ATHENS – Thirty-three mayors of a network of Greek mountain towns met with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Wednesday to discuss the implementation and progress on ongoing programs there and tourism development prospects.

The 33 towns – each of which has a permanent population of under 10,000 – receive a total of 375 million euros in funding from the interior and other ministries (including 125.6 mln euros from NSRF resources, 6.05 mln euros from the Greek Fund and 367 mln euros from the Program of Agricultural Development).

Some of the problems the mayors noted included lack of staff and large machinery, studies and preparations for projects, roads within the towns, school and health center operations, high-speed telecoms networks, bank branches, and renewable energy resources.

Mitsotakis announced that a very small working group would be set up to produce a master plan within six months that will provide a guideline for funding projects at mountain villages.