Open letter and petition
to the EU-Commission, Brussels, Department for Regional Development,
the Greek government,
and
the Cretan administration in Iraklion,
and the
administrations of the 4 regions in Chania, Rethymnon, Iraklion, Lassithi:

 

Dear President, Ladies and Gentlemen,
the Cretan and Greek governments wish to approve the privatisation of beaches and the establishment of large scale projects on the southern coast of Crete. At present the discussion is about a mega hotel with 700 houses and more than 2000 beds on the beach at Trio Petra/Akóumia and a container port at Timbaki.
Projects of this type will have a huge negative effect on the character of the southern coast. First of all they are dangerous from an ecological point of view. Secondly, they will weaken the existing economic infrastructure or maybe even destroy it. And they will make the region dependent on the investors.
The situation in Spain shows what can be caused by too much money and too little consideration of the consequences of planning. Crete's southern coast must be protected against this.

I therefore ask you to offer your support on the following points concerning the southern coast from Elafonissis to Matala:

• Do not approve any privatisation or closing of beaches!
• Do not approve any projects on a mega scale like the planned hotel complex on the Trio Petra beach or the container port at Timbaki!
• Support the application to have the area from Ellafonissis to Matala declared a world heritage site by UNESCO!
• Base your policies on sustainable criteria!

Thank you for your interest and your commitment.

Best regards,