House approves Competition Commission nominees

A Parliament committee on Tuesday approved the government's nominees to head Greece's Competition Commission. However, their approval was opposed by leftist SYRIZA lawmakers who walked out before the vote on the matter.

The government proposed Ioannis Lianos, professor of competition law and public policy at University College in London, to head the commission, and Kalliopi Benetatou, also an academic with a decade's worth of experience at the commission, as vice president.

The other two nominees are Maria Ioannidou and Maria-Ioanna Rantou. All four are to serve five-year terms.

Lianos will replace Vassiliki Thanou who was removed from her post earlier this month, along with four other commission members, after the government introduced a provision in a multi-bill stipulating that persons who have served in political offices cannot be appointed to the...