riders in wonderland, as Constantine Tsoukalas (a well known, also internationally, Greek sociologist) was writing in 1993 already! What some of the 'aganaktismenoi' (the fed up citizens camping in Syndagma square in the past weeks) shout: Den plirono Den plirono (I won't pay, I won't pay) just does not... PAY any more! we cannot go on accusing others - each individual citizen accusing the other citizens, the elites, the MPs, the party rank and file, the fonctionnaires (even if s/he is a fonctionnaire her/himself) while all together accusing the ... Europeans who knew our statistics was fake but did not stop us earlier, the banks that make profit, the Euro for being tough, capitalism for being unfair, and life for being a.. bitch!

Certainly there are issues that need to be addressed: the Euro system needs institutional reform!

Also: Greece has been taking loans for 20-30 years now which it has largely reinvested back in buying armaments from Germany and France (and the USA) - including defective armaments - buying industrial products from the strong exporting EU economies, allowing multinational companies to invest in the major public works in the country without striking interesting deals with them. But at the same time the public money embezzlement and the lack of reforms so far is of our own making.

Indeed we needed a threat to bankruptcy to reform our pension system. Everybody knew it was not viable but each individual hoped that s/he would still be able to go to pension with favourable terms - the reform would start after them. But this 'after' was never coming!

The threat of bankruptcy is still not enough to help us build an efficient tax collection system. No matter how hard the government tries, tax offices personnel resists. They have been used to easy (illicit) money - the system is hard to change.

The horizontal cuts of the government make the honest tax payer feel two times stupid: We paid and still pay the largest share while the free riders enjoy the wonderland.

The only good reason in my view for voting in favour of the new austerity AND reforms programme is a hope that THERE WILL BE REFORMS and that these reforms will willy nilly impose to the majority of civically disobedient and fed up Greeks a change in direction and a change in mentality.

Euroland is no wonderland unfortunately. And a Marshall Plan for Greece should not bring just money but also ideas, and a change in civic culture!