Her opposition to the new seafront and beach leasing procedures, the withholding of 20% of the tourist fee for the public and the change in the way it is collected through the AADEexpressed the board of directors of the Central Union of Municipalities of Greece (KEDE), at today’s first meeting of the new year.

The new arrangements of the Ministry of Finance for the procedures for leasing the seafront and the beach, as well as the newest developments regarding the fee for transients, were discussed in a meeting held this afternoon by a delegation of KEDE led by President Lazaros Kyrizoglou with Minister of National Economy and Finance Kostis Hatzidakis.

Regarding the issue of beaches, KEDE requests that the municipalities have substantial competence both in terms of umbrella seats and in the conduct of the electronic rental tender.

Regarding the transient migrant fee, it expresses its direct opposition to the withholding of 20% of the transient migrant accommodation fee as well as the gross revenue of entertainment centers, restaurants and related shops in favor of the State, since, as mentioned, this is a usurpation of financial resources belonging to the municipalities .

KEDE also expresses its opposition to the method introduced by AADE for the collection and return of the fees in question to the municipalities, as the possibility that they had until now to have immediate knowledge of the revenues and their immediate collection, through the https platform, is abolished ://dae.govapp.gr. The platform was developed in 2021 by KEDE, with the cooperation and support of the Ministry of Digital Governance and the Ministry of the Interior, increased the collectability of fees, bringing the 100 municipalities that participated in the system more than 20 million euros, and was abolished on January 11 .

KEDE will request the restoration of these possibilities in the new method of collection or at least the parallel operation of the abolished platform and the option of choosing a collection system by each municipality.

Regarding the waste burial fee, the president of KEDE announced that by February 12 the appeal will be submitted to the Supreme Court for its illegal and unconstitutional imposition. The appeal will be made by KEDE on behalf of the municipalities. At the same time, he appealed to the municipalities to participate en masse in this effort and to proceed immediately to receive the relevant and necessary decision of the mayor and the Municipal Committee of the municipality concerned.

Regarding the connection fee for consumers with the natural gas network imposed by the Energy and Water Regulatory Authority, the president of KEDE L. Kyrizoglou stated in his presentation that, for the first time after seven years of using natural gas, from 01/01/ 2024 all connection contracts signed are charged with connection fees depending on the penetration of natural gas per Kallikrat municipality.

In municipalities where penetration is over 75%, now all new consumers, businesses, municipal buildings are “punished” by absorbing all construction costs without providing a discount. For example, within the municipalities of Thessaloniki, Kalamaria and Ampelokipi Menemeni, the connection fees vary: for a detached house 1,600 euros, for a restaurant 2,500 euros, for a school or municipal building 2,500 – 4,500 euros, for an apartment building over 2,000 euros.

In the remaining areas of Thessaloniki, Thessaly and Attica where there is a gas distribution network with penetration of less than 75%, consumers are charged connection fees amounting to 30% of the total cost.

“Especially in Thessaly, affected by the floods, stressed Mr. Kyrizoglou, which is in a declared state of crisis, where citizens have seen property destroyed, equipment and boiler rooms have been destroyed, fees should be applied with a 100% discount, so that not to be burdened with yet another additional expense».

Concluding, Mr. Kyrizoglou underlined that in the context of equal treatment of the population, serving the needs of citizens and local communities, equal access to a social good, the ERA as well as the Ministry of Environment and Energy are invited to reconsider the decision and to its application is immediately suspended.