ATHENS — A meeting in the presence of Environment and Energy Minister Kostis Hatzidakis was held earlier on Wednesday at the headquarters of the Decentralised Administration of Crete regarding on the protection of Chryssi island, which Hatzidakis visited on Tuesday.

In statements, Hatzidakis said: "We agreed that the plan for Chryssi should become an official ministerial decision in the next days. We are interested in going from words to actions. Some protest, as is their right, but we have an obligation to act. We want our actions to speak for us regarding the environment, even more so for Natura areas, and what we are doing on Chryssi we want to extend throughout the country. Environmental protection in action."

On her part, the coordinator of the Decentralised Administration Maria Kozirakis said that the project has a three-year horizon and includes actions that are linked with the protection of the areas, as well as actions that will limit lawlessness and protect the island's ecosystem.