Athens mayor on achievements February 9, 2006 Athens Mayor Dora Bakoyannis presented the work accomplished during her 3.5 year tenure in office during an event held at the Athens Concert Hall on Wednesday. Bakoyannis said she delivered on her promise to make the Greek capital more modern, more friendly, more functional for both visitors and residents and to prepare the Olympic host city successfully, realising the greatest investment programme ever undertaken in Athens. Additionally, she underlined the importance of Moody's rating of the city and the fact that in 2005, Athens achieved a primary surplus of €7 million for the first time. Aside from the projects already completed, Bakoyannis also referred to the works currently under way, such as the reconstruction of the Votanikos district and part of Alexandras avenue due to the building of a new stadium for the Panathinaikos soccer club, while preparations are being made for the creation of a Metropolitan Park in Goudi. The mayor also referred to the publicity and promotion Athens enjoyed abroad, following the infrastructure upgrade leading up to the 2004 Olympics. However, she also spoke about the problems that remain unresolved, such as waste, which is one of the biggest problems facing local government and society. In light of the West Attica prefecture coordinating body's decision to shut down the Ano Liossia landfill for three days, Bakoyannis noted that this situation cannot continue. Greece cannot be the only country in the European Union in which recycling effectively does not exist; it cannot be the only country where illegal landfills operate, she said, adding that We - the local government and central government - must seek new policies and we must move forward. Bakoyannis also referred to the creation of a municipal police force, the creation of a shelter for the homeless as well as a series of initiatives aimed at improving citizens' quality of life as more examples of the municipality's achievements. In closing, she thanked all those Athenians who helped the municipality achieve its goals. Author : Athens News Agency