Monday 23 March 2026 | Nomarcheio of Alexandroupoli
Organized by the Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace and the Directorate of Civil Protection of REMTH and coordinated by AZK, under the Horizon program «Harmonized protocols for cross-border environmental impact assessment and emergency management» (HARMONY) project.
The event took place on Monday 23 of March 2026, at the Nomarcheio of Alexandroupoli, were representatives from the Civil Protection departments, local authorities, the Fire Department and the Police, as well as representatives from the Democritus University of Thrace, the private sector, and volunteer organizations joined a participatory workshop which was focused in enhancing REMTH’s resilience and disaster management of the Ardas River flooding risk and Dadia Forest fire risk.
In his greeting, the Vice-Governor of Evros, Mr. Evangelos Poulilios, highlighted the importance of the HARMONY project in particular the deployment of digital tools and the integration of harmonized protocols as high priorities for the protection of citizens and the region’s resilience.
The General Director of Internal Operations of the Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace and HARMONY Project Manager, Mr. Lambros Tsourgiannis, presented the project’s objectives and expected outcomes, noting that HARMONY is one of a series of initiatives implemented by the Region to strengthen both climate resilience and operational capacity on adaptation. Finally, the Head of the Autonomous Directorate of Civil Protection, Mr. Konstantinos Houvardas, explained the four dimensions of Interoperability, emphasizing on the need in common language and terms understanding and the interpretation of data, as well as the organizational collaboration for aligning processes, protocols, and responsibilities between different entities and governmental levels.During the workshop activities, facilitated by Mrs. Stella Psarropoulou, officer of the Alexander Innovation Zone coordinator partner for the transnational pilot in the HARMONY project the following critical issues were analyzed:
- Deployment of Digital Support Tools for early warning and operational decision-making. During the workshop, these digital tools were presented and demonstrated, and participants submitted proposals for the improvement and amplification of them.
- Harmonization of emergency management protocols at local, regional, national, and transnational levels, in the context of the HARMONY cross-border pilot between the Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace and the Union of Rhodope Municipalities (Bulgaria). Τhe goal of the pilot is a harmonized common response in transnational natural ecosystems and the overall strengthening of cross-border cooperation.
- Workshop participants actively contributed to the validation of user stories and provided feedback on the wireframes of the digital tools under deployment, while working on the configuration of protocol harmonization plans.
The Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace continues to invest in innovative solutions and international collaborations, ensuring that the experience of local stakeholders is integrated into the future of civil protection capacity.
For more information about the project, you can visit the website: www.harmony-he.eu
