Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis held a broad meeting with Eastern Attica mayors on Monday, at the region’s headquarters in Palini.
“Funds allocated to local government in the last three years far exceeded the resources that had been disbursed in the previous decade,” he noted during the meeting.
Referring to the development potential of Eastern Attica, he emphasized the need for a comprehensive plan that will take advantage of the region’s resources.
“It seems that eastern Attica lacks a master plan, an overall developmental plan, which will cover all levels of the discussion regarding the interventions that should be made either at the national, regional, or local level. An overall plan which will outline priorities, financial tools and above all synergies between the different actions that we will launch,” he pointed out.
“We are carrying out a comprehensive review of the operating framework of decentralized administrations (…), including the simplification of bureaucracy, but also a deeper structural intervention, which will be our pre-election commitment for the second four-year term,” Mitsotakis added.
Finally, referring to the impact of the energy crisis, Mitsotakis noted that “we see, before us, an unprecedented energy crisis, the likes of which we had not experienced for 50 years, and for which we must be ready, as a central government, to sustain the relevant reserves to continue to support businesses, households, government agencies, but we are confident in our capabilities and in our planning, that although the winter [ahead] may be difficult, we have faced several hardships in the three years that we have been in government, therefore we shall overcome this too.”
Premier’s tour of Eastern Attica
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Monday completed a tour of Eastern Attica, visiting the Kropia-Paiania sewage treatment plant site, the Athens international airport, camps hosting Ukrainian refugees and the port of Rafina.
While visiting the sewage treatment plant construction site, he noted that “it is the biggest environmental project that is underway in Greece, if we include all the actions on the level of treatment units and pipelines, whether we are talking about urban networks or central lines. It is a very important action and it naturally improves the quality of life and creates other possibilities for the area.”
The sum of 420 million euros in EU funding was secured in order to provide a solution to a problem stretching back decades, addressing an infrastructure deficit in one of the fastest-growing regions in the country, Mitsotakis pointed out.
The project is part of a series of actions to upgrade water and sewage systems in Eastern Attica, which are expected to significantly upgrade the area environmentally and protect the water table, as well as ending the pollution of the seas and coastlines.
In his visit to the airport, Mitsotakis spoke with staff and travellers and said it was significant that Athens airport did not have the same delays and problems witnessed at other airports in Europe, as this greatly added to the pleasant experience of visitors. The airport’s management said this was because there were no staff shortages, partly as a result of the support given during the pandemic to protect jobs.
“We present the image of a fully organised country. Let us hope we continue like this and that tourism provides the fiscal breathing space we so greatly need at this difficult time,” Mitsotakis said.
The prime minister was briefed on the increase in airport traffic since pandemic measures were eased, especially the increase in flight connections with the United States. He also expressed satisfaction with the green policies adopted by the airport, such as the installation of photovoltaics.
Mitsotakis then visited Rafina and toured the Zografou municipality’s summer camp, where Ukrainian refugees are currently housed, while he was also briefed on the operation of Rafina’s port during the tourist season, as well as plans to improve and modernise its infrastructure.
In an address given in Rafina, the prime minister noted that Greece, like Eastern Attica, was changing for the better and for the benefit of all Greeks.
“I had the opportunity today to tour a series of the most significant projects that are taking place in Eastern Attica, with the big infrastructure projects being the most important. What is happening in Eastern Attica is a small-scale version of the changes taking place throughout the country,” Mitsotakis said.
He also commented on the completion of three years since the government was elected, repeating that the elections will be held at the end of the government’s four-year term in 2023 and that New Democracy will once again emerge victorious.
SOURCE; ANA-MPA
