2024-03-19 23:23:20
No. 28909/848/15.3.2024 Interpretive Circular for the “Implementation of the Regulation on Fire Protection of Properties in and near Forest Lands” was issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which defines deadlines that cannot be met by both citizens and the competent authorities services, while the prescribed electronic platform for their registration does not exist.
Specifically, following the “Regulation on Fire Protection of Properties in and near Forest Lands” which was published in the Official Gazette after a decree of the Ministers of Environment and Energy, Interior and Climate Crisis & Civil Protection (19.05.2023), a relevant interpretive circular was issued, for its implementation, in view of the new fire season that begins on May 1, 2024.
As reported by the Panhellenic Federation of Real Estate Owners, the relevant Ministries emphasize that the Regulation aims to protect the life and safety of citizens, the protection of the Environment, the fire protection and fire safety of buildings located within forest areas or adjacent to them, as well as in limiting their contribution to the spread of fire.
“But in reality”, emphasizes POMIDA, “this whole process is the complete surprise of millions of property owners who are threatened with fines of 1,000 euros and exterminating penalties if they do not comply with the new unclear and unenforceable temporal obligations imposed on them, so that they are solely responsible for whatever happens, if:
Until 31.03.2024, i.e. within 15 days (!) they are required to “draw up a Risk Assessment Form and Technical Report of a competent technical scientist”. So who is this “competent technical scientist”, where will they find him, when will they take him to their plot to see it and study it and draw up the above documents by the end of March!!!
Until 30.04.2024 they are required to submit to the relevant Municipality initially, (and to the electronic “Register of Compliance with Preventive Property Fire Protection Measures” later), a Statement of Implementation of the fire safety measures in which they will declare the correct taking of the measures provided for in the report of the competent technical scientist , based on the provisions of the Regulation for the protection of their property in case of fire!!! It should be noted that this Declaration should be repeated until 30.4 of each following year!!!
All those who fail to submit this annual Declaration on time will be fined 1,000 euros “per head”, i.e. not per plot, but apparently, per co-owner! At the same time, it will be considered that the owner consents to the Municipality coming in to clean the plot and charging him the costs of cleaning it!!!
If, after cleaning the plot, grasses etc. appear again, or if the Audit Committee judges that the cleaning was not done properly, this will be considered as “Submitting a false declaration to the National Registry” regarding the fulfillment of the relevant obligation, and will be punished with a prison sentence (Note 10 days – 5 years) and with a fine, if this act is not punished more severely than another criminal provision!!!
If his act contributed to the spread of a forest fire, he is punished with a prison sentence of at least three (3) years and a fine of ten thousand to two hundred thousand (200,000) euros!!!
As we have pointed out in time, a key element for the citizens of a favored State to comply is to know what their obligations are, and to have the time and real ability to meet them. In theory it may be true that ignorance of the law is not forgivable, in practice, however, if there is no prior extensive information to the citizens about this “skyrocketing” new obligation, as well as their individual notification, it is not understood that a measure of avoiding state responsibility will be applied against them, which will create an annual “industry” of fines of the thousandth, a new field of potential corruption and an avalanche of criminal prosecutions and heavy fines on the righteous and the unrighteous…
So this “Registry”, regardless of the good intentions of its initiators, which are not in doubt, will in essence constitute another “well-designed trap” of the State at the expense of an unimaginably large number of unsuspecting citizens throughout the country, who will practically be unaware its existence and all these heavy obligations and penalties, without any prior invitation to consultation by any co-competent Ministry, without any wide-scale information to the population and especially to the liable millions of owners…”
Source: Reporter.gr