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Western Macedonia Regional Council Discussion on the Measures Required for the Relocation of Pontokomi

The presentation to the Western Macedonia Regional Council on 16 December 2022 set out the measures required from the institutions involved and led to a Regional Council decision. It followed the decision of the enlarged Pontokomi Community Council and public assembly of 18 September 2022, as well as the related decision of Kozani City Council.

Issues and proposed measures

  1. Amendment of section 6.4.7 of Law 4956/2022. Law 4956/2022 (Government Gazette A 140/19 July 2022) ratified the programme agreement between the Hellenic Republic, METAVASI S.A. and the Public Power Corporation (PPC S.A.). Section 6.4.7 provides that settlement land within the “Post-Lignite Utilisation Lands”, including Pontokomi, is to be transferred to METAVASI S.A. under the Land Availability Schedule only after PPC has completed, at its own responsibility and expense, enforcement of the relevant administrative-eviction judgments, demolition of buildings and installations, removal of materials and rehabilitation of both above-ground and underground structures. The provision also authorises PPC to perform those actions after ownership has passed to METAVASI, while requiring METAVASI to take without delay any additional steps needed for their implementation.

    The presentation argued that this provision could not properly be applied because the public infrastructure required for the settlement’s relocation had not been completed. This constitutes a confirmed “Deviation Event” under section 6.2 of the same law. The proposed decision should therefore be sent to all competent bodies so that action can be taken and the provision amended.

  2. High-voltage lines. The diversion or relocation of the high-voltage pylons at New Pontokomi had still not been carried out by PPC, further delaying the relocation process. PPC was asked to meet its commitments immediately; otherwise, the Municipality of Kozani should consider legal action to enforce all outstanding obligations, in recognition of the continuity of public administration.

  3. Completion of public infrastructure. Residents can relocate only after works serving the public interest have been completed and the new settlement has become viable. All infrastructure projects should therefore be accelerated.

  4. Spatial planning and suspension of demolition. The decision should be submitted to the forthcoming consultation on the spatial plan for the mining areas, both in relation to the location of future activities and to the suspension of any demolition of Pontokomi.

  5. Outstanding part of the settlement. PPC should resolve the remaining issues affecting the part of the settlement outside the existing expropriation zone, using the out-of-court settlement mechanism it had previously proposed or any other appropriate legal route.

  6. No removal before the new settlement is habitable. The relocation is a complex process of which compulsory expropriation is only one component. Residents who have not relocated should not be removed before all planned infrastructure is complete and the new settlement is viable. The same legislative intervention should allow the existing settlement and essential public services, including schools, to continue operating lawfully during the interim period.

  7. Legal protection. Taking into account the decisions of the Pontokomi Community Council and Kozani City Council, the Region of Western Macedonia should exercise every lawful right, including recourse to the courts, if the required procedures do not begin immediately.

  8. Institutional coordination. The institutional representatives should coordinate so that the proposed measures are accepted by the parties to the programme agreement ratified by Law 4956/2022: the competent ministry, PPC S.A. and METAVASI S.A.

Video and supporting material

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