The central thrust of the Aki Skurchos’s speech at the New Democracy conference was a defence of the “executive state“.
The Minister of State ‘Akis Skertosin his speech at the 16th conference of the New Democracy referred extensively to the policies for the creation of a “modern and effective state”, linking the government policies of the New Democracy with tangible results in the daily lives of citizens.
The central focus of his speech was to defend the “effective state” and to promote the government’s journey from 2019 to the present as a period of reforms which, according to Mr.Skertsos, have substantially changed the operation of the state.
Mr. Skertsos made special reference to the interventions and proposals heard at the conference, which – he said – will contribute to the formulation of the party’s strategy in view of the forthcoming elections . He referred to a personal family experience the serious heart attack suffered by his father 25 years ago and his death in 2009 and linked that experience to the Prevent programme. He said in particular that today the state now gives the possibility of prevention and early diagnosis to thousands of citizens, something that was not available before, and stressed that the new model of the state is a state that “cares and cares“.
He gave particular weight to the data and indicators of government work, which were presented not as statistics – as he said – but as policies that affect human lives. He said that 8.9 million citizens use gov.gr and that 2.7 billion digital transactions with the Government were carried out, evidence – he said – of the state’s digital transition.
He also referred to 7 million preventive examinations through the “Prevent” programme, to 200 thousand citizens who identified serious health problems in time, and to the 5.2 million citizens who have registered with their personal doctor. In the field of labour and the economy, it was highlighted by Mr. Scurco that 2 million workers are protected by the digital work card, while more than 563 thousand formerly unemployed have found work since 2019 to date.
He also mentioned the reduction of the pension awarding period, the situation in universities without active occupations, the postal vote for Greeks of the diaspora and the support programmes for persons with disabilities. She also made a special reference to road safety measures, noting that dozens of people were saved thanks to the new interventions. Skertssos also stressed that New Democracy is the party that “unites Greece and the Greeks“, rejecting the logic of disagreement and promoting a model of governance based on planning, responsibility and measurable effectiveness.
He presented the basic principles that – as he said – should characterize the new state:institutional continuity, cooperation, transparency, accountability, efficiency, speed in decision-making and empathy towards the citizen. In this context, he referred to the debate on the “executive state”, arguing that it is not a mechanism for concentration of power but a tool for institutional regularity, coordination and continuity of the state.
“The modern effective state is not a simple administrative mechanism; it is our overall collector. It is the organized expression of our collective responsibility. It is the way a democracy cares for, protects, liberates and unites its citizens,” he said.
The speech of Mr. Skurchos concluded by admitting that there are still pathologies and significant problems in the functioning of the Greek state, but expressed the belief that the country has already changed significantly by 2019 and that the effort for a “modern, effective and humane state” will continue in the next period
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