Mayor of Vilnius shopping for a Greek island
28.08.2012, 10:48The flamboyant mayor of Vilnius Arturas Zuokas is reportedly looking for an island in Greece that Lithuania could buy, writes Delfi.
He says that Lithuanian hotels and spas could open their facilities on the island to promote tourism or business.
The money would not be taken out of the budget of Vilnius, but, according to the mayor’s plans, could come from Lithuanian businessmen who could then transfer it to the city or Lithuanian state and could become official territory of Lithuania.
Critics say that the idea is highly questionable because any such addition of new territory requires a constitutional amendment.
Moreover, the City of Vilnius owes about 290 million euros. In August the city announced that it was planning to borrow to cover its running costs.
Delfi reported this week that Zuokas has already chosen one island the size of Trakai and said that while the asking price of Greeks was 4.6 million euros, the price has now been lowered.
According to Zuokas, money for developing such a new overseas territory could be applied from the European Union.
Greece has announced that it plans to sell 6,000 uninhabited islands to raise money for paying its debts.