In his statement, the president of the Parliamentary Group of SYRIZA-PS speaks of the “tragic inadequacy of the government” in preventing and dealing with fires, which he is trying to “fix through communication”. Socrates Famous.

Referring to the measures announced by the Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, he claims that he announced measures “that were designed by the SYRIZA government and delivered to his government in the summer of 2019” and adds:

“So, this time after a fire that traveled 40 km, burned 100,000 acres and reached Chalandri, Mr. Mitsotakis announced as new measures:

– forest clearings,

– management studies on forest ecosystems,

– fire protection studies,

– special planning for mixed forest-residential zones, and

– completion of local urban plans.

All this was already planned in 2019, it is foreseen in the Goldammer opinion (2019), in the public fire prevention policy (2019), and in the National Strategy for Forests (2018), and if Mr. Mitsotakis is interested, we can send him the whole GAZETTE

We will also inform him again about the interruption of the fire protection program with 5,000 workers, which the then Minister of Environment and Energy, Mr. Hatzidakis, proceeded with in 2019.”

He accuses the government of “choosing to put all of the above to rest, moving purely on the basis of micro-political gain and with a hidden plan to privatize public functions, even when it comes to the management of forest ecosystems”.

Mr. Famellos also refers to the shortcomings of the public services, saying: “A typical example of sloppiness and inadequacy is that even the seasonal recruitments at the Forestry Department were approved at the end of July (!) to be completed in August (!!!). The situation is similar and in the Fire Brigade, where the minimal and delayed recruitments fall significantly short of the vacancies, but also in the technical means of civil protection where the absorption of the Recovery Fund funds has not been able to break away from 1% for two years now”.

Generalizing, he argues: “With Attica measuring 600,000 burnt acres by 2021 and with incalculable ecological disasters throughout Greece, there is no longer any communication justification for the Mitsotakis government. Yesterday’s ‘post-disaster’ measures were clearly announced under the pressure of political cost And these announcements are hypocritical since it is Mr. Mitsotakis’ choice to weaken public services and the state in order to satisfy the interests of a few.

All the rest are conveniently shifted to ‘individual responsibility’ and the climate crisis, for which Mr. Mitsotakis chose not to prepare the country adequately and in time. No one trusts either Mr. Mitsotakis or his government anymore.”