Following the 2nd Inter-ministerial Conference on National Resilience organised by the General Directorate of National Defence Policy and International Relations (GDNDPIR) of the Ministry of National Defence (MoD), on Tuesday 19 September 2023 at the Athens War Museum, the Region of Epirus organised, on 1 December 2023, a workshop at the Ioannina Guard Officers’ Club on “National Resilience, Information, Proposals”.
Given the important role that each Region has to play in the national effort for the development of National Resilience, the aim of the Conference was to inform the senior executives of the Local and Regional Government of Epirus (Mayors, General Directors, Directors, Chief Executives, etc.) and the local community of Epirus about National Resilience.
The General Director of the GDNDPIR, Dr. Konstantinos Balomenos participated in the Conference as Head High-Level National Representative of Greece to the NATO Resilience Committee, at the official invitation of the Regional Governor of Epirus, Mr. Alexandros Kachrimanis. He informed the participants about:
• The current safety environment.
• The conceptual definition of resilience.
• The characteristics of a resilient State.
• The coordination of efforts at inter-ministerial level to strengthen resilience in our country, as a result of our national commitment to resilience, which is based on Article 3 of the North-Atlantic Pact.
• The need to set up a National Resilience Committee with members/representatives from all Ministries and bodies of the Greek Public Administration, whose main task will be to formulate a National Resilience Strategy and undertake initiatives at the operational level to strengthen our country’s resilience.
• The need to identify vulnerabilities per department and body in the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, but also in all Ministries.
• The Roadmap of Actions for the achievement of the National Resilience Plan and the National Resilience Goals.
The following speakers addressed the conference:
• The Vice-Regional Governor of the Region of Epirus, Ms Panagiota Mitrokosta (responsible for matters of cooperation between the Region of Epirus and the Ministry of National Defence), who also coordinated the organisation of the Conference.
• The Commander of the 8th Mechanised Brigade of Epirus Brigadier General George Pappas.
• On behalf of the Metropolitan Bishop Maximus of Ioannina, the Very Reverend Archimandrite P. Chrysostomos Traikapis.
• The Rector of the University of Ioannina, Ms Anna Batistou.
In the Conference also participated:
• The Mayor of the Municipality of Ioannina, Mr Dimitris Papageorgiou.
• The Mayor of the Municipality of Konitsa Mr Nikos Exarchou.
• The General Regional Police Director of Epirus Brigadier General Vasilios Mouselinis.
• The Police Director of Ioannina Mr Georgios Azelis.
as well as numerous representatives of local bodies and associations of Epirus.
The conclusions drawn from the conference are that it is necessary to:
• The vigilance and cooperation of all national actors (State, Local Government, Private Bodies, etc.) to take actions regarding the prevention and management of issues related to the safety and security of citizens.
• The adoption of a holistic approach to the development of National Resilience and the fulfilment of national obligations in a European and NATO context.
