Five years after launching its demographic initiative “Forward for the Family”—a comprehensive support strategy designed to address the issue with a focus on the country’s eastern borders— Eurobank has achieved a measurable social and economic impact, with 85 births, 64 new businesses, and 75 jobs created.
The social and economic impact of the initiative is also reflected in a Deloitte study, according to which every 1 euro invested in the program generates 5.11 euros in social and economic value.
In this context, the bank is announcing six new initiatives in Evros, spearheaded by the creation of a housing complex in Orestiada to house teachers and doctors.
The bank’s new initiatives in Evros to support housing, employment, health, and education were presented at the “Demographic 2026, ” attended by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, government representatives, and members of the scientific and business communities.
The presentation took place as part of an event organized by Nikos Hatzinikolaou, publisher and director of Realnews and president of the Hellenic Institute of Economic and Social Research (EIEA).
During his speech, the bank’s CEO, Fokion Karavias, presented a review of the five-year initiative, highlighting the strategy for addressing demographic challenges and emphasizing the importance of adopting a comprehensive support model.
Fokion Karavias stated: “Demographics are not an isolated challenge. They are the determining factor for the future of the Greek economy and social cohesion. Our experience shows that young people do not leave their hometowns by choice, but due to a lack of real prospects. That is why at Eurobank we do not limit ourselves to piecemeal actions.
We are implementing a comprehensive support model that links housing, employment, health, and education, creating the conditions for young families to live, work, and thrive in their hometowns. Through a broad range of initiatives, the bank is now moving forward with the creation of a housing complex in Orestiada to house teachers and doctors, addressing one of the most significant obstacles to attracting human resources to the country’s eastern border.
For us, Evros serves as a testing ground for this approach, with the aim of developing a model that can be expanded throughout the region. Addressing demographic challenges requires collaboration, sustainability, and measurable actions with a tangible social impact.”
The Minister of Social Cohesion and Family, Domna Michaelidou, noted: “Demographics is not a theoretical discussion about the future. It is a change we are already seeing in schools losing students, in local communities that are emptying out, in businesses struggling to find workers, and in the pressure on the social security and healthcare systems.
What makes the Greek situation unique is that the demographic shift did not occur in isolation. It came on the heels of a decade of economic crisis, the exodus of young people abroad, and deep uncertainty. That is why we do not view it as just another isolated social policy, but as a national priority that cuts across everything: employment, housing, taxation, regional development, equality, and quality of life.
With the National Action Plan on Demographics through 2035, featuring over 100 initiatives and a budget of 20 billion euros, we are shaping a comprehensive policy that supports families in practice and reduces uncertainty for young people. Because young people don’t say, “I don’t want a family.” Very often, they say, “I don’t know if I can support one.”
That is where the state’s responsibility lies: to create conditions of security and opportunity. Through the “My Home I” and “My Home II” programs, through social benefits and affordable housing policies, through daycare centers, KAPs, “Neighborhood Nannies,” the birth allowance, the child allowance, and Early Childhood Intervention, we support families from day one.
Demographics are not just about how many children are born. They are about whether a young person can plan their life with greater certainty. Whether a woman can work, advance her career, and become a mother without having to choose one over the other. Whether a young person can stay in the region, work, start a family, and feel that they have a future where they live. That is the challenge, and that is our top policy priority.”
The bank has consistently supported the initiatives of the Ministry of Social Cohesion and Family to highlight and address this issue.
Among other things, it contributes to the implementation of relevant research and awareness-raising activities aimed at raising public awareness and fostering public dialogue.
During the conference, a thematic discussion was held on the connection between education and the demographic challenge, as well as on shaping prospects for the younger generation.
The discussion was attended by the Minister of Education, Religious Affairs, and Sports, Sofia Zacharaki, and the bank’s group chief marketing officer, Michalis Vlastarakis.
Sofia Zacharaki emphasized that “the answer to the demographic challenge is a stronger public school system for every child,” while noting, among other things, that “Greece is currently facing one of the greatest demographic challenges in its modern history, and for this reason, investment in education takes on even greater significance for the country’s future. The decline in student numbers increases our responsibility toward each child individually and reinforces the need for a public school system that is more modern, of higher quality, and stronger.
We are strategically investing in skills, new technologies, children’s mental resilience, infrastructure, and educators themselves, because education is the most critical pillar of social cohesion, development, and national resilience. The Greece of tomorrow needs young people with knowledge, self-confidence, potential, and vision, and that is exactly the kind of school we are building.”
For his part, Michalis Vlastarakis noted that the bank has consistently supported the ministry’s initiatives to address and tackle the demographic issue.
He also highlighted the critical role of education, employment, and regional development in creating meaningful prospects for the younger generation.
As part of this strategy, the bank is announcing six new initiatives in the Evros Regional Unit.
The bank is proceeding with the construction of a residential complex aimed at housing teachers and doctors working in the wider Orestiada area, addressing one of the most significant obstacles to attracting human resources to remote regions.
The project, expected to be completed in 2028, is part of a broader set of initiatives aimed at creating meaningful conditions for young families to settle in Evros.
Following the significant response to the first cycle of the program, 64 young entrepreneurs in Evros have already benefited, receiving funding and support to develop sustainable business activities.
In this context, the company continues, through the “Forward for the Family” initiative, to provide financial support to AFI Microfinance, securing funds so that the organization can offer assistance to permanent residents of Evros, the unemployed, employees, and the self-employed with limited access to bank loans, business loans of up to €25,000 at a fixed interest rate of just 1%, with the bank’s support.
The third initiative involves the donation of modern medical equipment to the Obstetrics Clinic of the Didymoteicho General Hospital, including a portable ultrasound machine, surgical instruments, and equipment for the delivery room and neonatal care, substantially enhancing maternal and child care in the region.
Eurobank is expanding its initiatives through a partnership with the non-profit organization “New Life in the Village, ” with the aim of providing comprehensive support to families wishing to settle permanently in small villages in Evros.
The initiative includes access to employment, business consulting, housing, education, social and health services, as well as the creation of a safe environment for raising children.
The bank is also supporting the Municipality of Orestiada in launching a daycare center in the remote village of Dikaia, making a substantial contribution to easing the daily lives of young families and helping them remain in the region.
In collaboration with the Bodossaki Foundation, Eurobank is proceeding with the creation of six new Science Labs in middle schools in the municipalities of Orestiada, Didymoteicho, and Soufli, meeting the need for modern laboratory equipment.
This initiative follows the four laboratories delivered to schools in Evros in 2025.
The laboratories are being implemented as part of the foundation’s “Experience Science” program, aimed at experiential and interactive learning in physics, chemistry, and biology for middle school students.
At the same time, Eurobank continues to boost employment in remote areas through its remote work program at EuroPhone Banking, which has already created 75 permanent jobs in Evros and the North Aegean islands, giving young people the opportunity to stay, work, and build a life in their hometowns.
In the same spirit of supporting the community, the bank, as part of the “Forward for the Family” initiative and its partnership with the Be-Live association, has already contributed to 85 births across Greece, 51 of which took place on the country’s eastern border.
With these new initiatives, Eurobank further strengthens a comprehensive model of family support in remote areas, making a substantial contribution to demographic sustainability, social cohesion, and the development of Greece’s regions.
In the same spirit of supporting families and demographic sustainability, the bank has already granted the third-child allowance, amounting to 25,000 euros, to 29 of its employees, as part of the benefits and incentives it implements to support families.