ATHENS – Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Wednesday received the mayors of the seven municipalities in west Athens, discussing their financing resources, needs and projects of both local and supralocal significance in their areas. The seven municipalities have already included 14 projects with a budget of 80 million euros in funding programmes, while another nine are to be added soon.

“My interest in Western Athens is a given and I want this to be demonstrated in practice,” the prime minister said.

“We have set in motion a series of important interventions, the greatest of which in terms of its size is the extension of Metro Line 2 to Ilion,” the prime minister added, noting that a tender for the new line will be ready before the end of the year.

He welcomed the addition of local projects to the “Tritsis programme” and noted that every municipality in west Athens must in the coming months be associated with an urban renewal or greenspace project.

The prime minister also announced preparations had been made at the level of ministries for hiring essential specialist staff in local government.

In addition to the prime minister, the meeting was attended by Minister of State Akis Skertsos, Alternate Foreign Minister for European issues Miltiades Varvitsiotis, MP Yiannis Loverdos and the General Secretary for Coordination Thanasis Kontogeorgis. The mayors were those of Egaleo, Agia Varvara, Agii Anargyroi-Kamatero, Peristeri, Petroupoli, Haidari and Ilion.