Smart solutions for sustainable local communities | Smart Villages Conference (September 2, 2025, Salamina)
PRESS RELEASE
CONFERENCE PRESS KIT
Includes: Press release, selected photographic material, poster, e-banner
Access link: tinyurl.com/smartvillagesconf
The Smart Villages Conference, organized by the Network of Municipalities of the Attica Islands with the support of the Municipality of Salamina, was held with great success on September 2 in Salamina.
With the participation of representatives of local government, civil society, academics, researchers, and entrepreneurs, the conference served as a reference point
for highlighting the importance of “Smart Villages” and their potential to improve quality of life and strengthen the local economy through innovative approaches.
The proceedings of the Conference were opened with greetings from:
- the Mayor of Salamina and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Network for Cooperation between Municipalities of the Attica Islands, Mr. George Th. Panagopoulos,
- the Administrator of the Network of Municipalities of the Attica Islands, Mr. Marinis Beretsos.
- the President of the Central Union of Greek Chambers and Regional Councillor of Attica (Regional Unit of Islands), Mr. Ioannis Voutsinas,
The official opening of the Conference was announced in a video message by the Minister of Rural Development and Food, Mr. Kostas Tsiaras, who emphasized the importance of Smart Villages as a lever for growth for local communities.
The conference included six thematic sections with more than 25 speakers,
who presented best practices and experiences from Greece, Finland, and Latvia.
The presentations highlighted the contribution of innovation, digital technologies, and collective action to local development through solutions such as:
digital land management,
sustainable management of natural resources,
tourism promotion through smart proposals,
the development of smart infrastructure, which strengthens the local economy, creates new employment and investment opportunities, and improves the quality of life of residents.
The event concluded with a unique experience:
a guided tour of the Metropolitan Ignatius Cultural Center (formerly the Youth Center) in Salamis,
with a presentation of “Virtual reality applications for the Battle of Salamis,” highlighting the dynamic connection between culture, history, and new technologies.
The conference was held as part of the Transnational Cooperation Project “Smart Villages Leader Network,”
the Rural Development Program of Greece 2014-2020 (RDP), Measure 19, Sub-measure 19.3,
Interregional and Transnational Cooperation.
Over the last decade, the Network of Municipalities of the Attica Islands has contributed significantly to highlighting important issues in the region
through the LEADER program, which for more than thirty years has been a key driver of development in rural Greece,
offering new prospects and momentum to local communities, both in Greece and throughout the European Union.
The Smart Villages Conference demonstrated that cooperation between local government, society, the scientific community, and entrepreneurship is fundamental
to the creation of sustainable and resilient local communities that leverage the challenges of the digital age as opportunities for growth.
Δίκτυο Συνεργασίας Δήμων ΠΕ Νήσων Αττικής
Φίλωνος 91, 185 35, Πειραιάς
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Mail: info@atticalag.gr
Web: www.atticalag.gr | smartvillagesleader.gr
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