The workshop welcomed by the Minister of Environment, Energy and Climate Change Tina Birbili and MP Mr. Kyriakos Mitsotakis. From the government side, the Minister said: "The problem of waste management is one of the major environmental problems worldwide. Therefore, the priorities of the government and YPEKA include the integrated management and waste recovery. "The Minister further said that "the main problem is the lack of a comprehensive plan to address problems relating to waste for the solution of which the Ministry will move into four areas: reducing waste, improving recycling, diversion of the organic fraction of waste and energy recovery from waste".
Finally, Mrs. Birbilis highlighted the need for public-private cooperation and stressed the commitment of the Government to update its national planning for waste management taking into account the latest developments in European legislation (transposition of the Waste Framework Directive 98/2008)."
In his speech, the MP and Head of Environment Sector of Nea Dimokratia Party referred to the need of supporting green entrepreneurship and emphasized how the opposition party will stand next to the ministry and its actions. The workshop opened by the Chairman of SEPAN Mr. Thanasis Katris, who referred to the founding purposes of the Federation as well as the needs regarding the treatment of industrial waste. Representatives from the state leadership, local government, NGOs and many business people attended the workshop.
The workshop raised issues concerning the recycling of municipal solid waste and energy recovery. Special mention was made in the Industrial Waste Management, combined with the international experience that is already applied successfully abroad. The workshop was structured in the form of presentations by qualified scientists and professionals in the field of waste management.
These contributions were supplemented by panels in which attendees presented and analyzed their views. Of particular interest was the discussion that followed, with questions set from the audience. The conclusions open a new round of discussions on the presence and capabilities of the private sector in the field of waste management, all in combination forms and collaboration with the state and local authorities.