Two major issues affecting the islands' present and future, both requiring coordinated action, were discussed at a working videoconference led by Regional Governor Giorgos Hatzimarkos on 16 February, with 25 mayors from the Cyclades and the Dodecanese taking part.
Integrated Territorial Investments for small islands
The meeting focused on progress with the special funding framework established under the 2021–2027 Partnership Agreement for the South Aegean Region's small islands, entitled Integrated Territorial Investments for Small Islands.
The programme includes 62 new projects on 28 islands, with 24 beneficiary municipalities. The interventions are intended to strengthen infrastructure, resilience and islanders' quality of life.
The projects must receive formal inclusion decisions under the special funding programme during 2026. That requires close cooperation between municipalities, the Region and the other competent services.
A proposal for the Dodecanese covers 12 islands. Six — Agathonisi, Astypalaia, Lipsi, Patmos, Telendos and Pserimos — belong to the Kalymnos Regional Unit, highlighting the area's development role and potential.
A national initiative for small-island waste management
The second major subject was the Government's decision to fund a new waste collection and management service for all Greek islands with up to 10,000 residents.
The proposal, being advanced through the Ministry of Environment and Energy's General Secretariat for Waste Management Coordination, received a positive response from all the island municipalities' councils.
The initiative builds on the example of Tilos. Tilos Municipality introduced an integrated waste-management system described in the announcement as the first of its kind in Greece and among Europe's earliest, creating the first zero-waste island.
The project, subsequently funded by the Region and implemented by the South Aegean Waste Management Agency, became a national reference point for good practice.
Under a decision by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, that expertise is now being extended to all Greek small islands with populations of up to 1,400. Islands with between 1,400 and 10,000 residents will use a mixed management system adapted to local needs.
Responsibility, cooperation and environmental transition
Recognition of the work that began on South Aegean islands is an important reward for the systematic efforts of recent years. It also increases the sense of responsibility among all involved.
For the South Aegean Waste Management Agency in particular, national use of its experience confirms in practice the effectiveness and necessity of cooperation between municipalities.
Greece's islands with up to 10,000 residents are entering a new environmental era. Through coordination, cooperation and commitment to the common goal, we continue working so that these policies deliver meaningful, measurable results for local communities and the natural environment.
Emmanouil G. Mousellis, Head of the Kalymnos Regional Unit.
