The absolute opposition of SYRIZA-PS in any plan or methodology aimed at the privatization of TIF “either in the form of PPP, or by granting the area for real estate projects of large contractors”, emphasized the Socrates Famous after a meeting he had with the TIF-Helexpo Employees’ Association -after their initiative-, who expressed “their concern about the government’s long delay in announcing the financing plan for the reconstruction of HELEXPO-TIF”.

He emphasized that “TIF-HELEXPO must remain in our city and in the city’s agencies” and that the plans of the prime minister must be responded to by the city’s agencies. “The regional governor, Mr. Tzitzikostas, who was re-elected, the candidates for the Municipality of Thessaloniki and the productive bodies of the city must take a stand. For four years now, our city has been going backwards because of the choices of Mr. Mitsotakis and decisions made far from Thessaloniki. Does anyone have the courage to speak up for the right and interests of our city and the local economy?” write down.

The president of the KO of SYRIZA-PS said that “it has been obvious for a year that the plan of Mr. Mitsotakis is the privatization of TIF” and that SYRIZA has filed its concerns since September 2022, with Alexis Tsipras, “when we found out that the government is keeping silent about the financing of the reconstruction of TIF”. He added that “the sell-out of the Exhibition also complements the degradation of Thessaloniki, which, by Mr. Mitsotakis’ choice, was left out of the Recovery and Stability Fund funding”. He noted that the studies for the reconstruction of TIF have been completed for a year but the Ministry of Finance and the Super Fund have not taken any initiative and have not made any announcement about the financing plan. He accused the government of leaving the issue “on ice” to “get out of the scope of the national and local elections”.

In particular, regarding financing, he commented that “The billions that were available from the NSRF and the Recovery Fund are available, it seems, for the cronies of Mr. Mitsotakis, even “Hellenic Gold” which has received funding, but not for Thessaloniki and its Exhibition organization”.

“The government has led to an impasse in the project of renovating TIF in order to privatize it afterwards. And so the plan to upgrade the free spaces and the greenery over 50% that had been secured will also be losti”, he said.

He also stated that “the exhibitor has been abandoned” and that “this is probably Mr. Mitsotakis’s plan, to let the TIF downgrade and create a dead end in its financing plan to give some crony big contractor or “investor” to take advantage of it».

The meeting on behalf of the TIF employees’ association was attended by: Chatziioannou Panagiotis, president, Christos Hasapidis, vice president, Kotiva Kyriaki, secretary, and the members Eleni Ypsilantos and Kostas Kapetanakis. Mr. Famellos pledged that SYRIZA-PS will take initiatives through and outside the Parliament “to block the TIF privatization plan”.