The European project Germ of Life will hold its final event on 28 and 29 May in Patras (Greece), in the framework of the International Conference of Balkan and Black Sea Regions, a high-level forum bringing together institutional representatives, scientific experts and key stakeholders in sustainability and regional development.
The event will mark the culmination of this initiative, which focuses on developing innovative solutions for drought risk management and the restoration of ecosystem balance in Mediterranean countries. Over the course of the two days, the event will showcase the project’s main results and provide a platform for dialogue on their applicability in different European and international contexts.
The institutional opening will feature prominent European and international figures, including the European Commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Šuica, alongside the Governor of the Region of Western Greece, Nektarios Farmakis, and the Greek Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Harry Theoharis. High-level representatives will also take part, such as Mariëtte van Leeuwen, Vice-President of the CPMR; Ambassador Lazar Comanescu, Secretary General of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC); and Valentina Cobzareanu, from the Parliamentary Assembly of BSEC (PABSEC).
The programme will address some of the major current sustainability challenges, with sessions focusing on energy networks and sustainable opportunities, climate change and water resilience, connectivity, tourism and the blue economy. Participants will include, among others, Member of the European Parliament Nikolas Farantouris; Member of the European Parliament Dionysia-Theodora Avgerinopoulou; Coordinator of the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP) of UNEP and of the Barcelona Convention Secretariat, Tatjana Hema; Professor at Hubei University and President of IRCHA and the China Institute for Yangtze River Culture Studies, Xiao Yun Zheng; as well as experts from the energy and scientific fields such as Maria Sferruzza (DESFA), Andreas Kazantzidis (University of Patras), and Irina Makarenko, from the Commission on the Protection of the Black Sea against Pollution.
The event will also feature institutional and technical representatives from various European countries and the Black Sea region, including Bogdan Stolojescu, from Romania’s Ministry of Energy; Sofia Voultepsi, Vice-President of PABSEC; Irina Cozma, Coordinator of EUSDR Priority Area 3 “Culture & Tourism”; and Lavrentios Vasileiadis, Director of the Department of Culture, Tourism and Employment of the Region of Western Greece.
In this context, Germ of Life will play a prominent role with the presentation of its progress in digital tools for drought risk management. The dedicated project session will include the participation of the project coordinator, Athanassios Argiriou, together with representatives from European networks and specialised organisations such as Iro Tsimpri (ELARD), Margarita Chrysaki (NEREUS), and climate researcher Enric Aguilar, from Universitat Rovira i Virgili.
The event will therefore bring together a broad representation from the scientific, technological and environmental management fields, including experts in atmospheric physics, energy, water resources and environmental policy, as well as representatives of international organisations and European cooperation networks. This multidisciplinary approach will foster knowledge exchange and strengthen synergies between research, innovation and public policy.
The final event of Germ of Life will serve as a key platform to showcase the project’s results, reinforce cooperation between regions and contribute to the European debate on sustainability, climate change adaptation and the efficient management of natural resources.
