Former First Lady and former European Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou has expressed her displeasure at the decision to end the police escort she had been provided, though she stressed she would fully respect the decision of the competent authorities. Speaking on Sigma TV's programme "Μεσημέρι και Κάτι" , she said the escort had served her attendance at official engagements, not personal travel.
Vehicle returned after president's death
Vassiliou noted that following the death of former President Georgios Vassiliou, the presidential vehicle he had used was returned to the state immediately. She said she found it striking that the service provided to an 83-year-old individual was being withdrawn at a time when significant sums continued to be spent in other areas.
"Not a matter of personal convenience"
According to Vassiliou, the presence of a police officer was never linked to private movements but to her participation in official events, conferences and embassy functions. She recalled that Georgios Vassiliou himself never had an extensive security detail, having had two officers in his later years and, eventually, just one, without ever requesting additional security measures.
Questioning the basis for the escorts
Referring more broadly to the security details granted to former state officials, Vassiliou questioned whether the issue was purely about safety or also about the institutional standing attached to the office of a former President of the Republic. "In my case it was not a matter of security, but of facilitating my participation in official events," she said, adding that she never used the officer for personal obligations.
"Is it honourable for the state?"
She posed the question of whether "it is honourable for a state to have a First Lady and former Commissioner driving around an embassy looking for a parking space in order to attend an event." Vassiliou added that she did not consider it fitting for the state to have a former First Lady and former European Commissioner searching for parking to attend official invitations, and suggested she may gradually scale back her public appearances at such events as a result.
