Mayors urge MPs to block tourism bill, citing zoning and environmental concerns
The mayors of 21 Greek islands wrote to Parliament on Wednesday to urge MPs to vote against a bill that seeks to make tourism development easier.
The municipal chiefs argue that the legislation would lead to a marked increase in construction which would put the islands’ natural beauty at risk.
The draft law contains provisions that would remove maximum limits on the size of tourism complexes that can be built and would allow construction to take place in areas that are part of the environmentally sensitive Natura 2000 network.
The mayors believe the bill would lead to Greece following the failed examples of other countries that have allowed unrestricted construction and then suffered damaging economic and environmental consequences.
