“We need a strong, financially independent local government, which will utilize and highlight the comparative advantages of each region and will form a new relationship with the citizen”, said Nikos Androulakis in his speech at the event on self-government, organized by the Institute. In Social” and which was attended by elected regional governors, mayors and officials of the self-government supported by PASOK-KINAL.
Mr. Androulakis added that his party’s vision is for the central government to listen to the needs of local social groups and plan for the cities and regions of tomorrow, with them and not in their absence. He added that the stable position of PASOK-KINAL is “a strong, independent self-government, which will not act as the long arm of the Maximus Palace, but which, with enhanced powers and sufficient resources, will be the driver of the development of local societies”.
The president of PASOK-KINAL strongly criticized Kyriakos Mitsotakis for the strategy followed by the government and ND in the recent local elections. “In the October elections, we saw the attempt of the New Democracy to subvert the local government. Kyriakos Mitsotakis publicly considered the political affinity of regional governors and mayors with New Democracy to be a prerequisite, as he cynically said, to ensure the best coordination between the central state and self-government. He forgot, however, that according to the Constitution, this cooperation does not belong to his discretion. It is his obligation.
The citizens disapproved at the ballot box of this arrogant and deeply old party mentality, in many cases giving preference to self-governing schemes that responded to the modern demands of local societies, for cities and Regions that are humane, resilient and sustainable”, underlined the president of PASOK-KINAL.
He highlighted the important issue of insufficient funding for the Regions and the municipalities, saying specifically: “Despite the fact that the government advertises the positive course of the Greek economy, the local self-government is still treated with memorandum terms. The distorted application of Law 3852/2010 continues. The State Budget for 2024 foresees fiscal interventions to deal with the economic impact of the energy crisis and natural disasters. The municipalities are absent from these interventions. It is recalled that for 2024, not even the 25 million, which were in the 2023 State Budget for dealing with the consequences of the energy crisis, are foreseen.
As Nikos Androulakis said, to the question of whether we need more or less local self-government, the answer is: “Yes, we need more powerful and financially autonomous self-government, which will implement the new wave of changes and reforms that the country needs. It will play a leading role in digital convergence, energy democracy, resilience and the strengthening of the social state.” He invited the elected officials to help together with PASOK in drawing up a national plan to strengthen the institution of local self-government with the following objectives:
– the implementation of the “green” transformation of cities
– the strengthening of urban resilience
– the promotion of modern models of waste management with a priority on recycling
– the restructuring of the social policy system
– the modernization of important networks and infrastructures”.
Finally, the president of PASOK-KINAL highlighted the problem of insufficient funding, with the issue of municipal water supply and sewerage companies as a top priority.
