The purpose of this Law, consisting of 201 articles, is to resolve serious and urgent issues concerning the protection of the natural and urban environment as a whole, as well as dealing with the energy crisis and providing for amendment, among others, of articles of Laws no. 4819/2021 on integrated framework for waste management, no. 3208/2003 on protection of forest ecosystems, no. 3889/2010 on funding of environmental projects and approval of forest maps, no. 4736/2020 on reduction of impacts of plastic products, through the simplification of environmental licensing and environmental controls, the rationalisation of permitted land uses, the regulation of the organisation and management of resources of the Natural Environment and Climate Change Organisation and the Green Fund, the regulation of issues related to the protection of forests, the updating of points of the urban planning legislation, the regulation of the conditions for the development of offshore wind farms and addressing issues related to the management of the energy crisis and the circular economy.
This Law focuses on: exceptions from environmental licensing; simplification of activities concerning environmentally licensed projects; determination of recipient of sewage, hazardous waste and industrial waste; supplements to the environmental control procedure; inspections and controls in organisations or companies that carry out waste treatment operations or produce hazardous waste; administrative sanctions for environmental violations based on the assessment of the risk and the protection of public interest; management of funds and resources and extension of fixed-term employment contracts of the Natural Environment and Climate Change Organisation; provisions for the protection of forests, including: establishment of a regional Forestry Committee, whose competence is the characterisation and classification of forested areas, acts of sanctioning of forest maps, correction of obvious forest maps errors, coverage of compensation costs and expenses of programs to prevent illegal logging, expansion of tourist facilities, occupation of staff for the execution and support of the necessary anti-flood works and the restoration of infrastructure in defined regions and dangerous areas during the fire season, installations of carnivorous birds of prey feeding areas in forested areas; provisions for the fire department, including: extension of staff contracts of the General Secretariat of Civil Protection, daily fire danger forecast map; provisions of spatial and town planning issues, including: special provisions for watercourses, green resources for smart cities, strengthening the sustainable development of the "Elaionas" area, coverage factor in agro-livestock, agro-poultry buildings, aquaculture buildings, approval of Business Parks, regulation for energy shelters; completion of the institutionalisation process of Organised Aquaculture Development Areas; framework for the development of offshore wind parks.
Energy issues, including: financing of electricity and natural gas infrastructure projects, forced expropriations, special fee for renewable energy sources; provisions for strengthening circular economy, including: control authorities for single-use plastics, sanctions for violations of plastic products Law, alternative packaging management systems, obligation to keep records for non-hazardous waste, improvement of separate collection of packaging waste, eco-tourism programs, electromechanical installations for the processing of quarry minerals; financial and development provisions; regulations of the Ministry of environment and energy on storage of carbon dioxide, on the definition of the marine area for the development of Offshore Wind Park projects, waste return, collection and recovery systems.