Greece’s Minister of Environment and Energy, Stavros Papastavrou, has signed a decision approving the inclusion of mainland municipalities and municipal water utility companies (DEYА) from Central Macedonia and Epirus in the “Drinking Water Supply and Water Management Interventions” program, under the “Drinking Water Supply and Water Management” axis of the Sectoral Development Program of the Ministry of Environment and Energy (YPEN). The decision covers 7 projects across 7 municipalities to address the water scarcity crisis, with a total budget of €10,285,363.16. This latest decision adds to a series of recent approvals supporting 9 island and 9 mainland municipalities through 26 projects, bringing the total investment in water infrastructure to over €41 million across 33 projects.
Who attended the event with Stavros Papastavrou
The event was attended by several Members of Parliament and local officials, including MP for Serres and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Anastasios Chatzivasileiou, MP for Imathia Anastasios Bartzokас, MP for Preveza Spyridon Kyriakis, and MPs for Pella Georgios Karasmanis, Dionysios Stamenitіs and Vasileios Vasileiadis, as well as MP for Chalkidiki Ioannis Giorgos. Also present were the Mayors of Lagkadas Elpiniкi Andreadou, Oraiokastro Panteleimon Tsakiris, Nea Propontida Emmanouel Karras, Sintiki Georgios Tatsios, Ziros Georgios Gioldasіs, Pella Efstathios Fountoukidis, and Naoussa Nikolaos Koutsogiannis.
The role of the projects
These new water infrastructure projects will bring running water to areas of northern Greece that have either had no connection to the water supply network or have been relying on informal private networks. They also aim to address the serious problem of water losses caused by outdated asbestos pipelines — losses that in many networks reach 60–70% — through the drilling of new boreholes, network expansions, the construction of desalination units, and the installation of new water storage tanks.
“Securing safe drinking water is a non-negotiable national priority”
Minister of Environment and Energy Stavros Papastavrou stated: “We have so far signed off on 26 projects across 18 municipalities with a budget of over €31 million, covering both island and mainland Greece. Today it is the turn of Central Macedonia and Epirus — specifically, funding for 7 projects across 7 municipalities.
These initiatives are part of a broader, comprehensive national water management plan. Last week, we launched a public consultation on the first-ever ‘National Water Strategy,’ and the new water management bill will be put out for public consultation in the coming days. As fellow mayors have pointed out, water losses from aging networks can reach as high as 60–70% — infrastructure we are duty-bound to modernize.
Water is a public good. At the Ministry of Environment and Energy, we believe that every euro invested in combating water scarcity returns multiple times over to the citizen — not only to the residents of your municipalities today, but to future generations as well. Ensuring adequate, safe, affordable, and high-quality drinking water for all citizens is a non-negotiable national priority. I would like to warmly thank all those who contributed to the preparation and development of these projects: the municipalities, the municipal water utilities, the Ministry’s services, and everyone who worked diligently to transform the real needs of these communities into concrete funding and into projects with tangible, measurable results.”
