YPAEN: Regularization of unauthorized buildings by February 2016

To regularize unauthorized construction on their properties by February 2016 at the latest, the political leadership of the Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate Change calls on interested citizens to settle unauthorized construction on their properties, on the occasion of the two-year anniversary of the implementation of Law 4178 on

addressing illegal construction and environmental balance.

Specifically, as stated by the Minister of Environment, Energy and Climate Change, Professor Ioannis Golias “Citizens should bear in mind that until February 2016, when the deadline for compliance with the provisions of the law expires, they have the opportunity to regularize any irregularities in their properties.

It should be noted that after this deadline, no unauthorized property or unauthorized building will be able to be transferred or exploited. The state, said the minister, now ensures the legality and safety of buildings.

Furthermore, he pointed out that “the practice of arbitrary construction is perhaps the darkest spot of the last decades in terms of spatial planning and urban development for our country,” adding that “over the last two years, the state has shown that it has the tools to tackle the issue once and for all, when there is political will.”

For his part, Deputy Minister of Environment, Energy and Climate Change Kostis Mousouroulis stated that “Law 4178/2013 is the last great opportunity to definitively address the urban planning issues of previous years relating to real estate. The recent ruling by the Council of State on the constitutionality of the law bolsters this initiative by the State to finally put an end to the anachronistic practice of arbitrary construction.”

In conclusion, Kostis Mousouroulis stressed that “no arbitrariness can be tolerated. We are now in the last six months of implementation of Law 4178/2013. Citizens must not neglect to settle their accounts with the urban planning history of their properties.”

The Technical Chamber of Greece requests Electronic Building Identity

For his part, TEE President George Stassinopoulos emphasized in a statement that “the state must immediately proceed with the Electronic Building Identity, which concerns legally existing buildings, and the Electronic Issuance of Building Permits, which concerns new buildings. This will finally ensure the legality of all constructions, improve the safety of constructions, provide legal certainty in real estate transactions, and improve services for citizens and engineers. The TEE is ready to support all these services electronically. It is time for the state to deliver on what it has been promising for years.

As announced by the Technical Chamber of Greece, a total of 902,961 properties with unauthorized additions have been declared in recent years. A total of 236,769 declarations have been definitively settled, 202,109 are in the process of being settled, 153,909 are in the initial submission stage, 133,915 are being processed, and 238 declarations have been deemed invalid.

As regards fines imposed, the amount for the two-year period amounts to approximately €3.2 billion, while the average fine per category amounts to €5,023. By the end of August, the amount that had been paid into the state coffers amounted to €1.5 billion.