The Athens City Council has issued a strong response to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis following his announcements at the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) regarding urban planning services.
In a resolution passed by majority vote on Wednesday, the council denounced the government’s decision to transfer responsibility for issuing and inspecting building permits from municipalities to the state-owned company Ktimatologio S.A.
“The prime minister remembered local government only once, and that was to punish it by removing its authority over urban planning,” the resolution stated.
The council argued that municipalities had been left without staff or resources to properly run urban planning services for the past six years. It also linked the timing of the government’s decision to recent municipal opposition to central plans for large-scale urban development projects.
Aligning itself with the national association of municipalities (KEDE), the Athens council called for modern, transparent and effective urban planning departments to remain under local control.
On corruption concerns raised by the prime minister, the statement countered that Athens itself has “fought and continues to fight corruption, dismantling past practices.”
“The municipalities, with the right tools and personnel, can manage urban planning with transparency and efficiency,” the resolution concluded.
