With additional compensations to them concessionaires risks burdening the Greek State due to delays in the projects, which are also caused by slow ones times processing of the expropriated lands. As can be seen from the course of some major projects, the State it seems that systematically is delayed installment payments of construction of groups to proceed to compensations for expropriations then awaiting their own payment from the State in order not to further delay the completion of the works.
Pending expropriations
The issue was raised by the president and CEO of the GEK TERNA Group, George Peristeris both in his speech during the delivery of the southern section of the E65 and on the sidelines of the event.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr. Peristeris spoke about pending expropriations in the northern part of E65which is under construction: “We will do everything we can, bypassing our contractual rights, because the expropriations have not been completed. We acquired many lands and leased them at our own expense in order to move forward, as we did on the Ionian Road. In Ionia, the road was delivered in 2018 and the expropriations were completed judicially in 2020“, he characteristically said.
It should be noted that the completion of E65 with the delivery to traffic and the northern section that will connect it highway with Egnatia Odos is now placed within it 2026 from 2025 which was foreseen given that the Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis spoke of delivery within the next two years.
With reference to the expropriations, as he pointed out in margin of the eventthey do not prevent the delivery of the works so far “because we went and paid the owners to be able to let’s make the way».
The State, for its part, appears to show long delays in payments, which in some cases even exceed one year from the certification of the debt: “Payments are too late. They take years, not months. In our case, it happens with increasing frequency because we are moving the projects too fast. They gather very large sums and we have cases where the time from the time of the obligation to the payment exceeds a year”, emphasized the head of the Group.
Asked about the operating model of the concessions, Mr. Peristeris stated that the final goal has not been determined, but it is nevertheless a separate entity within the Group: “We have made the company GEK TERNA concessions that he will accept these concessions and we will see how will evolve». Currently, financial, technical and organizational parameters are being considered without a set direction yet.
The “freezing” of the Ilioupoli tunnel threatens Athens with suffocation
As for its extensions Attica Roadwhich have been put on ice specifically for its construction tunnel of Ilioupoli, the construction of which would give a traffic breather especially after the completion of the Hellinikon investment, Mr. Peristeris warned of the worst: “The strange thing is not if we are worried. The strange thing is that no one else is worried. All Athenians should be worried because the impact of Hellinikon will not stop around a small radius around Hellinikon. It will become an accordion, which will expand as it goes.”
He said that there is nothing new about the expansion of Kymi either, while regarding the standard proposals, he emphasized that “the files we have submitted have not even been opened”.
It is recalled that for its extensions Attica Road a standard proposal has been jointly submitted by three construction groups of GEK TERNA, AVAX and AKTOR. And these projects may be high on the agenda of the Groups, but until now there have been no contacts with the relevant ministry.
The Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, however, has not hidden the uncertainty about the future of the Attica Road extensions. Moreover, as was confirmed during yesterday’s presentation of the program for the restoration projects in Thessaly, their cost will exceed 3 billion euros, of which 1.4 billion concern only the road and railway infrastructures and the restoration of schools.
Daniel’s onslaught doesn’t let up financially margins for the extensions of the Attica Roadwhile at the same time the ministry has repeatedly declared that the institution of standard proposals should be examined on the basis of Community law.
And that’s because next October, the existing concession of the gold-bearing road axis of Attica expires, which has generated revenues of more than 3 billion euros in the last 15 years.
The operation of Attica Road will be transferred to its portfolio GEK TERNA, which has submitted the standard proposal for the extensions: “We have a road under concession, the Attiki Odos. How any extension of the Attica Road will tie onto a road under concession where from October 8 onwards we expect that there will be another concessionaire, who will operate the road, is a question that yes, this has to do with compatibility with Community law if the same concessionaire is also a proposer in standard sentence“, the Deputy Minister of Infrastructure, Nikos Tahiaos, had characteristically mentioned some time ago.
GEK TERNA, for its part, however, states that it is ready to take over the operation of the highway, with Mr. Peristeris estimating that they will be ahead of the October date. In the meantime, he tried to put an end to the scheme’s expansion scenario. Asked about it, he admitted that they had received proposals from other contestants, without confirming if it was Vinci, but adding that “we have no such perspective. At the moment I have not given any thought to widening the shape of the Attica Road”.
On the contrary for him BOAK he noted that given that several appeals have been made both by private individuals and by municipalities that have objections “we will see what time horizon we will have and we will examine it”.
As for the risk of losing the 200 million euros of funding for the 157.5 km long Chania – Heraklion section of the BOAK from the Recovery and Resilience Fund due to its derailment over time, it seems that a relevant settlement is being considered by the co-competent ministries which will enable the money to be deposited and deemed to have been disbursed.
