SYRIZA MP pledges to continue opposing Hellas Gold mines, even if courts uphold the company's positions

Gazzetta team 25 Σεπτεμβρίου 2015 - 17:16

SYRIZA will continue to fight and oppose the gold mines in Halkidiki as a party and a movement, even if the courts find in favour of the company, SYRIZA MP for the region Katerina Igglezi told the ANA-MPA radio 'Praktorio 104.9' on Friday.

"We insist as a movement and as SYRIZA that this so-called investment is a disaster for Halkidiki," she said. "The movement does not stop when there is a court decision, it continues until it succeeds in stopping the destruction of its country," she added.

The government's approach was not different, she said, but the minister was not in a position to act and speak out in the same way as a movement or a party organ and was obliged to accept the decisions of the Council of State, Greece's supreme administrative court.

The company's case against an order to suspend mining operations, issued by the previous SYRIZA government, is due to be heard by the court on October 2.

If this ruled unfavourably, Igglezi said, SYRIZA would take its case against the mines to the European courts. She also indicated that the reports of environmental inspectors at the Skouries mining operations were "not expected to be good for the company, since it has violated all the environmental terms."

She accused the company of employing a series of lobbyists to press the caretaker government ministers to revoke the order to suspend operations at Halkidiki issued by Environment Minister Panos Skourletis as head of the now defunct Productive Reconstruction ministry.