Greek Mayors shine as best in the world

The mayors of Athens and Lesvos were announced on Tuesday among the 10 most outstanding in the world in the biennial World Mayor competition organised by the City Mayors Foundation.

Athens Mayor Giorgos Kaminis and Lesvos Mayor Spiros Galinos were listed third and seventh among the 10 most outstanding mayors in the world, with Bart Somers, the Mayor of Mechelen, Belgium, awarded the 2016 World Mayor Prize.

First runner-up was the mayor of Lahr in Germany, Wolfgang G Müller, who was awarded the World Mayor Commendation for services to integration.

Mayors Kaminis and Galinos stood out for welcoming refugees and offering them safety, shelter and support in their cities.

Kaminis received a commendation for his services to refugees. “…An NGO testified that the reception refugees and asylum seekers received in Athens was among the best in Europe”, noted the World Mayor website.

Lesvos Mayor Spiros Galinos was awarded seventh place for, among other things, facing the refugee situation on his island with compassion, courage and competence.

Athens, Lesvos and Lampedusa (Italy) are the three Mediterranean communities in the World Mayor Honours List that must receive special recognition for the welcome they offered to tens of thousands of men, women and children who were fleeing the fighting in the Middle East or poverty in Africa.

“The international community must offer municipalities on the Mediterranean front line generous financial and practical assistance. The inadequacy of support became woefully apparent when many refugee camps in Greece found themselves totally unprepared for the wintry conditions in early 2017.”

The World Mayor Project aims to raise the profile of mayors worldwide and honour those who have served their communities well and who have made contributions to the well-being of cities nationally and internationally.

The World’s Top 10 Mayors →

1               Bart Somers                           Mayor of Mechelen                             Belgium

2               Wolfgang G Müller            Mayor of Lahr                                         Germany

3               Georgios Kaminis               Mayor of Athens                                    Greece

4               Giusi Nicolini                        Mayor of Lampedusa                          Italy

5               Richard Arnold                    Mayor of Schwäbisch Gmünd       Germany

6               Mirjam van ‘t Veld             Mayor of Amstelveen                         Netherlands

7               Spiros Galinos                      Mayor of Lesbos                                    Greece

8               Pavel Adamowicz               Mayor of Gdansk                                   Poland

9               Damien Carême                   Mayor of Grande-Synthe                  France

10            Henriette Reker                   Mayor of Cologne                                 Germany