1. The Hellenic Parliament’s e-response to
pandemic
Dr. Fotis Fitsilis
Head of Scientific Documentation & Supervision
Scientific Service – Hellenic Parliament
27 July 2020
2. 2
Line of thought
Timeline
Legal grounds
Measures, digital /non-digital
The next day
Theoretical approach
3. 3
Basic timeline
25 February: First Executive Order by Greek government
12 March: Conference of Parliamentary Chairmen convened
2 April: Hellenic Parliament ratifies 25/2 order by law
Till 1 June: Postal voting allowed
4. 4
Legal grounds
Greek Constitution: art. 44
Executive Orders by the President of the Republic
Need to be ratified by parliament within 40 days
Standing Orders: art. 13-14 / art. 38
Law 4682/2020 “Urgent measures to avoid and limit
the spread of the corona virus”
5. 5
General measures
Adjustment of parliamentary work to social distancing
Set an example for society
Plenary: limited presence and speaking time
Standing committees: continued working
Special permanent committees: mostly suspended
Parliamentary control: limited to once a week
Administration: safety personnel
6. 6
Digital Transformation I
Extension of teleconferencing facilities to plenary hall
Activated teleconferencing for standing committees
Limited use of teleconferencing by special permanent
committees
Electronic submission of parliamentary control means
7. 7
Digital Transformation II
Parliamentary administrators: safety personnel only
Rest switched to home office / VPN access
No disruption in Scientific Service operations
Introducing and planning of new services:
Speech recognition for semi-automatic minutes
Digital signatures for MPs
Cyber security and collaboration infrastructure
8. 8
Follow-up discussion
Pandemic sped up digital transformation,
but…
What happens if it strikes again?
Sustainability of solutions link to Agenda 2030
Global knowledge base
The role of stakeholders
9. 9
What has really happened?
In need of a theory …
Democratic principle and the role of parliaments
Organizational transformation / management
Crisis / change management
Evaluation during crisis could be biased