Syros: Transport Equivalence, water scarcity and Didymi Lighthouse

The Mayor of Syros-Ermoupolis Alexis Athanasios met with the new General Secretary for Aegean and Island Affairs, Fotis Mangos, regarding a series of issues affecting Syros and broader island policy, as announced by the Municipality on Monday, September 28, 2026. On the agenda of the meeting were the Transport Equivalence, addressing water scarcity through desalination, the protection of Ermoupolis’s building stock and the rescue of the Lighthouse at Didymi, issues that have chronically concerned the island administration of the prefecture.

The Transport Equivalence measure was at the center of the discussion. According to the briefing received by the mayor, the Transport Equivalence has been paid for the entire 2025 to over 281,000 residents of the islands, while from the Transport Equivalence for Fuel the relevant subsidies have already been paid for 2024 to enterprises and beneficiary units. At the same time, as mentioned in the meeting, efforts are being made to complete the outstanding payments to enterprises concerning 2023, an issue that remains open for several local businesses and which the mayor set as a priority in the discussion with the General Secretary.

At the meeting, the issue of desalination as a means to address water scarcity and the need to secure adequate water resources for the island was also discussed. Particular reference was made to the significant and rich building stock of Ermoupolis, as Mr. Mangos, in his capacity as President of the Central Council for Urban Planning Issues and Disputes (KESYPOTHA) of the Central Council of Aegean Architecture (KESAA), expressed interest in issues of protection, management and promotion of the city’s unique architectural heritage. The issue of the Lighthouse at Didymi was also not overlooked in the discussion, with detailed reference to the new situation surrounding the programmatic agreement with the Ministry, the Polytechnic of Crete and the Lighthouse Service, as well as to the cultural actions and initiatives implemented by the General Secretariat for Aegean and Island Affairs.

The meeting, as mentioned, also had a personal character, as the mayor and Mr. Mangos are, according to the announcement, connected by years of friendship and mutual respect from the period when the latter was mayor of Lipsi. At the close of the meeting, Mr. Athanasios presented to Mr. Mangos the anniversary medal for the 200 years since the naming of Ermoupolis. The programmatic agreement for the Lighthouse at Didymi and the progress of outstanding Transport Equivalence payments for 2023 remain the next issues to be monitored by the Municipality of Syros-Ermoupolis and the residents of the island, as developments in desalination, Transport Equivalence and monument protection directly affect the daily life and economy of Syros.