Thessaloniki is becoming an innovation hub for SE Europe very quickly, European Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas said on Wednesday, addressing the Thessaloniki Future Thinking Dialogues (TFTD) held by the Greek-American Chamber of Commerce.
At the hybrid event, Schinas pointed out the city's unique feature: "Part of Thessaloniki's transformation is that the basic transportation infrastructure is being built from the bottom up again. It's not just the metro, but the new airport, the port in the hands of service providers instead of the state, it is the new upgraded air connection, the ability for combined transportation, and the new infrastructure in research and technology."
In this vision of Thessaloniki as a city of the future, the United States and the European Union views coincide. At the same time, in order for this vision to work out, it needs synergies among academic, research, business, investment, regional and local communities. This needed collaboration is the lesson of the coronavirus pandemic crisis as well, he pointed out, as no country could have managed the crisis by itself, regardless of size.
The Athens-Macedonian news agency is a media partner of the first TFTD, and its addresses are available online at www.amna.gr/tftd21.