Transparent local government

The declaration assets of Mayors and Deputy Mayors of 100 biggest municipalities in Greece all in one website

Transparency International-Greece is promoting the strengthening of transparency in the Local Government, through the citizens better access to public information, with the gathering and presentation of data regarding the declaration assets of current Mayors and deputy Mayors of the 100 biggest municipalities in the country, all in one public website http://www.transparency.gr/diafanis-topiki-aftodioikisi.

Transparency International–Greece supports the transparent functioning of public authorities and hence is trying to enhance every attempt pointing this way, through the project “Transparent Local Government” which is a first step in the field of Local Government.

Since 2010, the law requires the disclosure of the declaration assets of Mayors, Deputy Mayors, Members of Financial Committee and the Committee of Quality of Life in the local government websites, in the framework of functioning with transparency. Transparency International-Greece enhances the access of citizens to this data through a simple and understandable way.

“It’s the first time that such an initiative takes place. This project targets in strengthening of transparency in the sector of Local Government and coincides with the disclosure of declaration assets of its representatives. It is something that is required by law and Transparency International-Greece is putting an effort to promote it through this project”, states the President of Transparency International–Greece, Kostas Bakouris.

The main pillar of the project is a user friendly electronic platform which includes more than 500 declaration assets from a sum of 714 active Mayors and Deputy Mayors of the 100 biggest municipalities of the country, and is instantly available to every citizen. According to the methodology followed, TI-Greece has implemented an exact transfer of data from the original documents presenting the declaration assets in the local government websites, directly to the database of the project.

The websites’ visitor, who has the capability of single reading, also is able to gain access in the income, the real estate, the business and stock-holding activity of the individual through a search engine simply by typing the name or the municipality he/or she selects.

The declaration assets refer to the last three years (2013, 2012, 2011), which enables the website user to compare data through the years and can remain updated regarding the income of public representatives, before and after their duty assignment but also, through the course of their governance as well. In case that a specific Mayor or Deputy Mayor fails to provide the required data in the website of Transparency International-Greece, the visitor will be informed with an appropriate indication.

During the phase of gathering and processing the data, Transparency International–Greece informed every individual distinctively and submitted a relevant notification of the initiation of processing to the Private Data Protection Authority.

The website will remain available until the end of the municipal period (31 of August 2014).

For any press enquiries please contact

Sophia Ioannou
Communications Officer
[email protected]