Greece's main opposition party Syriza has accused Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis of attempting to appropriate the landmark Faliro Bay redevelopment project in the Attica region. In an official statement, the party claimed the government was trying to rewrite history by taking credit for work planned and launched under former regional governor Rena Dourou.
The party described recent government celebrations surrounding the Metropolitan Park contract signing at Faliro Bay as a publicity event meant to claim ownership of an initiative that was already underway years ago. Syriza noted that the signing of the contract for the second phase of the project comes after a seven year delay under regional leadership backed by the ruling New Democracy party.
Project timeline and delays
According to the statement from Syriza Progressive Alliance, the history of the site shows that the redevelopment began in 2016 when the abandoned 500 stremmata plot of land was transferred to the Attica Region. Work on the first phase started in 2017, featuring major interventions along the waterfront alongside extensive flood protection infrastructure for the surrounding area.
By 2019, the administration led by Rena Dourou and her political faction, Force of Life, had completed the required study and prepared the tender documents for the second phase of the development. Syriza highlighted that it took seven full years from that handover to reach the signing of the contract for the second phase.
The opposition party stated that New Democracy administrations in the Attica Region failed to advance the project despite receiving it fully launched. Syriza added that the government is now attempting to present this long delay as an achievement, pointing out that the current regional governor expects the park to be delivered at the end of 2029, a decade after Dourou's team submitted the Phase B plans.
Political debate ahead of elections
Syriza claimed that the government of Prime Minister Mitsotakis is actively searching for completed or ongoing projects to enhance its governance record ahead of upcoming elections. The party urged the administration not to lay claim to achievements belonging to previous regional leadership.
The opposition statement emphasized that the government holds full political responsibility for the seven year period of inactivity. Syriza concluded that ministers should not try to convert a prolonged administrative delay into a political success story.
Background on the dispute
Syriza, formally known as the Coalition of the Radical Left Progressive Alliance, served as Greece's governing party from 2015 until 2019 under former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras. Kyriakos Mitsotakis took office as Prime Minister in July 2019 following an election victory by the center-right New Democracy party.
Rena Dourou was elected Governor of the Attica Region in 2014 running on behalf of Syriza and her regional party faction, Force of Life. The Attica Region is the most populous administrative division in Greece, encompassing the entire Athens metropolitan area. During her tenure, regional authorities prioritized the reclamation of industrial and abandoned coastal plots along the Saronic Gulf.
The Faliro Bay project covers approximately 500 stremmata, an area equivalent to roughly 50 hectares or 124 acres located on the southern waterfront of Athens. The multi-phase redevelopment plan aims to establish a Metropolitan Park providing public green space, leisure facilities, coastal access, and vital flood defenses for neighboring urban municipalities.
