With a particularly sarcastic post on his personal Facebook account, Mayor of Kythira Efstratios Charhalakis attacks the management of the Hellenic Petroleum Group due to its refusal to provide fuel in the Municipality of Kythira for firefighting vehicles, as was the case in period 2015–2019. More specifically, in his post, the Mayor states:
«Between 2015 and 2019, the ELPE Group provided our municipality with a significant amount of fuel on an annual basis for firefighting vehicles, as it did for many other municipalities. This year is the second year that it has refused to do so, offering ridiculous excuses. Everyone can draw their own conclusions...».
As is well known, in the world of local government but also in local communities such as Western Macedonia, the Ionian Islands, the Dodecanese and others critical areas, the Corporate Relations Department of the ELPE Group had developed a program offering free EKO heating oil to schools, municipalities, institutions, and vulnerable social groups. It also included the provision of fuel for forest firefighting.
Unfortunately since 2020, the program seems to have lost momentum As a result, many of the beneficiaries are now left without assistance. This is precisely the focus of the mayor of Kythira, given that Kythira received significant support from ELPE through the aforementioned program during the period 2015–2019..
What has changed in the management of ELPE
After the 2019 elections, the administration changed and the government appointed others to represent it, as was its right. However, in the summer of 2021 the government, decided to relinquish its right to appoint seven of the thirteen members of the Board of Directors and control management. The administration is now elected by the General Assembly and the public is limited to four people... management in practice was assigned to the major shareholder, the Latsis Group. It should be noted that the right to control the management (i.e., the management) was estimated at €120,000,000...
What does the change in management at ELPE mean for society?
As is understandable, since the Greek government has relinquished control of the administration, its ability to intervene in the social policy pursued by ELPE was also restricted. We would like to remind you that the government has also changed its policy regarding the Public Power Corporation (PPC) and has stopped intervening, as it did in the past when it kept the company's tariffs “low” and influenced competition.
All of this has a negative impact on Kythira, as it does on any region in need. Kythira, after the pleasant surprises with the Transport Equivalent, the abolition of the discount at petrol station pumps and the accuracy, they are affected financially even more.
As for what has been happening with ELPE over the last two and a half years, an extensive report was published last August. in their joint article in the Journalists' Newspaper, our fellow countryman Spyros Michalakis former president and CEO of BP Hellenic S.A. and Gregory Stergioules former CEO of ELPE S.A. In their article, they take a critical stance on the example of ELPE with regard to the concept of entrepreneurship in a «bureaucratic» state. You can read it here. here.
Here is the mayor's Facebook post:
