A good first step
After several postponements, the Cabinet has decided to activate the law that determines the institutional framework for Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs, or co-funding by public sector bodies and private companies) for infrastructure projects budgeted at up to 200 million euros. To be precise, private firms will use their own capital to build schools, which the state will lease from them under long-term contracts. This method allows the government to undertake construction projects even when it does not have the funds to do so. Experience in other European countries, particularly in Britain, has shown that co-funding has led to growth, creating jobs and producing wealth. The step being taken by the Karamanlis government is of wider significance. If, as is expected, the school buildings program goes well, the way will be truly open for other requirements to be met in the same way, such as the need for modern correctional establishments and building infrastructure in hospitals around Attica. The waste management sector, however, is the most pressing need. The construction of modern waste processing plants, such as those in major European capitals, is long overdue. Kathimerini has repeatedly underlined the importance of adopting flexible ways of dealing effectively with the nation’s problems. In that sense, it welcomes the government’s initiative. Above all, it urges the government to do more in this direction. Apart from anything else, co-funding calls for transparent conditions. In that way, there is less margin for corruption in a sector where it has been the rule.
