Thousands of buildings designated for demolition

Environment Minister Kostis Hatzidakis visits a dilapidated factory in Maroussi in northern Athens. There are 9,342 dilapidated buildings in 112 municipalities around the country that have been declared as such to the Environment Ministry so that they can be demolished. Of these, 2,800 are located in the municipality of Athens and about 1,500 on the northern Aegean island of Lemnos. The ministry has pledged to present its proposal for the demolition of dangerous buildings and the subsidy for the repair of listed buildings at the beginning of the new year. "We are preparing a legislative intervention, which, without affecting property rights, will facilitate the municipalities in terms of accelerating demolition where needed," the minister said, adding that special care would be taken to safeguard listed buildings. [Yiannis Liakos/InTime News]