Alternate Foreign Minister G. Katrougalos today met with the Vice President of the European People's Party, Portuguese MEP Paulo Rangel. During the meeting there was an exchange of views on cooperation of national parliaments with the European institutions and on the functioning of national parliaments. In statements he made following the meeting, Mr. Katrougalos said it is important for Democracy and the survival of the European Union that citizens feel that their opinions matter, not only regarding political decisions that are taken, but also concerning the general course of the economy. These issues, he noted, will be discussed in the European Parliament's Constitutional Affairs Committee, with Mr. Rangel as rapporteur, contributing significantly, in his assessment, to the improvement of the quality of Democracy in Europe. Mr. Rangel stated that the issues raised by Greece concern a more democratic dimension on European Union issues, through the democratic control carried out in the Hellenic Parliament and on the level of the Union. The Portuguese MEP also referred to Greece's proposal that the president of the Eurogroup concurrently serve as a vice president of the European Commission. Which would mean, as he clarified, that a given Eurogroup president would be answerable to the European Parliament and the national parliaments, as he/she would have greater democratic legitimacy. Mr. Rangel is carrying out a visit to Athens as part of a delegation from the European Parliament's Constitutional Affairs Committee that is tasked with strengthening parliamentary control, including through national governments.
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