Criticism and reservations about the Voridis amendment that supposedly complies with the CoE decision.
The government should immediately relieve the Local Government from existing and long unsolved problems before national elections are called, because for the time being the promises remain promises and the regulations of the Minister of Interior foreshadow for the local government institution... new problems! In summary, so can be described the atmosphere at yesterday's meeting of the board of the KEDE, where requests for financial aid to municipalities were reiterated and commented - accepting the criticism of the opposition and the reservations of the opposition - the recent amendment of M. Voridis, with which he attempted to (not) comply with the decision of the Council of State (CoE) for the committees of municipalities.
The amendment -now withdrawn-, it is recalled, does indeed return the powers of the Finance Committees to the municipal councils, but does not restore the composition of these committees, maintaining (fictitious) majorities in favour of the municipal authorities. This is despite the fact that the CoE considered both aspects of the «Theodoricakos laws» unconstitutional, stressing in the reasoning of the decision that as they «are consistent with each other as a single whole and cannot be applied independently, they must be set aside in their entirety». Accusing the Interior Minister of «funny legal acrobatics», D. Birbas, a member of the Board of Directors of the KEDE with the «Progressive Self-Government Cooperation», warned of appeals from contractors and suppliers against municipalities, who will invoke the unconstitutional composition of the committees. Besides, Mr. Voridis' amendment retains the Finance Committees' authority to exercise contracting authority for contracts for works, supplies, etc. at the pre-contractual stage.
«They are putting local government on an adventure», he added, stressing that «all the audit courts insist on the legality of the composition», in this case of the Finance Committees. In the same vein, the head of the «New Local Government», G. Ioakeimides: «I have the feeling that a new cycle of appeals will be opened and those who appeal will be vindicated. Because the composition of the Finance Committees should be what the previous law provided», that is, «Cleisthenes», he explained.
The amendment of Mr.Voridis is not received positively even by the mayors affiliated to the New Democracy. From another perspective, the vice-president of the KEDE, L. Kyrizoglou, predicted «problems of majority concentration and governability». «The minister said he would bring new regulation. When? Before the municipal elections?» he wondered. The president of the KEDE, D. Papastergiou, blamed the whole situation «on the miserable law that was brought down by SYRIZA with party expediency.» «We arrived here from a bad election law of 2019. But Mr. Theodoricakos also “pulled” it a lot, it's the truth,» G. Papanastasiou, a member of the majority.
Economic decline
However, the KEDE calls on the government to respond to its promises before national elections are called «and the state mechanism stops working», as Papastergiou noted. In particular:
Although another recent amendment has provided for the possibility of subsidies to Municipal Water Supply and Sewerage Enterprises (MWSOs), not a single euro has been given to address the increased energy costs. A quarter ago the government promised EUR 20 million to the DEYAs. This is money that is «not even enough to go “hooray”. The energy costs of the DEYAs for 2022 exceed €100 million. Money must be given immediately, »pointed out the president of KEDE.
An immediate meeting is also requested with the Ministry of Finance to address energy costs in 2023. It requires «at least one CAP tranche», i.e. about €100-120 million, to be given before the national elections, «to cover the costs by May-June», Papastergiou estimated. According to the chairman of the Economic Committee of the KEDE, G. Mouratoglou, municipalities will need an additional 2-3 CAP instalments to cover energy costs for the entire current year.
Additional resources are needed to support School Committees and to address the energy costs of schools. The money given by the government for the time being «apparently not enough,» said the president of KEDE. Petsas, announced the allocation of 42 million euros (an amount increased by 14 million euros) for the heating of schools.
Various demands of the KEDE is expected to be satisfied with an upcoming multi-bill («heranistic», as it has prevailed to be called during the ministerial term of M. Voridis the bills-skupes), which will be drafted by the Ministry of Interior but will include provisions from all ministries. According to initial estimates, the multi-bill is expected to be posted for consultation by the end of February.
Among others, it is estimated that it will include another provision for a favourable settlement of debts to municipalities, but for fewer categories of debts. For example, it is assumed that it will include arrangements for debts arising from tickets for traffic offences and for debts for the visitor's tax (concerning hotel businesses). The KEDE stressed the need to include other debts in the proposed regulation, e.g. for fees of a contributory nature. Another provision that will probably be included in the bill will provide for the cancellation of debts from traffic tickets of the KOK in a period of 5 years - instead of 20 years currently in force.
Mr Birbas (former mayor and current councillor of Egaleo) stressed the need for the government to suspend the eviction of schools from school buildings, a phenomenon that according to him is now occurring «throughout the country», not only in the case of the 9th Primary School of Egaleo. «The government should proceed with requisitions. It is not something communist. Don't hide behind the “sanctuary” of private property. Remember the radical liberalism of Karamanlis, not the neoliberal character you have today,» he urged the government and its affiliated mayors.
Sergios Ziabakas
