ATHENS – Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Wednesday attended an event at Schisto for the signature of an agreement between the Church of Greece and the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRADF) for the exploitation of a property belonging to the Ecclesiastical Central Financial Service of the Church of Greece (EKYO) in the area.

Speaking in the presence of Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Ieronymos, Mitsotakis hailed the agreement as “an important first step for putting into practice the vision that you had, which we have discussed several times…the ability of the Church to finally make use of the real estate property that it still possesses for the benefit of the Greek people as a whole.”

He noted that the project, a ultra-modern and environmentally-friendly logistics centre for the transportation and management of containers and other cargo, “appears as a self-evident necessity if one takes into account the great importance and the growing momentum at the port of Piraeus”, in addition to the importance that the government attaches to the development of west Attica.

“In addition to a developmental initiative that will unfold in this space, at the same time we will be able to plant a great many new trees and deliver to local communities a big park in a space that is not currently one that they are able to visit,” the premier added.

Mitsotakis noted that the Church must be able to exploit its real estate property and, through the income this generates, support its exceedingly varied and important charitable work.

The Schisto project

Through the formation of the anonymous company “Schisto SA” that it has set up, the Church seeks to make use of the privately-owned tract of land covering 300 hectares, located in a prime position on the southeastern border of Piraeus and the country’s biggest port and to the north of Skaramangas. The plan also includes a recreational park.

The project will be financed with the Church’s own funds and take roughly four years to complete. HRADF will collaborate with the concessionaire for the completion and tender processes involved, as well as monitoring the execution of contracts.