Regional Stakeholder Group Meeting (RSG7) of Interreg Europe PROACTsme in Thessaloniki

On 1 September 2026, the seventh meeting of the Regional Stakeholder Group (RSG7) was held at the premises of the Thessaloniki Chamber of Commerce and Industry (T.C.C.I.), within the framework of the European project Interreg Europe PROACTsme – Applied Data-Science and AI for proactive SME service. The PROACTsme project aims to improve policy instruments that strengthen e-governance capacities and support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by leveraging Data Science and Artificial Intelligence tools, in order to enhance business competitiveness and upgrade the administrative capacity of public authorities.

The meeting was attended, on behalf of ANATOLIKI S.A., by General Director Ms Vasiliki Papadopoulou and Project Manager Dr Naya Tselepi; on behalf of the Region of Central Macedonia, by Ms Evdokia Magou, representative of the Directorate for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Support of the Region; and, on behalf of the T.C.C.I., by Mr Antonios Bouboulas, Deputy Director of Statistics, Studies & Research, Mr Theodoros Axylithiotis, Educational Programmes Advisor, Mr Georgios Emmanouilidis, Deputy Head of the Studies & Research Department, and Mr Kyriakos Metaxas, member of the same Department.

On behalf of ANATOLIKI S.A., Ms Papadopoulou and Dr Tselepi recalled the procedures for the creation, by the Region of Central Macedonia, of a new online support service for the SMEs of Central Macedonia, based on the innovative ‘HelpEmpresa’ model from Catalonia. They also thanked the T.C.C.I. for its support in disseminating the relevant questionnaire to its members.

The draft Report with the first results of the survey was then presented. The draft Report with the first results of the survey was then presented. According to the findings, businesses identify increased operating costs and lack of financing as their main obstacles, while the need for advisory support focuses mainly on funding (ESPA, loans) and marketing/promotion. The attitude towards the new service was particularly encouraging: the vast majority of businesses consider it highly useful and state they would be willing to use it, provided it retains human contact and is not limited to an impersonal, fully automated solution.

The meeting concluded with a joint commitment by all parties to continue their cooperation, focusing on the assessment of market needs, the improvement of the tool’s digital services, and the continuous engagement of the relevant stakeholders, for the benefit of the region’s SMEs.

The partnership of the project consists of the following organizations: