by Stefanos Loukopoulos for the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Foundation Throughout the world, most media outlets and pundits are so consumed by the public health and economic consequences of COVID-19 that they consistently fail to highlight the looming political and institutional risks ahead. Could in fact the biggest casualty of COVID-19 be democracy…

Τhe civil society members (Vouliwatch included) of Open Government Partnership’s Steering Committee have released a statement on COVID and its risks to open government. Focused on democratic values, the statement is a call to action to governments, donors and international organisations. ~ The Covid-19 pandemic has led to a global…

On the November 25, 2019 the Greek Parliament was called to amend what constitutes the highest law of the land. …

A story of transparency and unaccountability — The independent -in the sense that it’s only composed of 3 MPs, the rest are members of the judiciary, ombudsman etc.- parliamentary committee in charge of auditing asset declarations and political parties finances is required by law to publish an annual report with its findings. To this day they have…

Most Greeks grossly overestimate the number of refugees stranded in the country, according to a new study which, however, found that the majority view the integration of newcomers in a positive light. According to the poll carried out by AboutPeople on behalf of VouliWatch and published on Kathimerini newspaper, six…

Along with the economic crisis we are also facing a political crisis. — The historically established mentality of the Greek political system doesn’t prioritize transparency or give it the importance that its citizens today demand, a tradition that is reflected in the financial interest statements of MPs for the years 2013 and 2014, which were disclosed in December 2016. This is the conclusion…

Η πραγματική εικόνα των Πόθεν Έσχες των βουλευτών για τα έτη 2013-2014 Οι κατεστημένες νοοτροπίες 10ετιών και η αναντιστοιχία της σημασίας που δίνεται από την πολιτικό κόσμο στο θέμα της διαφάνειας, συγκριτικά με την απαίτηση των πολιτών, «καθρεφτίζονται» στις δηλώσεις περιουσιακής κατάστασης των βουλευτών για τις χρήσεις του 2013 και του 2014. Τα στοιχεία δημοσιοποιήθηκαν τον Δεκέμβριο του 2016. Το Vouliwatch.gr …

Request campaign launched for access to EU Commissioner’s travel expenses Vouliwatch, a strong advocate for a more transparent and accountable political system, is participating in a European campaign launched by Access Info in order to inspire citizens to exercise the right to access public information. …

The top ten parliamentary paradoxes of 2016. — Photos: Panayotis Tzamaros / FOS PHOTOS This might not sound flattering, but the Greek Parliament is no stranger to absurdity. The perennial problems of the Greek political system have been impacting Greece’s top legislative institution for decades. Indeed, the economic crisis of recent years has served as a “magnifying glass”…