The area of ​​Ilia was visited on Monday and Tuesday, 15 and 16 April 2024, by the Deputy Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, responsible for recovery from natural disasters and state aid, Christos Triandopoulos in the context of the implementation of the government plan after natural disasters that affected the region during the previous period, focusing both on the support and rehabilitation part, as well as on the development part of the region.

“The close cooperation that has developed throughout the previous period with the local government organizations of Ilia continues at the same pace, focusing both on interventions to support and restore the areas affected by previous natural disasters, as well as on the important project for the development of the wider area with an emphasis on Ancient Olympia. In this direction, the preparatory work continues – within the framework of the Governmental Subcommittee for Ilia – of the proposals of the Municipalities and the Region based on the study of DIANEOSIS, as well as the needs of each region. In parallel, therefore, with the implementation of the plan to support and restore the area, with a budgetary impact exceeding 45 million euros, the preparatory work for the development plan of the area is also progressing, focusing on the next day and the next generations. And the cooperation with everyone continues”, noted the Deputy Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Christos Triandopoulos during his visit to Ilia.

Specifically, on Monday morning, in Olympia, the enlarged meeting of the governmental subcommittee for the targeted support of the regions of Ilia was held, following the study by diaNEOsis “Ilia 2030: Reconstruction with a focus on Ancient Olympia”. In the meeting coordinated by Mr. Triandopoulos and in collaboration with diaNEOSis, the involved general secretaries, the deputy governor of Ilia, the mayors of Ilia, the president of the Chamber of Ilia, as well as officials participated. During the meeting, the course of utilization of the study and consultation on it with the representatives of the local government of Ilia was presented, where in the current phase the proposals and priorities from all the Municipalities of Ilia are collected by the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, in continuation of the significant changes to the self-governing map of the region after the recent self-governing elections.

Afterwards, the deputy minister visited the municipality of Andravidas – Kyllini and had a working meeting with the mayor, Mr. Ioannis Lentza, and officials of the municipal authority at the town hall, where they discussed both the course of implementation of projects that – during the previous period – received emergency funding, in the context of natural disaster recovery, as well as a range of infrastructure and network issues arising from recent extreme weather events. On the same day, Monday, the Deputy Minister also attended the enlarged Meeting of the Steering Committee of the Central Union of Chambers of Greece, which took place in Pyrgos.

During the event of the Chambers of the country, Mr. Triandopoulos noted the particularly close cooperation that has developed with the Chambers of the country, both during the implementation of the support and rehabilitation plans in areas affected by natural disasters, as well as during the promotion of development plans in specific areas, such as Ilia, Northern Evia, but also other areas, underlining that the role of the Chambers is pivotal and decisive.

On Tuesday, April 16, 2024, the deputy minister visited the municipality of Zacharos and the municipality of Andritsaina – Krestena, together with the deputy minister of Citizen Protection, Andreas Nikolakopoulos, and the general secretary of Natural Disaster Recovery and State Aid, Petros Kambouris. Initially, a working meeting was held at Zaharos town hall, where the issues that have arisen in the area after the recent earthquake were analyzed with the mayor, Costas Mitropoulos, and with officials of the municipal authority, while they also visited the city’s municipal stadium, which suffered damage from recent seismic activity. Afterwards, a working meeting was held at the town hall of Andritsaina – Krestena, with the mayor, Dionysios Baliukos, and members of the municipal authority, with the discussion focusing on issues of repairing damage to networks and infrastructures after recent extreme weather events.