The NTA Governor Mr. Angelos Binis, participated in a thematic discussion, which took place at the Pavilion of the Ministry of Interior at the 85th Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF), together with the Minister of Interior, Mr. Makis Voridis, and the General Secretary for Citizenship, Mr. Athanasios Balermpas. The discussion focused on the presentation and evaluation of significant reforms being implemented in the field of citizenship.
“The fight against corruption is systematic and persistent”, underlined the Interior Minister Mr. Makis Voridis, while he noted that “I do not tolerate that Greece is in a low ranking on corruption issues. This issue is not only a moral challenge, but also has economic consequences”, emphasizing that the fight against corruption “is a national goal”.
The Minister pointed to the fact that the country gas managed in the last two years, to return to 59th place in the global corruption rankings, after falling to 67th place since 2015.
Regarding the granting of citizenship, Mr. Voridis said that there are currently approximately 35,000 pending applications awaiting a response. “We owe answers. Not necessarily positive ones, but answers. Answers that will be comprehensive and the applicant will know why we say ‘yes’ or ‘no’. The relationship will be clear, and you can trust a state that has established a clear procedure for such an important matter as the granting of Greek citizenship”.
The NTA Governor, Mr. Angelos Binis, noted that “We had a clear strategic plan from the beginning and a very capable team from the General Secretariat for Citizenship and the NTA. We started our work with a qualitative and quantitative assessment of all complaints, findings and disciplinary cases. We continued with field research and conducting interviews to record the procedures, problems and opportunities in citizenship procedures. We put in place the appropriate safeguards to ensure integrity and created a coherent framework of organisational, operational and legislative reforms. So today, we are delivering two important tools that are practical methodological guides to citizenship issues, and we continue to work hard on the next steps”.
The General Secretary of Citizenship, Mr. Athanasios Balermpas, highlighted the cooperation with the NTA since November 2019. “It was very important that we were able to work with an Authority that has the expertise, the will and the determination to help us address the problems in the procedures and to strengthen the relevant framework as a whole”.