He referred to the priorities in his area of ​​responsibility the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Mr. Christos Staikouras during his greeting at the 2nd Growthfund Summit held at Zappeio Megaro.

From the Infrastructure sector, Mr. Staikouras singled out the progress of the projects on the Northern Road Axis of Crete, while in the same region he noted that the progress at the airport in Kastelli is already at 40%.

Regarding the “long-suffering” as he described the Patras – Pyrgos road axis, he said that it will be delivered in its entirety by the end of 2025 with the most important part of it ready by next summer, in the coming weeks it is expected to sign the contract for the road axis Ioannina – Kakavia, while the first quarter of 2025 is expected to proceed with the concession of another section of Egnatia Road. Regarding the E65, Mr. Staikouras noted that the completion of the remaining part of the project will take place in the first months of 2026.

For the infrastructure in the railway network, Mr. Staikouras made special mention of the financing that has been secured at the European level both for the upgrade and for the development of the network and the improvement of connections with Europe. At the same time, the Minister referred to the expansion of the Suburban in both Western Attica and Western Thessaloniki, as well as the expansion of the Thessaloniki metro.

Finally, Mr. Staikouras made extensive reference to the infrastructure projects, such as the large anti-flood projects, the restoration projects from natural disasters and the irrigation projects as well as the renewal of the transport fleet in both Athens and Thessaloniki.

He spoke about the essential role of the Superfund in the development of Greece, with the support of the Region and the local economy Theodoros Livanios Minister of the Interior. ​ In order to create the appropriate infrastructure that will sustain and increase the population in the region, 57 billion projects are underway. euros, through the “Antonis Tritsis” Development Program and the Recovery and Resilience Fund. “We want to see our villages come to life again,” the Minister emphasized, talking about a series of projects of strategic importance, with a focus on regional development, which are being launched in collaboration with the Strategic Investments Unit and which are being implemented at a rapid pace.

In this effort, the role of the Superfund is essential, as it designs projects with a focus on the Region and an emphasis on infrastructure, in order to provide incentives that will keep population groups in their place. Bringing as an example the station on the border with Evros, he referred to the importance of incentives. As he said, the motivation for the creation of a modern station dating back to the 60s was the need to meet the standards of competitive markets, and in this particular case, of Turkey, which will make the arrival of tourists in our country attractive. ​ “The challenges are here and they are ahead of us” emphasized Mr. Livanios and concluded that “the country needs a vision, which apart from the Government, the Super Fund and its subsidiaries have. “Since we lost 15% to 20% of the population from the regional units, there is no delay” he added.

The contribution of the Strategic Contracts Unit (Project Preparation Facility – PPF) was mentioned by Authorized Advisor of TAIPED, Mr. Panagiotis Stamboulidis in his presentation on the panel “Working together for Development: Tools and opportunities for national infrastructures”, which was moderated by Nautemporiki’s journalist, Nicole Livadaris. According to Mr. Stamboulidis “from the first day the unit was established in 2021 until today, projects amounting to 3 billion have been implemented. euros which are mainly financed by the Development and Resilience Program, while at the moment there is no corner of Greece that does not have a project that has been tendered by the Strategic Importance Contracts Unit of TAIPED”. Regarding the involvement of the PPF in the management of public contracts, Mr. Stamboulidis noted that his role is not only found in the maturation of the projects but in mobilizing the market, achieving competition and transparency in the procedures while offering faster procedures and better prices for the State.

Special mention was made by Mr. Stamboulidis in the inclusion of TAIPED under the umbrella of the Superfund from the beginning of 2025. According to the Authorized Advisor of the Fund, the experience of the Contracts Unit of Strategic Importance will be an important tool for accelerating projects that are in progress both by the group and its subsidiaries.

To mobilize private funds, he called on the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport to intervene Mr. Petros Suretis, Authorized Advisor of GEK TERNA. Mr. Suretis argued that PPPs (Public-Private Partnerships) and concessions are available and proven tools to provide solutions to major infrastructure problems such as the traffic of the Attica basin and offer a respite to the citizens.

Economic development and at the same time the solution to many citizens’ problems can only come from private capital investments, explained Mr. Suretis, asking the Ministry to make use of tools such as PPPs and concessions, which are proven to offer projects on time, on budget, with high quality and durability. Thus, argued Mr. Suretis, we will be able to escape from last place in construction investment as a percentage of GDP in Europe of 27, with only 4.8%, when the average of the 27 is at 11.5% and Romania at 16.7% ! It encouraged the use of the Model Proposals tool and the mobilization of private capital to find the necessary resources for infrastructure investment. At the same time, he requested that projects be given priority, that incentives be given and disincentives be removed.

Concluding his speech, Mr. Suretis pointed out the availability of the sector and in particular of the GEK TERNA Group, a leading force in infrastructure concessions and constructions in Greece, with a contribution of 4.8 billion. euros, or 1.12% of the total Gross National Product and approximately 37,500 jobs for the period 2022-2023, to allocate private funds and undertake investment initiatives to advance the necessary projects.

O President of TIF – Helexpo Mr. Tasos Tzikas was positioned for the changes currently taking place in Thessaloniki, noting that the Metro, the FlyOver and the Redevelopment of the TIF in combination with the large investments of the private sector in the technological sector “will contribute to improving the atmosphere of the city, the self-confidence of the city and they will help Thessaloniki to upgrade”.

Mr. Tzikas characterized the Redevelopment of TIF as an emblematic project, the completion of which will make Thessaloniki the exhibition center of Southeast Europe, while at the same time granting the residents of the city an open park of 110 acres. Regarding the progress of the project, he noted that “in the next period, the approval of the Technical Consultant of the project is expected from TAIPED, with the tender to follow in 2025, while in 2026 the installation of the construction company in the Helexpo premises is estimated”.

The intense regional nature of GAIAOSE, which manages a portfolio of 100 thousand acres of land and 4,000 properties scattered throughout the territory, he pointed out the President of GIAOSE, Konstantinos Kesentes speaking on the panel Regional Development: Driving Force for Resilience and Prosperity, moderated by Powergame journalist Fotis Kollias. He separated three categories of real estate, with first those showing great growth potential, such as the multimodal freight centers in Thriasio and Gono. Bids in the ongoing tender for Gono are expected until December 16, with investment interest predicted to be strong, in order to proceed to competitive dialogue and the submission of financial bids.

“It is an investment of about 200 million. euros in an area of ​​670 acres, which will directly and indirectly create 3,000 jobs, and will provide a tool for extroversion to small and medium-sized businesses in the area“, noted Mr. Kesentes.

The middle interventions concern emblematic buildings of Railway Stations, where additional commercial and cultural uses will be developed, creating, as European experience has shown, a pole of development for the wider region. A tender has already started for a technical consultant who will do the preliminary study for the Thessaloniki and Piraeus railway stations.

As for the buildings of lesser commercial interest that are scattered throughout Greece, GAIAOSE’s intention, according to Mr. Kesede, it is the utilization in cooperation with the local government organizations.

He focused on five pillars for the country’s tourism development Alexandros Thanos, Authorized Advisor of SETEemphasizing that sustainable tourism development goes through regional development. “Almost 28.5 billion euros come into the country from tourism, directly 14% of GDP and indirectly, approxone 30%”, he noted and added that “regional development works additively to maintain a positive sign».

On the contrary, as he pointed out, almost 90% of the revenue comes from five regions and is distributed over about five months, with a small change visible this year in September and October, but without overturning the dominant “sun and sea” model. However, in order for there to be an overall tourism recovery, Mr. Thanos listed five pillars: infrastructure, management of tourist destinations, human resources, sustainability and connection with the environment.

In closing, he made a special reference to dealing with climate change, where through the fee for the climate crisis that is borne exclusively by the tourism industry, his contribution for 2025 will be, according to the budget, 580 million. euro.

The ​ Loukia Sarantis President of the Association of Greek Industries he referred to the utmost importance of the Government’s initiative to place the issue of regional inequalities on the negotiation table with competent bodies and emphasized that the “key” to dealing with the phenomenon is the industry. As he explained, attracting investment in the industry helps to improve living conditions, as new jobs and new infrastructure are created, which help to keep population groups in their place and also attract new people. As Mrs. Saranti pointed out, the issue requires long-term planning. Bringing as an example deserted areas in Thessaly, Epirus and Thrace, he referred to their characteristics, where the few inhabitants are old and usually uneducated. Therefore, he concluded, it is very important to provide incentives for investments in Education and Health.

A short greeting through a taped message was addressed by Minister of Tourism Olga Kefalogianniemphasizing the significant role of tourism in enhancing regional development. “The diffusion of the multiple benefits of tourism can become a catalyst for regional development, the strengthening of social cohesion, the well-being of local societies,” he said.

Regarding the ministry’s strategy to ensure resilience and balanced development, he made special reference to policies and actions to enrich the tourism offer and highlight unique travel experiences throughout the year and in all regions, among including the institutionalization of the Regional Tourism Council and the provision of incentives for the establishment of destination management and promotion organizations across the territory.