Fifty years.
This is the duration of the new Public Company Limited created for the management and commercial exploitation of a large part of Greece's cultural heritage. And these fifty years can be extended by decision of the company's General Assembly.
The Ministry of Culture bill was passed by a majority in Parliament, after a debate that lasted more than twelve hours. Only New Democracy supported its principle, while all opposition parties voted against it.
The government claims that no archaeological sites, monuments or works of art are being sold and that their ownership remains with the Greek State. This must be stated clearly. Antiquities do not change hands and are not transferred as commodities to a private company.
But the question that arises is different and equally serious:
Who will manage the image, revenues, commercial activities, concessions and daily operations surrounding the country's cultural heritage?
A Limited Liability Company with a half-century horizon
With the new legislative framework, the company "Organization for the Development and Management of Greek Cultural Heritage S.A." is established, with the distinctive title "Hellenic Heritage".
It is a private legal entity in the form of a Société Anonyme. The company is 90% owned by the Greek State and 10% by the Organization for the Management and Development of Cultural Resources, known as ODAP.
Its duration is set at 50 years and can be extended. Its initial share capital amounts to 3 million euros. At the same time, it is planned that ODAP will pay it an additional one-time grant of 3 million euros at the start of its operation.
That is, to launch the new corporate structure, a total of at least 6 million euros is foreseen: three million as share capital and three million as an initial grant.
And that's not the only money he can receive.
The company will be able to be financed from the state budget, the ODAP, the Public Investment Program, European programs, international organizations, sponsorships, donations, private entities and income from services, products and exploitation of assets.
What exactly will it manage?
Hellenic Heritage is not created to have a decorative or advisory role.
The bill enables it to undertake the commercial and operational management of important activities associated with archaeological sites, historical sites, monuments and museums.
Among other things, it will be able to manage the electronic ticket, online and physical stores, copies of antiquities, cultural products, digital applications and commercial partnerships with third-party stores and sales networks.
It will also be able to act in the name of ODAP and the Ministry of Culture for the management and development of real estate, to lease or grant the use of real estate, refreshment bars and shops and to design programs for the development of archaeological sites and monuments.
It is also planned to hold events and activities related to local gastronomy within archaeological sites, historical sites and monuments, following the required approvals.
Therefore, we are not talking about selling the antiquities. We are talking, however, about placing a huge part of the operation and economic exploitation of our cultural heritage within a corporate model that will last half a century.
The position of the Minister of Culture
Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni categorically rejected accusations of the sale or privatization of monuments.
He emphasized that the company does not acquire ownership of the archaeological sites and monuments and that the revenues will be collected on behalf of ODAP and will be attributed to it.
The government presents the new company as a tool for modernization, better operation, increased revenue and international promotion of Greek cultural heritage.
In response to this position, employees of the Ministry of Culture, archaeologists, trade union organizations and all opposition parties express the fear that Culture is gradually being transformed from a public good into a commercial product.
From protection to commercial exploitation
Words such as "operational arm", "commercial policy", "products", "exploitation", "private traders" and "corporate management" now appear within the institutional framework concerning Greece's cultural heritage.
This is precisely where the big concern lies.
The Parthenon, Delphi, Olympia, Knossos, Mycenae, Vergina, the ancient theaters, the Byzantine monuments and the historical sites are not just tourist destinations. They are not stages for events or commercial brands to increase revenue.
It is the memory of a people.
It is proof of the historical continuity of Greece.
It is the legacy that does not belong only to the current government, to a minister, to a board of directors or to a company. It belongs to the generations to come.
We abroad give years, money and soul for Greece
Here, in the Greek diaspora, we fight every day to keep Greece alive.
We give time, money, personal labor, and often deprive ourselves of our families to promote the language, history, Orthodoxy, the arts, and Greek culture.
We create newspapers, radio stations, cultural events, schools, clubs, books and tributes. We try to explain to children born far from Greece what the homeland of their parents and grandparents is.
We are fighting to shake consciences. To remind the world that Greece is not just a summer destination. It is a homeland that carries thousands of years of history.
And at the same time, we watch with pain as Greek society sinks into indifference.
People are on vacation, dancing and celebrating. The political debate about cultural heritage goes almost unnoticed. A bill that will determine the management of monuments for decades is passed in the heart of summer and few stop to wonder what it really means.
We cannot remember Greece only when it is in danger.
We have learned to react when it is already too late.
When a war or a national crisis breaks out, when a foreign country claims something Greek, or when a danger arises, then everyone runs towards the Greek diaspora.
They are asking Greeks abroad to raise money, mobilize politicians, organize demonstrations, communicate with governments, and shout that Greece is in danger or being sold out.
Greeks abroad have done it many times and will do it again, because they love their homeland.
But the diaspora cannot be treated only as an economic and political emergency mechanism.
They can't only remember us when they need money, influence, or public support.
Our voice must be heard when decisions are made, not just when it comes time to pay the price.
A heavy political burden for Ms. Mendoni
Mrs. Mendoni, this bill is very heavy.
You may assure that the ownership of the monuments remains with the State. You may argue that the new company will operate only for the good of Culture.
But cultural heritage is not only protected by who formally holds the title of ownership.
It is also protected by who decides on its use. Who manages its revenues. Who organizes commercial activities. Who chooses the concessions. Who determines which monuments will become venues for events, gastronomic activities or commercial promotion.
Transforming cultural management into a 50-year-old corporate model is not a simple administrative change.
It is a choice that will bind many future governments and generations of Greeks.
They are not for sale – but they are entering a new commercial model
The whole truth must be told.
The antiquities of Greece are not literally going under the hammer. There is no plan to sell the Parthenon, Delphi, or Greek antiquities.
But a large part of the management, commercial exploitation and revenues associated with cultural heritage are transferred to a Public Company Limited with a duration of 50 years and the possibility of extension.
This alone is enough to provoke public debate, concern, and strict scrutiny.
Culture can generate revenue. It must finance the maintenance, research, protection of monuments and the work of archaeologists.
However, it should not be treated as a business that is evaluated only by its bottom line.
Our monuments are not commodities.
Our antiques are not decoration.
Our History is not a corporate product.
And Greece's cultural heritage cannot be treated as yet another opportunity for "development", without transparency, social control and clear boundaries.
We Greeks abroad will continue to fight for the homeland, even when the homeland seems to forget itself.
But this time we all have to ask:
Who will control those who will manage the cultural soul of Greece for the next 50 years?
Watch the video for the discussion about the new regulations of the Ministry of Culture and the political reactions they provoked.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wBaeIc5o4o
source
Hellenic Parliament TV
Πηγές
Hellenic Parliament – Draft law and parliamentary procedure
Ministry of Culture – Public electronic consultation
Capital.gr – Voting of the bill in Parliament
ERT News – Presentation of the government positions
ADEDY – Announcement on the reactions of the employees
Athenian-Macedonian News Agency
photo Greek news fl
