Greece Transportation and Infrastructure Summit

Joan Hoey, editor of the Democracy Index and Europe Consultant, Economist Intelligence

Joan Hoey Europe Consultant

Sustainable infrastructure development and better quality transport services can strengthen social cohesion and reduce regional disparities. What is Greece doing to improve the country’s transport network, and what challenges must be overcome?

Christos Dimas, minister of infrastructure and transport, Government of Greece

Christos Dimas Minister of infrastructure and transport

Infrastructure investments are the catalyst for a transportation network that will support the transport of people and products in Greece. What are the obstacles and the opportunities that emerge on the path to economic growth?

Christos Dimas, minister of infrastructure and transport, Government of Greece
Dinos Benroubi, vice-chairman & chief executive, METKA ATE
Konstantinos Mitzalis, managing director, AVAX Group
Christos Panagiotopoulos, chief executive, TERNA
Anastasios Aranitis, director- general, AKTOR Group

Moderators:
Joan Hoey, editor of the Democracy Index and Europe Consultant, Economist Intelligence
Fotis Kollias, director, Powergame.gr

Christos Dimas Minister of infrastructure and transport

Dinos Benroubi Vice-chairman & chief executive

Konstantinos Mitzalis Managing director

Christos Panagiotopoulos Chief executive

Anastasios Aranitis Director-general

Joan Hoey Europe Consultant

Fotis Kollias Director

Is Greece on track to meet its planned recovery and resilience facility (RFF) projects? How much risk do high costs and lack of skilled workforce pose to RFF schemes, and how can they be addressed?

Nikos Papathanasis, alternate minister of national economy and finance, Government of Greece
Nikos Tachiaos, deputy minister of infrastructure and transport, responsible for infrastructure issues, Government of Greece
Marianna Nathanail, head, European Investment Bank Office in Greece
Konstantinos Makedos, president, TMEDE

Nikos Papathanasis Alternate minister of economy and finance

Nikos Tachiaos Deputy minister of infrastructure and transport, responsible for infrastructure issues

Marianna Nathanail Head

Konstantinos Makedos President

What difficulties must European governments anticipate when planning their transport strategies?
How can international transport within the EU be improved?

Maja Bakran, deputy director-general in the Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE), European Commission (via connection)

Maja Bakran Deputy director-general

This session will examine the progress of public infrastructure projects in relation to sustainability, funding and bureaucracy

Dimitrios Anagnopoulos, secretary-general for infrastructure, Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, Government of Greece
Athanasia Oikonomou, chief for infrastructure, New Democracy
Panagiotis Terezakis, chief executive, Hellenic Railways Organisation
Timoleon Katsipos, president, Building Infrastructures

Dimitrios Anagnopoulos Secretary-general for infrastructure

Athanasia Oikonomou Chief for infrastructure

Panagiotis Terezakis Chief executive

Timoleon Katsipos President

Europe’s rail network is at the heart of its sustainable transport strategy. The EU’s Action Plan for rail intends to increase passenger numbers by boosting long-distance and cross-border passenger rail journeys. This panel will assess the success of the plan so far. How can interconnection between regional and national networks be improved?

Josef Schneider, chairman, European Passengers’ Federation
Stefanos Agiasoglou, chief executive, Public Road Transport
George Georgiadis, secretary, Inland Transport Committee, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)
Brian Caulfield, professor in transportation, Trinity College Dublin
Vassiliki Danelli-Mylona, president, Road Safety Institute "Panos Mylonas"

Josef Schneider Chairman

Stefanos Agiasoglou Chief executive

George Georgiadis Secretary, Inland Transport Committee

Brian Caulfield Professor in transportation

Vassiliki Danelli-Mylona President

Attica, the region which includes Athens, has the country's most sophisticated transport network. But much of it is rather old. How does the Attica government plan to upgrade the metropolitan railway network? Can transport in Attica be made safer and more sustainable? What are the main causes of road congestion and how can they be addressed?

Nikos Chardalias, governor of Attica (recorded message)

Despoina Paliarouta, secretary-general for transport, Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, Government of Greece
Georgia Ayfantopoulou, deputy director-research director, Hellenic Institute of Transport (HIT)
George Spiliopoulos, chief executive, Athens Urban Transport Organisation 
Athanasios Kottaras, chief executive, STASY
Konstantinos Gkiotsalitis, assistant professor, director of the Railways and Transport Laboratory, National Technical University of Athens

Nikos Chardalias Governor of Attica (recorded message)

Despoina Paliarouta Secretary-general of energy and mineral resources

Georgia Ayfantopoulou Deputy director and research director

George Spiliopoulos CMO

Athanasios Kottaras Chief executive

Konstantinos Gkiotsalitis Assistant professor, director of the Railways and Transport Laboratory

The recent privatisation of 14 Greek airports, with plans for 22 more to follow, is allowing the development of new domestic and international flights and services, as well as new opportunities for investors. What are the next steps? Can Greece’s airports continue to cope with increasing numbers of tourists?


Dimitra Tzourmakliotou, chair, Heraklion International Airport
Miltos Stamatopoulos, manager, airport planning, Athens International Airport

Dimitra Tzourmakliotou Chair

Miltos Stamatopoulos Manager, airport planning

What major new infrastructure projects are planned for Greece? How will such projects impact the future of the freight transport and logistics industries?

Thanasis Tsianos, president, Hellenic Institute of Transportation Engineers
Vassilis Maglaras, chief executive, Thriasio Logistics Centre

Thanasis Tsianos President

Vassilis Maglaras Chief executive

Greece is a maritime economy. Its ports have always been a critical part of its infrastructure as well as acting as international gateways. How are Greece’s ports, shipping infrastructure and economy disrupted by geopolitical events elsewhere? How can port authorities add value to economic activity within them?

Vassilis Kikilias, minister of maritime and insular policy, Government of Greece
Luis Blancas, senior transport and logistics specialist, The World Bank

Vassilis Kikilias Minister of maritime and insular policy

Luis Blancas Senior transport and logistics specialist

Around 12% of the cars on Greece’s roads are fully electric or hybrid. That is below the EU average of 20%, but the size of the fleet is increasing every year. Is Greece’s transport infrastructure ready? How is artificial intelligence changing both the role of transport planners and the passenger experience? Does tech disruption cost money or help the sector save it? What are the prospects for smart traffic management in Greece?

Dimosthenis Anagnostopoulos, secretary-general for information systems and digital governance, Ministry of Digital Governance, Government of Greece
Gonçalo Correia, section head transport mobility and logistics, department of transport & planning, TU Delft
Zoi Christoforou, associate professor, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Patras

Dimosthenis Anagnostopoulos Secretary-general for information systems and digital governance, Ministry of Digital Governance, Government of Greece, Member of EU AI board

Gonçalo Correia Section head transport mobility and logistics, department of transport & planning

Zoi Christoforou Associate professor, Department of Civil Engineering