The Municipality of Agios Vasilios is moving forward with a new social policy action, renovating former community shops and municipal buildings located in small settlements and making them available for the operation of traditional cafes at a minimal cost. The action mainly concerns settlements with a population of less than 200 inhabitants, where the existence of a cafe is a basic element of daily social life. Already within the framework of the action, corresponding spaces have been made available in the settlements of Kissos, Aktounda, Drimiskos and Saktouria, where municipal buildings are being utilized as traditional cafes, once again offering residents a place to meet and socialize.
According to an announcement by the Municipality of Agios Vasilios: “The traditional coffee shop in settlements has long been the core of social life, a place for meeting, communication and exchange of views that strengthens social cohesion and keeps the daily life of local communities alive. Given the importance of this institution for the life of small settlements, the Municipality of Agios Vasilios has begun implementing a new social policy action, which combines the preservation of traditional coffee shops with the creation of local employment opportunities.
Through this specific policy, the Municipality enables residents to create their own professional activity and settle in small settlements, while strengthening the local economy and contributing to the preservation of life in the countryside.”
The Mayor of Agios Vasilios, Yiannis Tatarakis, stated in this regard: “For us in the Municipality of Agios Vasilios, the traditional coffee shop is not just a professional space. It is a reference point for every village, the place where people meet, discuss and keep the social cohesion of the local community alive. With this specific initiative, we are utilizing former community stores and municipal buildings, which we renovate and make available at a minimal cost to people who want to become professionally active in the small settlements of our Municipality, especially in villages with a population of less than 200 inhabitants. Our goal is twofold: to create employment opportunities and at the same time to keep our villages alive. The coffee shop has always been the heart of social life in the Greek village, and we want to ensure that this heart will continue to beat in every small settlement of the Municipality of Agios Vasilios.”
Source: rethnea.gr