The Municipality of Athens issued a statement responding to a publication:

“The Press Office of the Municipality of Athens, on the occasion of a front-page publication of the newspaper “Sunday Democracy”, clarifies the following:

1. The “PROCUREMENT AND PLANTING OF TREES TO ENRICH THE COMMON USERS’ GREEN SPACES” project with a budget of €1,999,703.11 (incl. VAT) is part of the actions included in the Memorandum of Cooperation between the Municipality of Athens, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, Attiko Metro and of Anaplasi Athens S.A. for Line 4 of the Metro and its funding has been included in the Sectoral Development Program of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport.

2. In particular, the Memorandum signed at the initiative of the municipal Authority, provides for the planting of 2,975 large trees, as a compensation for the temporary loss of greenery at the construction sites, but also for the possible long-term strengthening of the greenery of the city, in areas of the wider area of Municipality of Athens affected by Line 4 works.

3. All the procurements of the wider public sector, therefore also the one in question, are done through the procedures defined by Law 4412/2016 and the current legislation. That is, with an open tender during which discounts will be given by the participants and the final prices will be determined by the free market.

4. The company “ANAPLASI ATHINAS SA” operates for the sake of the public interest, and belongs to the bodies of the General Government. It was established by Law 4539/2018 [Φ.Ε.Κ. Α΄ 89/18.05.2018]with the aim of coordinating the planning, programming and implementation of renovations within the limits of the Municipality of Athens, especially in the center of the city of Athens.

5. The budget, technical description and specifications of the project have been drawn up internally by the Department of Greenery and Urban Wildlife of the Municipality of Athens, which utilized its rich experience and deep knowledge of the city and its needs.

6. The 2975 trees will be planted in nine areas of the city, around the new Metro stations, and cover an area equivalent to 25,000 sq.m.

7. They chose large trees with large and rich crowns that are classified in the upper category and in their final growth exceed 20 meters in height. E.g. a plane tree with a perimeter of 25-35 cm.. such as those described in the tender can be up to 4 m. high and the price of the tender includes both supply, transport and planting of the trees.

8. As regards the types of trees (jacarandas, plane trees and mulberries) they are dictated by the logic of the existing tree rows in Athens. Indicatively impressive rows of Jacarante trees are located in Zappeio, on Athinas Street on Rigillis Street, while plane trees adorn the whole city: From Dionysiou Areopagitou to Sevastoupoleos Street and Panepistimiou Street. We also include the relevant photos.

trees

trees

9. Regarding the financial situation of the Municipality, it is noted that Moody’s has upgraded it twice, reflecting the good planning of the municipal authority in the implementation of the budget, the low debt, as well as the high liquidity, which is expected to continue in the coming years . In addition, the application of fiscal discipline rules and the rationalization of expenditure were assessed.

10. For the first time in the history of the Municipality of Athens in 2023 revenues of more than 1 billion euros are predicted, from approximately 780 million in 2019, with the increase being universally attributed to claiming and securing European and national resources. For the current year municipal fees have been cut horizontally by 5%. The mayor announced yesterday a new additional reduction of 5% for 2024.

From all of us who work for a greener and more humane Municipality of Athens, wishes for a happy and flowery May Day to the friends of the Republic”.