Athens Mayor Haris Doukas went on the offensive after coming under fire from former mayor Kostas Bakoyannis over the city’s 75 million euro loan from the European Investment Bank, approved Wednesday by the Athens City Council.
Speaking on ERT News Radio 105.8, Doukas described the loan as a historic intervention, saying it was the first time the City of Athens had taken out a loan with a specific, named purpose: renovating schools and improving their energy efficiency. He explained that the loan comes with a five-year grace period, a 25-year repayment timeline, and the lowest interest rate ever secured by the municipality. Of the total funds earmarked for schools, 75% will come from the loan and 25% from the city’s own resources.
“We are going to redo window frames, glass panes, rooftops, facades, heating systems; we are installing air conditioning units, which is a long-standing demand from everyone; we are adding heat pumps and solar panels to create energy self-sufficiency,” Doukas said, adding that there is no other tool available. He noted that he approached both the Finance Ministry and the Education Ministry, finding only a very limited program for minor repairs and repainting.
“The State of Athens Schools Is Dire”
Turning sharply on his predecessor, Doukas said: “Bakoyannis himself spent 45 million euros painting streets in various colors, and it bothers him that we want to fix Athens’ schools. The whole city knows what Bakoyannis’ so-called interventions in schools actually amounted to. That’s why parent associations, teachers, and students show up at every City Council meeting to tell us about the terrible conditions.”
Doukas went on to paint a stark picture of the city’s school infrastructure, noting that Athens has 400 schools, 75% of which are over 40 years old, 50% over 50 years old, and some over 100 years old. He said the annual cost in electricity and heating alone exceeds 5 million euros, making a sweeping renovation drive not just desirable but essential.
Doukas also referenced former mayor Giorgos Kaminis, who had secured a 55 million euro loan from the European Investment Bank without specifying how the funds would be used. He said that most of those funds were ultimately spent under Bakoyannis’ tenure, and that virtually no property acquisitions for which the loan was originally intended were ever carried out.
