I think we all knew that this would raise it's ugly head again however this is a little sooner than I, and I suppose a lot of other people, thought it would happen.
Having read the article it is hard to see how the Greek government can afford to refuse the financial incentives being offered by the Chinese.
http://www.spiegel.d...,713634,00.html
Even more so when you read the article from the previous day.
http://www.spiegel.d...,696493,00.html
Container Harbour Back On The Agenda
Started by bobo, Aug 27 2010 04:42 PM
1 reply to this topic
#1
bobo
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Posted 27 August 2010 - 04:42 PM
"no man goes further than he who knows not where he is going"
#2
chorianos
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Posted 28 August 2010 - 10:20 AM
If Mr. Ertel would have taken the time, during his holiday in Kalamaki, to dig in a little bit further in this matter, and not only reporting about what Mr. Ktistakis has to say, he would have found out that this “chinese harbor discussion†is closed and will be forever.
Greece has no authority to go over these matters without the approval of Europe. Twice already the European government has said no to this plans. The Komos area is a protected natural area and the Messara is an agricultural zone. For both area’s Greece receives every year hundreds of thousands euro’s of subsidies: for maintaining Komos as it is (the place where sea-turtles come to lay their eggs) and for the development of the Messara as an agricultural area. Therefore the harbor plan have been rejected. The Chinese are even not interested anymore in Timpaki as they now “possess†more or less the Pireaus harbor close to Athens.
Furthermore, the military airbase in between the Kokinos Pirgos harbor and the beach of Kalamaki will soon disappear. If Mr. Ktistakis should have talked with his fellow members of the Pasok party (who is in charge now), he could have known that the municipality of Timpaki (under which Kalamaki resorts) has made an application to Athens to fill in the free coming area as a “Touristic Zone†together with the Kalamaki beach area and all the way to Agia Galini. This means that a larger hotel infrastructure will be possible. Most of the hotels and pensions in Kalamaki were build illegally in their time (a lot of them are regularized now, but some still don’t have their EOT-license!) but can only have a maximum capacity of 29 rooms, because they are situated in a “non-touristic zoneâ€. Transform the area in a touristic zone would change that, and for sure attract bigger players on the hotel market. Maybe Mr. Ktistakis should be more afraid of this then from his “harbor fantomâ€.
Anyway, I personally think that some “positive†publicity is much needed as we talk about developing tourism in this area. Negative comments like this article in Der Spiegel are not doing any good to anybody!
Greece has no authority to go over these matters without the approval of Europe. Twice already the European government has said no to this plans. The Komos area is a protected natural area and the Messara is an agricultural zone. For both area’s Greece receives every year hundreds of thousands euro’s of subsidies: for maintaining Komos as it is (the place where sea-turtles come to lay their eggs) and for the development of the Messara as an agricultural area. Therefore the harbor plan have been rejected. The Chinese are even not interested anymore in Timpaki as they now “possess†more or less the Pireaus harbor close to Athens.
Furthermore, the military airbase in between the Kokinos Pirgos harbor and the beach of Kalamaki will soon disappear. If Mr. Ktistakis should have talked with his fellow members of the Pasok party (who is in charge now), he could have known that the municipality of Timpaki (under which Kalamaki resorts) has made an application to Athens to fill in the free coming area as a “Touristic Zone†together with the Kalamaki beach area and all the way to Agia Galini. This means that a larger hotel infrastructure will be possible. Most of the hotels and pensions in Kalamaki were build illegally in their time (a lot of them are regularized now, but some still don’t have their EOT-license!) but can only have a maximum capacity of 29 rooms, because they are situated in a “non-touristic zoneâ€. Transform the area in a touristic zone would change that, and for sure attract bigger players on the hotel market. Maybe Mr. Ktistakis should be more afraid of this then from his “harbor fantomâ€.
Anyway, I personally think that some “positive†publicity is much needed as we talk about developing tourism in this area. Negative comments like this article in Der Spiegel are not doing any good to anybody!
