By a majority with the positive votes of the ND, the Production and Trade Committee introduces to the Plenary for discussion and voting the draft law of the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection on the “Restructuring of Civil Protection – National Mechanism for Air Rescue and Air Transport and other urgent provisions” after its passing and during its second reading.

KKE and “Niki” opposed the bill, while SYRIZA, PASOK-KINAL, Hellenic Solution, “Spartiates” and Pleussi Eleftherias reserved their place in the Plenary.

The Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Vassilis Kikilias, completing the elaboration of the draft law in the Committee, announced that at the beginning of the session in the Plenary he will submit legislative additions and improvements according to the proposals made by agencies and parties.

Mr. Kikilias reiterated that the aim of the bill is mainly to strengthen prevention, it has no political or ideological connotations and therefore cannot be approached as such by the opposition parties. It is, he said, “a bill that can show that there can be a political convergence of the parties.”

He emphasized that “this bill is critical and pivotal as it makes key reforms in the field of protection that society understands and will embrace.”

In this context, Mr. Kikilias asked the opposition parties to look carefully at what the provisions of the bill introduce as, as he said, “each article hides a better support, organization, simplification, modernization for the better coordination of all the services that are involved in the protection of the citizen”. He pointed out that during the hearing of the bodies, KEDE, representatives and trade unionists of the Fire Brigade, DEDDIE and ADMIE supported the bill.

He stated that the disagreements that the representatives of the National Observatory of Athens had who wished to remain at the Greek Observatory concerned the protection of their research programs “and this was fully ensured” and noted that the government considers that EMY and the Observatory are better off being under the Ministry Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, and for that there will be a valuation.

Mr. Kikilias said that “we believe that the risk assessment decisions are better to be taken from recommendations that will be made through an ad hoc committee of expert scientists that will be able to meet directly and not for the general secretary of Civil Protection to take them alone ». The timely decision-making, noted the minister, will enable immediate operational intervention in the field.

The minister argued that the criticism of the opposition is focused on details and individual issues and not on the essence of the provisions of the bill, such as the best and most effective forest protection, the opening of fire protection zones in the forest tissue and in forest transit areas, the use of new technologies , of the Registry, the Land Registry or the control of properties through E9 for the clearing of plots. There should be the possibility of imposing fines on those who do not clean their plots. The possibility of intervention to the concessionaires to take preventive measures and requisition machinery to deal with a fire. The distribution of first aid items to those affected when there is a need and the mobilization of main structures.

The minister also referred to the provisions for strengthening air transport, rejecting the fears of the opposition parties that their privatization is being attempted. He clarified that “this is not the case. What is being done is to have an immediate solution from the private sector as well until the fleet needed is available. We want six bases to be established to reduce response time by deploying and supporting the existing fleet and capabilities we have.”

Finally, Mr. Kikilias pointed out that the State must take better advantage of all the possibilities it has for dealing with crises, “to become more resistant to the climate changes that are now here”.

The positions of the parties

The ND rapporteur Stefanos Gikas asked for the approval of the bill, underlining that it gives special importance to the prevention of risks arising from natural disasters and not only, providing the guarantees for their best treatment. He noted that it includes regulations and provisions, the necessity of which we saw in the recent major disasters in our country. It creates reforms for the coordinated and more effective cooperation of all involved bodies and ultimately in better dealing with Civil Protection crises, with the aim of safeguarding human life and property and limiting the negative effects as much as possible. With this bill, said the ND MP, the foundations are laid for a better, more flexible, more efficient management of the great challenges we face.

The rapporteur of SYRIZA-PS Simeon Kedikoglou focused on the reports of the agencies that were called to a hearing and claimed that there was no dialogue and consultation with them. He clarified that the way SYRIZA approaches the bill is whether these provisions can work in practice and “this will also determine our vote in the Plenary”. He pointed out as a shortcoming of the bill that there is no mechanism for administrative sanctions when it is found that an official or body did not do his job properly. He suggested that “perhaps it made sense to even have an Environmental Crimes Prosecutor”. Regarding the provisions of the bill concerning air transportation, Mr. Kedikoglou said that the government admits that this mechanism will take about five years to start working, emphasizing that “for us, the public nature of the system is non-negotiable.”

The special buyer of PASOK-KINAL Andreas Poulas observed that “this bill adds new committees and institutions to an already labyrinthine system you have created”. He argued that the new Risk Assessment Committee will be controlled by the government. It transfers the responsibility of assessing an extreme situation to an impersonal and irresponsible committee. The bill, said the MP, even if it had been announced by the prime minister at the TIF, follows the same failed logic of complexity and bureaucracy, it did not emerge through consultation with the agencies. He characterized the transfer of the National Observatory of Athens to the structure of the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection as “absolutely questionable feasibility”, which is being done without planning. In the same rough way, the MP said, the transfer of the EMY is also done, without taking into account its serious operational problems and international obligations. There is no provision for the strengthening of the independent Directorates of Civil Protection of OTAs, Mr. Poulas also mentioned and noted that “the anxiety of the government to produce work in a Ministry which, however, has no purpose beyond the coordination of other bodies, mechanisms, is understandable and media”.

The special buyer of the KKE Yannis Delis, voting against the bill, accused the government of “wanting to consolidate the policy of individual responsibility in natural disasters”. “It establishes and consolidates the understaffing of Civil Protection structures and intensifies the repression of the state against the people”. He emphasized that the structure of the Civil Protection mechanism with the changes promoted by the government is not going to ensure effective protection. The needs of prevention, he said, cannot be done with the services having these tragic shortages in personnel. He pointed out that the bill lacks any reference to the full compensation of those affected by natural disasters, it only talks about relief measures, proving the government’s intention. He also requested the withdrawal of the provision for the transfer of the National Observatory of Athens to the Ministry of Climate Crisis.

The special buyer of Hellenic Solution Maria Athanasiou stated that the government must legislate wisely, comprehensively and effectively and not piecemeal and incompletely as is done with this bill. The judge, he said, should be the common good, the public interest. He maintained reservations and concerns but also disagreements with a series of provisions. He pointed out that for the issues of air transportation, as well as the effective operation of the Civil Protection, rich staffing, staff training, perfect coordination and readiness are required.

The special buyer of the “Spartans” Yiannis Dimitrokallis stated that his party is against the philosophy of the bill in the way it has been submitted. We do not want, he said, to make a sterile opposition. “There are articles in the draft law, which we have seen with a positive eye and we will vote for them, of course. However, there are articles with asterisks as they will not be able to be implemented. But there are also articles, such as the issue of the National Observatory and the EMY, which find us opposed”.

The special buyer of “Victory” Nikos Vrettos voted against the bill saying that its provisions do nothing to help, support and serve the development of dealing with and predicting Civil Protection. He called Climate Change propaganda. He estimated that the Ministry, through and through this bill, becomes much more bureaucratic and “minister-centric”. He predicted that its provisions will not work and only serve to provide ways to squander and waste money that is for the people.

The special buyer of Plefsis Eleftherias Georgia Kefala said that “even though we waited a year for the legislation to be amended and become more inclusive and effective, we still see sloppiness in it”. He stated that the government should discuss more with the agencies both during the study and during the drafting of the bill. He expressed the risk that some functions of EMY and the National Observatory of Athens will “relax” due to the changes that are being made. She expressed her concern that the Fire Service might lose combat firefighters who would be trapped in the Ministry of Civil Protection. We have, he said, disagreements and a series of reflections on a series of articles that do not fall under some kind of micropolitics.

Conference of Presidents, has scheduled the debate and vote of the draft law in the Plenary to be held either tomorrow after the completion and vote of the tax bill, or to be introduced on Friday.