Τhe best interconnection and communication between neighboring countries will be decisive in achieving the goals of the Green Agreement set by the EU. This is the conclusion of the 3rd Balkan Forum and specifically in the part coordinated by the director of the Circular Economy and the Institute for Climate Change – Circular Economy, businessman, Ioannis Mardikis.
Both agreed that the EU “Green Agreement” addresses a major challenge. “Only together with our neighbors can we win it”, they noted, while Mr. Mardikis, after emphasizing the gap between the adoption of the legislation and its implementation in the direction of achieving the goals of the Green Agreement, stressed that the solutions to be qualified must be properly worded so that they can be applied in practice.
“The European Green Agreement must include the cross-border dimension,” Georgia Valatsou, Permanent Secretary General of the Ministry of Interior in Athens, said in a statement at the 3rd Balkan Forum. She said that until 2019 Greece lacked a substantial strategy in the management of organic waste, stressing that this resulted in the failure to achieve the country’s goals in the field of recycling, failure to create the necessary infrastructure for organic waste management and the environmental and financial burden municipalities of Greece.
“In no case should we be left behind, but that is why cities and regions can work together at interregional level to achieve as much as possible,” said the former adviser to the European Commission, a researcher at the University of Geneva, George Kolyvas, who reminded of the funds, amounting to 700 billion euros, which are provided and stressed the need to expand the Interreg Programme approach, in order to “cover the needs of future generations.”
Vivi Roumeliotou from the Prespa Protection Company referred to the important work done for the preservation and sustainable development at national and transnational level in Prespa, emphasizing that the international community’s interest in Prespa has increased, calling on the central governments of the countries. and the EU to strengthen dialogue between them and to draw up a strategic plan of priorities and objectives.
“Environmental protection is an important opportunity, beneficial for all involved”, said the civil engineer MSc, Ministry of Interior (Macedonia and Thrace sector), Konstantia Dimitrakoudi and speaking about the need to strengthen cooperation between states, stressed the important role which can be played by the Ministry of Interior and the Sector of Macedonia – Thrace in particular.
SOURCE: AMNA
