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The webinar on " The Future of Youth in Europe - Transparency and the Rule of Law" was successfully held (17.05.2022).
More than 150 professionals from the public and private sectors had the opportunity to attend the webinar organised by the National Transparency Authority (ΝΤΑ) entitled: "The Future of Youth in Europe - Transparency and the Rule of Law". The aim of the event was to highlight issues related to transparency and the fight against corruption, as well as to highlight the positions and perceptions of young people on issues that concern our society and our European future.
A short address was given by Ms. Anastasia Sotiropoulou, Legal Associate of the Governor of the National Transparency Authority, referred to the importance of citizens participation in the fight against corruption, stressing that citizens, due to their numerical superiority and their multidimensional participation, can become part of the solution, underlined the role of young people in tackling the phenomenon and referred to the initiatives of the NTA to raise awareness among schoolchildren of the values of integrity, accountability, respect, justice and protection of human rights. Referring to the recent 1st Pan-Hellenic Student Competition “Integrity Leaders of Tomorrow” organised by the NTA in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs, she suggested the development of similar initiatives to involve young people in the fight against corruption and the promotion of integrity.
Participants in the debate included:
Ms. Vasiliki Nikolopoulou, Head of Documentation and Communication Department, the General Secretariat for Vocational Education, Training, Lifelong Learning and Youth, Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs, pointed out that "The General Secretariat for Vocational Education, Training, Lifelong Learning and Youth, designs youth policy measures that promote and facilitate the participation of young people in democratic life, while ensuring that all young people have the necessary skills to enjoy quality in life and work. Youth policy is an area based on the principles of participation and equal access to opportunities, in synergy with other policies such as those in the fields of education, training and employment. The ultimate aim is to support young people to become protagonists of their rights and to participate actively in decision-making processes.
During his speech, Mr. Stelios Kympouropoulos, member of the European Parliament focused on the need to promote transparency as a guarantee of democracy at national and European level. As he said "democracy is a sensitive constitution and is based on popular participation, free expression and the equality of all citizens. But democracy is based mainly on the trust of citizens in those who aspire to public office, on the trust that the exercise of power is exercised in the public interest and on trust in the functioning of the state's control mechanisms. Democracy without trust does not exist, as democratic states are voluntary associations and do not operate by force and coercion. When citizens lose confidence in democracy and resort to violence, we are leading to mob rule. If citizens choose to resort to indifference to the public and the functioning of the state, then democracy and its institutions degenerate and we are led to the rule of political and economic oligarchs or to the imposition of extra-regulatory solutions. Democracy can be saved. What is needed is the trust of citizens and their active participation. Trust is gained by being transparent, as in all interpersonal relations."
Mr. Theodoros Georgakopoulos, Head of Content Management, diaNEOSIS, referring to the effort made in all countries of the world by political staff and social forces to listen, understand and map the needs and specificities of youth, so that they can provide solutions for the best prospects of their development, he noted that "from our side, as a research mechanism that aims to make proposals for development and social cohesion in our country, we study this issue through a series of studies that often have complex or contradictory results.“
Mr. Philip Kamaris, European Parliament Administration Officer (Athens Office), said that "In the November 2021 Eurobarometer, Greeks responded that the rule of law should be the main value to be defended by the European Parliament, with 39% - the highest percentage in the EU. This reflects the growing interest of MEPs: Plenary Resolutions on the Rule of Law, adoption of the related Conditionality Regulation for the disbursement of EU funds, and constant monitoring of developments by the Civil Liberties Committee - and its working groups.”
Mr. Xenophontas Kontiadis, Professor of Public Law at Panteion University and President of the Centre for European Law Coordination, noted that "Young people are the ones who are most affected by the crises affecting Europe. The European Union and the European idea are a refuge for the peoples of Europe. Has Europe risen to the occasion in the face of successive threats? History has confirmed that Europe is moving forward through the crises it faces. But often its responses are slow and inadequate. For young people in particular, Europe's democratic and social deficit is being experienced in a traumatic way.”
The Head of the Anti-Fraud Coordination Service (AFCOS) of the National Transparency Authority, Mr. Demosthenes Avarkiotis, who spoke about the role and operation of the NTA as an Anti-Fraud Coordination Service (AFCOS) in Greece. In this context, he described the responsibilities of the service and its relations with the national and EU institutions in order to ensure transparency in the management of EU funds.
The debate was moderated by the journalist Mr. Stavros Aristides Samouilides
You can watch the entire debate at the link below: