Faction Online Discussion “Local Government Now» on the initiative of the head of the Mayor of Athens Harry Doukas organized this afternoon, ahead of its annual conference KEDE.
More than 100 self-governing executives participated, among them more than 20 mayors (Platania, Rethymnon, Kalamaria, Kallithea, Ioannina, Lokron, Neapolis-Sykeon, Thermi, Erymanthos, Kalavryton, Komotini, Agia Varvara, Igoumenitsa, Mytilini, Epidaurus, Kato Achaia, Agia, Zografou, North Corfu, Minoa Pedias, Viannos, Elis, Nestorius). The Mayor of Athens, after describing a situation where the government is constantly removing responsibilities and resources from the Municipalities, proposed a “battle” in the Congress to pass their recommendations, informing the citizens by Municipality and region, then organization of mobilizations as well as a large one nationwide gathering in Athens in coordination with major tertiary organizations.
“The government’s intentions and projects are clear. The Self-Government has never received such a full-frontal attack, there has never been such an organized operation to manipulate the electors”, Mr. Doukas emphasized, among other things, during his position in the online discussion of the electors of his faction.
The main points of his speech are as follows:
“I think it is superfluous to discuss what the government is doing with the municipalities. It does what it has done in previous years, heightens its attack year after year, continues to strip them of resources and responsibilities. Penultimate writing sample the state budget:
– It is unclear what this year’s CAPs will be from the state budget.
– What is certain is that there will be a shortfall of around 4.5 billion euros from our statutory resources based on Law 3852.
– In the “talk” they say that they will give us 100 million more.
-Besides that it is far from what is due, they said the same last year and we still haven’t paid it.
-The three installments of CAP (468 million euros) that we requested by unanimous decision at last year’s conference in Rhodes, were never given.
But we have one last piece of writing: Secretly and unexpectedly they are promoting a bill, which takes from the municipalities about 50 million euros from the fines of the Road Traffic Code and distributes them as a matter of priority to the Police Welfare Funds, the Welfare of City Police Employees, the Welfare of Security Forces employees and the Share Fund Army.
I only briefly mention the previous moves:
– Self-government was universally excluded from the surplus.
-We were excluded from durability fee revenue
– We were excluded from waste and water management
-They take urban planning from the municipalities
The government’s intentions and projects are clear. The Local Government has never received such an all-out attack, there has never been such an organized operation to manipulate the elected officials.
The question that our faction must answer – and I think this is what we must discuss today – is how we will respond to this attack.
My own view is that our response must be strong and decisive.
Let’s not get caught up in virtual unisons of soup.
Let’s not exhaust ourselves in announcements and statements of condemnation, as the majority of the KEDE always seeks.
So I suggest:
– Let’s fight at the KEDE Conference so that there are decisions in the right direction.
-To pursue the greatest possible convergences.
-At the end of the Conference, a 10-day information session for the citizens should be organized, per municipality, per region and centrally.
-To be followed by a short round of meetings with parties and the government
– To proceed with the organization of mobilizations, a large nationwide gathering in Athens in coordination with large tertiary organizations.”