With an amendment tabled by the Minister of Development and Investment Adonis Georgiades, tourist accommodation leases are automatically extended for two years for punctual tenants as regards their obligations towards their landlords.
The minister supported the provision of the amendment he tabled in the plenary session of the Parliament, explaining that it is an «urgent» regulation of a request submitted on March 1 to the government by SETE.
Mr Georgiades said that of the 9,500 or so tourist accommodation establishments, more than 1,000 are rented, usually 12-year leases, where businesses have made serious investments and taken out loans.
But last year, because of the pandemic hotels underperformed and this year it is estimated that, even if everything goes well, tourist traffic will be lower than it was in 2019. Because the pandemic was something unpredictable about the business plan that these epidemics are implementing, it would not be right to leave these tenants unprotected. The Minister stressed that this automatic extension only applies to those who are punctual tenants in their obligations to their landlords.
The Minister of Development and Investment, also said that two more provisions of the bill establishes: First, the automatic extension of all professional leases for businesses that by state order remained closed. These extensions will be for the same period of time that these businesses have been closed by state decisions due to the measures taken to deal with the spread of the coronavirus - and this automatic extension of leases will only be available to tenants who are punctual in their obligations to their landlords. Second, by another provision of the bill, the introduction of the unseizability against funds of grants given through the NSRF for the supply of heating equipment and bodies to businesses.
The amendment of the Ministry of Development and Investment caused the strong reaction of the parliamentary representatives and the rapporteurs of the opposition parties as it was tabled towards the end of the debate and they did not consider that it can be studied thoroughly to take a position. The parliamentary representative of SYRIZA, Panos Skourletis, called the government's way of legislating for such serious amendments irresponsible and called on the Minister to withdraw it and submit it to the bill of the Ministry of Culture and Sports scheduled to be discussed and voted on tomorrow, so that there is time to study and processing of the parties to position themselves responsibly. The rapporteurs of Kinal, KKE and MERA 25 spoke of a bad way of legislating and said they would abstain. The Hellenic Solution was against the amendment.
The amendment of the Ministry of Development and Investment was finally voted for by a majority of the New Democracy, voted against by the Hellenic Solution, while SYRIZA, KINAL, KKE and MERA 25 abstained.
