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Protests have born fruits. The Greek government has removed hundreds of archaeological sites, museums, historical monuments and castles from a list of state properties transferred to the Privatization Fund as dictated by the last bailout terms and conditions.
In a statement, the Ministry of Culture said late of Tuesday that ‘following careful cross-checks, 2,300 properties were taken off the portfolio of state-owned real estate scheduled for development over the next 99 years.”
Under “development” Greece’s lenders and authorities understand the sale of state properties to private owners to utilize them for 99 years.
Among the properties removed from the privatization list was the Minoan Palace of Knossos on the island of Crete, a 4000-year-old ancient monument the country’s second most popular after the Acropolis in Athens.
Other archaeological sites and historical monuments removed are the Royal Tombs of King Philip II of Macedonia in Northern Greece, the White Tower in Thessaloniki, the Akrotiri on Santorini, the bastions of the Venetian Castle on Crete, the Tomb of Leonidas and the Acropolis of Sparta.
All together, the Finance Ministry transferred a total of 10,119 archaeological sites, historical monuments and museums to the Privatization Fund in early autumn.
The move sparked protests by the Greek Archaeologists’ Association and other bodies and unions.
Despite pressure to publish the list of Greek heritage to be sold or leased to private entrepreneurship, the Culture Ministry published the list of properties to be exempted on Tuesday.
Last week, the Archaeologists’ Association published a list of 587 sites and monuments that needed to be exempted from privatization stressing that a totla of 2,300 properties had to be taken off the list. The GAA urged the government to pass a legislation to protect the Greek heritage.
List of 2,300 properties of Greek heritage here
PS From the 10,119 archaeological sites, monuments and museums transferred to Privatization Fund, I suppose 7,819 are not …important and need no protection from private utilization?
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