Green Fund cash to go elsewhere
Environment Minister Giorgos Papaconstantinou defended Wednesday the government?s decision to divert the vast majority of money from the Green Fund, which was set up last year to support regeneration projects, to make up for shortfalls in the country?s public finances.
Papaconstantinou revealed Wednesday that just 400 million euros of the 4 billion the Green Fund is expected to raise by 2014 would be used for building parks and other similar schemes. The rest will be used elsewhere.
Some 200 million euros will be for urban regeneration projects, which will not necessarily be of an environmental nature but could include the construction of infrastructure. Another 100 million euros will be set aside for the purchase of land so that it can be turned into public spaces.
?The use of the money in the fund cannot be completely disassociated, especially at a tough time like now, from the decisions that are taken by the central government,? said Papaconstantinou.
The Green Fund, created by Papaconstantinou?s predecessor Tina Birbili, gains revenues from a scheme that allows homeowners to pay a fee to protect from further penalties over illegally altered parts of their properties, known as imiypaithrioi.
The scheme is due to end this month but Papaconstantinou said it might be extended for a few days. The Green Fund also receives revenues from the program allowing owners of illegal homes to declare their properties. In return for a sizable penalty, the buildings are protected from demolition for the next 30 years.
Papaconstantinou said that so far, 29,300 people have submitted applications, of which only 563 have been completely processed. The scheme has already raised some 5.5 million euros, although this is mostly from the registration fees, which have averaged at about 800 euros, rather than from the actual penalties.
