Fires light blue touchpaper for reforms
Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis has told Sunday’s Kathimerini that the wildfires which ravaged Greece this summer have made it even clearer that deeper reforms are needed to make the State more responsive and efficient. The premier visited the town of Styra in southern Evia yesterday to see at first hand one of the areas worst-affected by the forest fires. His visit came as the fire service said that most of the blazes in the southern Peloponnese were under control, including those near Megalopolis, Karytaina and on Mount Parnon, where two villages were evacuated on Saturday. However, firefighters were still trying to put out a blaze on the Ionian island of Cephalonia that broke out yesterday morning. Meanwhile, the death toll from the fires in Evia and the Peloponnese over the last 10 days rose to 65 yesterday after it was confirmed that one person had died in the hospital from his injuries. Karamanlis accompanied European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso on a tour of the Peloponnese on Saturday during which the two men viewed some of the 190,000 hectares of forest and farmland that are estimated to have been burned. «We are with you and we will stay with you… we will do everything we can to support Greece,» said Barroso. «The Greek problem is a European problem,» he added. «Now we must rebuild what has been destroyed.» The European Union has already pledged immediate aid of 200 million euros from the EU’s Solidarity Fund with some 400 million more to follow. Speaking to Sunday’s Kathimerini, Karamanlis said that lessons needed to be learned from the fires. «The logical conclusions and strong messages of these past hours strengthen my conviction that the reforms for a State that is more modern, quicker, more functional, more reliable must go much deeper,» said the prime minister. Karamanlis said he believes that the financial aid being offered to those affected by the fires will help rebuild the regions that have suffered. «The measures we have taken and those that will follow… will be factors in the strong sustainable development of the area.» Karamanlis said the government’s decision to dispense with red tape for fire victims claiming aid was a landmark moment that could change the way the Greek State works in the future. «By saying that with just one statement and a signature the claimant can receive the aid, we are giving the message that we trust the citizen… who at the same time sees that the State is solving a major problem,» Karamanlis told Sunday’s Kathimerini. «This is a significant juncture, a good start.» The government said yesterday that 19,200 farmers had already claimed some 28 million euros. PASOK leader George Papandreou unveiled his party’s reconstruction program for the fire-ravaged areas yesterday saying that the wildfires «could signal the end of the post-war development program.» Papandreou said that if he is elected prime minister, he will personally be in charge of the new scheme and that a cross-party committee would oversee its implementation. He also proposed forming an advisory panel of experts that will include Greeks from abroad. PASOK also plans to develop Ancient Olympia by building academic and sporting centers there. With less than two weeks left until the September 16 election, Karamanlis said he is determined to press ahead with structural reforms if New Democracy is re-elected. He suggested that these might include the merging of the Interior and Public Order ministries and the separation of the Public Works and Environment Ministry, for which there have been calls in the wake of this summer’s wildfires. «Our aim is to move to a smaller and more flexible government when circumstances permit it,» said Karamanlis. The prime minister made it clear that he is convinced that no member of his government is implicated in the recent bond scandal and expressed his belief that his administration has made significant steps in combating corruption. «I am proud that the government has created a framework for the award of public works contracts which cannot be doubted by anyone,» said Karamanlis.
