- We examined all contracts signed under Kikilias at the Ministry of Civil Protection.
- Millions spent on support activities, consultants, and communications, but made limited progress on major fire- and flood-protection projects during his tenure as minister.
- €46 million for a platform and for improving the population’s… ability to respond to natural disasters, yet record numbers of wildfires, floods, and many deaths occurred during his time in office.
- The Central Electronic Public Procurement Register (KIMDIS) “shows” that the “Aegis” programme had remained merely on paper for an excessively long period before finally getting underway.
- The shipwreck of the ESOTHE programme at the Hellenic Coast Guard for safeguarding maritime borders.
- The 2020 tender has hit the rocks, while the budget has doubled from €62 million to €120 million.
- Heading towards another major delay until 2032, amid opposition reactions.
By Vassilis Galoupis
On July 7, the Mitsotakis government marks seven years in office. One of the few ministers to have remained a constant presence in the government lineup, from the very first day until today, is Vassilis Kikilias.
- From July 2019 until August 2021, he served as Minister of Health, during the first critical phase of the pandemic.
- From September 2021 until the May 2023 elections, he was appointed Minister of Tourism.
- From June 2023 until March 2025, he served as Minister of Civil Protection.
- Since then, he has been Minister of Maritime Affairs.
The former professional basketball player who holds a doctorate from the University of Athens Medical School, is presented as one of the most successful and popular ministers. After all, his continued presence in ministerial posts is regarded as a lasting vote of confidence from Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. But is Vassilis Kikilias truly a successful minister?
From June 2023 until he handed over the reins of the Ministry of Civil Protection, among other events, the country experienced the extensive ecological disaster in the Dadia Forest in August 2023, with 800,000 stremmas of land burned. It was the largest forest fire in the history of the European Union.
In September of the same year, Storm Daniel struck, primarily affecting Thessaly, causing enormous destruction and leaving 17 people dead. Other areas in Greece affected by the storm included Evia and Domokos in Phthiotis, where the body of a missing livestock farmer was also found.
Before Kikilias took office, the country had already been hit by the major wildfire that devastated half of Evia in 2021, by Storm Ianos in 2020, and by other natural disasters. The government was already seeking a programme to strengthen the country’s Civil Protection system.
The “Aegis” Programme
2023 was a very bad year. By September 2, 2023, wildfires had burned more than 1,800,000 stremmas of land and had led to the evacuation of thousands of residents and visitors.
As a result of the forest fires, 28 people lost their lives, including two Air Force pilots following the crash of a Canadair firefighting aircraft in Evia; a holidaymaker and a livestock farmer in the regional unit of Magnesia; a volunteer firefighter; a beekeeper who suffered multiple burns in Kato Tithorea; and 20 migrants in mountainous Evros and the Dadia Forest. Against this backdrop, during Kikilias’ tenure as minister, the massive “Aegis” programme was announced.
The official April 2024 launch event for the €2.1 billion “Aegis” programme was held in a highly celebratory atmosphere, with Minister Vassilis Kikilias in attendance and the Prime Minister present.
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What the €2.1 billion mega-programme entails
As announced in February 2024, the “Aegis” programme is a comprehensive strategic initiative designed to bolster civil protection in Greece. It involves various entities, including the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, the Recovery and Resilience Facility (Greece 2.0), the 2021–2027 ESPA programme, the European Investment Bank, and the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRADF).
To this end, the government has secured funding of up to €2.1 billion to be allocated over time for infrastructure, equipment, and upgrades aimed at enhancing citizens’ sense of security and facilitating the work of services responding to natural disasters.
In its initial phase, the Aegis mega-programme aimed to provide the relevant authorities with aerial assets, state-of-the-art crisis management and coordination centres, drones, aircraft, fire engines and other equipment.
Procurement tenders worth €700 million were launched during the second half of 2023. The objective was to issue tenders covering the entire “Aegis” programme by the end of March 2024. The programme included items such as drones, helicopters, aircraft, fire engines and patient isolation and transport capsules.
It was announced that the Ministry would soon add helicopters, 740 fire engines, seven Canadair CL-415 aircraft, and 25 amphibious firefighting aircraft to its operational arsenal.
The exact budget allocated to the “Aegis” programme amounts to €2,077,494,365.
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The first €6 million in Consultancy and Communication spending
As early as December 2024, Vassilis Kikilias and the Ministry’s communications team were already “promoting” the number of procurement tenders and contracts being signed.
From the outset, there was a marked escalation in the approval of new projects and funding allocations as the programming period progressed, with 2024 recording the highest level of committed funding.
- 2023 (6 projects): Total budget: €187,313,153
- 2024 (18 projects): Total budget: €448,035,872
- 2025 (1 project): Total budget: €17,474,303
From the very beginning of the programme, projects began to emerge involving relatively modest sums for support activities that were, at best, vaguely defined:
- €74,400: Support for the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection in the preparation of project proposals (OPS: 6003807)
- €200,600: Strengthening the administrative capacity of the Ministry’s ESPA Executive Structure (OPS: 6016204)
- €300,000: Operating expenses of the Sub-Directorate for the “Civil Protection” Programme (OPS: 6010558)
Soon afterwards, during Kikilias’ tenure as minister, a further €3.4 million was allocated to technical assistance, consultancy services, and communication activities:
- €1.8 million for “Provision of Support Consultancy Services, Expert Studies, and Related Services.”
- €1.6 million for “Communication and Publicity Actions for the Civil Protection Programme.”
Alongside major projects financed through the Recovery and Resilience Facility—such as the purchase of two helicopters for €50 million, the procurement of meteorological radar systems for €23 million, and the acquisition of fire detection and firefighting systems for €12.4 million—there were also a number of programmes that raised significant questions.
Among them was a €1.9 million project for “Communication and Publicity for the Ministry’s Activities.”
The initial spending on communication, technical assistance, and consultancy services amounted to approximately €6 million, funded through the ESPA programme and the Recovery and Resilience Facility.
The €1.86 million contract for activities falling under the responsibility of the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection — a procurement process that began under Vassilis Kikilias and was completed under his successor at the Ministry, Giannis Kefalogiannis.
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A further €46 million has been allocated for a platform to improve… the population’s capacity
Two more Civil Protection projects, worth tens of millions of euros, have been identified, raising further questions about their usefulness:
- €26.8 million for “Improving the population’s capacity to respond to natural disasters through awareness-raising actions”. In practice, this involves public information campaigns on natural hazards, with media outlets among the beneficiaries. The project was cancelled following legal challenges by companies, but the tender process will be relaunched.
- €19.1 million for the creation of a digital training platform for National Crisis Management and Risk Response Mechanism personnel, as well as the general population. The aim is to develop training programmes and digital educational content.
On Christmas Eve 2024, the Ministry of Finance approved the “Inclusion of the Project ‘Improving the Population’s Capacity to Respond to Natural Disasters through Awareness-Raising Actions,’ with OPS Code 6016510, in the ‘Civil Protection 2021–2027’ Programme.”
In their investigation, Data Journalists “isolated” all contracts signed during Kikilias’ tenure at the Ministry of Civil Protection, reaching some noteworthy conclusions.
The contracts identified and to which we have access are dated from 27 June 2023 to 15 March 2025 — the period during which Kikilias served as minister.
The value of the projects contracted during this period amounts to €168.65 million. When this figure is compared with the total budget of €2.1 billion for the “Aegis” programme, it raises reasonable concerns, as the contracted projects from this period account for only 8% of the programme’s overall funding.
The fact that such a small percentage of the programme had been converted into signed contracts over almost two years (June 2023 – March 2025) suggests that the initiative faced serious bureaucratic and procedural obstacles during its initial phase. Most of these issues were not resolved by the political leadership.
The large and complex international procurement procedures for advanced equipment did not progress quickly enough, resulting in the “flow” of contract signatures proceeding at a very slow pace.
The “Easy” Contracts
These €168 million mainly represent easier or more advanced procurements (such as vehicles and vessels). This means that, during the period under review, the truly large and complex sub-projects of the “Aegis” programme, such as the acquisition of the new Canadair aircraft (DHC-515), helicopters, national early-warning systems using artificial intelligence, and the 13 Regional Operations Centres (PEKEPP), were still at the stage of tender procedures, bid evaluations, or legal appeals.
The period from 27/06/2023 to 15/03/2025 was not a period of major implementation, but rather, at best, a period of bureaucratic preparation. The data show that, until early 2025, the “Aegis” programme had barely begun, having activated only a small fraction of its potential.
In their investigation, Data Journalists “isolated” all contracts signed during Kikilias’ tenure at the Ministry of Civil Protection.
Absorption rate and actual implementation
Based on the data available to us, it can be concluded that the actual absorption of funds (the disbursement of money) at this stage is generally lower than the €168 million figure. This is because, in major equipment programmes and vehicle/aircraft procurements, the flow of funding takes place in stages:
- An initial advance payment is made upon the signing of the contract.
- The subsequent large instalments are paid gradually upon the delivery and quantitative/qualitative acceptance of the equipment (for example, when batches of water-tanker vehicles or SUVs are delivered).
Therefore, while the state has legally committed to providing €168 million, the amounts actually paid out and absorbed depend on each manufacturer’s delivery schedule.
Kikilias’ Communications Strategy
On 28 November 2024, Vassilis Kikilias announced in an official press release that “every 15 days we sign one contract from the tenders that have been completed.”
This particular statement referred to what was happening at that time (namely, the second half of 2024), and not to the period of major inactivity for the “Aegis” programme (2023 – early 2024).
Tender announcement vs. Official registration
A programme such as “Aegis” goes through three stages:
- Stage A (The “Standstill”): Procurement tenders are announced, but then remain stalled for months (or even years) because of legal challenges by companies, reviews by the Court of Audit, and bureaucratic procedures.
- Stage B (Kikilias’ Statement – Late 2024): These tenders finally began to move forward on a large scale from the autumn of 2024 onward. The minister was referring to the successive contract-signing ceremonies held during those months (for example, for Bailey bridges, the Engage system, and firefighting vehicles).
- Stage C (The Wave of Entries in the Central Electronic Public Procurement Register (KIMDIS) in 2025–2026): A contract may be signed with considerable fanfare in November 2024, but several months often pass before performance guarantees are finalized, the documentation is verified, and the contract is officially registered in the Central Electronic Public Procurement Register (KIMDIS). This explains why the vast majority of Tier 1 and Tier 2 contracts appear in the system only after March 2025 and throughout 2026.
Where does the truth lie?
An investigation based on data from the Central Electronic Public Procurement Register (KIMDIS) has revealed the communications strategy behind the programme:
- According to the Minister: There was “progress,” because the Ministry and the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRADF) were pushing the procedures forward and signing the necessary documents throughout 2024.
- According to the facts reflected in KIMDIS: There was a “standstill” because it took the public administration nearly two years (2023–2025) to turn the announcements into officially registered, legally effective contracts.
In short, while the minister was describing the pace at which contracts were being signed, KIMDIS shows that the programme remained largely on paper for a considerable amount of time before finally getting underway.
From €62 Million in 2020 to €120 Million in June 2026, During Kikilias’ Tenure at the Ministry of Maritime Affairs
The ESOTHE programme and the Coast Guard: Procurement “shipwreck” in the maritime surveillance tender
Since March 2025, Vassilis Kikilias has served as Minister of Maritime Affairs. He recently came under criticism from SYRIZA over an older programme, with the opposition party arguing that “the New Democracy government should already have installed and put the maritime surveillance system into operation. Why, to this day, has a ready-to-implement project such as ESOTHE still not been carried out?”
But what actually happened?
The National Integrated Maritime Surveillance System (ESOTHE) is a technology project of the Hellenic Coast Guard and the Ministry of Maritime Affairs. It involves the deployment of an integrated network of radar systems, cameras, and sensors designed to provide continuous surveillance, monitoring, and protection of the country’s maritime borders.
The restricted international tender for ESOTHE, with an initial budget of €62 million, was officially launched by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs in the summer of 2020 (Tender No. 04/2020). However, it did not reach a successful conclusion.
In the first phase of the tender, 10 major business consortia and telecommunications and defence companies expressed interest. The second phase, however, did not begin until 2022, following significant delays. After a series of legal disputes, the tender ultimately remained stalled because of repeated extensions, objections, and legal challenges filed by unsuccessful bidders. Some of the cases even reached the Council of State, Greece’s highest administrative court.
Ultimately, by decision of the Minister of Maritime Affairs, the procurement process was formally terminated, effectively drawing a line under the procedure and causing the project to end in a “shipwreck”, with no contractor ever being selected.
According to the Ministry of Maritime Affairs’ decision document, on 24 February 2026 the Ministry officially announced both the cancellation of the tender and its relaunch under revised procurement terms.
The cost doubling, the changes, and another multi-year delay
More recently, on 12 June 2026, it was announced that the procurement process for the “new” ESOTHE would be conducted through an open tender rather than the restricted procedure used for the previous one:
“SUBJECT: Announcement of an Invitation to Conduct an Open Public Consultation on the Technical Specifications for the “Development of the National Integrated Maritime Surveillance System (ESOTHE). Estimated budget: €120,000,000.”
As can be seen, the budget for the “new” ESOTHE has almost doubled to €120 million compared to the €62 million originally allocated. The technical specifications from the previous tender are not publicly available for comparison as the initial procurement procedure was conducted as a restricted tender.
However, the significant increase in the project’s cost, as well as the cancellation of the previous tender and the prospect of a further three- to six-year delay, raises questions. This delay could potentially extend the completion of Greece’s maritime border monitoring through the ESOTHE system until 2032. It should be recalled that the original tender was published in 2020 and was expected to be completed by 2026 under the most favourable scenario.
