Today’s meeting in Penteli, led by Kyriakos Mitsotakis, will resemble a mini-Cabinet session. It will take place this afternoon and will include several ministers, deputy ministers, general secretaries, the Governor of Attica, and mayors from the affected areas. Beyond discussing what happened during the wildfire, the meeting aims to establish a clear timeline for initial compensations and the restoration of damaged infrastructure and the suburban forest.

Participating in the meeting under Mr. Mitsotakis will be Environment and Energy Minister Theodoros Skylakakis, Interior Minister Theodoros Livanios, Civil Protection Minister Vasilis Kikilias, Deputy Minister for State Aid Christos Triantopoulos, Deputy Finance Minister Thanos Petralias, general secretaries like Thymios Bakoyiannis and Vangelis Gkountoufas from the Environment Ministry, Attica Governor Nikos Hardalias, and the mayors of Penteli, Chalandri, Pallini, Vrilissia, Oropos, Dionysos, Marathonas, and Rafina-Pikermi.

Also present from the Maximou will be Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister Giorgos Mylonakis, government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis, Minister of State Akis Skertsos, and Crisis Management Director Giorgos Efthymiou.

The meeting will focus on presenting the burned areas, cleared and uncleared plots, and findings from inspections of burned buildings, essentially taking stock of the destruction. There will also be an extensive discussion on state aid measures and environmental restoration actions, with the aim of producing a specific timeline that will be binding for all involved.

Additionally, there will be discussions with the regional government, mayors, and volunteer organizations on further protective measures for zones adjacent to the forest and residential areas, given that many of the affected areas are practically within the forest.

Jabs at the “Influencer” Kasselakis

Government sources state that Mr. Mitsotakis’ visit is taking place at a more “neutral” time, to ensure that the assessment work is complete and there is a clear picture of the damage. “It is exactly the opposite of what Mr. Kasselakis decided to do, appearing in the burned areas as an influencer without any substantial proposal for the problem we are facing,” a government source emphasized to protothema.gr.

The government also dismissed Mr. Kasselakis’ new criticisms about the insufficient absorption of Recovery Fund resources, responding that investments totaling over 100 million euros from the Recovery Fund are being initiated this year alone, and over 55% of the projects under the AEGIS program are contracted.

“Each year, we focus our efforts on improving the civil protection system, and we still have much to do to meet the increasingly difficult challenges of climate change. That is why we have increased the number of firefighters and aerial firefighting assets more than ever before, while our efforts continue based on comprehensive policies for a modern civil protection system,” government sources said yesterday, describing Mr. Kasselakis as a “roaming influencer who goes so far as to target scientists, journalists, and Fire Department officials, slandering them for ‘taking bribes’ simply because he doesn’t like what they report.”