Parliament Committee

The Education Ministry's bill on higher education was introduced in the competent Parliament committee on Tuesday and is expected to be passed on March 1. It will be the government's final signature measure before the formal run-up to the European elections begins, and the goal of the bill is to demonstrate that ruling New Democracy is the only reforming force in the country.

The testimony of the CEO of Hellenic Train, Maurizio Capotorto, has been forwarded to the competent prosecutor's office by the Parliament committee probing the deadly train collision in February 2023 in Tempe, central Greece, to investigate the possibility of perjury. 

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday he will appoint a special investigator to decide whether there should be a public inquiry into reports of Chinese interference in Canada's elections.

Trudeau also is having a Parliament national security committee examine classified information on the matter.

Testifying before the Parliament committee probing the handling of the Novartis case by the previous government, Greek-Israeli businessman Sabby Mionis accused former alternate justice minister Dimitris Papangelopoulos, the publisher of the Dimokratia newspaper, Ioannis Filippakis, and two journalists of blackmail in 2016.

Thirty lawmakers - the number required by law - submitted on Thursday a proposal to set up a special Parliament committee to probe the handling by former justice minister Dimitris Papangelopoulos of the alleged bribery scandal involving prominent politicians and the Novartis pharmaceutical company.

It remained unclear on Thursday whether the special Parliament committee which will be set up in early October to probe the possible mishandling of the alleged Novartis bribery case by the previous government will deem then that it is indeed the appropriate body to examine the case or if it will proceed to examine the testimonies of key figures and issue a finding.

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.

Key Reformist Bloc (RB) member Bulgaria of Citizens Movement (DBG) has declared it will refuse to back a new coalition government if an anti-corruption bill doesn't make it to Parliament's floor.

An announcement issued by the office of Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras stated that the Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA) government’s draft bill for a ‘parallel program’ has not been withdrawn. The statement condemned the “irresponsible” stand of the three opposition parties that walked out of the debate before the relevant Parliament committee on Wednesday.

Parliament in Bulgaria defied on Thursday President Rosen Plevneliev's veto on legislative changes that ban civilians from heading the country's military intelligence agency.

The bill was then re-voted and passed by an overwhelming majority of 159-15, two abstaining.