The Minister of Environment and Energy, Stavros Papastavrou, signed today, at an event at the Ministry of Environment and Energy, a decision to include mainland municipalities and municipal water supply and sewerage agencies (DEYA) from Central Macedonia and Epirus under the program “Interventions for drinking water supply and water management” under the “Drinking Water Supply and Water Management” axis of the Ministry of Environment and Energy’s Sectoral Development Program.

The decision concerns 7 projects in 7 municipalities in Central Macedonia and Epirus to address water scarcity, with a budget of 10,285,363.16 euros. This decision comes on top of recent decisions to support 9 island and 9 mainland municipalities with 26 projects, bringing the total amount of funding to over 41 million euros for 33 projects in 25 municipalities.

The event was attended by the members of Parliament from Serres and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Anastasios Hatzivassiliou; from Imathia, Anastasios Bartzokas; from Preveza, Spyridon Kyriakis (Pella), Georgios Karasmanis, Dionysios Stamenitis, Vasileios Vassiliadis, and Ioannis Giorgos (Chalkidiki).

Also in attendance were the mayors of Lagkada, Elpiniki Andreadou; Oreokastro, Panteleimon Tsakiris; Nea Propontida, Emmanouil Karras; Georgios Tatsios, Mayor of Sintiki; Georgios Gioldasis, Mayor of Ziros; Efstathios Fountoukidis, Mayor of Pella; and Nikolaos Koutsogiannis, Mayor of Naoussa.

These new projects will supply water to areas in Northern Greece that, until now, either had no connection to the network or relied on informal private networks, addressing the major problem of water losses from outdated asbestos-cement pipes—which in many networks reach as high as 60–70 percent—new wells are being drilled, networks are being expanded, desalination plants and new water reservoirs are being built.

Mr. Papastavrou stated: “So far, we have signed contracts for 26 projects in 18 municipalities with a budget of over 31 million euros in both the islands and mainland Greece. Today it is the turn of Central Macedonia and Epirus. This involves funding 7 projects in 7 municipalities. These initiatives are part of a broader, holistic national plan for water management. Last week, we opened the first “National Water Strategy” for public consultation, while the new water management bill will be opened for public consultation in the coming days. Water losses, as other mayors have reported to us, reach as high as 60–70% due to outdated networks, which we must modernize. Water is a public good. For us at the Ministry of Environment and Energy, every euro invested in addressing water scarcity yields a multiple return for citizens—not only for the residents of your municipalities but also for future generations. Ensuring an adequate, safe, affordable, and high-quality supply of drinking water—this public good—for all citizens is a non-negotiable national priority. I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to all those who contributed to the preparation and development of these projects: the municipalities, the municipal water and sewerage agencies (DEYA), the ministry’s departments, and everyone who worked diligently to ensure that the municipalities’ actual needs were translated into specific funding and projects with tangible and measurable results.”