Circle the Med - On Demand

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Circle the Med

Tuesday 3 June • Wednesday 4 June 2025

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Technopolis City of Athens

Creating Synergies: DesirMED and INFIRE National Roundtable: "Financing the future: green investments for a resilient and carbon-neutral Mediterranean"

Moderator :

Dimitrios Kokosioulis

Circular economy Expert, Dynamic Vision, Hellenic Republic

Speakers :

Vedrana Vidiček

Junior Project Leader at North-West Croatia Regional Energy and Climate Agency

Dr. Eudokia Balamou

Operations Manager of Larnaca and Famagusta Districts Development Agency (Cyprus)

Chris Vrettos

Financing Policy Officer at REScoop.eu

Evangelos Fragkakis

Mayor of Chalki

Empowering Small Islands

Moderator :

Konstantinos Karampourniotis

Climate and circular economy expert

Speakers :

Gianni Chianetta

Chair - Greening the Islands Foundation

Giorgos Sarelakos

Founder & President of Aegean Rebreath

Beatrice Decker

Environmental Engineer, German Recycling Technologies and Waste Management Partnership e.V. (RETech)

Simone Bastianoni

Vice Rector, Professor of Environmental and Cultural Heritage Chemistry, University of Siena

Kyriakos Tsitouridis

Clean-tech Entrepreneur, Compost Systems

Holger Kuhle

Policy advisor for strategic knowledge partnerships at the GIZ

Irene Mikelis

EU Projects Manager at INSULEUR

Roxani Bei

Deputy Mayor for Cleaning and Recycling, Municipality of Athens

Stelios Spanoudakis

Deputy Mayor for Environment, Circular Economy, and Quality of Life of the Municipality of Rethymno

Evangelos Fragkakis

Mayor of Chalki

Ranko Blažević

Mayor of Sutivan

Theodoros Tzoumas

Mayor of Skiathos Island

EU Grants Networking Workshop: Building Consortia for a Resilient, Green, and Inclusive Mediterranean Part I (moderators: CORE INNOVATION, JOIST)

EU Grants Networking Workshop: Building Consortia for a Resilient, Green, and Inclusive Mediterranean Part II (moderators: CORE INNOVATION, JOIST)

Moderator :

Alexandra Kyritsaka

Head of EU Planning and Proposals Unit at JOIST Innovation Park & iED

Speaker :

Alexandros Touloumtzidis

Expert in Rural Development & Sustainability at JOIST Innovation Park & iED

Adaptation Exhibition: Young innovators and mentors aiming for innovative NbS for climate adaptation

Moderator :

Loukia Prentza

Speakers :

Elisa Furlan

CMCC (DesirMED project Lead Organization)

Ioannis Tsoukalidis

Special Advisor of Paggaion Municipality, Greece

Simos Malamis

Associate Professor at the Department of Water Resources and Environmental Engineering of the School of Civil Engineering of NTUA (CARDIMED project)

The New Acropolis Museum

One sea, many voices: Co-designing the future of sustainable aquaculture and co-existence with tourism

Moderator :

Erika M.D. Porporato

Marine ecologist, Researcher at the International Marine Centre Foundation

Speakers :

Alexandra Cousteau

Co-Founder and President of Oceans 2050

Giorgos Sarelakos

Founder & President of Aegean Rebreath

Dr. Veronica Santinelli

Marine ecologist, Researcher at the International Marine Centre Foundation

Dr. Manuel Manchado

Principal Researcher at IFAPA

Savvas Chatzinikolaou

Marine Biologist - Ichthyologist

Chrysa Efstratiou

Research Associate in Environmental Sustainability

Opening Session: Uniting the Mediterranean for a Sustainable, Inclusive, and Resilient Future

Speakers :

George Papandreou

Former Prime Minister of Greece, President of Circle the Med

Haris Doukas

Mayor of Athens, Hellenic Republic

Athanasios Kontogeorgis

Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister, Presidency of the Government, Greece

Dubravka Šuica

European Commissioner for the Mediterranean (video message)

Katerina N. Sakellaropoulou

Former President of the Hellenic Republic

Building Inclusive Green and Digital Economies — Innovation for a Thriving Mediterranean Future

Moderator :

Alexia Spyridonidou

Climate Governance Specialist EPLO, EU Climate Pact Ambassador

Speakers :

Levent Çakıroğlu

CEO and Board Member of Koç Holding A.Ş

Marija Pujo Tadić

Special Advisor/Envoy for Climate Action of the Republic of Croatia and President of the International Institute for Climate Action (IICA)

Themis Christophidou

Director-General of the European Commission’s Regional and Urban Policy department

Adonai Herrera - Martinez

Director, Environment and Sustainability European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)

Dimitris Kouretas

Regional Governor of Thessaly

Sandrine Kergroach

Senior Economist and policy analyst at the OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities (CFE)

Vassilis Koutsoumpas

Digital Policy and AI Adviser at the Presidency of the Government, Office of the Prime Minister of Greece.

Cleopatra Kitti

Founder of the Mediterranean Growth Initiative (MGI)

Constantina Kottaridi

Professor at the University of Piraeus, Department of Economics

Antonis Mavropoulos

Former President of the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) and CEO of the consulting firm D-Waste

Maritime Cooperation — Safeguarding the Blue Economy and Marine Biodiversity

Moderator :

Dr. George Dikaios

Adjunct lecturer & postdoc researcher, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Senior Research Fellow, UNESCO Chair on Climate Diplomacy & Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP)

Speakers :

Vassilis Kikilias

Minister of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy of Greece

Dr Susan Gardner

Director of the Ecosystems Division of the United Nations Environment Programme

Dr. Alicia Bugeja

Malta’s Junior Minister for Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Animal Rights

Dr Dionysia-Theodora Avgerinopoulou

Chair of the Environment Committee of the Greek Parliament, Hellenic Parliament

Dr. Stelios Himonas

Permanent Secretary of the Shipping Deputy Ministry , Republic of Cyprus

Maria Damanaki

Independent Advisor on Climate - Oceans

Alexandra Cousteau

Co-Founder and President of Oceans 2050

Patricia Charlebois

Deputy Director, Marine Environment Division, International Maritime Organization (IMO)

Ruben Eiras

Secretary General of Forum Oceano, Portugal

Martin Koehring

Ocean and Finance Specialist at the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI)

Paolo Mossone

General Director of the IMC Foundation

Sustainable Tourism – Cultivating a Resilient Mediterranean Ecosystem

Moderator :

Ioannis Mardikis

Environmental Sustainability Specialist Department of Technical Cooperation (EPLO)

Speakers :

Lina Annab

Minister of Tourism & Antiquities, Jordan

Olga Kefalogianni

Minister of Tourism of the Hellenic Republic

Dr. Ornela Çuçi

Former Deputy Minister of Tourism and Environment of Albania, environmental scientist, seasoned policymaker, and international climate finance expert

Julia Heiss

Chief of Section, Education for Sustainable Development Section, UNESCO

George Vernicos

Secretary General SETE, President INSETE

Panagiotis Sakelaropoulos

Assistant Regional Governor for Tourism Development Region of Western Greece

Dr. Sofia Avgerinou-Kolonia

Architect, Professor Emeritus at the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), Vice President of ICOMOS Hellenic and Honorary President of CIVVIH-ICOMOS