Vidos: Abandonment and privatisation?
Spyros Savvanis
03 Apr 2023
/ 23:45
By Spyros Savvanis, lawyer, member of MeRA 25
Vidos Island is located opposite the Old Venetian Fortress and the old Venetian Corfu Town. It is separated from the old fortress and the old port of Corfu Town by a narrow sea. From the old port there is a regular shuttle service to the island during the summer. The island is uninhabited today, but it was a juvenile prison in the past, as well as a rural prison.
On the island there is a mausoleum of fallen Serbian soldiers, where all the remains of the dead Serbian soldiers who died in Corfu between 1915 and 1918 were taken, when the Serbs were forced to leave Serbia, persecuted by the Austrian troops, and came as refugees to Corfu under the command of King Peter. Today it belongs to the Corfu Municipality, which has turned the island into a summer resort with the municipal children's camp there.
Vidos is part of the natural and built environment, part of the Corfu Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The question that arises today is whether Vidos is all of the above. The answer is a big and clear NO.
How did I come to this conclusion?
From the important discussion and dialogue that took place on Sunday 2 April 2023 at the meeting of the Friends of Vidos Association and it was proven that Vidos is heading towards the absolute control of the leasing company Ikos Dassia. The Municipal Authority is the only one responsible, as it started from 2018 and it currently has a 6-year lease agreement.
It was said that although the restaurant and a specific area around it has been leased, the company is using a larger area.
It was said that the last shuttle service is at 20:00.
It was said that if one wants to eat at the restaurant, especially after 20:00, they need to book a table at Ikos Dassia.
It was said that the company does not observe the contractual terms of the lease, it is misusing the terms of the contract and more.
It was said that the Municipality will also lease space on the beach for the company to place umbrellas and sunbeds.
It was said that the summer camps have not been in operation for 6 years and are not scheduled to reopen.
It was said that important buildings are collapsing, when the Municipality could issue a building permit for small-scale works, in order to maintain their roofs and place windows or repair anything else, immediately, quickly and at minimum cost, without bureaucracy and studies.
It was said that there is still a problem with the boat owned by the Municipality, so there will be no access to Vidos, none of us will be able to visit the island and it will be fully and exclusively used by the leasing company.
Is anyone responsible for all that is happening or is it happening by accident?
The Municipal Authority should inform us immediately if all the abovementioned are true and NOT with excuses or any other arguments, but with the use of Vidos by Corfiots and visitors.
This use should be demonstrated by actions and works, since Vidos should be ready for use by all of us, for every activity - use that previous Municipal Authorities created and operated.
We elect a Municipal Authority to protect the public interest and NOT the private one.
If some of our elected representatives forget the public interest and remember the private one, they are not worthy to represent us, they do not deserve our vote and we will vote against them in the upcoming municipal elections.
Our tolerance towards the Municipal Authority should not become complicity.
Corfu 3/4/2023
Savvanis Spyros - Lawyer, member of MeRA 25
On the island there is a mausoleum of fallen Serbian soldiers, where all the remains of the dead Serbian soldiers who died in Corfu between 1915 and 1918 were taken, when the Serbs were forced to leave Serbia, persecuted by the Austrian troops, and came as refugees to Corfu under the command of King Peter. Today it belongs to the Corfu Municipality, which has turned the island into a summer resort with the municipal children's camp there.
Vidos is part of the natural and built environment, part of the Corfu Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The question that arises today is whether Vidos is all of the above. The answer is a big and clear NO.
How did I come to this conclusion?
From the important discussion and dialogue that took place on Sunday 2 April 2023 at the meeting of the Friends of Vidos Association and it was proven that Vidos is heading towards the absolute control of the leasing company Ikos Dassia. The Municipal Authority is the only one responsible, as it started from 2018 and it currently has a 6-year lease agreement.
It was said that although the restaurant and a specific area around it has been leased, the company is using a larger area.
It was said that the last shuttle service is at 20:00.
It was said that if one wants to eat at the restaurant, especially after 20:00, they need to book a table at Ikos Dassia.
It was said that the company does not observe the contractual terms of the lease, it is misusing the terms of the contract and more.
It was said that the Municipality will also lease space on the beach for the company to place umbrellas and sunbeds.
It was said that the summer camps have not been in operation for 6 years and are not scheduled to reopen.
It was said that important buildings are collapsing, when the Municipality could issue a building permit for small-scale works, in order to maintain their roofs and place windows or repair anything else, immediately, quickly and at minimum cost, without bureaucracy and studies.
It was said that there is still a problem with the boat owned by the Municipality, so there will be no access to Vidos, none of us will be able to visit the island and it will be fully and exclusively used by the leasing company.
Is anyone responsible for all that is happening or is it happening by accident?
The Municipal Authority should inform us immediately if all the abovementioned are true and NOT with excuses or any other arguments, but with the use of Vidos by Corfiots and visitors.
This use should be demonstrated by actions and works, since Vidos should be ready for use by all of us, for every activity - use that previous Municipal Authorities created and operated.
We elect a Municipal Authority to protect the public interest and NOT the private one.
If some of our elected representatives forget the public interest and remember the private one, they are not worthy to represent us, they do not deserve our vote and we will vote against them in the upcoming municipal elections.
Our tolerance towards the Municipal Authority should not become complicity.
Corfu 3/4/2023
Savvanis Spyros - Lawyer, member of MeRA 25
