[AMNA/Athens Concert Hall/Charis Akriviadis]
Former PASOK minister Stavros Benos announced his resignation from the Special Committee for the Development and Reconstruction of Evros, citing “personal dignity,” and warning that the post-fire recovery effort could deteriorate without a holistic approach and a single operational center.
Speaking Wednesday in Soufli, Benos said the project had drifted far from the master plan that he and his NGO Diazoma submitted. His departure follows the committee’s meeting in Nea Vyssa in late July, where major deviations from that plan emerged.
According to Benos, the original framework has been replaced by an Integrated Territorial Investment of 108 projects with a budget of €309.9 million, a €2.69 billion reduction from the government’s initial commitments. He said he was caught off guard by the changes.
“Initially he gave me everything, then he took everything back,” Benos said, describing his cooperation with the prime minister. He said he was asked to help as a volunteer, only to face a counterproposal that nullified his plan. A month later, he added, he was still trying to understand who had “built such a major coup” that operated “on the edge of stupidity.”
