Greece turned out to be the EU country that suffered the most from the global financial crisis - the GDP deficit of this state at the beginning of 2012 was almost three times higher than the norms permissible for members of the union. Therefore, it is not surprising that press reports began to appear about the sale of the islands belonging to this country.
In 2008, the government of this island state turned to the Ministry of Finance of the Eurozone for help, and by mid-2012 the country's economy had already received five tranches of cash injections totaling several hundred billion euros. However, in exchange for financial support, Greece was required to reform its economic policy, and the government developed very austerity measures, as well as partial privatization of state property. The prospects for privatization were discussed in an interview with the Prime Minister of the country, Antonis Samaras, to the French newspaper Le Monde.
According to journalists, the head of government announced the possibility of selling some uninhabited islands to private individuals. However, a few days after the dissemination of this information by various agencies, a special explanation of the press service of the Greek government appeared. It contained a verbatim speech by the Prime Minister, from which, according to the press service, it follows that it was not at all about the sale of the islands. Samaras said efforts should be made to convert this unused territory into capital, which was misunderstood by the French. But in fact, it was about long-term lease, leasing or mixed public-private ownership, in which the islands remain in state ownership.
In addition, Samaras said in an interview that there are no private islands among more than two thousand Greek islands. However, the press regularly reports that with the onset of the financial crisis, which grew into a political and social one, private owners began to sell or lease out individual islands. In particular, it was about the islands of Patroklos, Skorpios and Oksia, which the owners wanted to get rid of for amounts ranging from 5 to 100 million euros.
