Environment and Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou visited Thessaloniki on 13 July 2026 to inspect drought-response infrastructure projects and mark progress on Greece’s National Water Management Strategy and national water network development.
Major Infrastructure for Reliable Water Supply
Papastavrou attended a ceremony marking the signing of a contract for the construction of an external water supply network serving the municipal units of Peukes and Chortiatis — part of the broader Pyliaias-Chortiatis municipality. The project, with a total budget of €12.5 million, aims to resolve long-standing water supply challenges in the area.
Upon completion, the new network will ensure uninterrupted and safe water delivery across the Chortiatis Municipal Unit — covering the settlements of Fyluro, Asvestochori, Exochi, and Chortiatis itself. Designed to meet both current and future needs, it accounts for ongoing residential growth and rising demand driven by population increase, as well as the upcoming operation of the new Thessaloniki University Pediatric Hospital (ISN), which is set to become one of Europe’s most advanced pediatric hospitals.
The infrastructure is expected to add 20,000 cubic meters of daily water capacity — sufficient for today’s 20,000 residents, with scalability to serve up to 40,000. It will also eliminate reliance on private boreholes in the area.
Broad Institutional Participation
The event brought together key national and regional stakeholders, including Deputy Minister of Environment Giorgos Gkioulekas; Members of Parliament for Thessaloniki B’ constituency Theodoros Karagoulis, Fanis Papas, and Areti Papaioannou; Regional Governor of Central Macedonia Athina Aidoná; Mayors of Pyliaias-Chortiatis, Ignatios Kaitezidis, and Oraiokastro, Pantelis Tsakiris; EYATH CEO Agis Papadopoulos and Managing Director Anthimos Amanatidis; EYDAP Pagion President Giorgos Ioannidis; Government Coordinator for Thessaloniki Yiannis Papageorgiou; General Secretary for Natural Environment and Water at the Ministry of Environment and Energy Petros Varelidis; and TEDRA CEO Ioannis Tolios, representing the contractor.
Speakers underscored the project’s significance, highlighting that it resolves issues accumulated over a decade.
Minister’s Statement on Public Water Governance
Minister Papastavrou emphasized shared priorities: “Our common vision is to guarantee unimpeded, accessible, and safe access to water for all. Holistic water management seeks to reinforce water’s public character — strengthening our ability to build and maintain resilient networks. We have a responsibility to unite efforts, achieve economies of scale, and harness the technical expertise of water utilities like EYDAP and EYATH, along with their laboratories, to safeguard water quality. Greece boasts some of the highest-quality drinking water in Europe — and we must preserve that standard.
Today’s agreement secures safe water access for communities within the municipality that have endured shortages for years — communities also closely linked to the new pediatric hospital, soon to be among the most modern in Southeastern Europe and among the top-tier facilities continent-wide.”