The tragedy that struck the country this summer has catapulted to center stage an issue that should feature at the top of the political agenda: the environment.

The absence of long-term planning and the irresponsibility of Greece’s two mainstream parties on environmental issues during the previous decades are now a threat to the country’s integrity.

Greece needs an independent environment ministry that will have the power to implement an integrated policy combining forest protection along with the monitoring of industries and the urban landscape.

Placing responsibility for environmental protection under the jurisdiction of the Public Works Ministry is clearly counter-productive.

Examples abound. Remarks by Environment and Public Works Minister Giorgos Souflias to the effect that the country is not ready for an independent environment ministry shows that he has little grasp of the meaning of public works and environmental protection.

The experience of recent years, which was sealed by the deadly fires, clearly shows that an independent ministry of the environment led by a prestigious and knowledgeable man is a mandatory institutional step for safeguarding our natural capital and ensuring sustainable development.