The climate crisis is here and it shows us that everything must change. From the orientation of the economy to energy policy. And from the functioning of the state to the behavior of citizens. The facts require bold solutions, for which I am ready, emphasized Kyriakos Mitsotakis at a press conference he is currently giving at the General Secretariat for Information and Communication, regarding developments in the issue of the fires of recent days.
«Our primary goal in natural disasters was, is, and will always be to protect life. Human and animal life,» continued the prime minister, noting that «we managed to protect thousands of people, but we lost forests and property.».
It is important that we did not mourn any victims in the largest fire we have had in years, said Kyriakos Mitsotakis, explaining that we had almost 100 simultaneous fires every day, but that the practice of organized evacuations paid off.
He also thanked those who participated in the firefighting efforts, saying, «Thanks to the self-sacrifice of all the firefighters, we can be more optimistic, and I thank them for that.».
The prime minister also highlighted the contribution of the media. «I would like to thank the media, and especially the reporters who were on the ground providing objective coverage of the events. They helped the public and us to understand what was happening. We are now in the 10th day of an unprecedented natural disaster, fueled by an unprecedented heatwave and a long drought. Thanks to the help of everyone on the front line, we can now be more optimistic,» he said, adding: «However, it is mid-August and difficult days still lie ahead. We are here to talk about everything, how well prepared we were, but also what mistakes we are making, how we organized Civil Protection. The climate crisis is here and it shows us that everything must change, from the economy to the functioning of the state and everyday life. The facts require bold solutions, for which I am ready. From the outset, our primary goal is to protect life, people, and livelihoods. This is followed by the protection of homes, critical infrastructure, and the environment. The climate crisis now requires a radically different approach. The new circumstances justify my choice to make the environment a national priority. The phase-out of lignite, the resources of the Recovery Fund, and the new NSRF provide us with very powerful financial tools. And with the new climate law that will be passed in the coming months. Greece will submit bold proposals to international forums. At MED9, tackling climate change will be the dominant issue. My ambition is to sign the Athens Declaration on tackling climate change in the Mediterranean.
The prime minister added: «This government wants to, knows how to, and can rebuild alongside citizens everything that was destroyed. It is my personal commitment to rebuild everything that was destroyed. Compensation will begin to be paid out in the coming days. The negative experience of the disaster will become a positive force for change. But it will also require a change in the behavior of each individual citizen so that civil society can become a participant in the changes. This is a national goal, and I repeat that the contribution of the official opposition is essential. It must choose what it wants to do, as often every sober position it takes is followed by a divisive position taken by one of its members.
Responsibility will be assigned at the appropriate time—The government has demonstrated that it does not hesitate to acknowledge its mistakes.
Immediately after his introductory remarks at the press conference given by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on developments in the fire situation, he answered questions from journalists.
When asked about any shortcomings that may be identified and the responsibilities that will be assigned, and whether this will be done at the political or administrative level, the prime minister replied:
I spoke from my heart, but also from my position as prime minister, and I apologized to the people. I did it because I felt it was necessary. When you see things around you that shock you, you react.
My apology was both a spontaneous reaction and a political act, signaling my decision to take action. It is a proactive step, a starting point for doing what needs to be done to prevent this experience from repeating itself in the future.
We have already learned some lessons. Responsibilities, to the extent that they can be personalized, will be assigned at the appropriate time, and certainly not in the heat of battle.
Responsibility does not lie solely with individuals and should not be attributed in the heat of the moment. The government has shown that it does not hesitate to acknowledge its mistakes.
Citizens will not be helpless; the state will be there to support them.
Citizens will not be left helpless; the state will be there to support them, said Mr. Mitsotakis in response to a question about what the Benou Committee will do.
The prime minister said that the destruction exceeds the economic impact of the fire, and asked for help «from an experienced person who knows how to build from rubble, in order to build the future of Euboea.» He also said that interventions will be carried out on two levels. Firstly, short-term interventions to provide relief to those affected, and secondly, immediate interventions for the natural environment so that the affected areas are protected from weather phenomena.
The support package for Northern Euboea is appropriate and not generous, said Mr. Mitsotakis, adding that the funds must be disbursed quickly and all relief funds must be consolidated into a single platform so that citizens can apply for compensation.
«I know Mr. Benos well, I have my own opinion, and next Wednesday I will meet with him to get started on the long-term work of rebuilding the region's economy with infrastructure projects,» said Mr. Mitsotakis, emphasizing that «we will have an objective assessment of the damage to the agricultural sector and we will support tourism in Northern Evia. We have the financial tools and the knowledge to achieve recovery. I fully understand the anger and disappointment of the residents of northern Euboea.».
I find it difficult to understand who could criticize a policy whose ultimate goal is to protect human life.
When asked about the evacuations that «obviously saved lives» and the opposition's accusations that this led to the loss of property and natural resources, the prime minister emphasized:
«I find it difficult to understand who could criticize a policy whose ultimate goal is to protect human life. I consider the speculation that has been built up, mainly on social media, about the decision to evacuate to be vulgar. We have very traumatic experiences in our collective subconscious from other fires in the past. When we discussed changes to civil protection policy, I told them that one of our priorities must be to have an organized evacuation mechanism in place so that no human lives are lost.».
In fact, the prime minister praised the operation of 112, pointing out that even much more organized countries, such as Germany, do not have such a system.
And he pointed out: «Are we being criticized because we effectively protected human life? I would like us to agree that, in our effort to respond to the new circumstances, the operation of 112 is an achievement. Of course, we did not limit ourselves to preventive evacuations. What we see today are the things that were burned, but we do not see the things that were saved. Thanks to the superhuman efforts of firefighters, volunteers, and citizens themselves, countless homes were saved.» He also emphasized that the number of burned homes is not that large in relation to the extent of the fire.
Aerial means are not a panacea, but they are necessary for fighting fires.
There were more aircraft than ever before, said the prime minister in response to a related question, emphasizing that there were an additional 20 aircraft, ranging from Russian Ilyushin aircraft to small helicopters sent by many countries. Mr. Mitsotakis stressed that Mr. Hardalias explained that not all aircraft fly at the same time, half fly and the other half are refueled, adding that the aerial resources were effective. He also added that the Civil Protection Plan, which was drawn up before the fires, provides for a significant reinforcement of the fleet with the acquisition of new Canadair aircraft and small helicopters, as well as private helicopters. «Airborne resources are not a panacea, but they are necessary for fighting fires. The question of aerial resources was answered by Mr. Hardalias. Unfortunately, however, we cannot have an aerial resource for every fire,» added Mr. Mitsotakis.
