The need to immediately launch infrastructure projects in Attica to address traffic, but also the climate crisis, was highlighted yesterday by the private sector during the Infrastructure and Transport ITC 2024 conference.
The political leadership also recognized this need from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transportstressing, however, that the country must not fall fiscally. He also announced that in the next period, perhaps within a month, a bill on changes to the institutional framework of the Standard Proposals will reach Parliament.
“We cannot distribute billions without the money. Especially when resources are needed to execute existing projects and face challenges like Daniel. We are therefore trying to find the financial instruments so that we can be consistent mainly with the private sector” stressed the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport. Christos Staikourasparticipating in a discussion at the conference.
“Last year, the State and the private sector jointly made specific commitments to implement emblematic projects in a timely manner, but at the same time we also made an agreement. An agreement to launch projects with guaranteed financing,” the minister added.
Later, Giorgos Syriaos, president of the Association of Higher-Class Technical Enterprises (STEAT) and CEO of Aktor Perachores, after noting that there is now “chaos and an environmental problem” in Athens, spoke about the Standard Proposals (projects for Attica proposed by the private sector).
One Way
As he said, the promotion of projects in the Basin is a one-way street. He referred to solutions such as underground constructions where necessary (for example in Ymittos) and added that in the Standard Proposals that the private sector has already submitted to the Ministry of Infrastructure, the public sector is not expected to pay any money, at least for the first ten years. Any payments, he said, are forwarded to the future and to a parallel toll system (publicly subsidised tolls).
Corroborating what Mr. said, the benefit that society will have sooner than the execution of infrastructure projects that will relieve the citizens of Athens.”
Mr. Moustakas stressed that the Group GEK Terna It is not limited to the concession projects that it already includes in its portfolio, “it is just the beginning”, he noted and stressed that the Group’s intention is to claim similar contracts abroad.
Deputy Minister of Infrastructure Nikos Tachiaos, responding to relevant questions on the above, said that there is not much fiscal space for public participation in Standard Proposals and in PPPs or Concessions.
“We have to see if and how the public will participate. Projects that transfer burdens and costs to future generations will not be accepted,” he noted. However, he acknowledged (even though he is from Thessaloniki, as he said) that the State “must carry out works in Attica.”
“We need to think about how much we are going to charge future generations in availability payments, while at the same time we need users to finally understand that they have to pay,” he said.
In the same discussion, Mr Tachiaos also referred to issues such as complaints that are sometimes raised by manufacturers, as well as the fact that studies are not always perfect, resulting in the creation of additional costs to project budgets. “We need to be cautious and careful about projects that cost money, while at the same time finding ways to finance them,” concluded the Deputy Minister of Infrastructure.
He announced that the Model Proposals bill will be released within a month, which will reopen the debate on the projects needed in Attica, given that the private sector has drawn up specific proposals.
