All municipalities in Eastern Macedonia–Thrace to have local urban plans by 2028
The prospect follows a technical proposal presented by Efthymios Bakogiannis, Secretary General for Spatial Planning and Urban Environment at the Ministry of Environment and Energy, during an online meeting held at the initiative of the Thrace branch of the Technical Chamber of Greece. The meeting brought together local mayors and focused on the preparation of Local Urban Plans under Law 4752/2021, which also includes provisions for the delineation of settlements and streams.
Speaking to public broadcaster ERT Komotini, the president of the Technical Chamber of Greece’s Thrace branch, Polyzois Paraskevopoulos, described the development as “of the utmost importance,” as it will enable municipalities to plan and implement projects without obstacles once land uses and a strategic development framework are clearly defined.
“Urban planning schemes are for municipalities what the constitution is for a country,” Paraskevopoulos said. “Municipalities cannot carry out any activity without a defined spatial plan. No development can take place without urban planning.”
He also highlighted the political backing for the initiative, noting that Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has previously described urban planning reforms as the country’s “largest silent reform,” recognizing their significance.
Paraskevopoulos noted that when the current administration of the Technical Chamber’s Thrace branch took office in January 2025, it invited all municipalities in the region to assess the maturity of their urban planning frameworks. The findings showed that progress was minimal.
“Only two municipalities — Alexandroupoli (Dedeağaç) and Xanthi (İskeçe) — had secured urban planning frameworks, while some others had signed contracts under the previous legislative framework, which could have led to project cancellations and the return of funding,” he said.
Efforts to address the issue involved several stakeholders, including Stavros Benos, head of the Evros (Meriç) Reconstruction Committee, who raised the matter with the Ministry of Environment and Energy. Support also came from Eastern Macedonia and Thrace Regional Governor Christodoulos Topsidis, Panagiotis Koudoumakis, head of the Managing Authority of the “Eastern Macedonia–Thrace 2021–2027” program, and local mayors.
Together, they worked to develop a sustainable solution that would allow municipalities to complete urban planning procedures without additional fiscal burden.
The proposed plan could be financed through the Green Fund and implemented by the Technical Chamber of Greece. The proposal will now undergo technical review by the relevant parties, while a follow-up meeting is expected to take place at the end of March to advance its implementation.
