PM Papandreou on corruption

Prime Minister George Papandreou referred to the international day against corruption in his opening address during Thursday’s cabinet meeting. He said that corruption is a global phenomenon and its handling requires international cooperation. He added that corruption does not only affect the quality of democracy, but determines the cohesion of society and the ability of an economy to develop in a balanced and viable way.

Referring to the Greek dimension of the phenomenon, Papandreou stressed that “the fiscal deficits and the debts in our country were only the tip of the iceberg,” because, as he said, “before the fiscal deficit, there was the transparency deficit in the operation of institutions, in fiscal management, the functioning of the political system.”

The prime minister referred to “the war that the government has declared on corruption,” underlining that the electoral law will also be tabled soon, which will contribute to the handling of the problem. “If we do not solve the problem, the effort we are making will be in vain,” Papandreou noted.