Significant delays have occurred in the payment by the state of the transport equivalent, a program implemented in Greece for the islands, with the aim of reducing the inequalities that arise due to the high transport costs for the islanders.
The parties in Parliament have reacted strongly to the delays in Transport Equivalent payments from 2022 onwards. In particular, the member of parliament for the Dodecanese of PaSoK, Giorgos Nikitiadis, brought the issue to the Parliament with two questions, characterizing the answers he received as contradictory and vague from the competent ministries of National Economy and Finance and Maritime and Island Policy. Mr. Nikitiadis reports to BIMA that “unfortunately, the Government is mocking the islanders under the pretext of the control that has not yet been completed and there is a serious risk that small island businesses that have bet on the Transport Equivalent will find themselves facing major financial dead ends”.
For its part, SYRIZA, through the MP Alexandros Avlonitis, has tabled a topical question, stressing that insularity is a constitutionally protected right and these delays are seriously affecting the incomes of the islanders.
In fact, it is not only the opposition that is reacting. Regarding the significant delays in the payment of the sums of money for the transportation equivalent to the professionals of the Cyclades prefecture, Cyclades MP of ND Markos Emm. Kafouros submitted a question to the Ministers of Shipping & Island Policy and National Economy & Finance. Mr. Kafouros states that, according to the data that has been submitted, at the given time the companies have not been paid for the Transport equivalent, for the expenses that go back to the 2nd half of 2022. Also, no official planning has been officially announced for the payment thereof.
Delays due to control
Former Deputy Minister of Shipping and Island Policy Yannis Pappas explains to BIMA that “Until May 2023, the Transport Equivalent has been paid for the passengers. In the businesses, unfortunately, there is a pending situation as some “big excesses” were identified for the 2nd half of 2022 and we requested a re-check from the EFEPAE in all businesses regardless of the amount. And that’s why until the 2022 audit is completed, applications for 2023 have not been opened.”
The Ministry of Shipping, in the answers to the two questions of Mr. Nikitiadis, states that “unprecedented data (excessive increase in funding requests in specific categories of requests) were detected, which are not consistent with the figures of the Transport Equivalent’s action so far and that there are indications of circumvention of the meter”. In particular, he emphasizes that “it was deemed necessary to carry out an extraordinary expanded administrative audit on businesses with a requested funding amount of 2,000 euros or more, i.e. on 10,611 businesses on all the islands of the Greek Territory where the measure is applied”, with the MP of Dodecanese of PaSoK commenting the audit in question as a “permanent alibi for the Government’s inability or lack of will to pay our islanders the sums owed to them”.
“We felt for the first time that the state supports the islanders”
It is worth mentioning that in order to defend and maintain this beneficial – for the inhabitants of the islands – measure, a Facebook group entitled “Islanders for Transport Equivalent” has been created and has over 15,900 members. Speaking to BIMA, the administrator of the group and a resident of Syros, Haris Vekris, explains the importance of this benefit and also the goal of this group that he has created on social media to maintain it: “The measure started in 2018. I every second weekend I went down to Athens when it started, and I got a large amount back. Then the ticket was 25 euros from Syros and I got 19 euros back. And we received this money immediately, that is, within the first ten days. Unfortunately, the delays started in 2019. At first the payment delay reached two months, then four and then six. We are currently 15 months late. That is, for tickets we have taken out in June 2023, we have not received this compensation. Me, from the first delays. in 2020 I started the group and very soon it gathered people”.
“It is an honest measure, as it equates the cost of travel between mainland and island Greece. With this we really felt for the first time that the state leaned over the islanders and understood that these people want support. For the islanders who want to go to a doctor in Athens, to see their child who is a student, it is an important help”, concludes Mr. Vekris, saying that the situation must be smoothed out by paying the transport equivalent, a delay which it not only affects the citizens but also the small and medium businesses of the islands.
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