Greek ECR delegation spreading fake news about Patriots Group
Brussels 06/03/2025 - All members of the Patriots for Europe Group would like to express their sincere condolences to the family members of the 57 innocent victims of the Tempi railway disaster, which occurred two years ago on February 28, 2023.
We firmly believe that this tragedy must be thoroughly investigated and justice must be served for the victims and their families. Our Group advocates for the respect of national sovereignty of EU Member States and therefore considers national authorities as the main responsible for investigating such tragic incidents.
This applies to the tragic accident of Tempi in Greece but also to similar incidents of the past, such as the train accident at Santiago de Compostela - Spain in 2013 where 80 people were killed and the railway accident at Eschede - Germany in 1998 where 101 people were killed. Incidents which, according to the rule of law, fall under the exclusive jurisdiction of national authorities for investigation.
To our great surprise, we saw a statement published by a Member of the ECR, Mr. Fragkos, using the ECR logo, in which he calls the Patriots Group an obstacle in the process of investigating this tragic event in the European Parliament. We categorically condemn the claim of "blocking" the process as completely false and clearly slanderous. We remind that the competent Committees of the European Parliament, where MEPs from our Group participate, have already met with the families of the victims and are in continuous communication.
The claim by the ECR Member that European institutions can investigate crimes or accidents in member states is fake news, as it explicitly contradicts European treaties.
Furthermore, it goes against our Group's principles to seek involvement of European Institutions in matters that undermine national sovereignty. The ECR, to our knowledge, advocates for the same principle, objecting to the involvement of European institutions in matters of national competence. However, we are not certain whether the delegation from the Greek Solution is aware, shares and values these common principles.
As the Patriots Group, we have consciously decided to always focus on substance and to stand in practice beside the victims of any similar tragedy with the aim of always shedding full light and justice to be delivered.