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Report of the Speaker of the House of Representatives Mrs. Anita Demetriou, Speaker of the House of Representatives, on the deadly shipwreck at Pylos, on the death of the music composer Yannis Markopoulos, on World Wind Day, on World Day against Desertification and Drought and on World Refugee Day
Ladies and Gentlemen,
With thoughts to all the victims of the unscrupulous traffickers who exploit human misery, the acting Prime Minister of Greece, Ioannis Sarmas, declared yesterday a three-day national mourning period for the victims of the tragic shipwreck off the coast of Pylos, where at least 78 people lost their lives, while hundreds are missing, as it is estimated that the number of passengers on board was well over 500. As the hours go by and rescue searches continue, hopes of finding any survivors other than the 104 who made it out alive from this unspeakable but unfortunately recurring tragedy are dwindling.
The immediate and rapid intervention of the Greek authorities for the rescue, care and support of the shipwreck victims is what is paramount in these difficult times for the missing persons and the families of the victims, but migration remains an unresolved problem that requires targeted European policy and action. The Mediterranean has become a watery grave of souls and the responsibility lies on all sides, both on the part of the traffickers and on the part of all the states and institutions that instrumentalise migration, with the result that the physical safety and human rights of migrants are not guaranteed. The European Union, in response to the instrumentalisation of migrants, must immediately adopt a common and coherent immigration policy for its Member States.
Ladies and gentlemen,
And these free besieged and outcasts were set to music by the leading Greek composer Yannis Markopoulos, who at the age of eighty-four, full of works and days, passed away on Saturday 10 June. In accordance with his wishes, his family, his loved ones, the whole of Greece bids him farewell today with verses by Dionysios Solomos from "The Free Besieged", which he set to music.
Yannis Markopoulos served his art with endless creativity and creativity: his symphonic works, his compositions for film and theatre, his settings of great Greek poets and his participation through his music in the struggle against the dictatorship sum up the rich legacy of a composer who never ceased to converse with the past in search of bright solutions to the deadlocks of the present.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Expressing our sincere condolences to their families and loved ones, I invite you to observe a one-minute silence in memory of the victims of the Pylos shipwreck and in memory of the leading Greek composer of the free and besieged everywhere.
May their memory live on!
Dear colleagues,
Every year on 15 June, World Wind Day is celebrated on the initiative of the European Wind Energy Association and the World Wind Energy Council. The aim is to provide comprehensive information and raise public awareness of the countless environmental benefits of using this energy, which is an unparalleled shield against climate change.
The House of Representatives declares its willingness to contribute in every possible way, in particular through its legislative work, to the exploitation of this inexhaustible source of energy, wind energy, and renewable energy sources in general, with the ultimate aim of a more environmentally friendly approach.
17 June was designated as World Day against Desertification and Drought in 1995 by the United Nations, adopting the Convention to Combat Desertification and Drought. Desertification currently affects one third of the earth's surface and has been recognised internationally as a huge issue with environmental, social and economic implications.
As the House of Representatives, we share the values and actions of the European Union, aiming both at halting the process of desertification locally and internationally and at halting, as far as possible, the march towards biodiversity loss, global warming through the release of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Finally, I would like to refer to 20 June, World Refugee Day, which was established in 2001 by a resolution of the United Nations General Assembly as a day of honour and recognition of the unspeakable suffering and the unimaginable tragedy experienced and/or lived by each and every refugee, but also of the psychological strength they possess.
As the House of Representatives, we express our sympathy and respect for refugees everywhere and at the same time we honour their perseverance, courage and resilience. At the same time, we declare that we will continue, through our institutional role, to do whatever we deem indispensable for the immediate relief and mitigation of the serious problems collectively faced by refugees. In conclusion, we stress that our national issue, including the refugee issue, has been a priority of the state over time and as such we will continue to struggle until a just and viable solution is found that restores the rights of refugees in our country.
(Text as sent from the House of Representatives)
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