The Suspension Committee of the Council of State ordered the suspension of the works (decision 94/2025) until the final hearing of the case, despite the municipality's claims of the risk of losing the funding.
The Supreme Court of Cassation accepted the application for a stay filed by local bodies, environmental organisations and private individuals, considering that the start of the works entails the risk of causing irreparable or difficult to repair damage to the monumental complex and the natural landscape. Indeed, according to the judges, the nature of the interventions (involving excavation, backfilling and permanent concrete structures of significant volume within the archaeological site) may create a fait accompli which will be difficult to reverse if the application for annulment is granted in the future.
Despite the recognition of the reasons of public interest put forward by the municipality, the Council of State ruled that at this stage the protection of the integrity of the monument takes precedence. It should be noted that the project, with a budget of 5.7 million euros, provides for the installation of an overhead two-cabin lift.
The area is under multiple protective status (archaeological legislation, traditional settlement, Natura 2000 network), an element that weighed particularly heavily in the court ruling on the need for preventive protection of the area.
The Association of Friends of Monemvasia, the Hellenic Society for Environment and Culture (ELLET), the Organization Earth and citizens and property owners in Monemvasia appealed to the Suspension Committee of the Council of State. The decision (94/2025) was signed the day before yesterday. The applicants are challenging the authorisation of the project by the Decentralised Administration, the prior approval of the tender by the Ministry of Culture and the decision to award the tender by the Municipality of Monemvasia.
The Suspension Committee of the Council of State accepted the applicants' argument that the commencement of the works would create a fait accompli against the integrity of the monument.
