“Mr. Speaker,

Ladies and Gentlemen, Members of Parliament,

The core of our bill is welfare for Armed Forces personnel of every category, rank, and origin. Our goal is to stand beside our people as much as possible in their personal and family issues, provide solutions, lift obstacles, and show them that they are members of an organisation that respects them with actions.

The provisions we have included are the result of serious staff work, involving dialogue, consultation, and cooperation with all competent authorities and ministries.

Our intent is to legislate the best regulations possible, with a humane approach, with fairness, and in any case with focus on the protection and enhancement of our fighting capability.

Of course, it would be better if we had more resources in order to make even bigger steps in that direction. But we are also working on this, doing our part, because the country’s economic growth is a national goal.

We have taken into consideration the need to minimise the cost for the state budget, but I believe that we propose solutions including the least possible compromise and without concessions in matters concerning sensitive groups, health problems, and human rights.

But, beyond the fiscal situation, this period is also sensitive for other reasons.

The Hellenic Armed Forces guarantee not only the independence and territorial integrity of our country, but also constitute a factor of security and stability in the broader East Mediterranean and Middle East region. Maintaining peace starts from the international political and military environment, both in the broader region of Hellenic and European interests and rights, as well as globally.

So, the image that must be projected by the Armed Forces of a country with a reliable and strong military, with an international voice and role, must be an image of decisiveness and cohesion.

This cohesion is the goal of constant personnel welfare, maintaining justice, rewarding selfless contribution, the spirit of understanding, the provision of motives, the respect of rights, the contribution to personal and family needs.

The Armed Forces personnel, from the career personnel to the enlisted soldiers serving their military service, are at the front line of national duty and we know that they do so fully aware of their mission and in a true spirit of contribution. That’s why the Ministry of National Defence believes that maintaining effectiveness is mainly a matter of morale.

It is the morale that has increased our combat effectiveness and military prestige at regional and allied level, despite the crisis, despite the cuts, despite the international fluidity and asymmetric threats we must deal with.

Consequently, based on the above I will refer to certain regulations included in the bill which I believe are characteristic of its focus. They have already been discussed in the Committee, where I had the pleasure to see that the majority of MPs examined them objectively and in good faith, and many of them were accepted by all parties.

Indicatively, allow me to state the following:

▪ The military service for children from families with three children or more is reduced.

▪ The legislation on conscientious objectors is modernised and harmonised with the broader framework of the European Convention on Human Rights.

I would like to focus on two matters.

First, the abolition of the current legal obligation for conscientious objectors to serve a longer service than those who serve an armed service. As you know, the alternative service provides real services to society and there is no reason to last longer or have a punitive character. This is the fixed position of the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights and we implement it.

Second, the make-up of the committee examining requests for alternative service. The only reason why I refer to this matter is that some expressed various accusations and groundless fears of disdain for military Officers because we replaced one of the two military members with a philosophy, sociology, or law professor. The matter of personal beliefs, as you all know, is not military but personal and is more relevant to the aforementioned sciences. It is a matter of selection of the most appropriate scientific specialty and not a matter of objectiveness or impartiality and we should be careful not to unnecessarily create impressions regarding the integrity of Armed Forces Officers.

Regarding the selection of professors from the area of Attica, I believe this is reasonable, since it reduces costs for compensations and facilitates their attendance of committee sessions.

▪ Creation of Personnel Legal Support Offices, whose purpose is to directly provide information to personnel on service matters concerning them directly and personally, as well as to help the Staffs identify potential cases of mismanagement.

Some opted to present a distorted image of this provision, talking about bypassing the military chain of command and a blow to the discipline of the Armed Forces. And they did so acrimoniously and inappropriately, with personal accusations against me in the Committee and posts on social media and the press.

This is of course a misinterpretation and I wonder how much clearer the provision should be so that even the most suspicious person can understand that the aim of these Offices is to inform the personnel on the legal provisions concerning their rights and obligations.

This information is beneficial not only to the personnel, who must feel that they are treated fairly while carrying out their mission, but also to the Service, i.e. the Officers who hold senior positions and must command the personnel fairly and with the least bureaucratic cost possible.

As I also said in the Committee, cases of mismanagement in the Armed Forces are rare. But this does not mean that we should not further reinforce the framework for their prevention.

These are the parameters of the matter we can discuss, because they are the real ones. I fear that all the rest only take place in order to create impressions.

▪ Provisions regarding the working hours and reassignments of personnel with serious health problems or caring for disabled persons.

▪ The retroactive compensation paid in 2018 will not be calculated as income for the payment of social and financial benefits.

▪ Servicemen also acquire the right, like public servants and Security Forces officers, to be represented and defended in criminal courts for service cases by officials of the Legal Council of State.

▪ Regulation of many pending matters regarding the service and career advancement of each personnel category.

▪ A new type of servicemen’s identity card will be introduced, which will also be used as travel document and include new security features.

▪ Admission in military academies with more favourable criteria for students who went through the floods in Mandra in 2017 and the fire in Mati in 2018.

▪ Provision of healthcare in military hospitals for uninsured persons and families of persons who participated in the operations in Cyprus in 1964, 1967, and 1974.

▪ Modernisation of the operating framework for the Ship Accommodation and Military Use of Harbours Service.

▪ Establishment of a National Air and Seaworthiness Military Authority as an independent organisational unit of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff to provide certifications for the compliance of Armed Forces equipment, assets, and personnel and defence industry entities with the national and international air and seaworthiness regulatory framework.

Regarding the proposal heard at the Committee for the non-reassignment of personnel after 25 years of service, I would like to remind you that the main goal of reassignments is to meet the needs of the Armed Forces, always with respect to the personnel’s individual needs. Hence, the establishment of a non-reassignment entitlement based solely on the years of service is an undue burden on the Service and binds it for a very long period, which may exceed 1/3 of the entire career of servicemen and affects the combat effectiveness of the military. So, I believe that this proposal should not and can not be accepted at this time.

Ladies and gentlemen, Members of Parliament, the Ministry of National Defence has proven throughout the fiscal crisis that it remains focused on its man-centered orientation and that it constantly caters for and improves with proper interventions the service and working environment of military and civilian personnel.

This is not just a recognition of the everyday selfless contribution of the personnel and their families in action, but also an investment in its personnel in order to consolidate the feeling of justice and reciprocity, to maintain the terms for their constant, multifaceted, and lasting contribution to every social need, as well as the protection of their primary role, which is the country’s national defence and security.

I would like to say a few things about a modification submitted for the introduction of an important regulation concerning Short-time Reenlistment Enlisted Soldiers.

With the current framework, enlisted soldiers who have served their military service may be reenlisted in the Armed Forces and continue to provide their services as salaried personnel for up to 3 years.

However, these soldiers can not remain in the Armed Forces, despite many wishing to, in order to mitigate the lack of personnel of certain Units and in order to maintain the desired level of operational readiness and fighting capability.

Since these are soldiers who already have some experience and specialisation and are smoothly integrated in the military environment, we want to have the ability to provide them with more and better training in order to use them operationally, either in their Units or in the Special Forces. This is also a motive for them to make the choice.

That’s why we propose the introduction of the regulation in order to enable Short-time Reenlistment Enlisted Soldiers who already serve to remain in the Armed Forces for 3 more years, if they wish to.

Several changes have been made, after considering the views of the MPs and other members of the Committee, and tried to have a constructive cooperation in the final draft of the bill. Within this framework, article 36 regarding the amendment of provisions of the Code of the Judicial Corps of the Armed Forces is withdrawn, since certain regulations are to be made within the framework of the Constitutional amendment.

Thank you very much”.