Kyriakos Mitsotakis: «We like deeds and not words»

«This government always emphasizes efficiency. We like actions, not words. And that is why we will ultimately be judged at the national level and at the local level. And I think that when the time comes for all of us to take stock, the city government and the government, we will be satisfied because things will have moved substantially in a positive direction. With deeds and not with words’, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said during a wide-ranging meeting at the town hall of Megara, where the problems facing the region and the programmes launched by the government for its development were discussed.
The Prime Minister stressed the importance of initiatives and funded programmes that can substantially boost the infrastructure and prospects of the local community.

«The ‘Tritsis’ programme is a very important tool, it was started by the minister (Mr Theodorikako) when he was at the Ministry of Interior, and Stelios Petsas is now continuing it. I think you heard important announcements today, regarding the inclusion of this very important urban regeneration in the ‘Tritsis’ program, but also future inclusions on waste management, »said Kyriakos Mitsotakis, adding that «to a large extent the speed of integration depends on the quality and maturity of the studies that you will submit to the ministry.».
«But there are important resources to support the municipalities and I think that these projects will be flagship projects for the municipality of Megareon and then it will be up to you dear mayor - once you secure funding - to run them very quickly,» he added.

In this context, the Deputy Minister of Interior, Stelios Petsas, referred to the projects that will be included in the funding of the Ministry of Interior, while explaining that any project characterized by a high level of maturity in terms of studies, passes directly to the evaluation committees. He also stressed that particular importance is attached to projects related to disaster response.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis also referred to the importance of proper land development and use. «Very important the general urban plan, to which you referred and I know the personal interest of Nikos Tagaras for this case, has put his hand and Thodoris Livanios, who in his previous capacity as Stelios» predecessor, maintains a strong interest in the area, as he comes from Elefsina," he said.

Referring to the initiatives that come to strengthen the broader planning for civil protection, the Prime Minister noted that «significant steps have already been taken in all the areas affected by the devastating fires regarding the basic erosion control works of the land, so that we can, on the one hand, protect the areas from flooding phenomena and, on the other hand, allow nature through natural regeneration and reforestation to take the long, but usually very nice and effective way to.

«You are an area hit by natural disasters and we have an obligation to shield your area from flooding. But at the same time we have an obligation to plan - and we are already doing so - the next fire season, so that the summer of ‘22 will be much better than the very difficult summer of ‘21, »added the Prime Minister, adding that in organizational and administrative terms it is «very important that the forestry offices have been transferred to the Ministry of Environment».

Kyriakos Mitsotakis noted that the Southwest Attica MPs keep him informed about all the issues of the region. «After all, I am still an MP for West Athens. Therefore, we are essentially adjacent regions, I think my interest in the west is a given and we have proven it in practice,» he added.

Supporting producers and protecting consumers

Giving an overview of his visit to Megara, the Prime Minister said that the challenges caused by the turbulence in the global energy market and the initiatives that have been activated to address the inevitable inflationary consequences of the energy crisis were discussed with the businessmen of the region.

«I know that a very big effort is being made by all the production units not to pass these increases on to the final consumer. And it is precisely in this direction that we have announced a framework to support businesses from the month of January, all businesses, with a significant subsidy on the electricity bill, so that we as a state can cover part of the increase that businessmen have already seen in their bills in recent months,’ he said.
«As you know, there was already a framework of support for households - which is continuing - especially for households with low consumption up to 300 kilowatt hours, this support is very large. But now there is an additional support for all businesses. I think it is something that will be appreciated by the businesses in the region,» he added.

Crime reduction and projects against domestic violence

Referring to public order issues, the Prime Minister said that «the statistics in general throughout the country and especially in Attica show a decrease in crime».
«From the very first moment we were committed that the security of the citizen - as you said, Mr. Mayor - is a condition of freedom. A priority for our government and our goal is to put this commitment into practice every day,» he continued, while specifically on domestic violence, he noted that the police department of the region will have a special office for the prevention and treatment of such phenomena.
«It is also important that the police department is getting a dedicated domestic violence office. It has been conveyed to me that there are quite a few incidents of domestic violence that are reported to the police station. It is a conquest for Greek society now that these incidents can be reported and victims of domestic violence can seek support first and foremost from the Greek police. And we want this office, with proper training, to enable anyone or anyone who is a victim of domestic violence to know where to turn and to have the support of the state in this very sensitive issue,’ he said.

Regarding the vaccination campaign, Kyriakos Mitsotakis stressed the importance of local encouragement, in order to convince citizens who are still hesitant.

«We are just below the national averages in your area. I think we know all the reasons why. But I want to address especially to you, the local government officials, and tell you that now, in order to be able to convince the few suspicious people who may still be thinking about getting vaccinated, your help is very important,» he said.

The meeting was attended by the Minister of Citizen Protection Takis Theodorikakos, the Deputy Minister of Interior Stelios Petsas, the Deputy Minister of Justice and MP for West Attica of New Democracy George Kotsiras, the Deputy Minister of Digital Governance Theodoros Livanios, the Attica regional governor Giorgos Patoulis, the mayor of Megareon Gregoris Stamoulis and the New Democracy MPs of West Attica, Thanasis Bouras and Evangelos Liakos.

«It is the first time that a sitting prime minister, outside the election period, visits our municipality to discuss the problems that concern us,» said at the beginning of the meeting the mayor of Megareon, Gregory Stamoulis, expressing the certainty that the visit «is not formal» but reflects interest in the region and the desire to provide solutions to pending issues.

Completing his tour in Megara, the Prime Minister had the opportunity to have a coffee in the city centre with young people from the area and members of the UNNED from Megara and Mandra-Eidyllia, together with the new secretary of the Political Committee of New Democracy, Pavlos Marinakis.

The Prime Minister's entire statement at the town hall

Mr Mayor, dear Gregory, Mr Deputy Mayor, Mr Regional Governor, ladies and gentlemen, it is with great pleasure that I am visiting the municipality of Megaron today, and I am the first sitting Prime Minister to visit the municipality outside the election period, in order to have a substantial and productive discussion on how we can help the municipality of Megaron, the whole of West Attica, to face the great challenges, but also to take advantage of the important opportunities that lie ahead of us.

I had the opportunity during the tour that I made, to visit first of all a unit that is characteristic of the dynamics that your region is developing in the agri-food sector, an egg-producing unit - you have many of them in the region - and you are right, Mr.Mayor, when you point out that the primary sector in your region is dynamic, competitive and can be supported even more, as you are a region with particular climatic characteristics, very close to the largest market in Greece, which is the market of Attica.

We had the opportunity to discuss with the entrepreneurs the major challenges facing production in our country today, as a result of the large international increases in gas prices, which are also reflected in the prices of the electricity bill, as well as the increases in animal feed.
I know that there is a very big effort from all the production units not to pass these increases on to the final consumer. And it is precisely in this direction that we have announced a framework to support businesses from January, all businesses, with a significant subsidy on the electricity bill, so that we as a state can cover part of the increase that businessmen have already seen in their bills in recent months.

As you know, there was already a framework of support for households - which is continuing - especially for households with low consumption up to 300 kilowatt-hours, this support is very large. But now there is an additional support for all businesses. I believe that this is something that will be appreciated by businesses in the region.

At the same time, we had the opportunity to discuss the important prospects that are opening up within the framework of the resources that we have at our disposal through the rural development programme, for new investments in new forms of production, but also the possibility that we will give to businesses, which we are already giving them, to be able to install renewable energy units, primarily photovoltaics, so that they can reduce the cost of their energy.

We then visited - to come to the issues you raised, Mr.Mayor - the police station in the area with the Minister, Mr.Theodorikako. The police station has been strengthened. I am glad because there is a very good cooperation with the local community and I recognise the specificities of the area in terms of policing issues.

The minister is well aware of that. But the statistics in the country as a whole, and especially in Attica, show a decrease in crime. From the very first moment we were committed to the fact that the security of the citizen - as you said, Mr. Mayor - is a prerequisite for freedom. Our government's priority and our goal is to put this commitment into practice every day.

Again, I thank the men and women of the Greek Police and especially here in the department in Megara for the important work they do. And of course I heard what you said about the issue of Kineta, I understand that there is already an intention by the ministry to have a mobile one in the first phase, which will cover the needs of the area and I think that this will be important for the reasons that you set out.
As importantly, the police department is also getting a special domestic violence office. It has been conveyed to me that there are many incidents of domestic violence that are reported to the police station. It is a conquest for Greek society now that these incidents can be reported and victims of domestic violence can seek support first and foremost from the Greek police. And we want this office, with the appropriate training, to enable anyone who is a victim of domestic violence to know where they can turn and have the support of the state in this very sensitive issue.

Then I visited the Health Centre, where I saw, in a relatively old structure, an excellent climate of cooperation between the people in charge of the structure, the doctors, the nursing staff. I think it is a great legacy for the region that you have a Health Centre that is now operating to modern standards. It has been significantly strengthened, we have recorded any shortcomings, and we will look to fill them, whether they are shortages of staff or shortages of equipment.
I believe that at some point, in consultation with the Ministry of Health, we will be able to make an effort to upgrade the existing Health Centre. And of course I want to thank the local government again for the effort that you are making, to help us, but also to help your citizens in terms of increasing vaccination rates.

I had the opportunity today to meet parents and children who rushed to get vaccinated at the new vaccination lines we opened for children. It is very important that we further increase vaccination coverage. We are just below the national averages in your area. I think we know all the reasons why. But I want to address you, the local government officials in particular, and tell you that in order to be able to convince the few suspicious people who may still be thinking about getting vaccinated, your help is very important. It is now all a matter of personal contact. The doctor, the person whom these suspicious citizens trust.

I would ask you, Mr.Mayor, to continue this effort, because even today, as we speak, every day, unfortunately, our fellow citizens who are generally unvaccinated are lost. They could have avoided the intensive care unit or death if they had made the choice to be vaccinated.

Yes, we are in a better situation. We're seeing a decline in Omicron outbreaks now. But we still have cases of Delta, which is much more dangerous. And we need to increase this effort to increase vaccination rates, not to stop it, even though we are now at the European averages, but we can still do better than what we have achieved.

Let me come now to the issues you have raised, Mr Mayor. First of all, I am glad because there is a very good cooperation between the first-tier government, the Region, the Ministry. I would also like to say that we are fortunate as New Democracy to have three excellent, experienced and younger Members of Parliament, Thanasis, George and Vangelis. They always keep me very much informed about the issues of West Attica, and I am still a Member of Parliament for West Athens. So, we are basically adjacent regions, my interest in the west I think is a given and we have proven it in practice.

The Tritsis Programme is a very important tool, it was started by the Minister when he was at the Ministry of Interior, and Stelios Petsas is now continuing it. I think you heard important announcements today about the inclusion of this very important urban regeneration in the Tritsis Programme, but also future inclusions relating to waste management.

A very important financial instrument and to a large extent the speed of integration depends also on the quality and maturity of the studies that you will submit to the ministry. But there are important resources to support the municipalities and I think that these projects will be flagship projects for the municipality of Megareon and then it will be up to you dear mayor - once you secure the funding - to run them very quickly.

Very important the GIS to which you referred and I know the personal interest of Nikos Tagaras for this case, has put his hand and Thodoris Livanios who in his previous capacity as Stelios's predecessor essentially, maintains a strong interest in the area, as he comes from Elefsina, but very important tool the General Urban Plan. In general, the settlement of land use issues is a critical, necessary, not sufficient, but a necessary condition to discuss any long-term development potential of any area. I also know that there has been significant, great work done by the District on the issues of major flood control projects, George mentioned. You are a region that has been hit by natural disasters and we have an obligation to shield your region from flooding. But at the same time we have an obligation to plan - and we are already doing so - for the next fire season so that the summer of ‘22 will be much better than the very difficult summer of ‘21.
Important steps have already been taken in all the areas affected by the devastating fires in terms of basic erosion control works on the soil, so that we can, on the one hand, protect the areas from flooding, and on the other hand, allow nature through natural regeneration and reforestation to take the long, but usually very nice and effective way, to let nature follow its own path of natural regeneration.
And I think it is also very important that the Forestry Departments have been transferred to the Ministry of Environment. They have left the decentralized agencies so that there is now a natural head, which is none other than the General Directorate of Forests of the Ministry of Environment. This frees up our forestry departments and our foresters to really get on with their main business which is none other than the protection and enhancement of forests.

Finally, I hold this with great interest what you said about the evening VET school, I will speak to the minister myself. I have a very, very high regard for the work that is being done in the evening vocational high schools. I always want to give the opportunity not only for a second chance but particularly for children who may be working but want to continue their studies to be able to do so seamlessly, close to where they live. I think this is tangible proof of a social cohesion policy that focuses its attention mainly on our weaker fellow citizens, which is - as you know - the top priority of this government.
In conclusion, dear Mayor, I would like to thank you again for the welcome. I want you to know that these visits - other colleagues will be able to attest to this - are not at all communicative, they are always working visits. And because we are very good, I think, at following up on the projects that we are implementing and ministers know that when we make commitments at the top level, they have to be implemented.

So it's a very good opportunity for me personally to form a personal opinion about the problems of the region, but also about the opportunities that lie ahead of us. But also for the ministers, I think, and the local government officials, to agree on a common programme of action to support this - as you said - very nice place. Because here in Megara, too, you have virtually everything. You have mountains, you have the sea, you have the primary sector, you have culture. You are right to say that the cultural heritage of a city that was one of the leading city-states of classical, ancient Greece has not been sufficiently highlighted. And I think that in this area, too, we still have important steps to take.

I conclude by saying that this government always emphasizes efficiency. We like deeds, not words. And that is why we will ultimately be judged at the national level and at the local level. And I think that when the time comes for all of us to take stock, both the municipal government and the government, we will be satisfied because things will have moved substantially in a positive direction. With deeds and not with words. So again, thank you very much for the warm welcome and I wish a happy New Year to all of you.