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Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Economic Diplomacy and Openness Kostas Fragogiannis presents the progress on the project “Astypalea: the first smart and sustainable Mediterranean island” (Astypalea, 02.06.2022)

The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Economic Diplomacy and Openness Kostas Frangogiannis, presented today, Thursday, June 2, 2022 in Astypalea, in the presence of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the landmarks of the Asypalea smart and sustainable island project. This is an emblematic project of the Hellenic Republic, initiated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Mr. Fragogiannis personally, which is being implemented with the support of the domestic public and private sector and with the leading role of the Volkswagen Group.The project places Greece among the world leaders, both in innovation and in the development of environmental awareness and was even presented as a model at the UN Summit on Climate Change in Glasgow (COP26), last November 2021.Today’s event presented the progress made since last June (2021) in each of the 4 pillars of the project, namely a) vehicle electrification, b) smart mobility, c) charging and energy and d) autonomous driving. The landmark steps presented were: the delivery of a new electric ambulance to the Astypalea Health Center, donated by the Volkswagen Group, the pilot of the new transportation services on-demand called “AstyBus”, sponsored by Alpha Bank, the creation of a photovoltaic station for charging vehicles until the operation of a hybrid station that will replace the existing diesel generators and finally the world first driving presentation of Volkswagen’s new electric minivan, ID.Buzz In the event and the presentations participated the Minister of Health Thanos Plevris, the Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Michalis Papadopoulos, the Deputy Minister of Education Zeta Makri, the Secretary General of Energy and Mineral Resources Alexandra Sdoukou, as well as Astypalea’s Mayor Nikos Komineas,  the Governor of South Aegean Region George Chatzimarkos and the CEO of the Development Organization of the South Aegean Region ‘K2’ Nikos Bonis. Deputy Minister Fragogiannis was accompanied by the Secretary General for International Economic Affairs and President of Enterprise Greece Ioannis Smyrlis. Actively present in the event were of course the big supporters and sponsors of the project, the President of the Volkswagen Group Dr. Herbert Diess, with senior executives of the Group, as well as the CEO of Alpha Bank Vassilis Psaltis and the CEO of Kosmocar Steven Sirtis. Today’s event was also attended by its sponsors, HEDNO, Enterprise Greece, as well as the head of Sky Express air company Giannis Grylos. Deputy Minister Fragogiannis expressed deep satisfaction for the progress made so far on this ambitious project and thanked all parties involved for their hard work and their commitment to its success. “The project of Astypalea reflects all the comparative advantages of today’s Greece, that is, how the traditional natural wealth and the precious human capital of the country, can, with the support of a political leadership facing the future and its challenges, with an open eye and with vision, bring the country to the world forefront. I am very proud of what we have achieved so far, for the citizens of Astypalea and for the whole country, especially at a time when the need to diversify and move away from traditional energy sources has become even more urgent, globally. A warm thank you to all the supporters of the effort, to the government, to the local authorities, to the business world and to the citizens who dare” said Mr. Frangogiannis.Following the event, Dr Herbert Diess, CEO of the Volkswagen Group noted: “The discussion about the shift from fossil fuels to renewables has gained new momentum in Europe. Volkswagen is a driver of change, leading the transformation to e-mobility in Europe. Here on Astypalea, we are introducing new mobility services as the next step towards the future of transportation. It’s exciting to see the project grow, with people willing to change their habits. It demonstrates that a rapid transformation to green mobility and green energy is feasible if businesses and governments work hand in hand.”

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