Opposition Leader Questions Withdrawal of EUR 830,963 for Leros Pool Project

Former mayor Michalis Kolias criticised a decision by the Leros municipal committee on 27 August 2026 to withdraw EUR 830,963.25 in Ministry of Migration and Asylum funding for an above-ground swimming pool, changing rooms, stands and solar panels at Xerokampos.

In a press release, Mr Kolias said funding that had been secured for Leros was being returned instead of used for the benefit of island residents and young people.

He asked why the money was being given back.

The position of his municipal group was presented to the committee by representatives Vasileios Merabeliotis and Nektarios Billis, who voted against withdrawing the funding.

They argued that the pool could be built and operated once suitable conditions and an adequate water supply had been secured.

Mr Kolias said there was a contradiction. If the municipal authority expected new desalination units to be installed soon and believed the water supply problem would be resolved, he asked, why was it returning EUR 830,963.25 now?

He questioned why the funding could not be retained and the project advanced once the necessary conditions were in place.

Mr Kolias said this was not the first such case. He referred to the earlier cancellation and return of about EUR 900,000 for a contracted project connecting Xerokampos, Lepida and Temenia to the biological wastewater treatment system.

That funding had been secured during his administration and the project would already have been completed, he claimed.

Together, approximately EUR 1.73 million obtained for Leros had been returned rather than converted into projects and infrastructure, he said.

Leros could not afford to lose funding, Mr Kolias argued. The municipal authority had a duty to pursue available resources and could not celebrate funding when it was awarded while remaining silent when it was lost.

Residents of Leros were entitled to answers, he concluded.

The statement was signed by Michalis Kolias, head of the Leros with Vision and a Plan for All municipal group.

Read more from Leros News in English.