EU Commissioner for Health and Food Safety launched a verbal attack on Monday against Greek deputy health minister Pavlos Polakis for smoking in public.
Vytenis Andrikaitis, who is visiting Athens, held up a 2016 photo of Polakis smoking during a press conference in the Greek capital.
Mentioning that it was World Cancer Day, the EU official said: “Its a shame! This guy understands nothing of health.”
He added that such behavior “must be denounced by the public.”
“Applying anti-smoking legislation is a very serious issue and your country’s parliament has to discuss it… Today I visited the Ministry of Health, and the premises smelled of cigarettes,” Andrikaitis added.
Deputy Minister for Health Polakis, who is reported to smoke constantly, has courted controversy in the past and is known for his verbal attacks against opponents and the media.
Despite being a deputy Health minister he has been photographed several times while smoking in public places.
Last week a video surfaced where Polakis is seen dancing in a nightclub with a cigarette dangling from his lips.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
