Major public projects under Greek PM’s control

Greece’s big public projects will now be under the supervision of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, according to a last-minute amendment in a bill that triggered the strong reaction of the opposition.

Transport and Infrastructure Minister Costas Karamanlis told the Greek parliament that “a separate body is being created under the auspices of the prime minister so that all strategically important projects above a certain amount are carried out under specific control.”

He added that through this move, the sustainability of the projects will be ensured in order to avoid having each minister deciding by himself which projects to promote.

Opposition lawmaker Nikos Pappas lashed out against Mitsotakis, saying that he wants to personally control “every euro” from the recovery fund and the EU budget.

“His genuine objective is the complete control of the EU funds. Acceleration of projects is just for communication,” Pappas said. (Sarantis Michalopoulos | EURACTIV.com)