The comprehensive development and reconstruction plan for the Evros border region in northeastern Greece has expanded to nearly 3 billion euros following the addition of new funding mechanisms, Deputy Minister for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Kostas Katsafados said.
Katsafados, who chairs the Evros Reconstruction Committee, rejected recent media reports alleging that the government had abandoned or scaled back its initial strategy for the area.
He said the committee was continuing its work alongside regional authorities, local mayors, and community representatives. The government framework assigns clear responsibilities to each participating body to ensure parallel implementation rather than overlapping roles, he added.
Evros is a border regional unit in northeastern Greece that shares boundaries with Turkey and Bulgaria. The region has been the target of state funding and infrastructure investments aimed at economic recovery, regional security, and demographic growth.
Funding Breakdown and Strategy
Katsafados said the initial reconstruction blueprint was presented in Orestiada on October 3, 2024, in the presence of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis as the first Local Development Plan under the National Strategy for Regional and Local Development. That initial plan carried a budget of over 2.83 billion euros.
He explained that additional financing tools have since expanded the overall development footprint for Evros from 2021 through 2030 to more than 2.96 billion euros.
The updated funding package includes 2.5 billion euros allocated directly for government projects and support measures that are either completed or currently underway. Another 309 million euros is designated for the EVROS-META Integrated Spatial Investment program managed by the Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, which was expanded from an original baseline of 180 million euros.
A further 90 million euros covers the Support and Recovery Plan, including state relief programs, the New Forest environmental initiative, and Evros Pass assistance. The remaining 60 million euros is designated for targeted policy measures in housing, family support, employment, and education.
Implementation of Development Pillars
The deputy minister stated that the overall strategy is built around three distinct pillars funded through separate mechanisms. Major infrastructure projects are financed through European and national tools, including the Connecting Europe Facility, EU structural funds, the Recovery and Resilience Facility, public-private partnerships, and the Public Investment Program.
The second pillar consists of the EVROS-META program, while the third pillar focuses on specific social, family, and demographic policy measures.
Katsafados stressed that media comparisons between the overall plan budget and individual funding tools were methodologically invalid. He noted that the EVROS-META program was never intended to encompass central government projects already in progress, but was designed as a complementary mechanism.
The EVROS-META budget was raised from 180 million euros to 309 million euros, marking an increase of 129 million euros, or more than 70 percent. This total includes 30 million euros announced by Mitsotakis following a visit to the region, specifically earmarked for flood protection works.
The EVROS-META initiative covers the entire municipalities of Soufli, Didymoteicho, and Orestiada, alongside the municipality of Alexandroupoli outside its central urban core. It encompasses road safety, irrigation, flood control, social infrastructure, and 6 million euros in business support grants.
The Regional Governor of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace has published the call for project submissions based on readiness, eligibility, and rapid execution, Katsafados said, adding that no project proposals had been rejected outright. He added that the program operates alongside existing long-term plans without canceling proposals from the Diazoma cultural heritage association.
Transport and Regional Infrastructure
Addressing specific claims regarding transport infrastructure, Katsafados denied that the Alexandroupoli to Ormenio railway upgrade had been excluded from state planning.
He explained that the railway project belongs to the major infrastructure pillar and was never intended to be funded through the EVROS-META program. Instead, it is directly financed by the European Union through the Connecting Europe Facility with a budget of 892.8 million euros, an amount nearly three times larger than the entire EVROS-META program.
The railway project is currently undergoing an active tender process through a competitive dialogue procedure, with the selection of a contractor expected by the end of 2026.
Other major infrastructure developments across Evros include the 226.7 million euro Alexandroupoli Floating Storage Regasification Unit, which was completed in August 2024. Security border infrastructure totals 181.7 million euros, covering the completed 166.7 million euro initial border fence and a 15 million euro extension currently under execution.
Student housing and facilities for Democritus University of Thrace are being delivered through a 133.1 million euro public-private partnership, for which a contractor has been appointed. Democritus University of Thrace is a public university based in northern Greece.
Additional infrastructure works include the Eastern Ring Road of Alexandroupoli, a 36 million euro project that has reached over 85 percent completion, and 17.8 million euros for port depth restoration and road connectivity in Alexandroupoli. Border post improvements include 13.2 million euros for the Kipoi border station, 11.6 million euros for the Provatonas bypass, and 18.3 million euros for natural gas network expansion in Alexandroupoli and Orestiada.
Education, Health, and Culture
The development strategy includes specific projects across public education, healthcare, and cultural preservation. A Presidential Decree has been published for the establishment of a Veterinary School in Orestiada, which is scheduled to begin operating in September 2027.
Democritus University of Thrace is introducing two new postgraduate programs. The first received approval from the Hellenic Authority for Higher Education and begins in September, while a second program focused on climate studies will operate with 50 percent physical attendance in Soufli.
Plans also include a new Food Technology Department in Soufli and a Music Junior High School in Orestiada scheduled for the 2026-2027 academic year.
Healthcare upgrades include 12.7 million euros for Alexandroupoli University General Hospital, 2.7 million euros for Didymoteicho General Hospital, and 6.4 million euros across health centers in Orestiada, Dikaia, and Soufli, alongside the deployment of Mobile Health Units.
Cultural restoration projects include 11.5 million euros for the Bayezid Mosque and 15.2 million euros for the Burial Tumulus of Mikri Doxipara-Zoni.
Demographic Support and Social Measures
To address demographic decline, the government introduced a resettlement incentive offering up to 10,000 euros plus 1,000 euros per child for 1,000 beneficiaries moving to Soufli, Didymoteicho, or Orestiada, without income restrictions. The scheme began as a pilot in Northern Evros and is expanding to eight additional regional units.
Employment initiatives managed by the Public Employment Service exceed 40 million euros. These include 15 million euros for 600 business job positions, 2.96 million euros for 200 new businesses founded by unemployed individuals, 1.7 million euros for 200 environmental jobs, and a new 21 million euro program to hire 2,000 unemployed residents across the region.
Tax relief measures include a three-year ENFIA property tax exemption in Soufli starting January 1, 2025, which has been made permanent across all small settlements. Public sector employees in Didymoteicho, Orestiada, Samothrace, and Soufli receive a 40-point hiring bonus for local residency and six additional days of annual leave. Families with two children in the area are also granted equal standing with three-child families under the My Home II housing scheme.
Welfare measures include complete voucher coverage for local Creative Activity Centers, the expansion of the Personal Assistant program, renovations of daycare centers and senior citizen centers, and the reopening of the Metaxades daycare school after a two-year closure.
Katsafados concluded that the government is responding to misinformation with concrete projects and measurable outcomes, maintaining that the reconstruction of Evros remains a dynamic process adapting to local needs.
