Greek Delegation Heads To EU Summit On Economy Class Flight
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Ministers from the newly elected Greek coalition government will be flying to the European Union Summit in Brussels this week on economy class seats, reported Reuters on Wednesday, after President Karolos Papoulias had insisted on a show of frugality to “set an example” for the country.
Papoulias, 83, is leading the delegation to the summit, as Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, 22 years his junior, had been hospitalised and is recovering from eye surgery.
Ministers from the newly elected Greek coalition government will be flying to the European Union Summit in Brussels this week on economy class seats, reported Reuters on Wednesday, after President Karolos Papoulias had insisted on a show of frugality to “set an example” for the country.
Papoulias, 83, is leading the delegation to the summit, as Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, 22 years his junior, had been hospitalised and is recovering from eye surgery.
Though Paoulias’s role is largely ceremonial, he remains widely respected among Greek political circles – being a former resistance fighter against the military junta that ruled Greece from 1967 to 1974, as well as a founding member of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) political party.
The former Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs also earned plaudits among the public in February this year when he voluntarily gave up his 280,000-euro ($350,000) salary as a show of solidarity with the Greek citizens.
[quote]”He’s (Papoulias) flying Aegean Airways, economy class, to set an example,” a presidential aide told Reuters.[/quote]The show of frugality follows a 30-percent pay cut for all ministers in the new ruling coalition that came into power just last week.
The government’s preparations for the summit though have been less than ideal, after Samaras had been adviced to stay at home due to his medical condition, while Finance Minister Vassilis Rapanos resigned just days after coming into power, after being rushed to the hospital with abdominal pain, nausea and dizziness.
As such, outgoing Finance Minister George Zanias instead will head to the summit as part of the delegation with Papoulias. While his newly appointed successor Yiannis Stournaras will remain in Greece to bring himself up to speed on the finance portfolio before meeting with other European finance ministers.
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No decisions though are expected to be taken on the Greek crisis during the upcoming EU Summit, especially with the planned visit to Athens next week by representatives of the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
According to ekathimerini.com, Prime Minister Samaras intends to keep in regular contact with Papoulias over the course of the summit and hopes to reassure his EU peers that the nation will meet its commitments to creditors.
