The proceedings of the “Information Day and Regional Circular Economy Workshop in Central Greece” took place from 3 to 5 November 2025 in Chalkida, at the Regional Council Hall of the Administrative Building of the Regional Unit of Evia. The event was co-organised by the Green Fund, the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MEEN), the Region of Central Greece, the Regional Unit of Evia, and the Hellenic Recycling Organisation (HRA) as part of the LIFE-IP CEI-Greece – LIFE18 IPE/GR/000013 “Implementation of Circular Economy in Greece” project.
The project is coordinated by MEEN and implemented in collaboration with 19 strategic partners, including the Green Fund and HRA. The ultimate goal of LIFE-IP CEI-Greece is to contribute to the implementation of the National Waste Management Plan, the National Waste Prevention Programme, and the National Circular Economy Strategy.
The Information Day opened on 3 November with welcome addresses delivered by:
- Manolis Grafakos, Secretary General for Waste Management Coordination,
- Evangelos Koukousas, Deputy Regional Governor for Environment, Spatial Planning and Transport of the Region of Central Greece,
- Charalampos Kostaros, Deputy Mayor for Cleaning Services of the Municipality of Chalkida (representing the Mayor),
- Ioannis Androulakis, President of the Board of Directors of the Green Fund, and
- Dr. Manolis Anadranistakis, President of the Board of Directors of HRA.
The event continued with presentations by Mary Plati, LIFE-IP CEI-Greece Project Manager at MEEN; Dr. Alexandra-Sophia Togia, CEO of HRA; Grigoris Konstantellos, Mayor of Vari–Voula–Vouliagmeni and First Vice-President of the Central Union of Municipalities of Greece; Dr. Nikolaos Afratis, Assistant Professor at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens; Vasilis Katerelos, General Manager of Sustainable Development at Heracles Group; and Dimitris Stamatoukos, General Manager of the Collective System for Construction & Demolition Waste “SANKE M.E.P.E.”.
The Information Day concluded with a presentation by Mr. Koukousas regarding the Region of Central Greece’s proposals for digital tools supporting the Circular Economy.
The event aimed to highlight successful circular economy practices that can be applied in Central Greece and to enhance understanding of the challenges and opportunities associated with them. A total of 70 participants attended the event in person in Chalkida, while others joined online.
The full video recording of the Information Day is available on the official LIFE-IP CEI-Greece YouTube channel.
Regional Capacity Building Workshop
Until 5 November, the Regional Capacity Building Workshop was held, bringing together 117 participants and focusing on strengthening the skills of stakeholders responsible for designing and implementing waste management solutions.
The workshop focused on the themes:
• Local Authorities & Circular Economy
• Circular Economy in the Agri-Food Sector in Central Greece
• Circular Economy & Entrepreneurship
The programme included expert presentations, panel discussions facilitated by LIFE-IP CEI-Greece partners, and contributions from representatives of organisations developing or implementing circular waste management solutions.
Participants also engaged in hands-on activities, while on the final day they took part in a circular entrepreneurship board game, with the dynamic participation of the 2nd grade of the 3rd General Lyceum of Chalkida.
More information on LIFE-IP CEI-Greece is available at www.circulargreece.gr and on our social media channels:
• https://www.facebook.com/CircularGreece/
• https://twitter.com/CircularGreece
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/life-ip-cei-greece-circulargreece/
• https://www.instagram.com/circulargreece/
• https://youtube.com/@circulargreece
Read here the Press Release.
