A delegation from New Democracy, led by Nikos Papathanasis, Deputy Minister of National Economy and Finance and Member of Parliament for the B1 North Athens District, visited Megalopolis, as part of the ruling party’s tour of the Peloponnese.
The delegation also included Kostas Vlasis, Deputy Minister of Education, Religious Affairs, and Sports and Member of Parliament for Arcadia, as well as local party officials.
Mr. Papathanasis first held a working meeting at the Megalopolis City Hall with Mayor Kostas Michopoulos and members of the city council. The discussion focused on issues facing the municipality, the progress of projects being implemented in the region, and Megalopolis’s development prospects in the new era following the phase-out of lignite.
This was followed by a meeting with local stakeholders and representatives of the Just Transition Initiative, during which the progress of the program for Megalopolis was presented, along with the actions currently underway or planned for the near future.
More specifically, the budget for interventions earmarked for the Megalopolis region amounts to 636 million euros; the budget for calls for proposals that have been issued amounts to 480 million euros; and the budget for approved projects amounts to 341 million euros.
As Mr. Papathanasis pointed out, through measures to support entrepreneurship and the implementation of the 294 approved investment projects in the region, it is expected that more than 2,000 new jobs will be created, 1,284 of which will be in the Municipality of Megalopolis.
Concluding his visit, Mr. Papathanasis stated:
“With planning, determination, and efficiency, we are solving problems, fulfilling our commitments to our fellow citizens, and we are planning for the future so that residents and businesses in the areas affected by the phase-out of lignite can stay and thrive in their hometowns.
By increasing investment and creating even more jobs, we are building the Greece of 2030—a Greece that is worthy of everyone, a Greece that moves toward the future with stability, security, and prospects, a Greece that transforms economic progress into a lasting social dividend for its citizens.”