Topsidis proposes economic and social safeguard mechanism for border regions to EU Commissioner
During a meeting in Brussels with Raffaele Fitto, European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Christodoulos Topsidis, Governor of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace (EMT), highlighted the strategic importance of Cohesion Policy resources for the region’s development.
The discussion focused on assessing EMT’s development trajectory to date and planning the allocation of resources to enhance competitiveness, sustainability, and social cohesion. Topsidis emphasized that since 1989, over €10 billion has been invested in the region, significantly improving citizens’ quality of life.
Presenting his vision for the future, the Governor prioritized:
Transforming EMT into a development gateway, leveraging its strategic geographical location.
Promoting the region as a value hub with investments in agri-food, innovation, manufacturing, and alternative tourism.
Establishing a model social intervention framework to strengthen employment, equality, social cohesion, and human capital skills.
Topsidis noted the strong performance of the EU-funded NSRF program in EMT, with an absorption rate already reaching 25%, and expressed the intention to accelerate further by utilizing all available European tools. He also highlighted the region’s outward engagement through its Brussels office, participation in European networks, and implementation of 23 European projects across critical sectors, with a total budget of nearly €10 million.
With a clear developmental and European perspective, the Governor stressed the need for substantial support for border regions under the new Cohesion Policy 2028–2034.
Finally, Topsidis proposed the creation of a new European mechanism for economic and social safeguarding for regions along the EU’s eastern and southern borders — from Finland to Cyprus — aiming to strengthen security, development, and social cohesion in these geopolitically critical areas.
“Eastern Macedonia and Thrace is turning a new page, with planning, cooperation, and a European orientation,” Topsidis said, underlining the importance of the meeting with the Commissioner for the region’s future trajectory.
