MacroPolis

The Greek government is continuing to search for ways in which it can provide financial support to local businesses, mitigating the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

The decision taken by drugs giant Novartis to pay 347 mln dollars to US authorities for corrupt practices in Greece, as well as South Korea, Vietnam and China, has added more fuel to the political battle between New Democracy and SYRIZA, which has been raging over the last few days as result of graft allegations.

A parliamentary inquiry into the role of the judiciary in the Novartis affair was the scene of renewed clashes between New Democracy and SYRIZA on Monday, rekindling allegations of political corruption first raised under the previous administration.

SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras has challenged Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to take him to a special court in connection to the handling of the Novartis case when the left-wing party was in power.

The Novartis affair has resurfaced to disrupt the relative calm in Greek party politics, with New Democracy accusing SYRIZA of trying to cover up its attempts to tarnish its political opponents with made-up corruption claims and the opposition claiming that the government is trying to pervert the course of justice.

Greece was among 22 countries which showed an improved score in the 2019 Corruption Perception Index over recent years, according to Transparency International.

The European Council’s analysis of the Greek criminal justice system has found that the current setup inadequate to counter corruption.

A working paper from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on the shadow economy of Europe has shown that the phenomenon continues to persist in the Greek economy.

The government has been put on the defensive as a result of a couple of reports in the international media, while Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has had to step up efforts to improve North Macedonia’s chances of being allowed to start its European Union accession process, a far cry from New Democracy’s fierce opposition to the Prespes Agreement just months ago.

Although MPs have started to debate the 2020 draft budget, which encapsulates the government’s economic policy going forward, the focus of Greek politics is currently on an apparent rare moment of compromise between the parties over allowing Greeks living abroad to vote in the national elections from their country of residence.