Greek government to ‘burn’ arsonists with new legislation

Greece’s alternate environment and Energy Minister Sokratis Famellos said on Wednesday the government will introduce new measures to prevent the long standing practice of construction over burnt land.

The long standing practice of burning public land in order to exploit loopholes and construct land on then will now be addressed according to Famellos.

The minister said he will take measures to prevent possible legal 'loopholes' for the construction of illegal buildings on land burned by the wildfires that have swept through Attica and other regions of Greece.

"We have our eyes open to (deal with) efforts to encroach on the forest, which often start with wildfires. And we are taking immediate and comprehensive measures," Famellos told public radio station ERA.

"Under no circumstances will be allow loopholes to open for illegal buildings, as was the case with the previous governments. We are implementing the forest maps that previous governments didn’t dare do. We want it to be clear where the forest is, where the rural area is, where the city is, and where the manufacturing and industry factory is," he added.