“The memorandum for the road works was done in haste”

The contractors are claiming that the memorandum, which was sent to the consortiums of the stopped motorways during Holy Week, was written in haste, as the government’s proposal to unblock the projects does not seem to persuade either the concessionaires or the banks.

Despite the statements by government officials about an agreement in May, the outcome of negotiations remains uncertain, as contractors believe that the projects sustainability is not guaranteed at all.

As they characteristically say, the ministry is proposing a 500mil budget in order to have a mid-term financing agreement by the end of the year, without clarifying where the resources will be found.

Infrastructure minister Dimitris Reppas has stated that funds will come from the tactical budget but his interlocutors appear skeptical.

“The ministry claims to have saved up these resources but without certifying that funds do exist, whether we are talking about national funding or a loan from the European Investment Bank. Thus, there can be no agreement”, said a manager of a big construction company, adding that an immediate agreement is necessary for the projects, but it is not feasible.

However, the government says it is doing all it can to prevent the collapse of the concessions and considers its written proposal to the contractors to be a basis for a fair debate.

But while the negotiation front is open, great efforts have been made since the beginning of last week to avoid suspension of work on the Korinthos-Patra motorway, where according to contractors the cash for the project has dried up and without a direct injection, it is likely to stop.

Employee representatives from Vinci, which already has sacked more than 100 people since early this year, do not hesitate to speak even about disagreements between Greek and foreign engineering firms, arguing that the foreigners are those who seek to continue the work.