Erimitis Plus: "Erimitis: New challenges – new fronts are opening. The fight continues"

(Erimitis Plus) The information came from the Prime Minister himself during his visit to Corfu and his meeting with Yiannis Trepeklis, Regional Governor of the Ionian Islands, and Giorgos Mahimaris, Mayor of North Corfu, on May 31, 2024. He informed them that:

"There is a new investor who has agreed to a smaller-scale investment in the Erimitis area, with absolute respect for the environment, and that after the departure of NCH Capital, the plans are changing drastically..."

He also expressed his "satisfaction with the radical change that has taken place in the investment, which had sparked widespread reactions on the island…" and added that "the entire handling of the matter left him with a bittersweet memory…"
(Source: kerkyraikiapopsi.gr, 31-5-2024)

It is worth looking back at the events that unfolded until the departure of NCH Capital, along with the "bittersweet memory", because even back then, Mr. Mitsotakis was expressing his satisfaction while cheerfully standing next to the opportunists of the multinational company, the paid parrots, the claqueurs, and a few "defectors," as they were introduced to him by his outrageous minister…

Surrounding the "fiesta" they had set up on the "Acropolis of Erimitis," more than 3,000 local residents were protesting in outrage at what was happening. Of course, the riot police (MAT) kept them at a distance so as not to ruin the "festive atmosphere"!

A similar "bittersweet" "kaziki" (humiliation) awaited Mr. Mitsotakis from the Corfiot people during his visit, first to Corfu Town and then to Erimitis, in those dramatic days of July 2020.

The people of Corfu will never forget the images of the deforested landscape around the naval outpost, the boasting, the sardonic smiles, and the outrageous statement from the Prime Minister himself:

"We are right to build on Erimitis because one day it would have burned down anyway!"

They gave them everything! They supported them in every way—politically, administratively, judicially, even with their physical presence, through tailor-made legislative measures. Scandalous privileges were granted, using all the power of government, state authority, and entangled interests…

In the end, the favoured "investors" (opportunists?) were forced to abandon the area and their plans due to the strong resistance of the Corfiot people, leaving behind those who had supported them—exposed and ridiculed…

And now, we see Mr. Mitsotakis' obsession—his insistence on destroying Erimitis and punishing Corfu's society. He returns vindictively, bringing in a new "groom"!

Of course, this "groom" does not arrive with "trinkets" like the previous ones; instead, he comes with a sugar-coated pill—the supposed "environmental sensitivities, the milder, more eco-friendly plans…" etc. Slowly but surely, they have started making their appearance under the pretence of "small-scale works."

But once again, they are miscalculating! The "widespread reactions" that the Prime Minister referred to back then were not just a temporary outcry. His assessment was wrong—because the resistance for the protection of Erimitis was, is, and will always be absolute!

The struggle continues on all levels and by all legal means…

The people of Corfu are not fooled—they know that large investment groups and environmental sensitivities do not go hand in hand. These companies come to invest in an area to exploit its natural resources to the maximum, for the greatest possible profit for themselves, and not for the protection of the area or the benefit of the local community.

They do not invest in strengthening the local economy, as some naïve people might believe. They invest strategically and competitively to completely dominate the market.

In "strategic investments," the "milder," "smaller," and "friendlier" aspects are measured by entirely different standards—based solely on the profitability and return on investment.

Given these local and global circumstances, the urgent need to protect Erimitis in its entirety is clearer than ever.

Beyond the disputed 500 stremma that were handed over to the state "out of necessity," there are also other landowners in the area who, for over a century, have respected its history and the role of the ecosystem in maintaining the unique microclimate of the region. They have never considered disrupting its balance.

But if "the unravelling of the sweater begins," there is no doubt that destruction will be total and irreversible.

The only sustainable proposal for Erimitis, one that truly contributes to the sustainable tourism development of Northeast Corfu and the island as a whole, is the plan publicly presented from the very beginning by the Erimitis Plus Association at the conference in Agios Stefanos Sinion on June 4, 2022. This is the vision that the entire local community is committed to.

Tourism is undoubtedly a major driver of economic growth. However, its organisation has now evolved to higher levels. The criteria and characteristics sought by travellers looking for quality destinations have changed. Quantity is replacing quality, making it imperative to have a vision and strategy for the future.

A critical issue today is accurately assessing the "carrying capacity" of the area, so that the negative effects of seasonal overtourism—which is becoming increasingly widespread—can be controlled while there is still time. Otherwise, the necessary resources that ensure the long-term benefits of balanced, sustainable, high-quality tourism development will be depleted and destroyed.

Dimitris Fatiras
President of the Board,

Erimitis Plus Association

Ο τουρισμός αναμφίβολα είναι ένας ισχυρός πόλος ανάπτυξης. Η  οργάνωσή του έχει περάσει πλέον σε ανώτερες μορφές, τα κριτήρια και τα χαρακτηριστικά στην αναζήτηση ποιοτικών προορισμών  έχουν διαφοροποιηθεί, η ποσότητα εξοβελίζει την ποιότητα οπότε και η αναγκαιότητα οράματος  και στρατηγικής αναδεικνύεται κυριαρχική.

Ιδιαίτερα κρίσιμη σήμερα είναι η σωστή εκτίμηση της «φέρουσας ικανότητας» ώστε τα αρνητικά στοιχεία του φαινομένου του εποχιακού «υπερτουρισμού» που πάει να γενικευτεί, να περιορίζονται όσο ακόμα υπάρχουν περιθώρια, ώστε να μην υποθηκεύσουν και καταστρέψουν τους αναγκαίους πόρους, εκείνους, που εγγυώνται τα μακροπρόθεσμα οφέλη της ισόρροπης αειφόρου ποιοτικής τουριστικής ανάπτυξης του τόπου.

Δημήτρης Φατήρας Πρόεδρος Δ.Σ, του συλλόγου “Ερημίτη Πλους...”