ANATOLIKI S.A. – Organization for Local Development successfully organized the event titled “Addressing Climate Change by Municipalities – Design and Implementation” on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, at the OK!Thess venue, within the framework of the European project STEP2CleanPlan (Interreg NEXT BSB).
The event gathered numerous representatives from local government, institutional bodies, and active citizens, with the aim of exchanging knowledge and experiences on climate adaptation and presenting tools and best practices that enhance municipal actions.
Presentations and Interventions
The event began with an opening address by Vasso Papadopoulou, project manager and Director of European Programs at ANATOLIKI S.A. This was followed by the presentation of the Common Guide for Local Policy-Making Stakeholders on Climate Change and the training program for municipal staff and officials involved in the design of actions and decision-making regarding climate change, presented by Gianna Kouti, project expert.
Tasos Chatzieleftheriou, member of the project team with expertise in climate change, presented the European and national policy framework for climate change, while Evdokia Maggou, from the Independent Directorate of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Support of the Central Macedonia Region (CMR), analyzed the functions and capabilities of the Sustainable Urban Development Observatory of the Central Macedonia Region.
Roundtable: “Addressing Climate Change in Practice”
In the second part of the event, a roundtable discussion was held, moderated by journalist Nikos Avoukatos, with representatives from four municipalities of the Thessaloniki Metropolitan Unit:
- Kalamaria Municipality: Nikolas Mysirlis, Deputy Mayor for the Environment, spoke about the need for collective action to address climate crisis challenges and presented the municipality’s strategies for sustainable energy, energy efficiency, and sustainable mobility.
- Thessaloniki Municipality: Georgios Papastergios, Head of the Autonomous Department of Operational Planning & Monitoring of Development Programs, highlighted the participation in “smart city” programs and the municipality’s goals to reduce emissions by 80% by 2030, with investments of 2 billion euros.
- Thermaikos Municipality: Anna Magopoulou, Head of the Autonomous Department of Planning and Development, presented actions on energy efficiency, circular economy, and participation in digital transformation and regeneration programs.
- Ampelokipi-Menemeni Municipality: Athanasios Papageorgiou, General Secretary, presented redevelopment projects, energy interventions in schools and public buildings, and the design for creating an energy-autonomous swimming pool and metropolitan park in the municipality.
Common Challenges
The representatives of the municipalities identified the following key challenges:
- Lack of funding and specialized personnel,
- Difficulties in coordination between municipal departments,
- The need for citizen awareness and education,
- Insufficient infrastructure for accessibility, bike lanes, and sustainable mobility networks.
Best Practices and Conclusions
During the discussion, successful initiatives were highlighted:
- Participatory planning in Kalamaria Municipality,
- Urban greening initiatives by Thessaloniki Municipality,
- Coastal protection and environmental awareness efforts by Thermaikos Municipality,
- Use of traffic sensors in Ampelokipi-Menemeni Municipality.
An open discussion with the audience followed, offering a valuable opportunityfor the exchange of experiences.
Municipal Cooperation Network
The event concluded with a proposal to establish an inter-municipal network among the eight municipalities of Metropolitan Thessaloniki, aimed at exchanging proposals and jointly designing actions for climate change.
ANATOLIKI S.A. reaffirmed its commitment to continue supporting municipalities and local stakeholders in the design of policies and the implementation of projects for a sustainable and resilient future.
