The will of the government to assist the efforts of the Regions through the new local government code, which is expected to be ratified by the Parliament in April 2025, was expressed by the Deputy Minister of the Interior, Vassilis Spanakis, speaking at the 10th regular conference of the Union of Regions of Greece (ENPE) , which takes place in Alexandroupoli.

He added that the code will bring together scattered provisions that exist in hundreds of pieces of legislation and “we will know who is responsible and why”. He also underlined that there is a need for substantial institutional reform, while facing the climate crisis and the new facts in everyday life, the regional self-government must have useful and essential tools, with the help and support of the central state.

The Deputy Minister of the Interior noted that as part of the committee for the new code, a unit will be created to support Regions and municipalities, so that the relationship “is two-way with continuity in everyday life”.

Responding to delegates’ questions and positions, Mr. Spanakis underlined that the ministry is waiting for the proposals of elected officials, civil servants, and also workers’ unions. As he pointed out, many months before the ratification of the code and many years before the local elections, the government speaks frankly and submits a framework of specific proposals.

The Deputy Minister of the Interior emphasized that the Regions compose and co-shape the country’s policy since 2019, when the New Democracy took over. their funding increased from 665 million to 772 million euros, at a rate of 16%. Mr. Spanakis announced the adoption of legislative initiatives to strengthen and expand the competences of the regional development funds, which will be able to proceed with programmatic contracts. He added that by the end of the year, the presidential decrees will proceed “so that all decentralized administrations have a clear organization”.

The Secretary General of the Ministry of the Interior, Savvas Chionidis, called the new code a “big bet” and asked for specific proposals. “Let’s state what we have in mind – even if they sound groundbreaking and paradoxical,” he said.

The regional governor of Western Greece, Nektarios Farmakis, pointed out the need to create a permanent mechanism to connect the second level of self-government with the staff state.

Finally, the head of the local government code drafting and implementation unit, Kimon Sidiropoulos, pointed out that with the code the previous legislations will be abolished, the precision of terms will apply (that is, the terms will have the same meaning in all legislations), the self-governing regulations will be recorded provisions existing in laws with another subject, and secondary law will be ready, that is, ministerial decisions and presidential decrees.