The new Regional Governor of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace is called upon to promote investment in zeolite – Eleftherotypia newspaper, 19 August 2014
By SAKIS APOSTOLAKIS sakisapostolakis0(at)gmail.com
They are being stubborn about not making use of zeolite. It is important that the zeolite from Thrace is utilised within Greece, so as to generate more revenue for the country. It is of paramount importance that farmers have access to the mineral at producer prices rather than market prices.
The new regional governor is expected to come up against the personal interests that are hindering the exploitation of Thrace’s zeolite – interests which were recently denounced in a parliamentary question by two former New Democracy ministers and regional MPs, Alexandros Kontos and Evripidis Stylianidis, the new regional governor of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, Giorgos Pavlidis, is expected to come up against these obstacles.
G. Pavlidis, who visited the area with its unexploited deposit…
Beyond these interests, however, he will also come up against the Ministry of the Environment and Minister Yiannis Maniatis, who was the one who halted the zeolite investment in Petrota, Evros, illegally, as appears from the public prosecutor’s investigation, despite the fact that the Regional Authority had lawfully granted the licence. G. Pavlidis, a New Democracy official in Xanthi, was elected as an independent candidate with the ‘Regional Revival – Independent Regional Coalition of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace’, whilst in the regional election results he was recorded as ‘New Democracy, independent with the support of New Democracy’.
zeolite
needs to be promoted as a product as quickly as possible and recognised internationally, is emphasised by Professor Nikos Lygeros, who has been striving for years to promote the utilisation of Thracian zeolite through his articles and interviews.
G. Pavlidis visited the Petrota area of Evros in recent days, where the rich but as yet unexploited zeolite deposit was discovered. ‘This is a very large area with a rich zeolite deposit, which, however, has not yet been exploited. Such a vast mineral wealth, which could generate significant revenue for our country, cannot remain buried,” the new regional governor of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace tells ‘E’. “It must be utilised for the benefit of the local population, by creating new jobs,” he adds. The new regional governor of Eastern Macedonia-Thrace states that as soon as he takes up his post, he will visit the relevant ministries to promote the exploitation of zeolite. When asked about the vested interests alleged by the two former ministers and MPs from his region, who are also members of the New Democracy party, he states: “I know nothing of any vested interests. What interests me is that Thrace’s zeolite
is utilised and that this generates revenue, development and jobs in the region.”
… he will come up against the Minister for the Environment, G. Maniatis, who halted the investment
For G. Pavlidis, it is important that the exploitation of Thrace’s zeolite takes place within Greece, so as to generate more revenue for the country. ‘The exploitation of zeolite must take place under sound and balanced conditions – conditions that will benefit society and the country. It should not be exported in its raw state, but processed in Greece and then exported to other countries for specific uses, which are what determine its price,” he adds. He emphasises that, during the election campaign, he and the regional councillor candidates from his coalition declared their intention to make the most of Thrace’s zeolite
. “We will promote Thrace’s zeolite,” he states. He adds that the deposit is so large that its exploitation could involve not just one, but “several companies”. As he explains, the deposit covers an area of 1,000 stremmata, whilst the two companies currently operating there have secured only 200 stremmata. According to the information provided to G. Pavlidis, it is estimated that across the entire Petroto area, in Orestiada, the total volume of zeolite amounts to 100 million cubic metres. In G. Pavlidis’s plans for the exploitation of zeolite, a key priority is ensuring that farmers have access to the mineral at production prices rather than market prices.
Another reason why G. Pavlidis supports the exploitation of zeolite in Thrace is that it does not harm the environment. And on this point, he also expresses his opposition to gold mining in Thrace. ‘As regards gold mining in Thrace, our position is clear. Anything that harms health and the environment is unacceptable,’ he makes clear to all concerned.
“If the new regional governor wishes to exploit the zeolite deposits at Petrota, he will have to take on the Ministry of the Environment, Minister Yiannis Maniatis and the Greek state,” Yiannis Vordogiannis, a spokesperson for the Thessaloniki-based company ‘GEO-VET’, which has been trying for years to exploit the deposit, for which it obtained a licence from the competent regional authority of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, but the investment was halted by G. Maniatis, who even triggered a public prosecutor’s investigation into the responsibilities of ministers, ministry officials and the Institute of Geology and Mineral Exploration (IGME). ‘For us, the situation has been at a standstill for years, but we are determined to see this through to the end. There could have been revenue for the Greek state and for the entire region for years now. But there is absolutely nothing. If the new regional governor has the will to invest, we will back him up,” concludes G. Vordogiannis.
The two New Democracy former ministers active in Thrace, Eur. Stylianidis (above) and Al. Kontos, claim that personal interests are hindering the exploitation of the region’s zeolite
Professor Nikos Lygeros has been waging his own campaign for the exploitation of Thrace’s zeolite for years. He has written countless articles, given numerous interviews and visited farms where zeolite
is used, to see the results for himself. ‘We must address the issue of the protected designation of origin for Thracian zeolite seriously, strategically and rationally,’ he emphasises. “Because this is not just any zeolite, but the zeolite from our Thrace. ‘Thracian zeolite
’ must be a designation that changes the landscape at a local level. Because Thrace has a product with many applications across numerous sectors,” he adds. He regards the Thessaloniki International Fair as a prime opportunity to raise awareness of Thracian zeolite. ‘The TIF is an effective platform because there are sectors directly linked to agriculture, livestock farming and industry. Thracian zeolite
can also play a significant role in the cosmetics sector, where the added value is substantial and creates a real competitive edge for the region,” he notes. He also emphasises the immense importance of zeolite for the development of Thrace. ‘We can change the image of the region. Just as we have Paros marble, we can also have Thrace’s zeolite. Thrace can develop and play a strategic role through zeolite. Because zeolite
is also a tool for the liberation of the whole of Thrace. Through zeolite, it is significant even at a European level within a contact zone. But the important thing is that zeolite
s forge a resilient link with Thrace at a strategic level. And we are just beginning this phase now,” concludes Professor Nikos Lygeros.
The new phase: a mix of applications and licensing
By NIKOS LYGEROS, Professor of Mathematics
The new phase for zeolite stems from the strategic mix of applications and licensing. The former demonstrate to producers in practical terms what zeolite
offers in terms of product quality and increased production. The latter, with the first licence granted, are beginning to attract investment interest, and the number of candidates for deposit sites is increasing.
This strategic combination is yielding its first results, and we are gathering more and more technical and scientific data. Thrace is at the heart of this collaboration and is demonstrating that it has taken the issue seriously, even at an institutional level. Applications on sports pitches and in the urban environment allow the city’s residents to see for themselves the changes that zeolite
enables. In Alexandroupoli, the farm has already produced its first zeolite crops. Nea Orestiada and Didymoteicho are leading by example in northern Evros with the effectiveness of their initiatives. Similarly, the areas of Petrota, Pentalofos, Kokkalos are beginning to gain greater significance and are paving the way for Greek zeolite, which will effectively bolster the entire strategic effort to promote it. Greece now has sufficient evidence – and not merely indications – that it can produce zeolite. And this can help not only the development of Thrace, but also that of our entire country, given the opportunities it offers in the economic sector due to its high quality. Now every cooperative is taking a practical interest in the applications of zeolite and is finding an ally in every local authority that wishes to develop in practical terms, as many of them have the capacity to export, and with the enhanced quality that zeolite
offers, they can more easily play a role on the international stage.
By bringing this issue to the fore, Greek zeolite
is effectively mobilising the Greek authorities, not only because of the bureaucracy, but because certain factors relating to the environment and people are of the utmost importance. Greek zeolite
must set an example in this sector, because we have had enough of unacceptable licences being granted in our country in a bizarre manner, creating problems with irreversible consequences. Thrace and Macedonia are constantly under such pressure, and we want Greek zeolite
to be beyond reproach, including in terms of procedure. It is therefore indeed important that we closely monitor all stages of the licensing process, from the technical study through to extraction and, of course, exploitation. To demonstrate that our country can act professionally on an issue of such gravity and strategic importance for the development of Thrace, as well as for the whole country at an international level. This also means that we will not accept any unacceptable delays on trivial grounds. As numerous permits are generally required, the relevant authorities must act with due diligence and avoid causing delays that have repercussions for the whole of Greece. In other words, the submission of applications must be swift and efficient. And this applies to a municipality such as Alexandroupoli, for example. But the processing of applications must also be rigorous, whilst at the same time being rational. For this reason, all the relevant bodies, as well as the public, must bear in mind every stage of the process so that we know exactly where we stand, so that the extraction of Greek zeolite in Thrace can finally begin and we can see the first practical benefits in our region of Thrace, because it deserves it – both as a region with a long history of zeolite and as a people under pressure from all sides, fighting tooth and nail to prevent our homeland from being destroyed by unacceptable enterprises.