All the necessary studies required for the construction of the new port in Santorini and the accompanying works on land and coastline are being carried out by the competent services of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, while the Port Planning Authority for the 3 ports of Santorini (the 2 existing and the new one to be built) is the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund.

THE AMENDMENT

As stated in an amendment submitted to the draft law "Restructuring of the railway sector and strengthening of transport regulatory bodies," the studies required for the construction of the new port in Santorini, as well as the necessary studies of the accompanying land and coastline works, are completed by the competent services of the General Directorate of Hydraulics, Ports and Buildings of the General Secretariat of the Ministry of Transport and Communications, which also undertake the tendering and construction of the relevant works. In addition, the same amendment now transfers the responsibility for the zoning of tourist ports within a port zone from the Ministry of Tourism to the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy. Thus, through this regulation, the zoning procedures are accelerated, as marinas within ports will be zoned with the master plan of the port.

WHAT IT MEANS 

Already from 2022—following a relevant legislative regulation—the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund has assumed the role of planning authority for the 10 regional ports in its portfolio. It is noted that this intervention had come as a complement to a previous regulation passed in the autumn of 2019, which had assigned the specific role for PPA and PPA to the Hellenic Fund and on the basis of which the Fund had been involved in the consultation and approval of the strategic and environmental conditions for the port of Piraeus. Thus, the same role was also assigned in relation to the tendering procedures for sub-concessions, whereby the Hellenic Fund will act as a planning authority assisting investors, as for example in the port of Kavala. 

With the above: 

• the Fund undertakes to coordinate the process for the approval of the SEA for each of the Port Authorities
• assisting the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy in the procedures relating to the adoption of the Presidential Decrees for the approval of the Development Programmes and Master Plans of each port