A substantial share of the European and national funding available over the next eight years should be directed towards regional development, infrastructure and the economies of Greece’s islands, Dodecanese MP Manos Konsolas has stressed.
In a parliamentary intervention addressed to the Minister of National Economy and Finance, Mr Konsolas called for timely and comprehensive planning to ensure that the available funding instruments are used effectively over the coming eight years.
According to the Dodecanese MP, Greece will be called upon to make productive and efficient use of European and national resources whose combined value is expected to approach—or even exceed—€100 billion.
The funding is expected to come from:
- the new 2028–2034 programming period,
- the National Development Programme,
- the Social Climate Fund,
- the Islands Decarbonisation Fund,
- the Modernisation Fund,
- and unallocated funds and remaining resources from the 2021–2027 National Strategic Reference Framework.
Mr Konsolas identified the meaningful support of regional and island communities as a central priority. He proposed financing investment projects focusing on the digital transformation of regional and island economies, the energy transition and the reduction of energy costs.
He also placed particular emphasis on investments that add value to the tourism sector, as well as on technology, industry and innovative activities that could revitalise regional economies and create new employment opportunities.
His proposals also include the development of new infrastructure and increased support for ferry services—two sectors considered essential to the connectivity and economic development of Greece’s islands.
In his capacity as Chairman of the Greek Parliament’s Committee on Regions, Manos Konsolas intends to launch an initiative for a formal discussion on the use of the resources available over the next eight years and, in particular, on the share of funding that should be allocated to Greece’s regions and island communities.
