| Publication |
2014.
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| Summary/Abstract |
Greece holds the rotating presidency of the European Union for the first half of 2014. As some commentators in Germany and elsewhere have been quick to note, there is surely something incongruous, if not outright absurd, in the spectacle of the most wayward member of Europe's family of nations setting the agenda (or pretending to), even for such a short time. For Greece is still in the throes of a terrible crisis. The experience of economic failure, nearbankruptcy, deep and protracted recession, a sudden fall in living standards, and bitter political conflict has dangerously raised the temperature of public debate. As if to prove the critics right, the Greek presidency got off to an inauspicious start, marked by a series of events ranging from the grotesque to the tragic. Former Transport Minister Michalis Liapis was caught driving without a licence and with counterfeit registration plates by traffic police too young to recognize him. It then transpired that his family home had been refurbished courtesy of Europe's taxpayers: EU "structural funds" earmarked for upgrading tourism infrastructure were diverted for his private use. Since the faction Liapis belonged to in the ruling conservative party was no longer influential, the prime minister's office declined to lift a finger to stop the wheels of justice, opting instead for a show of respect for judicial independence and the rule of law
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