ATHENS – Mayor of Athens Kostas Bakoyannis on Tuesday presented the vision of the Athenian presidency of the B40 Balkan Cities Network, wrapping up the proceedings of the B40 meeting held in the Greek capital on January 22-24.

Addressing 69 mayors from 73 cities in 10 countries, Bakoyannis unfolded the priorities that the Athens presidency will pursue, with a view to the full and active cooperation of the members of the Network. A collaboration that will move on a visionary horizon, in order to achieve the sustainable development and strengthen the resilience of the cities of the Balkans. As the mayor of Athens pointed out, in order to achieve these goals, participation will be needed with actions that will be accessible and inclusive.

Bakoyannis pointed out that the agenda of Athens for the presidency of the Network mainly includes the following:

a) adaptation to and mitigation of the climate crisis,

b) smart cities and digital transformation,

c) the strengthening of just and inclusive/tolerant societies,

d) economic cooperation and development

e) the improvement of local democracy and

f) cultural strengthening, which is also important as the Balkan cities have been shown to share a common culture in many ways.