The way to promote the reform of the Local Government is opened with the letter that has been prepared and bears the signature of the Deputy Minister of Interior, Ionas Nikolaou, for a government commitment for an evolutionary reduction of the Municipalities. This step closes a front that has long plagued parties and local rulers.
The government with the letter to the Parliament essentially satisfies the request of the parties for inclusion in the bill for the Local Self-Government of the provision for evolutionary reduction of the Municipalities in a specific time horizon and loosens the hands of the parties that seem to find common ground for the required changes. which will differentiate the data with the Municipalities and the distribution of powers between central government and regional / local authorities.
Ionas Nikolaou, acting as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, implemented the commitment of Socrates Hasikos before the Parliamentary Committee on Home Affairs in its last session before the parliamentary elections, to reduce the Municipalities based on the study of Italian experts, which finds the Union in agreement.
The political decision and the roadmap for the implementation of the reform in the local self-government, which envisages the reduction of the number of Municipalities, were basically requested by the Parliament in order to advance the relevant bill for approval.
At the session of the Parliamentary Committee on Home Affairs scheduled for September 1, the consultations that have taken place during the summer period will be evaluated by a cross-party committee and the convergences reached by the parties will be promoted. At the same time, the challenge for the reform of the local self-government will be occupied by a meeting of the President with the leaders of the parliamentary parties, which is scheduled for September 13 at the Presidential Palace. President Anastasiadis will appeal to the parties as they approve the reform bills.
The issue of municipal elections is expected to be judged on the basis of the outcome of the reform. As parliamentary officials pointed out, one way or another the term of the new local mayors will be half: Either by election for 2,5 years. Ή by extension of the current mayors, municipal councils, community leaders and community councils for 2,5 years.
It is not clear where the scales will go, but there seems to be a willingness to reach a common position that will no longer train reform, as the financial weaknesses for a number of municipalities are extremely pressing.
The positive thing about the whole reflection is that all the forces now agree on the simultaneous holding of the Local Government elections with the European elections. The next European elections will be held in May or June 2019.
On the positive side of such a decision, they measure the reduction against one of the state elections, with all that this implies in terms of expenses and the reduction of the abstention in the European elections, since based on the data, the local elections attract more interest.
The parties also find common ground regarding the transfer of powers from the central government to the local government, which will concern political decisions and building responsibilities, merging services for water supply and sewerage, and the responsibilities of landfills and landfills. In this regard, they have "cut" a long way in the work of the Parliamentary Committee on Interior during the summer period. The last touches are left to "lock" the agreement.
The party leaders and the parliamentary groups will decide on this in September. For the whole project, efforts are made to ensure the universality of positions that will facilitate the implementation. Reform efforts are moving in parallel with the municipal election process, as no political force is willing to go against these developments with the prospect that soon, one way or another, there will be a clearing of the landscape.
Source: Liberal