Greek Recovery Funds to Go into Acropolis Upgrade Works

The Acropolis, Athens Photo: @Ministry of Culture / © Studio On_Stelios Tzetzias

Twelve projects including upgrade works on the Acropolis have been cleared for funding out of “Greece 2.0” – the country’s recovery plan approved earlier this month.

Alternate Finance Minister Theodore Skylakakis gave the green light to the release of funds which will be channeled into upgrades, the modernization of infrastructure and road networks, the digitization of archival material, the enhancement of the investment climate as well as other projects aimed at simplifying public procedures.

The finance ministry has allocated 10 million euros which the culture ministry will use to carry out a series of restoration and preservation works as well as for promotional actions of the Acropolis, an UNESCO World Heritage site and the country’s most visited monument.

Acropolis, Athens. Photo: Ministry of Culture

More specifically, restoration will be carried out on the Parthenon and surrounding walls and monuments, improving the access on the western side of the hill, 3D imprint material, and more. Relevant studies in this direction will be presented in the fall.

The remaining 11 projects which have received the go-ahead are:

– the update of Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE) technologies and equipment (12.2 million euros);
– financial management system reforms (36.1 million euros);
– the expansion of the national communication network (32.1 million euros);
– the upgrade of the fiber optic network for the GRNET network (30.5 million euros);
– the enhancement of digital services for citizens and businesses (69.4 million euros);
– the upgrade of internet services and ensuring interoperability between information systems (27.9 million euros);
– the improvement of the provision of open data through the data.gov.gr platform and the provision of relevant services in the public and private sectors (5.5 million euros);
– the construction of the Trikala – Egnatia Odos section of the Central Greece E65 motorway (480 million euros);
– the digitization of the National Land Registry (242.4 million euros);
– the implementation of local urban plans and special urban plans towards the creation of clearer framework for land use (345.2 million euros); and
– the enhancement of the Digital Aid (Psifiaki Merimna) program (129.2 million euros).

The first “Greece 2.0” funding agreement was recently signed by the Greek government and the European Commission.