Digital Governance Minister Dimitris Papastergiou announced in Thessaloniki that the government had launched projects worth €400 million to support the technological needs of Greek municipalities, drawing funding from EU programmes and national resources.
Papastergiou said authorities would present a new open data platform of the Greek state in the coming week, increasing available datasets to 9,000 from around 80. He noted that municipalities, businesses, researchers, and citizens would be able to freely use the data, enabling the redesign of cities and boosting entrepreneurship through the use of Artificial Intelligence.
He also confirmed that the €7 million “Smart Thessaloniki” project would relaunch by Friday after previous delays.
Speaking at an event organised by the Thessaloniki Chamber of Commerce and Industry under the auspices of the Hellenic Parliament, the minister emphasised the importance of measuring urban data such as energy and water consumption, stating that improvement required accurate monitoring. He also highlighted personal responsibility in environmental awareness and the circular economy.
Papastergiou pointed to ongoing progress in the digitisation of the state through gov.gr, describing it as a “new, efficient Greece”. He said that in March alone, authorities issued approximately 14 million documents, processed more than 10 million digital prescriptions, received 170,000 applications for new ID cards, and scheduled 300,000 healthcare appointments online.
He added that thousands of interoperable systems had been developed across public platforms, improving citizen-state relations by reducing bureaucracy and limiting the need for supporting documents.
At the same event, Stratos Simopoulos said he would give Thessaloniki a low rating as a smart city, stressing that digitising services alone did not make a city “smart”. He argued that real solutions were needed for everyday issues such as traffic, parking, and recycling.
Academic Ioannis Politis highlighted Thessaloniki’s ongoing traffic challenges, noting that only 15% of residents used public transport despite the recent launch of the metro. He said the city would need seven to eight multi-storey car parks to meet current parking demand in the central zone and proposed restrictions on car access alongside incentives to encourage public transport use.
Evi Angelidou of The Conference Board said citizens showed willingness to adopt circular economy practices, but systems had not evolved quickly enough to support this shift. She stressed that waste represented both an environmental and economic problem.
Officials concluded that future cities must be not only functional but also fair, green, sustainable, resilient, and people-centred.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Kosta Papadopoulos
Dieser Artikel ist neu veröffentlicht von / This article is republished from: Greek City Times, 06.05.2026
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