The Kalymnos Standing Committee of the Technical Chamber of Greece has strongly condemned the abolition of the independent Architecture Council of the Kalymnos Regional Unit, warning of serious consequences for engineers, construction activity and the economy of the affected islands.
According to the Committee’s statement, following the publication of Government Gazette Υ.Ο.Δ.Δ. 1399/4 September 2026, the Kalymnos Regional Unit—which includes Kalymnos, Astypalaia, Leros, Lipsi, Patmos and Agathonisi—will no longer have its own local and independent Architecture Council. All its responsibilities will be transferred to the Architecture Council of the Kos Regional Unit.
The Kalymnos Committee stresses that the decision did not come without warning. It notes that point 29 of the Government Gazette shows that the relevant proposal and decision by the Secretary General for Spatial Planning and Urban Environment at the Ministry of Environment and Energy had already been issued on July 29, 2026.
According to the Committee, more than a month passed without the necessary action being taken by local authorities and institutions to secure the staffing and administrative support required for the council to continue operating independently.
The Kalymnos branch of the Technical Chamber describes the development as a “direct insult and downgrading” of the Regional Unit. It warns that the decision will result in major delays in the approval of architectural plans and the issuance of building permits, while creating additional bureaucracy and inconvenience for engineers, investors and residents.
It also argues that transferring all responsibilities to Kos could directly damage construction activity and the local economies of the six islands at a particularly critical time.
The Committee is demanding the immediate staffing and re-establishment of an independent Architecture Council for the Kalymnos Regional Unit, followed by amendments to the ministerial decision and the relevant decision of the Decentralized Administration of the Aegean.
“We will not accept our islands being turned into administrative ‘annexes’ of other regions,” the Committee declares, calling on local government and all responsible bodies to assume their responsibilities and take immediate action.
The statement is signed by the President of the Kalymnos Standing Committee of the Technical Chamber of Greece, Sakellarios G. Tsikouris.
