“With projects that achieve large-scale savings, such as complete upgrade of electric lightingwhich translates to multi-million euro savings, we will be able to move on reduction of municipal fees“, Stressed o Mayor of Athens Costas Bakogiannis in an interview on Open TV and referred to the contract that will be signed in the coming weeks through which, in total 43,500 electric lights throughout the city will be upgraded with Led energy.
“We will see this practically in our daily lives. Energy upgrade means more light, it means automation – you will no longer call the municipal services to inform that a light bulb is broken, because we will see this automatically. But it also means huge savings of money, which we estimate at a rate of 40% – 50% “.
Mr. Bakoyannis reiterated his commitment that the Municipality of Athens will not pass on to the citizens the burdens arising from the increased energy costsnor will the services.
“It is clear that everything that you live, we all live in our homes, the municipalities also live. We are called to respond to the same increases. So what is the bet for us? First, let us not pass on these increases to the citizens. This is unthinkable and at least for the Municipality of Athens it is the absolute commitment. All the effort, however, is done with great difficulty. We rationalize our budgets. Do not forget that the Municipality of Athens is the only municipality in the European Union – and I say this with pride – whose, in the midst of a pandemic, Moody’s came and upgraded its credit rating. This of course shows that the municipality of Athens respects public money, operates transparently and operates rationally. Therefore, we now have the ability to manage our finances in such a way that the citizen does not feel that we are cutting services. Do you remember in the crisis when we were playing bins because Athens did not have the money to get bins? Let’s agree that we will not experience this again “.
THE Mayor of Athens stressed that the reduction of remuneration will become absolutely responsible. “How can we reduce the rewards and at the same time be serious, be responsible not to throw the municipality on the rocks? With projects and interventions like this for electric lighting “.
Social housing program in Athens – Regulation and Airbnb to reduce rents
Mr. Bakoyannis also referred to the program and the proposals of the Municipality for dealing with the lack of housing and expensive rents in Athens.
“At the moment, there is a very large increase in rents in Athens. This, as you can see, is driving people away from the city, especially young people and young families. We therefore addressed the Ministry of Labor, Mr. Hatzidakis, who was extremely receptive, and submitted a comprehensive and practical proposal, which is immediately applicable. We have the experience of the “ESTIA” program, which has hosted with great success, in the last 5-6 years, thousands of beneficiaries in thousands of apartments. Let us use the European resources that exist in the new programs, in the new programming period, in order to “unlock” these resources. We have, in fact, indicated the potential sources of funding, in order to run a corresponding program for the city and for the Athenians.
The Mayor of Athens, clarified that the beneficiaries of the program can be young couples, families, people with disabilities, but also people who face different kinds of difficulties.
“We have submitted a proposal on what could be the categories of beneficiaries that are under discussion. What we need to agree on is, first of all, that we need to make the decision immediately. “We can not sit back and plan for 2025 and 2027, when we have a problem in 2022. If we have the European resources available and we also have the programming experience within the local authorities, let us not waste time, let’s go now.”
Mr. Bakoyannis also set the Airbnb parameter in the equation for reducing rents, expressing the assessment that the relevant regulations should be passed to the jurisdiction of the municipalities, leaving open the possibility that a ceiling should be placed in some neighborhoods.
“We have to put Airbnb on the table, which is a blessing, but also a curse. There is no doubt that it has contributed greatly to tourism development or that it has been and continues to be an income for many Athenians. But there are some neighborhoods in the city where Airbnb has reached saturation, while there are others where we would like Airbnb more. So we have been saying for 2-2.5 years that Airbnb should not be regulated nationally. It is not a matter of government, it is a matter of municipalities “. He cited Koukaki as an example of the saturation of real estate supply through this platform, in contrast to e.g. with Agios Pavlos or Larissa Station.
Finally, when it comes to securing housing, the vulnerable homeless population is always a priority. Mr. Bakoyannis referred, among other things, to the model structure of the Multipurpose Center, created by the Municipality of Athens and in fact in the midst of a pandemic.
“We created a new structure, the Multipurpose Homeless Center 1.5-2 years ago and I can now tell you with confidence that every homeless person in this city has a bed, if he wants it and needs it. We call it Multipotent because it is three in one: First, it is a day center for those who want to come and take a shower, get a plate of food, wash their clothes. Secondly, it is a dormitory for those who come in at night and go out in the morning without bureaucracy – this is very important. And third, it has the ability to host people for longer, always in conditions of dignity. This Center today can accommodate up to 400 of our fellow human beings “.
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