The new Mitsotakis government on Wednesday afternoon announced the tabling of draft legislation – once the new Parliament convenes – to accelerate the process for the now stalled Helleniko privatization in coastal SE Athens.
New Development & Investments Minister Adonis Georgiadis made the announcement after meeting with PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Ruling New Democracy (ND) had repeatedly and very vocally emphasized, while in the opposition, that it would “pull out all the stops” to get the eight-billion-euro real development project off the ground. The Helleniko development, on the site where the old Athens airport once operated, along with various other state facilities, is considered as a “litmus test” for the country’s ability to lure direct foreign investment and to facilitate major “green field” projects.
The previous Tsipras government, despite almost quarterly pronouncements after September 2015, failed to see the commencement of the project, which has faced repeated bureaucratic obstacles and legal challenges, all failed.
