“The bill is shielding our country from potentially dangerous foreign investment, boosting national security, economic stability, social cohesion and public confidence,” said Deputy Foreign Minister, responsible for financial diplomacy and extroversion, Tasos Hatzivasiliouaddressing its plenary session Parliament.
In his presentation on the draft law of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, entitled: “Taking measures for the implementation of Regulation (EU) 2019/452 to establish a framework for direct foreign investment in the Union for security or public order reasons”, which was voted on on Thursday. Alien interest, while emitting an extroversion and encouragement of healthy entrepreneurship.
The deputy minister linked this legislation with the broader developments in the European and Geopolitical Field, stressing that the establishment of a National Foreign Investment Control Mechanism is necessary and comes at a proper and crucial time. As he said, “in our time threats do not know geographical boundaries, they are not limited to traditional forms of conflict. Cyber attacks can paralyze critical national infrastructure, endanger sensitive citizens’ data, undermine public confidence. “
The Deputy Foreign Minister of Foreign Affairs on critical infrastructure and areas of national importance that the new legislation is called upon to protect. As he characteristically stated, “it establishes an effective mechanism for controlling direct foreign investment concerning: (a) infrastructure, assets, technologies or services in areas sensitive to security or public order, such as defense, energy, transport, digital infrastructure, as well as cyberbullying, Infrastructure, (c) tourist infrastructure in border areas. “
Particular emphasis was placed on the part of the tourist areas and the border, stressing: “I am sure that we all agree that we must protect sensitive national areas, such as Thrace and the northeast Aegean. And this bill moves in exactly that direction. “
Concluding his position, he underlined that “at the Foreign Ministry, under the guidance of Minister George Gerapetritis, we are systematically working to attract foreign investment, to build a more extroverted, more competitive and, ultimately, more powerful economic Greece,”
As part of his position, the Deputy Foreign Minister also responded to opposition’s objections to Greece’s stance on the situation in Gaza, emphasizing the country’s active and constructive role in the international scene. As he said, “At the initiative of the Greek Presidency at the UN Security Council and the Minister of Foreign Minister, Mr. George Gerapetritis, a joint statement was adopted on the protection of civilians in war, which joined eighty Member States of the United Nations. It is a Greek initiative that has on its front of the gauze and the humanitarian tragedy there. “
Mr Hadjivasiliou accused the opposition of gambling and distortion of reality. “Both the prime minister and the Foreign Minister are calling for immediate truce and immediate arrival of Gaza aid. Dots and dash. And you don’t have the monopoly of humanity in this country, ladies and gentlemen of the opposition, “he said.