by George Atsalakis
and Ioanna Atsalakis
The four year stability program of the Greek economy aims at gradually reducing the annual deficit of the national Budget so as the national debt is stabilized from the 317 billion € of today to 340 billion € at the end of following four years. Then, the national Budget should show primary surplus so as the pay off of part of the debt commences. This debt is huge regarding Greek standards since it is 6 times bigger than the annual revenue accruing to the State, which is estimated to nearly 55 billion €. In order for this hard to bear national debt to be paid off, more taxes, more expenses and wages restraints and more measurements that lead to a decrease in development will be required. For this reason, the next decade will be one of the most difficult for the Greek society.
Under the present financial situation, it becomes obvious that financing the new municipalities will be inadequate. In fact, the paying off of the existing debts of the municipalities means absorbing significant funds from their Budgets, worsening, therefore, the problem of money shortage. The municipalities should seek local sources from their citizens and companies so as to finance their activities. Besides, the orientation of the new municipalities is the gradual self-financing by the citizens themselves. Today, the time has come when the municipalities can play a leading role in the economical development of their areas and act as small local governments so as to enhance the prosperity of their citizens. The new municipalities should not impose new taxes to their already financially weak citizens because taxes have already been imposed by the national government nor should act as just a mere money management. The earnings of the new municipalities should come from the financial development of the municipality. The new municipalities should foresee and plan beyond the building of daily infrastructures like water-mains, sewerage etc. Strategies should be designed and materialized which will bring money to the municipality either through selling local products to other areas of Greece or abroad or through attracting tourists who will spend their money in the municipality or through investment attraction. This money influx could constitute a future income for the local authorities which could somehow or other substitute for the inadequate funding of the central government.
The economic crisis constitutes for the perceptive people the trigger to redesign and re-orientate the developmental procedures and the priorities of an area. The larger municipalities that Kallikratis project has created are capable to design wider developmental strategies, a fact that could not be realized in the past with the splintering off into smaller municipalities. Towards this direction, all the candidates that wish to take over the future of Apokoronas, should think hard and design a long-term project, probably for the next fifteen years concerning the complete financial development of the municipality.
The mapping out and the materialization of local developmental strategies in the level of municipalities by the new local authorities, which will help a municipality gain distinction, can lead to the permanent prosperity of the municipality and to an earlier way out from the economic crisis.
Apokoronas is by any means an agricultural and cattle-breeding province that mostly bases its development on the production of agricultural and dairy products. During the last thirty years, there has been a move towards tourist infrastructures which completed and offered significant earnings to the inhabitants of the county. This processing, despite the important efforts, did not succeed in gaining a considerable share in the development of Apokoronas. The financial crisis, however, has struck tourism and agricultural products a great deal. The non-existence of a renowned label of local products intensifies the difficulties to distribute local products to other markets. Indicative strategies for the financial development of Apokoronas could be the following:
Α) In the field of agricultural and stock-breeding production
Today all developed countries highly appreciate their citizens’ diet. More and more university studies demonstrate the preventive importance of healthy diet and longevity.
A great deal of university studies has proved the beneficial influence of Cretan diet on the human body.
Searching for food without preservatives, without pesticides and toxic agents will be the most important peoples’ choice in the future. This fact leads to biological agriculture. Therefore, it is obvious that all supermarkets have special selves for the biological products.
Our aim, then, is the gradual change of the municipality of Apokoronas to a municipality of CRETAN DIET and BIOLOGOCAL CRETAN DIET.
The municipality should create a specialized service which would issue a certificate entitled: APOKORONAS –A MUNICIPALITY of CRETAN DIET. A second certificate would be given for the biological Cretan diet products under the name APOKORONAS – A MUNICIPALITY of BIOLOGICAL CRETAN DIET.
This department will be staffed by specialized scientific personnel, chosen with meritocracy and will issue certificates, will conduct stricter controls, will promote Cretan diet and will be self-financed. In a permanent municipality website, certified producers and companies will be presented along with the frequency, the kind and the inspection results for the tested member. Moreover, the attestation of Cretan diet and biological Cretan diet will be projected and promoted so as gradually in the next few years the municipality of Apokoronas will be distinguished not only locally but also internationally as the municipality of healthy diet (Cretan diet and biological Cretan diet).
Initially, the first certificates will be awarded to specific taverns which will have to offer Cretan diet foods using only the local products of the municipality of Apokoronas. Additionally, certificates will be awarded to taverns that use biological Cretan diet products. The promotion of Cretan diet and biological Cretan diet on behalf of the municipality along with the increase of the earnings of the first certified taverns will result in more taverns to wish to be certified. The aim is that gradually, after some time, more and more taverns which have been certified to serve Cretan diet dishes will be awarded with the certificate of biological Cretan diet.
Moreover, certain producers of biological products should be certified from every kind of local products (olive oil, tomatoes, rusks, cheese, honey, meat etc.). Many of these products are by nature biological like oregano, sage, bay leaves and a variety of healing herbs. The earnings of the first producers will lead other producers to rush into certifying their biological cultivations.
A second step would involve the effort of the municipality to create household local products (we do not refer to the biological products) labeled: APOKORONAS.
The municipality will promote, will advertize the trade mark APOKORONAS and will certify businesses that wish to use it, however, under the condition that special quality standards are followed.
For instance, one could be certified to use the trade mark APOKORONAS olive oil, or APOKORONAS wine or APOKORONAS oregano, or APOKORONAS cheese, or APOKORONAS honey etc. In this way our valuable products such as olive oil, wine, oranges, oregano, marjoram, bay leaves and other herbs etc. will be acknowledged and their advertisement on behalf of the municipality will contribute to their being well-known in Greece and abroad and increase their sales. Continuous promotion and acknowledgment of Apokoronas as a specialized municipality regarding Cretan diet and biological Cretan diet will differentiate this municipality making it unique, attracting therefore, a significant number of tourists with no further advertisement.
For a further diffusion of the Cretan diet a school of cooking should be created, where cooks from abroad and Greece as well will come in order to be taught free of charge the preparation of Cretan diet foods and jams by experienced housewives. Those trained – certified cooks will be our ambassadors of the Cretan diet to the rest of the world. Furthermore, trade deals will be conducted with the supermarkets abroad and in Greece so as to establish shelves where the well-known now Cretan diet products from Apokoronas needed to prepare foods and sweets will take their place.
Β) In the field of tourism
Nature has endowed Apokoronas with unique advantages such as: The beautiful lake of Kourna, the three unique rivers of Crete that run all year round (two in Kalyves and one in Georgioupoli), fast-flowing torrents, the boundless blue sea, the picturesque fish ports of Kalyves and Almyrida, the Drepanos cape, the caves, the view to the snow-capped Lefka Ori (White Mountains), the springs of Armenon, Stylos and Kalyves, the unique footpaths in the nature and more particular on the mountainous part of Apokoronas, the beautiful architecture of the stone houses, the narrow tiled paths, the picturesque villages, the numerous picturesque big and small churches, the rare plants most of which are unique globally, the great variety of herbs, the scent of thyme, the heady smell of the night-flower and innumerable other flowers, the sounds of the big bells round the sheep’s necks, the hawks, the eagles and the hundred other birds, the rich history regarding battles, the important personalities distinguished not only in the past but also today, Cretan hospitality, Cretan sense of honor, tsikoudia treats, peoples’ smile, the black shirts of the Cretans, the renowned for their gallantry Cretan shepherds, the haughty Cretan grandfathers wearing their capes, the grandmothers in black with their young and soft face skin, Cretan diet (pilaf, special snails, cream cheese pies, yoghurt with honey, Greek salad, kalitsounia etc.), the Cretan jams (like bergamot, bitter orange, walnut, fig, watermelon e.tc.), the endless fruit variety all year round, olive oil, wine, tsikoudia, raki with honey, local festivals, Cretan weddings, dances, songs, the sounds of the lyre and the lute, the rizitikes-like voices of the singers, the successful artists, the absolute silence and tranquility of the villages of Apokoronas and finally the most incredible sunrise, the most magnificent sunset and the most lavish moonlight.
Probably, the most important asset of all is the unique cool weather during the summer, the mild winter and the most days with sunlight in Europe. The winds here are weak compared to other islands and other areas in Crete where they rage all year round. The exceptional and of rare beauty view from all the areas of Apokoronas is what can one best enjoy in the province. Most of the villages overlook the snow-capped Lefka Ori on the right while on the left one can see the infinite blue of the sea. And of course we should not forget that there is only a ten minutes distance from the port of Souda and twenty minutes from the airport. The following constitute an indicative description of the advantages Apokoronas has. Surely, there are many more that probably escape the present registration.
These advantages have been discovered by many northern Europeans in the last few years that have chosen to live here the rest of their lives either buying summer houses or renting them. Apart from the precious exchange that those people bring here for the purchase of their house, they are also consumers of Apokoronas products and ambassadors that promote the above advantages to their countries, as well.
Unfortunately, till today the above advantages have not been systematically promoted by the authorities. There is not even one website that projects them. In fact, this is where the new local authorities should focus so as to demonstrate and promote these benefits with the view to contribute to the economic development of the municipality through an increase in tourism and the promotion of Apokoronas products.
Indicatively, apart from the elevation of the municipality to a municipality of Cretan diet, the following strategies could be developed so as to increase tourism:
1) Common rules for every village so as to preserve traditional architecture. The demolished old houses should be replaced with facsimile to the original traditional structures. The construction method and the paints should be specific to all villages.
2) The creation of a marina for pleasure crafts in Georgioupoli and Kalyves (in Kalyves it has already been enacted).
3) The development of the sort of tourism that interests walkers through the beautiful footpaths of mountainous Apokoronas along with the demonstration of the rich caves. A book has already been released written by an Englishman who lives here describing the footpaths of Apokoronas.
4) The development of agricultural and botanological tourism to see rare plants and collect herbs.
5) The development of photovoltaic applications in order to ensure energy saving and more environmentally-friendly development.
6) The exploitation of the rich water supplies for the benefit of the inhabitants of Apokoronas (water supply and irrigation of all villages on a regular basis). Elevation and exploitation of the rivers and the lake as tourist attractions.
7) The creation of a website for the promotion of Apokoronas. The companies would be advertised with low cost along with a constant flow of information regarding cultural events etc by the local authorities of Apokoronas. Moreover, there will be a possibility that tourist accommodation is booked through the internet in a visit to the municipality website.
8) The glorious history of Apokoronas should be shown in the website of our municipality along with photos and documents of all times.
9) The participation in exhibitions abroad and the systematic advertisement of the Cretan diet stores and the biological Cretan diet stores, the biological products producers and the local products labeled APOKORONAS.
10) The revival and the diffusion of traditional local customs.
The above strategies are indicative. Certainly, they have to be specialized and more to be added. Their description, however, is sufficient to present another dimension that the municipalities should follow today in order to respond to one of their most important roles: the creation of long-term repaying infrastructures to ensure the prosperity of their citizens. Regarding Apokoronas, its elevation as a municipality of healthy diet combined with tourism that will be attracted due to this fact, results in the creation of a rich municipality which will have the necessary earnings in order to materialize the best possible works for the benefit of its inhabitants.
The inhabitants should look for candidates who have capable people around them to design and materialize strategies for the economical development of such nature.
Source of publication 11th edition In-On