Joint Ministerial Decision (JMD) of a new Antonis Tritsis Program, actions and solidarity of the Local Government that bears, symbolically, the name of Antonis Tritsis, and concerns Public investment of €2.5 billion euros, signed by the Ministers of Interior Mr. Takis Theodorikakos, Finance Mr. Chr. Staikouras and Development & Investments, Mr. Adonis Georgiadis.

Πρόγραμμα Αντώνης Τρίτσης για την Αυτοδιοίκηση

Το Πρόγραμμα Αντώνης Τρίτσης, από το οποίο προβλέπεται ότι θα δημιουργηθούν 40.000 νέες θέσεις εργασίας, θα έχει διάρκεια μέχρι το 2023. Θα χρηματοδοτηθεί από το Ταμείο Παρακαταθηκών και Δανείων και την Ευρωπαϊκή Τράπεζα Επενδύσεων με δυνατότητα αύξησης της χρηματοδότησης, εάν υπάρξει ανάλογη ζήτηση από τους Δήμους και τις Περιφέρειες.

The program concerns την κατασκευή έργων ιδίως στους τομείς των υποδομών, της ψηφιακής σύγκλισης, της βιώσιμης ανάπτυξης, προστασίας του περιβάλλοντος, καθώς και την προμήθεια αγαθών και υπηρεσιών πολιτικής προστασίας και προστασίας της δημόσιας υγείας και ειδικότερα την άρση των οικονομικών επιπτώσεων από τη διασπορά του κορωνοϊού, καθώς και για την εκτέλεση δράσεων και πρωτοβουλιών κοινωνικής συνοχής και αλληλεγγύης.

Introducing the Antonis Tritsis program The Minister of the Interior, Theodorikakos described it as a "powerful tool" in the hands of local authorities and pointed out that through the Programme will support local communities during the coronavirus pandemic, but also the next day will be planned for the Municipalities and Regions with new infrastructure, new projects, so that all cities and regions of Greece are safe, sustainable, with a better quality of life for all citizens.

Mr Theodorikakos stressed that the objectives of the program are social, developmental, environmental. "Local government bodies must be a pillar of social cohesion, development and reconstruction", he noted characteristically. While referring to the prospect of creating 40,000 new jobs, he said: "This in itself is a very important contribution to the effort to restart the economy the day after the coronavirus crisis."

As stated The Minister of the Interior, Theodorikakos: "This programme will evolve between now and the end of 2023. Has secured resources of at least EUR 2.5 billion; euros and if high absorption is achieved, it has the possibility of additional financing. This money comes from:

• the Deposit and Loan Fund, which has signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Ministry of Interior,
• the European Investment Bank, which participates in the government's overall programme with 1.5 billion.

The financing will take the form of a development loan to the first and second degree local government bodies which will be repaid from the public investment program of the Ministry of Interior with the funding of the Ministry of Development & Investments.

With this program, important breathing projects throughout the country will be able to become a reality in the next three and a half years.

Objectives - Programme Priorities

The priorities are:

• The protection of life and public health and safety. This includes every action – intervention to address the coronavirus pandemic. Also, projects and important civil protection interventions with special emphasis on flood protection throughout the country.
• The quality of life and proper functioning of cities, countryside, settlements (construction of basic infrastructure in critical sectors such as water supply and sanitation, and strengthening of the administrative capacity of local authorities, for the direct benefit of citizens). And next to them, and the care of feeding and caring for our stray four-legged friends.
• The environment (sustainable development with a strong environmental footprint, strengthening recycling programs at source, energy saving actions, water, liquid and solid waste management, etc.),
• Digital convergence [information and communication technologies (ICT), Internet of Things applications, smart digital technologies, applied to local administrative practice and citizens' daily lives, aiming at the transformation of cities into "smart cities"],
• Education, culture, tourism and sports (construction of schools, development of municipal property, alternative tourism),
• Social cohesion and solidarity with social protection actions and special programs for vulnerable social groups. This includes projects such as the construction and modernization of crèches, because we support the family and young couples, but also programs with the main aim of removing social exclusion,
• Technical assistance actions of the beneficiaries for the implementation of the Programme.

This programme also includes the other projects that were approved by the previous government but did not have secured funding. A part of these projects will be transferred to the ROP and the NSRF and the rest to the present program.

At least 40,000 new jobs are expected to be created in the programme during the construction of the projects. This in itself is a very important contribution to the great effort to restart the economy that must begin the day after this crisis."

The Minister for Economic Affairs, Chr. Staikouras He stressed that the coronavirus crisis "endangers public systems, the resilience of economies and societies. The scale and impact are much greater and need immediate, drastic and coherent solutions."

At the same time, he pointed out that: "Its main goal is to highlight the Municipalities and Regions of the country as pillars of solidarity and social cohesion, strengthening jobs, restarting the economy and achieving sustainable growth.

It is a program of height €2.5 billion euros and will apply until 2023.

Financing shall be provided by the Deposit and Loan Fund and the European Investment Bank."

The Minister of Development & Investment, Adonis Georgiadis He pointed out the need to strengthen the public investment program, so that the economy can start the day after the crisis. "The goal is to make the lives of Greek citizens even better," he said. He noted that the program will enable even municipalities that do not have technical services to implement projects and utilize resources that until now remained unspent.