With this letter, we make known to any interested party that with the number 10/2020 Association Recognition Order of the Magistrates Court of Syros (Voluntary Jurisdiction Procedure), the establishment of our association was legalized under the name Environmental Quality Observatory of Syros, which was registered in the recognised union`s books of the Syros Court of First Instance and received number 1333/14-7-2020.
Our association was founded by 275 founding members who agreed and approved its statutory principles. The need to preserve the environment of our island, in a sustainable state and free from health risks of its inhabitants and visitors, was the main reason for the establishment of the association. Our statute (articles of association) is published attached here, for the most complete information of any interested party. At the end of the text, you will find the relevant file.
The slanders
During the previous period and while the club had not yet been officially founded, it received slander, lies, deliberate misinformation and actions aimed at discrediting, slandering and intimidating certain founding members, as well as our fellow citizens who were interested in participating. them to him.
There were various improbable and deceptive things, such as that we are established intriguers with selfish purposes and that we will turn against hunters, farmers, kebab shops, fishermen, hotels, boatyards, coffee bars, liner ships, etc. and also that the Epitaphs bother us because they burn candles. The highly slanderous false and fraudulent accusation was also heard that our goal is to close the shipyard. The obvious aim of the above slanders was to terrorize our fellow citizens who are active in these sectors as well as the employees of the shipyard and in their conscience to register our association as weird and dangerous, before it was even established.
In response to these slanders and misinformation, we are currently referring to the statutory purposes of our association, which in fact were not known to those who spread these vulgar lies. In the future, we will publish our actions, so that everyone can judge and form their personal opinion.
Clarifications for Νeorio
Especially on the issue of the operation of the shipyard, we categorically state that our association respects the work of our fellow citizens and does not want the business to be closed, nor will it take any action to that end. What the association wants, demands and will seek by all legal means, is the observance by the investors and the State of the environmental legislation during the operation of the company. This demand is obviously neither revolutionary nor hostile to the shipyard. This requirement is self-evident and should logically be the goal of the whole local community, including the shipyard workers because it is the minimum guarantee for the protection of public health and the environment in which we live. Given that the shipyard operates in the heart of the urban fabric of our city, this requirement becomes absolutely critical. In addition, investors knew in advance that when acquiring the shipyard through the Bankruptcy Code, they would have to meet their obligations under national and European environmental law. With the approval of the consolidation plan, they have undertaken the relevant legal commitment.
It is obvious that a business cannot be threatened, endangered, or shut down because some make the obvious demand of law enforcement in a benevolent state. Especially if this operation is supported by any means by the Greek government and the opposition, the Municipality, the Region, the responsible local authorities, the United States, and Israel. So if the shipyard led to closure (as has happened in the past), then the reasons should be sought in the financial data, available funds and business decisions of the company, its solvency, the explicit and timely observance of the consolidation court decision, and perhaps for political and geostrategic reasons and in no case in the activity of our association. We remind you that the representatives of the investors have also stated that regardless of their legal commitments, the protection of the environment is their main concern.
In short, the Environmental Quality Observatory of Syros will support the further development of Neorio, as long as it is environmentally compatible with the urban fabric of our city, in which it operates.
The out-of-court settlements
Prior to the establishment of our association, we received two out-of-court settlements from a total of 2019 of our fellow citizens, through the lawyer of Chalkida (and until recently the manager of the company “Syros Hellas Single Person IKE”, which is active in the sandblasting works of the yard), Ms. Olympias Vlasopoulou, who they appointed their attorney and proxy. A third out-of-court settlement followed immediately after the publication of the order of the Magistrates’ Court and before the completion of the legalization process of our association by the Court of First Instance. With these out-of-court settlements, they called on us, with the explicit reservation of all their legal rights, to register them as members of the association, before its establishment and without knowing its statute. In fact, they set a deadline for us (12 hours in the first two extrajudicial cases and 3 days in the third), to send them the statute and invite them to sign. It is noteworthy that these out-of-court settlements bear, among the others, the signatures of members of the Boards of Directors and Executives of ONEX companies as well as the sole shareholder of the company “Syros Hellas Sole Proprietors IKE”.
Because many of the signatories to the statements circulated by the instigators of this movement had not been adequately explained that their request for entry as a new member to our association would be sent out of court, they may be left with the impression that it has already taken place. We make it known to our fellow citizens that there is no procedure for the mandatory registration of new members in our association with threatening out-of-court settlements and without prejudice to all their legal rights. The process of registration of new members is provided for in Article 4 of the statute and will be activated after the election and formation of a body of the Board of Directors. If they are eager to offer their services for the protection of the environment and can not wait until then, they can immediately set up their own association with goals formulated exactly according to their wishes and start their actions immediately.
In closing, we reiterate that our goals are clearly enshrined in our statute and that is all we will pursue. All our actions will be done in the light so that there are no deliberate misinterpretations and second thoughts.
The quality, purity and safety of the environment we live in is everyone’s business. Let us not forget that human relationships are also an important parameter of the overall quality of the environment and we must make every effort to preserve them. It is, therefore, the responsibility of the whole local community, and of each individual to realise their role in the common effort and to participate in it from whatever position it is, institutional or not, but also to abstain from behaviors and expressions that do not even suit people who live so close and share a common daily life, nor are they legal. After all, the law is our main guide and its implementation is the goal of the overall effort.
Syros 20-7-2020
For the Interim Steering Committee
The President The Secretary
Ioannis Michelakakis Antonios Maragos
