Obligatory clearing of land before the no-fires season

With the ever-increasing danger of damage to property and lives from forest fires during the summer period the government has taken a number of measures to ensure that citizens do their part in implementing fire-protection measures on their land. A measure introduced last year is the establishment in law of the obligation to clear property of flammable materials in anticipation of the no-fires period which runs from 1st May to 31st October each year, and to make a declaration confirming that action has been taken to the authorities.

Government reporting platform opens
The government platform for reporting uncleared land in view of the forthcoming no-fires season opened on 1st April at https://akatharista.apps.gov.gr. Access is via TAXISNET codes and the site enables users both to report land which has not been cleared and to make declarations about the clearance of their own land. While the latter is in theory obligatory, both actions require the plot in question to be identified either by its Land Registry code number (KAEK) or by its coordinates derived from the Land Registry maps, and these cannot be obtained for properties in the Chania area since, as is well known, the required declarations of ownership have been lagging far behind much of the rest of the country and there is no functioning Land Registry in place.

Land Registry map of Crete
The Land Registry map for Crete shows that only in areas around the main cities is there a functioning land registry. The key reads, from the bottom: “no land registration”, “preliminary background”, “pre-posting of land registration”, “posting of land registration”, and “functioning land registry”. The blue areas denoting a functioning land registry are centred on the cities of Chania, Rethymnon, Heraklion and Agios Nikolas. Most of the island west of Heraklion is still in the premliminary stages.
Land Registry map of Kolymbari
The Land Registry map for Kolymbari shows clearly that the area is in the preliminary stages of compiling the required details. The entry against “Phase of land registry” (3rd line) reads “preliminary background”.
Land Registry website home page
The site’s homepage shows that only 59 per cent of the country has a functioning land registry. A final deadline for the submission of property details for registration has been set for 30th May 2025 in Corfu, Thesprotia, and the areas of Northern Heraklion, Rethymnon and Chania.

The obligation to clear land
Whatever difficulties may attend the process of making such declarations do not of course absolve citizens of the responsibility to clear their land. These obligations are laid out in Fire Regulation 20.2024, published in issue 2695B of the government’s Official Gazette. We reproduce here the sections of the notice which relate to the obligations of individuals.

Article 1: Subject – Field of application
1. The owners, occupiers, usufructuaries, tenants and sub-tenants of building plots and other unoccupied spaces which are in:
a) areas within approved planning schemes,
b) areas within settlement boundaries without approved planning schemes,
c) areas which are within a radius of 100 metres from the boundaries of 1 and 2 above, as notified by the responsible forestry services, and
d) sports grounds with buildings outside settlement boundaries, which are not subject to forestry regulations according to the local forestry maps and upon notification by the responsible forestry service,
are obliged to proceed with clearing the above spaces during the period from 1st to 30th April each year and to maintain them throughout the anti-fire period, i.e. from 1st May to 31st October, to avoid the risk of causing fire and the rapid spread thereof.
2. Exempted from the application of the present are landscaped and maintained gardens or planted surfaces of unbuilt spaces around buildings, apartment blocks, etc, in the areas specified in paragraph. 1.

Article 2: Clearing procedure
The required clearing comprises:
1) Cutting down and removing dry and broken trees and branches, as well as branches which are in direct contact with buildings.
2) Removal of flammable vegetable matter which is on the surface of the ground such as for example leaf litter, dried weeds and dead branches.
3) Trimming the base of tree trunks and increasing the height of the trimmed area in accordance with the age and type of tree.
4) Thinning out of ground cover plants.
5) Removal of any other abandoned inflammable or explosive materials, objects and rubbish.
6) Safe collection and removal of all the products of clearing.

Article 3: Fulfilment of obligations
1. [Those listed in article 1] are required to submit a declaration by April 30th of each year to the National Register of preventive fire protection measures… through the electronic platform of the ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, as regards the fulfilment of their obligations for the fire protection of
their properties. …
2. In the event of failure to submit the declaration of clearance by the deadline, it is assumed that the responsible person agrees to the clearance of their plot being undertaken by the relevant municipality.
3. The owners, occupiers, usufructuaries, tenants and sub-tenants of the plots referred to in article 1 must agree to and display tolerance towards regular or spot checks by the officers of the relevant municipality and the local Fire Service.

[Articles 4 and 5 deal with the responsibilities of Municipalities and the Fire Service]

Article 6: Sanctions
1. In the case of non-compliance with the the requirement for clearance and maintenance throughout the no-fires period, the following penalties may be imposed on the responsible person by the relevant municipality:
a) A fine of fifty (50) cents per square metre with a minimum amount of two hundred (200) euros.
b) The cost of clearance of the area by the authorities.
2. The interested party may file an objection to the fine within a period of no more than ten (10) days.
3. After the elapse of the 10-day period, or if the objection has not been accepted, the municipality in question is obliged within five (5) days to proceed with the clearing of such plots by a contractor, prioritised on the basis of the risk or rapid spread of fire.
4. The cost of clearing and the fine are debts to the municipality in question and may be collected in accordance with the current provisions.
5. In the case of inability to find the details of the person responsible for the plot, the procedures outlined in the preceding paragraphs are to be followed, except for the process of issuing a fine and the associated deadlines.
6. Plot-owners who do not submit the declaration specified in article 3 will be subject to a fine of one thousand (1,000) euros, according to the provisions of article 53A of Law 4662/2020.
7. The submission of a false declaration of the fulfilment of the relevant obligations under article 3 to the National Register, according to the provisions of article 53A of Law 4662/2020, will be punished by imprisonment of at least two (2) years and a financial penalty of one hundred and eighty (180) to three hundred and sixty (360) daily units.
The amount of each daily unit may not be less than seventy (70) euros or higher than one hundred and fifty (150) euros.

Sources:
The original announcement may be found on the website of the Official Gazette at:
https://search.et.gr/el/fek/?fekId=766891
A more accessible version has been posted by the Greek Institute for Health and Safety at Work, here: https://www.elinyae.gr 

An update to this article will be posted in the event that more information about submitting a declaration of clearance, in the absence of land coordinates, should come to light.