ATHENS – An omnibus bill that included sections on a national pension for ethnic Greeks from Albania and the former Soviet Union, the responsibility of the press and forested fields was passed in Parliament on Wednesday, shortly after midnight, with the support of ruling New Democracy MPs.

All the opposition parties opposed the bill in principle, particularly the articles concerning press freedoms and responsibility.

All the parties voted in favour of a bill on a national pension for ethnic Greeks from Albania and the former Soviet Union, apart from the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) which abstained, while noting that it required improvements.

Article 80 on forested fields was opposed by main opposition SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance and MeRA25 while the Movement for Change (KINAL), KKE and Elliniki Lysi abstained.

The bill on the responsibility of the press, which gives the National Council for Radio and Television the power to impose fines on press owners for slanderous or offensive reports, was passed with the support of ruling party MPs, while all the opposition parties voted against apart from KINAL, which abstained.