The meeting was addressed by all the mayors, who referred to the projects that have progressed on their islands and the cooperation they have with the government, but also to the problems they still face.
The Prime Minister met today with the mayors of the 42 islands of the country with a population of less than 5,000 inhabitants, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, at the Maximos Palace.
The meeting was addressed by all the mayors, who referred to the projects that have progressed on their islands and the cooperation they have with the government, but also to the problems they still face.
“Our State must continuously strengthen our islands with infrastructure, create new jobs for our young people, take care of transport, local health and education structures and of course help you make the green transition a reality. which can be a great comparative advantage, especially for our smaller islands.
“You know that there is a lot to be done, but I believe that our government has shown that it is willing to focus on the problems, especially of the small islands,” said the prime minister, who recorded the mayors’ positions. referred to the special difficulties they face, but also to the development opportunities they have.
Grants of 500 million
“Only in the 42 islands represented today, the total grants reach almost 500 million, the “Philodimos II” Program, the “Tritsis” Program, in which the small islands are over-represented by the Ministries, by the NSRF. Soon there will be additional funding from the Recovery Fund, while an innovative program is launched, “Nearchos”, which is a fund for special local projects, water supply networks, desalination plants, which are so important for our islands, in the configuration of ports, but also in projects of renewable sources “, noted Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
“But I want to emphasize that none of these initiatives can take shape without your support. And the support of local communities. It is a great opportunity for you to step forward and embrace these solutions, even if sometimes this may in the short term make you feel that it is in conflict with some interests that have learned to work in a certain way. But it is a great opportunity.
And we will support every mayor, every mayor, who will dare to come forward and innovate, because none of these solutions that we can propose to you, can be implemented – I will repeat it – without the support of the local community “and if there is no leadership from the municipal authorities, that is, from you,” the prime minister added.
Ongoing projects – Local problems
“At a time when the financial tools in favor of Local Government Organizations are really too many, we must reduce the risk of exclusion from those of small and understaffed municipalities, which without technical services are unable to prepare even simple studies and have no technocratic and financial adequacy “noted the Chairman of the Island Policy Committee of KEDE and Mayor of Kythera Efstratios Charchalakisadding that “for the first time in the history of the country, the sensitive issue of spatial planning is set as a priority through the elaboration of local spatial plans, centrally by the Government, an issue that is one of the most serious development interventions at local level since the change of government” .
Among the issues raised by the 42 representatives of the small island municipalities of the country in the meeting that lasted more than 4 hours, were those of transfers and mobility so as not to further aggravate the problem of understaffing, the mode of operation of decentralized administrations, the issue town planning and construction services, medical coverage, housing the island’s staff, maritime transport and energy issues.
“Today’s meeting reflects the will of your Government and personally of the Prime Minister to improve the quality of life of our islanders, their support to remain in their place, the support of island businesses and this is reflected through the institution, for the first time in pan-European level, a national strategy for integrated maritime policy in the island area and, equally important to me, the institutionalization of specific financial instruments. The activation of this framework, therefore, secured us 205 million euros for the modernization of port infrastructure and in particular 45 projects on small islands “, stressed the Minister of Shipping Giannis Plakiotakis.
“Today’s meeting shows that there are no forgotten Greeks, there is no area of ​​our country outside the field of vision and the Government and that is why we try to do what we can to support you and through your Municipal Authority the citizens “in your effort to move the country forward,” said Deputy Interior Minister Stelios Petsas.
“Your invitation honors you, your team, but it also honors the Local Government. “Because Greece is changing and changing through the Local Government,” said the President of KEDE Dimitris Papastergiou which referred to government support initiatives, such as energy costs, and also presented individual Municipal issues.
Total funding 482.5 million euros for the small islands
More specifically, the funding is as follows:
From the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: 232.6 million euros
– Extraordinary grants / financing of small island municipalities (less than 5 thousand inhabitants) from the Regular Budget and the PDE, from July 2019 until today: 74.1 million euros
– Funding from the “Antonis Tritsis” Program: 158.5 million euros
From Programs of other Ministries: 249.9 million euros
– Funding from the NSRF: 128.7 million euros.
– Υπ. Shipping & Island Policy: 71.5 million euros.
– Υπ. Transport: 29.8 million euros.
– Υπ. Agricultural: 16.2 million euros.
– Υπ. Environment & Energy: € 3.7 million.
The Deputy Minister of Development and Investment Giannis Tsakiris, the Deputy Minister of Environment and Energy George Amyras, the Secretary General of Waste Management Manolis Grafakos and the Secretary General of the Ministry of Interior Michadis also spoke on the issues mentioned by the Mayors at the meeting. The meeting was also attended by the Minister of Interior, Makis Voridis, the Secretary General of Island Policy, Manolis Koutoulakis, and the Secretary General of Coordination of Internal Policies, Thanassis Kontogeorgis.
The meeting was attended by the mayors of Agathonissiou Evangelos Kotoros, Agios Efstratios Maria Kakalis, Agathios Ioannis Athanasiou, Alonissos Petros Vafinos, Amorgos Eleftherios Karaiskos, Anafis Iakos Island of Psara Konstantinos Vratsanos, Itai, Gikas Gikas, Ithaca Dionysios Stanitsas, Kea Irene Velissaropoulou, Kimolos Konstantinos Ventouris, Kythira Stratos Charchalakis, Kythnos Stamatios Dimitrios Lianos, Nisyrou Christofis Koronaios, Oinousson Georgios Daniel, Paxon Spyridon Vlachopoulos, Patmou Eleftherios Pentes, Porou Ioannis Dimitriadis, Samothrakis Nikolaos Galatumos, Serifou Konstantinos Revinoulis Vassilis , Spetses Panagiotis Lyrakis, Symis Eleftherios Papakalodoukas, Tilos Maria Kamma – Aliferi, Hydra Georgios Koukoudakis, Folegandrou Efthalia Papadopoulou, Halkis Evangelos Fraggakis Dimos, Dimos Oven – Corset Consultant, Ioannis Fragoulidis.
