Borrell urged to step in after US denied visa to Greek MEP

Borrell urged to step in after US denied visa to Greek MEP. The group of the EU Left in the European has asked EU top diplomat Josep Borrell to intervene in a case of Greek MEP Stelios Kouloglou, who has been denied a visa to travel to the US. More.

“Repeatedly denying Kouloglou a visa is due to his previous work as a journalist and documentary director. This anti-democratic decision led to a lack of representation of our group in the European Parliament mission to the US,” the group said in a statement.

“We also urge EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell to intervene decisively in the case, ask for a clear explanation from US authorities, and a reversal of the decision,” the statement reads.

Greek MEP Stelios Kouloglou, a member of the European leftist group, has not been granted a visa to travel to the US even for missions that have been part of his parliamentary activities since he was elected as an EU lawmaker in 2014.

The latest incident was several weeks ago when he was refused a visa to travel to the UN General Assembly in New York.

EU Parliament chief David Sassoli recently sent a letter to the US embassy in Brussels demanding a “clear explanation” about why Kouloglou was denied a visa.

EURACTIV has learnt that the US embassy replied to Sassoli’s letter but without providing the reasons for the visa denial.

Kouloglou told EURACTIV last month that the visa denial is likely retaliation because of his journalistic past.

“I know that the US authorities have complained to the Greek ones about several documentaries I produced in the past, such as the ‘25 lies to sell a war’, the ‘Whisteblowers’ and the ‘Apology of an economic hit man’ documentaries”, Kouloglou said.

(Sarantis Michalopoulos | EURACTIV.com)