In the presence of the Minister of the Interior Theodoris Livanios and the Deputy Minister responsible for Local Self-Government affairs Vassilis Spanakis, the meeting of the governing board of the Union of Regions of Greece took place today, where the consultation on the change of the institutional framework of Self-Government actually began.
The discussion was opened by President of the Union of Regions of Greece, Regional Governor of Central Macedonia, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, pointing out that “today is an important day for the Regions of the country. After a delay of years, the consultation on the new Self-Government Code, that is to say the change of the institutional framework governing the Regions and Municipalities, is finally starting. We the Regional Governors and all the people who serve the Regions from whatever role – Administration or Opposition – will be by your side, if you and the Greek Government are determined to proceed with serious cuts in the way the Regions operate, which will provide for their strengthening, their institutional shielding, economic independence and political upgrading, so that they become institutions that will respond and provide solutions even faster and more effectively for the benefit of our fellow citizens”.
Mr. TzitzikostaHe pointed out the critical role of the Regions as a development and not only lever to really be able to move Greece forward and as an institution, which is closer to the citizens, having a deep knowledge of the problems and the comparative advantages of each place separately.
“The Regions have the ability to draw up and implement policy from the bottom up, so that development reaches every city, every village, every island, every home, without leaving any of our fellow citizens behind and any of our fellow citizens only. At the start of this consultation we are asking the Department to think about the big picture. The way our State operates today has already reached its limits. We need to find a new efficient model of administration in the country. The Regions, which proved their effectiveness not only in the easy years but especially in the years of crisis, have the experience, the vision and the people to serve this new model. It is a fixed position of the Union of Regions of Greece: The time has come to move from Regional Self-Government to Regional Governance. This is not done with fancy titles or announcements and theories, but is done in practice. We believe that in our first meeting today, the basis of a closer cooperation will be laid, but the foundations will also be laid, in order to make the changes required in the institution, so that the Regions can serve our fellow citizens even more effectively”, underlined Mr. Tzizikostas.
On his part, Mr. Livanios Mropening the meeting of the Board of Directors of the Union of Regions of Greece to start the debate on the drafting of the new Code that concerns both Primary and Secondary Self-Government (Municipalities and Regions), he emphasized, among other things, that “the dialogue on the drafting of the Uniform Code of Self-Government. We had the pleasure together with Deputy Minister Vassilis Spanakis to discuss today the schedule and framework of our cooperation with the Regional Governors in the coming months. We are all working together for a strong Local Government for the benefit of all citizens”.
Also, the Minister of the Interior put the clarification of responsibilities as an issue of immediate priority, pointing out that it is necessary to have “clear roles between the levels of administration and for everyone to know exactly what the Regions are doing, what the Municipalities are doing and what the State is doing, whether it has to do with the Government, or with the Decentralized Administrations”.
Introducing them basic pursuits of the Ministry of the Interior for the new Code, Mr. Livanios noted that its drafting should proceed with rapid steps and set the deadline for the submission of the Regions’ proposals at the end of the year. As he underlined, in the new Code for Regional Self-Government there will be provisions, among other things, for the electoral system for the selection of Regional Authorities, for the governance system of the Regions, but also for the institutionalization of metropolitan functions and governance in the two large urban complexes of Athens and Thessaloniki .
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