Green checks set to rise
The government will more than double the number of inspectors appointed the task of overseeing the implementation of environmental laws but concerns remain as to whether authorities will indeed come down on violators or yield to political pressure, senior state officials said yesterday. Environment Minister Giorgos Souflias said that staff from the Hellenic Environmental Inspectorate (EYEP) will increase to 37 at the start of next year from 18 now. Inspectors will be called to focus on pollution from industrial plants and the protection of sensitive ecosystems, according to Souflias. «Today the law has been made difficult to apply due to its size and irrational structure. Fragmented and overlapping responsibilities exist in parts of environmental legislation, such as issuing permits, and checks,» the minister added. EYEP, set up in 2001, has conducted more than 400 checks on environmental issues and imposed fines in more than half of the cases totaling 8 million euros. Government officials said that the laws have limited impact if local officials fail to help enforce them. Leandros Rakintzis, general inspector of Public Administration, called for the establishment of a team that will oversee the destruction of illegal buildings. «Demolition of illegally constructed buildings is not carried out because there is no political willpower,» he said. State officials added that the government plans to complete a national zoning plan in spring of 2007, a year behind schedule. The zoning is expected to help restore order to industrial planning and clear the way for investments that have been tied up in disputes over land use.
