Of the €3 billion originally budgeted for the recovery of areas in Evros devastated by the 2023 wildfires, only €309 million will ultimately be allocated, according to a report by Ef.Syn.
The “Diazoma” association, headed by former minister Stavros Benos, had been appointed by decision of Kyriakos Mitsotakis to lead the planning for the development and reconstruction of Evros following the wildfires.
The total budget amounted to €3 billion, and as of yesterday, half of the funding had already been secured. According to sources, 80% of the financing came from EU funds and various financing mechanisms.
Stavros Benos is calling for the completion of his €3 billion plan, which has the backing of the EU, to proceed without any cutbacks.
At the end of July, however, during what was expected to be a routine meeting — the 14th meeting of the Evros Reconstruction Committee — Stavros Benos was reportedly stunned to hear architect Alexandros Tsiatsiamis outline a new and significantly smaller plan, amounting to roughly one-tenth of the previous one, according to the report.
“Was a consultant brought in under orders to oppose my study? What kind of thing is this?” Benos reportedly commented at the time, in the presence of the committee’s head, Deputy Minister Kostas Katsafados.
“We must move forward with the completion of the master plan without any cutbacks,” Stavros Benos told Ef.Syn.
“I want to hope that the things that took place during the 14th meeting of the Evros Reconstruction Committee, which were inconsistent with the nature of the programme, will serve as a valuable lesson so that they are not repeated, and that we can move forward without compromises in completing the €3 billion master plan, which also bears the European Union’s seal of approval,” he concluded.
Source: Εφ.Συν. [1], [2], [3]
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