SUPPORT US
REPORTS
Thodoris Chondrogiannos 10 • 10 • 2021

Unconstitutional amendment strengthens the gas industry through an extraordinary subsidy

Thodoris Chondrogiannos
Unconstitutional amendment strengthens the gas industry through an extraordinary subsidy
10 • 10 • 2021

In September 2021 the government passed an illegal amendment that was both last minute and irrelevant to the main bill to subsidize the gas industry, a fossil fuel that destroys the environment and exacerbates the climate crisis, but is a major source of profit for Greece’s largest energy companies.

Gas is a fossil fuel that, along with oil and coal, is responsible for the greenhouse effect and the exacerbation of climate change. According to the scientific community, the combustion of gas, which can only be euphemistically called “natural”, emits methane and carbon dioxide, two gases that contribute to global warming and thus threaten planetary biodiversity and thousands of endangered species.

This illegal amendment should be considered in the context of the gas lobby and the business climate in Greece. In addition to the great power of the gas industry at the international level that opposes the adoption of ambitious goals to deal with the climate crisis, the largest Greek groups active in the energy sector (GEK TERNA, Elpe, Motor Oil), which in stark contrast to scientific data call gas “one of the cleanest […] forms of energy” (Mytilineos, Copelouzos) have made gas a key pillar of their investment, and are lobbying intensively for fossil fuels. Indicatively, in an EU public consultation on increasing the EU targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, Mytilineos opposed the proposal to further reduce emissions and gas consumption.

Where is the problem with the rule of law?

Aiming at the adoption of rules for good and transparent legislation that adhere to the rule of law, Article 74 paragraph 5 of the Constitution and Article 101 paragraph 5 of the Rules of Procedure of the Parliament stipulate that ministerial amendments to proposed bills must be submitted up to three days before the start of the debate in the Plenary or the relevant parliamentary committee, and prohibits amendments that are irrelevant to the main object of the bill.

 

The purpose of the above rules is to allow enough time for the proper legislative and consultation processes to be followed, allowing input both from MPs and from the public of any regulation proposed by ministers in the form of amendments.

The practice of submitting last minute amendments bypasses scrutiny procedures and ultimately represents a lack of accountability in the legislative process concerning laws that may affect the rights and lives of millions of citizens. 

Despite the existence of rules and laws governing the entirety of the legislative process, including amendments, the government ignored these rules and submitted an amendment that was both irrelevant to the main bill and was not submitted in a timely enough manner to undergo parliamentary or public scrutiny.

Thodoris Chondrogiannos
More
Submit a report if you have detected a violation of the rule of law!
SIGNED REPORT VIA DEDICATED FORM ON GOVWATCH
ANONYMOUS REPORT VIA GLOBALEAKS
Support govwatch
DONATE