Efforts to restore the natural environment, anti-erosion works, state support for individuals and businesses, and agricultural compensation in the fire-hit areas of Western Attica were at the centre of a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the Maximos Mansion, the Greek premier’s official offices in Athens.

Mitsotakis was briefed on the scale and nature of the burnt area, which totals 111,000 stremmata (roughly 11,100 hectares), of which around 46,000 stremmata (about 4,600 hectares) is pure forest. Significant sections within that forest were saved thanks to prevention work carried out beforehand and the efforts of the fire service. Vangelis Gkoudoufas, Director General of Forests and the Forest Environment, presented plans for immediate environmental restoration work, with an emphasis on anti-erosion projects and initial flood-defence measures to protect the affected areas, due to begin in mid-September.

The meeting also produced an initial assessment of the Antinero prevention scheme, a 20 million euro programme of works carried out in the area between 2022 and this year, which helped stop the fire spreading further into the eastern and southern areas.

State support measures were also discussed in detail, with a focus on speeding up the relevant procedures. As a result, it was decided that when the Greek parliament reconvenes, a bill from the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection will be tabled for legislation, aimed at accelerating and digitising the procedures used by fire-affected individuals and businesses to file declarations and claim compensation.

It was also announced that employment contracts for staff at affected businesses will be suspended, with those workers receiving 534 euros for three months. Social security contributions and tax obligations for affected businesses and households will be suspended for six months and then restructured, while property auctions will be suspended for 12 months.

Following discussions with the mayors of the fire-hit areas, who thanked the Prime Minister for the central government’s support and solidarity, it was decided that the business support measure would be extended to Psatha and Alepochori, two villages in Western Attica.

Similar instructions were given to the Greek Agricultural Insurance Organisation (ELGA) regarding compensation for farming and livestock activities affected by the fire. Further announcements will follow from the Ministries of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Environment and Energy, and Rural Development and Food, according to their respective areas of responsibility.

Closing the meeting, the Prime Minister said: “I want to thank everyone who took part, and especially the two mayors, for the excellent cooperation we had throughout this extremely difficult fire. We carried out a comprehensive review of the actions that need to be taken from here on.

“Tomorrow, at the Ministry of Environment and Energy, the responsible Minister, the Secretary General and the Director General will give a detailed presentation on the scale of the environmental damage that has occurred. We are talking about approximately 111,000 stremmata, of which 95,000 stremmata (around 9,500 hectares) lie within the boundaries of the Attica Region, though with substantial sections that have not actually burnt.”And of course, the Ministry will also present the precise timetable for the environmental restoration work, by which I mean the anti-erosion and flood-defence projects that are routinely carried out after fires of this kind.

“We expect this work to begin by 15 September at the latest and to be completed by the end of the year, as happened last year and the year before in similar fires, so that residents of the area can feel confident that the state has done everything within its power to deal with the risk of flooding that can follow a fire of this kind. We also carried out a comprehensive review of the state support and compensation framework for our fellow citizens who saw their properties destroyed by this fire. Within the next 48 hours, I estimate, we will have a complete picture of the exact number of homes that have either been destroyed or suffered major damage.

“I will also ask the media not to circulate figures which, according to an initial assessment, do not appear to fully reflect reality. We will have the full picture by Friday. I want to assure our fellow citizens that this time we will move even faster on funding the rebuilding of homes that have been destroyed, always within the specific legal framework currently in force. Finally, I want to thank Helleniq Energy, as I have just been informed that the company will make a very significant donation, a corporate social responsibility initiative worth 25 million euros, to support the state’s recovery efforts following this summer’s fires.

“The emphasis will obviously be on Western Attica, so that we can ensure all restoration work is completed within the specified timetables, while also placing even greater importance on prevention. I want to stress here, and I will ask the Minister and the relevant officials to present this data fully tomorrow, that the significant works carried out in Western Attica under the Antinero programme had a measurable effect. Where interventions took place, the environmental damage was far smaller.

“This proves once again that we must prioritise prevention, and it also disproves the broader argument that this government has done nothing on prevention. We have spent more than 500 million euros in total over the last five years on prevention work. These are measures with a measurable effect, and I would ask that tomorrow, Minister, this data, not just for Attica, be presented straight away.

“Finally, I want to repeat once again that when a forest burns, this does not mean it is lost forever. Forests that burn, particularly those made up of Aleppo pine, go through a process of natural regeneration, which clearly needs to be supported and protected. This is happening to a great extent in Attica. I would ask the relevant officials to present the data on this, so that the impression is not given that almost all of Attica’s forests have been destroyed, or that the damage being caused is irreversible. Clearly, we are talking about major environmental damage, and we will do everything in our power to support nature as it proceeds, at its own pace, through the process of natural regeneration.”