The Ministry of National Economy and Finance responded swiftly to a statement by the Association of Relatives of the Deceased and Burn Victims regarding appeals filed by the Region of Attica and the Municipalities of Rafina and Marathon against court rulings in favor of victims of the catastrophic wildfire in Mati. This came despite a legislative provision requiring public authorities to refrain from legal actions in cases related to the Mati wildfire and the Mandra flood.

Specifically, sources from the Ministry stated:
“The Minister of National Economy and Finance, Kyriakos Pierrakakis, contacted the Regional Governor of Attica, Nikos Hardalias, and the Mayor of Marathon, Stergios Tsirkas, following the Association’s complaint that these local government bodies continued to file appeals against lower court rulings, even after a recent law was passed instructing the public sector and local authorities not to pursue legal remedies in these cases.”

Both the Region of Attica and the Municipalities assured they would immediately withdraw any such appeals, attributing the issue to procedural errors by their legal departments that contradict the intent of the new legislation.

In the past month, the State Legal Council has already withdrawn from four appeals cases (with reference numbers 3088/2025, 1880/2025, 2462/2025, and 2463/2025). This withdrawal policy will extend to all such cases, and local governments (both first and second-degree authorities) are expected to follow suit.

The government’s position is clear and was formalized with the passage of Law 5193/2025, Article 224. Furthermore, a new bill will soon be submitted that will establish clearer and more rational criteria for when the State can file legal claims against citizens.