The topic of the day is the launch of the online platform for reporting unauthorized structures in forests. The process will be carried out through the Greek Land Registry website and requires a fee of €250.

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Αεροστεγανότητα
Πρόκειται για τη δεύτερη προσπάθεια έμμεσης νομιμοποίησns αυθαιρέτων σε δασικές εκτάσεις, καθώς η προηγούμενη κρίθηκε αντισυνταγματική το 2019.

According to information from “K”, the digital platform is now ready and all that remains is for the Ministry of Environment to give the “green light” (probably in the second half of September). The platform will operate on the website www.ktimatologio.gr, in the forest maps section, where there will be an entry for “application for inclusion in Article 55 of Law 4685/20 (residential densification)”.

Before submitting the application, the interested party must pay the fee of €250 via the e-paravolo service, which operates on the gov.gr portal—in other words, payment will only be made electronically and not at a bank.

Supporting documents
The supporting documents and submission procedure are described both in Law 4685 and in the ministerial decision issued on July 16 by the Ministries of Environment and Digital Governance, which specified the procedure.

Specifically:
The owner of the unauthorized structure must have already submitted their disagreement with the content of the posted forest map in some way, e.g., objection, request for correction, or any other legal remedy.
The application must describe the residence and the accompanying structures. According to information from “K”, the description must be accompanied by the coordinates of the property and the plot on which it is located. The owner will then locate the property using the electronic application.

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It should be noted that once the area has been registered in the land registry, the property can be declared using the KAEK (the number assigned to all properties in the land registry).

Along with the application, the owner must include a sworn statement regarding the accuracy of the information provided, an engineer’s statement describing the residence, proof of payment of the electronic fee, and a copy of their identity card or passport. It is worth mentioning two points: The possibility of “rescuing” the unauthorized construction is only available for residences and not for buildings used for other purposes. It also does not apply to buildings in Natura areas or buildings constructed after July 2011 (“red line” for all unauthorized buildings).
Applications will be reviewed by the forestry authorities or local forestry departments of the Ministry of Environment and Energy.
Fee of €250 – The platform will open soon, and the process for interested parties will be step by step.
According to information from “K,” by submitting the declaration, anyone who has built an unauthorized house in a forest or forest area is essentially protected by the State, as all penalties against them are suspended. Hypothetically, once all the declarations have been collected, they will be grouped together and presidential decrees will be issued to legalize those that the Ministry of the Environment deems not to cause serious environmental damage or where reversal of the existing situation is considered impossible.

Thus, although the ministry hastily resorted to the “tool” of presidential decrees (which are controlled by the Council of State) and the examination of cases by region, it is obvious that it intends to proceed with mass legalizations.

It should be noted that, according to data from the Ministry of Environment and Energy, residential areas in Attica cover 115,873 acres, in Corinthia 42,206 acres, in Chalkidiki 19,464 acres, in Thessaloniki 19,050 acres, and so on.

“Residential densification” had been excluded from the publication of forest maps under a previous law, which was, however, ruled unconstitutional by the Council of State, forcing the Ministry of Environment and Energy to republish these areas for the submission of objections.

Georgia Kalantzi