Environment Minister George Souflias kicked off another New Democracy term by:
– Supporting forest reclassifications based on aerial photographs from 1960 and not 1945, thus including less razed forestland in the forest registry for protection and reforestation; the EU has repeatedly warned Greece to not do it
– Opposing a separate Environment Ministry, which Karamanlis promised would be set up in pre-election speeches (he’s now backed down)
– Saying he will stop the Finance Ministry from allowing the Municipality of Zacharo to develop parts of burnt beachfront property
– Paving the way to legalize hundreds of illegally constructed buildings, which he justifies will contribute to the local economy
– Playing down the advice of experts who believe a sensitive ecosystem protected by the EU’s Natura 2000 program will be disrupted; in addition to ignoring the fact that less forestland in the registry will amount to less oxygen for Athens
Summarized and compiled from this Kathimerini article and those attributed above
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