The prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met in the morning with its Executive Committee Central Union of Municipalities of Greece (KEDE), in the Maximos Palace.

During the meeting, the financial situation of the Municipalities, ways of supporting them within the new European fiscal framework, the staffing needs of the municipal services, the possibility of expanding the DYPA program for the employment of unemployed people aged 55 and over, as well as the modernization of the provisions that govern the operation of Local Government Organizations through the upcoming bill for the Local Government Code.

The contribution of the Municipalities to the implementation of the “Marietta Giannakou” program for the upgrading of school bathrooms, sports areas and for plastering was also discussed, as in the first stage, in cooperation with the Local Government, a detailed record of the needs of the school units and prioritization must be made of the works.

Special reference was made to energy issues and recycling. In this context, progress was made in the implementation of the “Apollo” program, which aims to reduce the cost of electrification of vulnerable citizens and OTAs by covering a significant part of their consumption with cheap green energy. At the same time, the importance of increasing the recycling rate, as part of a holistic plan, was highlighted.

At the start of the debate, the Prime Minister made the following statement:

“Let me welcome you, Mr. President, you and the members of the Executive Committee of KEDE, in the context of the regular meetings we have with the leadership of the Self-Government. We have one goal: to make a comprehensive overview of the open issues before us, in the presence not only of the competent Minister but also of several relevant Ministers.

I think you will also recognize that in recent years important steps have been taken by the government regarding the financial and institutional support of the Self-Government. Obviously, we still have several open issues before us, which also concern the best institutional shielding of the Self-Government, in the context of the ambitious idea of ​​a real multi-level governance, but also a number of other open issues which I see that you have presented in this summary memorandum.

But in order not to take too long, let me give you the reason to make a short introductory statement so that we can then discuss the issues in more detail.”

The President of KEDE and Mayor of Ampelokipi – Menemeni, Lazaros Kyrizoglou, said for his part:

“Mr. Prime Minister, thank you for responding immediately – right after TIF, as you told us – to our request to meet. There is vital political time for the term of the government until the next election, the same for us as a local government, for the current self-government period, which ends after four years.

Thus, at the beginning of this self-administration period, this meeting is particularly important in order to take important and positive steps in our homeland, Greece, in the Self-Government, in order to converge with the European Local Self-Government. Thank you for the invitation.”