ELIAMEP (Hellenic Foundation for European & Foreign Policy)

📢 Conference | Greek-Turkish Relations: Where Does Public Opinion Stand? On Friday, 11 October 2024, leading voices will discuss the evolving dynamics between Greece and Turkey, focusing on public opinion and the challenges shaping their relationship. Speakers include Amanda Paul, Elena Lazarou, Evren Balta, Marc Pierini, Maria Gavouneli, and Vangelis Areteos, moderated by Ioannis N. Grigoriadis. 📅 14:00 - 16:45 📍 Rue du Trône 14-16, 1000 Brussels Register now 👉 https://lnkd.in/eshXqSxZ #GreekTurkishRelations #PublicOpinion #EPC #EUForeignPolicy

The Climate Change Hub (CCHuB) had the pleasure of opening this year’s Athens Democracy Forum by organising for the fourth consecutive year a working breakfast event on Tuesday, 1/10/24, entitled "Local Authorities are in the centre of climate action. Can Greek Municipalities cope with this challenge?". Panel speakers included Dimitris Papastergiou, Minister of Digital Governance, Savvas Chionides, Sec. Gen. of Local Government and Decentralization, Ministry of the Interior and Grigoris Konstantellos, Mayor of Vari, Voula, Vouliagmeni and Vice President of KEDE and was moderated by Maria Logotheti, President & CEO of CCHub. Achilles Tsaltas DCF President/CCHuB Board Member and Anthony Kefalas, DCF Vice-Chair/CCHub strategic advisor opened the proceedings. Other contributors included: Petros Kokkalis, former MEP, co-founder of the political party "Kosmos"; Nikolaos Raptis, Deputy Governor of Thessaly for The Climate Crisis; Yannis Kokkaliaris, Mayor of Kozani; Nikos Chrysogelos, Deputy Mayor of Climate Governance & Social Economy; Prof. Dimitris Lalas, FACE3TS SA, former President of the Athens Observatory, Leadership Council of the CCHub; Lydia Karra, Chairman of the board of ELLET, Nikos Charalambides, Exec. Director Greenpeace; Lia Papazoglou, co-founder of Ecogenia; Peter Brown, CEO Climate Democracy Initiative; Michael P. Nash, film director. During the discussion, a video-intervention was shown, with representatives of international city networks and organisations (Stelios Diakoulakis C40 Cities, Konstantina Karydi, RCC/CCHuB, Vasileios Latinos, ICLEI Europe, Marnie McGregor, GCoM, Maria Vassilakou, former Deputy Mayor Vienna, 100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission). It was common ground that to date, the objectives of the green transition, in accordance with the requirements of national and European climate law, haven't been met. The discussion concluded that the green transition requires serious transformation of the local government system and consultation with local, regional and national stakeholders. However, the central government must first of all grant local authorities the power to act, by strengthening their administrative and financial autonomy,  provide municipalities and regions with the human and financial resources needed to facilitate their work by offering the necessary tools and access to know-how. Maria Logotheti, closing the breakfast, presented an open proposal to the Ministry of the Interior, regarding the establishment of a task force with representatives from the Ministry of the Interior, local authorities, the private sector, NGOs and academia, which will aim to prepare a set of proposals for measures that will support local authorities in order to more effectively address the challenges of climate change. Photo credits: Democracy & Culture Foundation (DCF) The Democracy & Culture Foundation Athens Democracy Forum Resilient Cities Catalyst ELIAMEP (Hellenic Foundation for European & Foreign Policy)

After a week in #Athens where I was invited to speak at the #AthensDemocracyForum and #Eliamep, in addition to giving private briefings to senior policy makers, I was pleased to see that both leading #Greek #newspapers published interviews with me today. Following on my earlier post in which I elaborate on how to end the wars and get to peace, please find attached my interview with Vassilis Kostoulas at #kathimineri, and an interview I gave tania bozaninou, editor-in-chief of #ToVima, also published today on the anniversary of the #Hamas 7 October slaughter and its terrible aftermath. Thanking both #kathimineri and #vima for helping to promote understanding of the depth and breadth of the complex issues and dynamics engulfing the #MiddleEast and spreading the message of how to get from #war to #peace. The message & its implementation could not be more #urgent. Thank you Achilles Tsaltas, Elina Makri, and Kimberly Conniff Taber for inviting me to share a panel on the #MiddkeEast with Steven Erlanger, Roger Cohen, Ahmed Shihab-Eldin and Lu Miao at the Athens Democracy Forum. Thank you Elizabeth Phocas for suggesting that I speak at ELIAMEP (Hellenic Foundation for European & Foreign Policy) and Professor Loukas Tsoukalis, President of ELIAMEP for excellent chairing, and to all the participants for an honest and open Q&A. To those who don’t speak Greek, I will post a selection of my interviews in English from this past week shortly. #AthensDemocracyForum, #eliamep #middleeast #wartopeace #disputeresolution #strategicnegotiations

A big thank you to ELIAMEP (Hellenic Foundation for European & Foreign Policy) for hosting our rangeforecasting.org workshop on the future of Greek-Turkish relations. It was an engaging and thought-provoking session, where we explored various scenarios and outcomes through structured forecasting methods. #Forecasting, when applied effectively, is a powerful tool for improving policy decisions, offering insights that help navigate uncertainty and shape better outcomes. By tapping into diverse perspectives and analytical rigor, we can work towards more informed and constructive policymaking for all. Thank you to our colleagues Tony Silberfeld Peter Walkenhorst & Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook for setting the scene and guiding the workshop!