“I have learned to come forward. To fight, to be useful not to hide. To serve society, the neighborhood, the municipality, the region, our place, the proud citizens”. With these words from the heart, the new Regional Governor of Attica, Nikos Hardalias, was sworn in at the emblematic site of the Lavrio Technological Cultural Park of NTUA. And he continued: “I remain a man of purpose. I love responsibility and will always try to serve it with principles and values. With transparency and accountability, always and everywhere. Our strategic vision is clear. Metropolitan Attica! The goal and the responsibility! The bet and the challenge. A Safe, Humane, Sustainable Attica”.

Nikos Hardalias from Lavrio with the term “Metropolitan Model” described the new mode of operation of the Region of Attica, which will be implemented in cooperation with the competent government agencies, away from overlaps, delays and excuses while there will be continuous information to the citizens.

The Minister of the Interior and representative of the Prime Minister at the event, Niki Kerameos, said in her greeting, the following: “The new Regional Authority undertakes in a year of significant changes and improvements in the landscape of local self-government, included in two axes: the legislative framework and human resources us”. This new institutional framework, the minister clarified, serves our pursuit, for the public to become more meritocratic, more flexible, more effective, more efficient, friendlier, more helpful for the citizens. We also know that the new leadership of the Attica Region is a fellow traveler and a supporter and that with the strengthened staff in its Services it will respond to the important role assigned to it for the development course of the place.

The swearing-in was performed by the Metropolitan of Mesogaia and Lavreotiki, Mr. Nikolaos, while the performance of the Assurance of the Regional Councilors was read by Minister N. Kerameos.

The heads of the Regional factions made brief statements about the strategy they will follow in the next five years. Philippos Kambouris, head of the faction “Battle for Attica” said that his faction “will defend the triptych: Homeland-Religion-Family”.

Looking back on his tenure as Prefect and first Regional Governor of Attica, Yiannis Sgouros, the leader of the “Attica Independent Self-Government” faction, asked the government for increased resources and powers for the largest administrative Region of the country.

Yiannis Protoulis, head of the “People’s Rally of Attica” reiterated the will of his faction to defend the rights of the people while he made special mention of the choice of the site stressing that he will recommend to the new Regional Authority the allocation of more funds for the development of the wider area of Lavrio.

The need for all factions of the Regional Council to focus on solving the vital problems that concern Attica was mentioned by the head of the “Attica Circle of Cooperation and Trust” faction, George Ioakeimidis, focusing on cooperation with all the Mayors of the Region.

The swearing-in ceremony was attended by the archbishop Mr. Ieronymos, the vice-president of the Parliament Ioannis Plakiotakis, the ministers of State Stavros Papastavros and Makis Voridis, of Tourism Olga Kefalogianni, of Rural Development Lefteris Avgenakis, of Social Cohesion and Family Sofia Zacharakis, of Digital Governance Dimitris Papastergiou, the pl. Minister of Education and Sports Yannis Vroutsis. Deputy Ministers Yiannis Bratakos, Nikos Tachiaos, Yiannis Kefalogiannis, Domna Michailidou and Zeta Makri, Haris Theoharis, Elena Rapti, Alexandra Sdoukou, Anna-Mani Papadimitriou, MPs Stelios Petsas, Takis Theodorikakos, Angelos Syrigos, Nikos Valachos, the MEP Stelios Kymbouropoulos, former minister and current MP Olga Gerovasilis as a representative of SYRIZA, MP Nadia Giannakopoulos as a representative of PASOK, Regional Governors of Central Macedonia Apostolos Tzitzikostas, and Anat. of Macedonia & Thrace Christodoulos Topsidis, South Aegean Giorgos Chatzimarkos, the outgoing Regional Governor of Attica Giorgos Patoulis, the President of KEDE and Menemeni, the President of PEDA and Mayor of Galatsi Giorgos Markopoulos, the Mayors of Athens Haris Doukas, Piraeus Yiannis Moralis , Andreas Pachaturidis of Peristeri, Dimitris Loukas of Lavreotiki, Grigoris Konstandelos of Voulas-Varis-Vouliagmenis, and the mayors of the other Municipalities. Also present were Chiefs and representatives of the Armed Forces and Security Forces, Ambassadors and representatives of Diplomatic Authorities in Greece, Metropolitans and representatives of the Church.