On Monday (November 6) at six in the afternoon, the Municipal Council of Ioannina will meet in order to discuss and decide on the status of operation of Legal Entities in the framework defined by the new law of the Ministry of the Interior.
All factions have been sent the suggestions and official documents that were prepared.
Mayor Dimitris Papageorgiou, in a press conference he gave, referred to the major changes that may result from the merger of the legal entities and emphasized that a realistic proposal should be submitted by the Municipal Council, capable of convincing the political leadership of the Ministry of the Interior for exceptions.
At the same time, he underlined that the new Municipal Authority should be the one that will have the decisive say as it will handle the issue from 1the January.
“It is known to everyone that in the middle of the pre-election period the Ministry of the Interior put to public consultation the bill for the changes in local self-government, among which the abolition of Legal Entities is included.
At that time, I expressed the opinion that the dialogue should take place during normal times for self-government so that it would be more substantial. I talked about huge changes that require study so that serious problems do not arise in the coming months, especially in municipalities as large as ours.
However, the law was passed with the self-government now facing the suffocating dates it sets. Article 52 determines how Legal Entities can be exempted.
The Municipal Authority assessed that OKPAPA is a legal entity that can maintain its independence and autonomy, while the other legal entities, with difficulties, could be absorbed by the Municipality.
But the final decision will have to be taken on the basis of the proposal that will be submitted by the Citizen Unity faction as it will be in the administration of the Municipality from January 1st.
Therefore, respecting the result of the elections and the fact that another municipal authority will handle the case of Legal Entities, we have submitted all the facts to the factions, in view of the Municipal Council on Monday.
There is the documented report on the autonomy of OKPAPA, there are also official recommendations and documentation on the autonomy of the other Legal Entities of the Municipality – Spiritual Center, Cave and Zografieos Nursing Home.
In the Municipal Council we will support any proposal submitted by the faction of the new Municipal Authority and within the time limit provided by the law we will complete its documentation – if this is required – and we will send it to the Ministry of the Interior.
All the recommendations are already in the hands of the members of the body, which will decide on Monday” said the Mayor in his statement.
According to what is provided by the Law, the decisions of the Municipal Council must be submitted to the Ministry of the Interior by November 15.
Answering questions about the Municipal Authority’s proposal to maintain the autonomy of OKPAPA, the Mayor noted that it is realistic given the new political reality created by the Law.
“The Municipality does not maximize. The Municipal Authority assessed the data and assessed that this proposal is realistic and can ensure the independence of OKPAPA”, he noted.
