Greece Antinero forest protection program

The Greek Ministry of Environment and Energy has defended the Antinero forest protection program following allegations of a ‘scandal’ involving the artificial splitting of contracts and the loss of European funds. The Ministry clarified that the €667 million figure mentioned in reports is the total budget for forest prevention and protection over the last five years, rather than a single contract, and noted that interventions have covered more than 900,000 stremmata of forest ecosystems.

For the 2026 Antinero V-PLUS phase, the Ministry has allocated €81.98 million across 19 contracts for tasks such as fuel management, maintenance of forest roads, and the upkeep of water reservoirs.

In specific regional developments, Minister Stavros Papastavrou announced a €2 million investment for the Theodoridis Grove in Grevena to mitigate wildfire risks. Under the 2025 Antinero program, authorities have already completed cleaning and fuel removal across 1,660 stremmata of the grove. Furthermore, a €350,000 agreement was signed to develop recreational areas and playgrounds within the Kastraki peri-urban forest.