Weekly update about the New Toumba
Following the commitment given to Ivan Savvidis’ team by Megaro Maximou for the direct coordination of the necessary ministerial decisions for the construction of the new stadium, the New Toumba working group provided direct information to the relevant ministers and government officials, including the schedule of the project, but also briefed them on the open issues that must proceed in parallel with the issuance of the already-delayed Presidential Decree.
As such, the following meetings took place last week:
- With the Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni and officials from the General Secretariat of the Ministry of Culture. The absolutely necessary actions for the acceleration of the construction of the New Toumba were discussed, and it was agreed to sign a memorandum of understanding regharding the handling of any archaeological finds, and to make the necessary preliminary ground excavations in the surrounding area of the stadium.
- With the Deputy Minister of Environment for Spatial Planning and Urban Environment Nikos Tagaras and the General Secretary of Spatial Planning Efthymios Bakogiannis, who were briefed on the updated schedule of the project. For their part, the Government officials informed the club about the actions of the Ministry so far, chiefly the legal review of the Presidential Decree text which has already been submitted to the Council of State. It was agreed to maintain close contact in order to coordinate the procedures for the positive opinion of the CoE regarding the Presidential Decree.
- With the Deputy Minister of Finance, responsible for the management of the Recovery Fund, Theodoros Skylakakis. The Minister analyzed the construction plan of the new stadium and the urban regeneration of the surrounding area. He was asked to assist in the initiatives of the region and the municipality for the implementation of the regeneration projects of the surrounding area and the possibility of utilizing the resources from the Recovery Fund in the construction of the new stadium, and the financing standards that have followed in similar projects were discussed.
- With the Minister of Transport Costas Karamanlis and the Deputy Minister of Infrastructure George Karagiannis the parties discussed at length the issue of the underground digging required for the perimeter roads of the stadium. PAOK, knowing the time-consuming procedures required, both for the approval of the studies and the auction and construction of the project, has requested that all necessary actions and collaborations be taken with the Regional Governor and the Municipality of Thessaloniki for the completion of the project within the timeframe.
It is obvious that there are some big open issues on the part of the State, without the settlement of which, in a short period of time, it is impossible to start the implementation of the large construction project that is the New Toumba.
In any case, more than a month after the Prime Minister’s announcements at the TIF, which were treated as the beginning of a more systematic and intense preparation, there is no longer any ambiguity about the obligations of all parties in order for the project to start and the schedules to be met. PAOK will continue to expect actions and compliance with commitments and obligations from both the central administration and the Municipality of Thessaloniki, but also the Region of Central Macedonia. Actions that should take the place of vague announcements and time-consuming meetings that simply offer descriptions and do not solve problems.
