5 municipalities are asking for 10% of the Elliniko utilisation!

By Marianna Tzane

5 municipalities of eastern Attica are raising financial claims worth millions of euros, claiming 10% from revenue that will come from the utilisation of Elliniko.

The municipalities of Markopoulo, Spata, Rafina, Paiania and Koropi have «ferreted out» a law from ’95, signed by the then Environment minister Kostas Laliotis, which provided that the special body set up to utilise the prime coastal lot would compensate them for 10% of the revenue.

The tax bill that was voted on yesterday provides for the creation of Elliniko SA, which will undertake the realization of the project for the utilisation of Elliniko on behalf of the State, but there is no provision for honoring the prior commitment.

Will they “seize” the Airport?

According to sources, the mayors expressed their demands, very recently and in person, to Haris Pamboukis, whose negative reply is exacerbating the tension and leading to legal recourse.

Thoughts are also expressed about blocking «Eleftherios Venizelos», if they decide to toughen their stance.

If we assume that the State will collect 2 billion euro, 10% equals 200 million. With the economic deprivation that is haunting the coffers of the municipalities, the reasons for which the local authorities are resorting to this claim become clear, even though they have no apparent hope.

The five boroughs state that: «This is a direct infringement of our right to a legitimate expectation, which was established in Law 2338/1995, as a form of compensation for the significant environmental and social burden of building the national airport in Mesogeia».

They even point out that the removal of «a fair and reasonable consideration» stands against the previous decisions of the State, in addressing the drastic impact of the operation of the new airport, the radical change in the everyday life of the residents and the disseisin of tens of thousands of acres in the surrounding area.