Heinrich Böll Foundation Thessaloniki

Cooperation at the centre: what today’s cooperative ecosystem reveals The conference “Cooperation at the Centre: Roots, Challenges, Prospects”, organised for the International Year of Cooperatives 2025, brought together a wide range of actors from Greece’s cooperative and broader social economy ecosystem. Cooperative members, support structures, researchers, public officials and practitioners contributed to a rich, multi‑perspective discussion. A key theme was the current landscape of cooperatives in Greece: how they have evolved over the past decade and how they respond to today’s social and economic pressures. Speakers highlighted persistent gaps in the institutional and legal framework and the need for a more coherent, supportive policy environment across different cooperative forms. Much of the discussion focused on internal governance and democratic functioning. Participants reflected on the challenges of maintaining participatory decision‑making, ensuring transparency and balancing democratic processes with operational efficiency. Economic sustainability was another central issue, especially the limited availability of financing tools tailored to cooperatives and the difficulty of accessing capital without compromising cooperative values. The event also examined the policy framework of the Social Solidarity Economy (SSE). Particular attention was given to the SSE Registry, where automatic registration applies only to social cooperative enterprises, while other actors register voluntarily — a gap that leads to incomplete data and inconsistencies. One of the most forward‑looking themes was the model of the open cooperative: more porous organisational boundaries, stronger community engagement and cross‑sector collaboration. This approach was presented as a pathway to greater resilience, innovation and social impact. Finally, the role of financing tools was analysed in depth, from existing mechanisms to emerging opportunities, along with the structural barriers that still limit cooperative access to funding. Participants stressed the need for financial instruments that reflect cooperative governance and long‑term social value creation. This conference builds on the long‑standing engagement of the Heinrich Böll Foundation – Thessaloniki Office with the social economy since 2012. At a time when unemployment, precarious labour conditions and economic hardship pushed many people to seek alternative forms of organisation, the Foundation supported cooperative initiatives through training, capacity building and networking. This sustained commitment continues to shape the cooperative ecosystem in Greece today. #cooperatives #socialeconomy #SSE #participation #democracy #communityeconomy Read the full report: https://lnkd.in/dgD53vHd

Why mobility matters for cultural venues How cultural venues and event organisers manage mobility is becoming a defining factor in their environmental footprint — and a crucial part of their sustainability strategy. An article by two mobility experts from CIVINET Greece-Cyprus examines how mobility management can help cultural spaces and large events reduce emissions, improve accessibility and encourage more sustainable travel behaviour. Their starting point is striking: around 80% of the emissions generated by a festival or major cultural event come from transport — audiences, collaborators and materials. The authors explore what is currently being done in Greece, what best practices look like abroad, and which measures could realistically be implemented in the short and medium term. They highlight: ·        Audience travel as the main driver of an event’s environmental impact, and the need for organisers to actively shape mobility choices rather than treat them as external factors. ·        International examples where targeted mobility plans, shuttle services, coordinated public transport, and incentives for low‑carbon travel have already shown measurable results. ·        The gap in Greece, where cultural organisations often lack structured mobility strategies, despite the clear environmental and operational benefits. ·        Practical proposals for Greek organisers: mobility audits, partnerships with transport providers, better visitor information and pilot schemes that encourage walking, cycling and shared transport. This article is part of the Heinrich Böll Foundation – Thessaloniki Office’s broader work on mobility, showcased in our thematic dossier on transport and mobility across Greece and Europe — approaching mobility through multiple dimensions: transport safety, the energy transition and the spatial connectivity needed for territorial justice and balanced development. #mobility #sustainablemobility #cultureandsustainability #eventmanagement #mobilityplanning #accessibility #publictransport Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/dsdjtQ-3 Explore our broader work on mobility here: https://lnkd.in/dQUdiBsz

The LNG terminal in Thermaikos Gulf: what the public still doesn’t know How much do we really know about the LNG regasification terminal planned for the Thermaikos Gulf — just a few kilometres from Thessaloniki, a metropolitan area of over one million people? At an event one year ago that was co‑organised by the Heinrich Böll Foundation – Thessaloniki Office and Greenpeace Greece, scientists and experts highlighted a striking gap in public information. Their message was clear: LNG is neither “clean” nor “transitional.” It is, in fact, significantly more damaging to the climate than coal, largely due to methane emissions released at every stage of production and transport — emissions that cannot be fully prevented and are not subject to binding global limits. The proposed floating terminal would sit only 3–3.5 km from Thessaloniki’s coastline and the protected river delta. With prevailing sea breezes, methane and other pollutants would be carried directly into a city already suffering from some of the highest air‑pollution levels in Europe. Environmental risks extend into the sea as well. Regasification requires enormous quantities of chlorinated seawater, discharged back into the gulf colder and contaminated — with serious consequences for marine ecosystems, fisheries and mussel farming, key economic activities in the area. Safety concerns are equally serious: in the event of an accident, experts noted, LNG can form either an unextinguishable burning pool on the water or a drifting flammable cloud. Beyond the environmental and safety issues, the project raises fundamental questions about energy policy. It is incompatible with Greece’s National Climate Plan, would require public subsidies and would lock the country into new fossil‑fuel infrastructure — even though existing facilities already cover national demand. The LNG imported through this terminal would be destined primarily for re‑export, not domestic energy security. In another, very recent event on the same topic, an important step forward was taken: it was decided that, in the period ahead, a detailed mapping of the risks and impacts of the project will be carried out, an initial citizen network will be formed around a social‑media group, and a major public information event will be organised for the wider community. Between these two events, a very significant development also took place: the corresponding project planned for the Pagasitikos Gulf, near the city of Volos, was cancelled following citizen intervention. As the debate continues, one thing is clear: communities deserve full information, meaningful participation and energy choices that prioritise public health, environmental protection and long‑term resilience.   #LNG #Thermaikos #Thessaloniki #energytransition #publichealth #methane #fossilfuels #energydemocracy Check out the video from the event: https://lnkd.in/djZM-9Gh

What is lost when a region considers its position in the world using categories it did not create? Is foreign policy autonomy possible without its own lens? In the public debate on the war in the Middle East, it has become almost commonplace to adopt analytical complacency that reduces the complexity of the global scenario to a single organising metaphor: the world is polarised. But polarity was not originally coined as a category in International Relations; it migrated from Newtonian physics to 17th-century European diplomacy. It is striking that those who employ the concept today rarely know its origin or the purpose for which it was created. Across ten theses, the article challenges the framework of polarity and traces how power today spreads out rather than concentrating in a few capitals, how chokepoints and networks can matter more than raw military or economic weight, and how transnational elites now act independently of any single "pole." 📄 Read the full piece by Bernabé Malacalza: https://lnkd.in/dJCgycRN This article was first published by the Buenos Aires Office of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung. Translated from Spanish into English by Laura Alegrea and Sabrina Nieto for Abrapalabra Language Service Co-op. Image: Elise Racine (CC-BY 4.0)

🔸Right on schedule with our quarterly update: our second newsletter of the year is out now. Spatial justice, green foreign policy, democratic challenges, and climate change take the spotlight. Enjoy the read! 👇 Link in the comments.

Intervention without military? These days 한국국제정치학회, the Korean Association of International Studies, organizes a Conference in Seoul, South Korea, on the nexus of theory & practice in a world order centered around national interests. One of the Green Foreign Policy Fellows of our Office has joined these discussions, presenting the Intervention Ladder: A green framework for calibrated international responses. Panagiotis Moumtsakis makes the case for a different understanding of what intervention and progressive foreign & security policy can look like. Want to know more about our work on the Green Foreign & Security Policy narrative? More info in the comments!

Environmental Peacebuilding, is that a thing? The 4th International Conference on Environmental Peacebuilding takes place these days in Ottawa, Canada, gathering hundreds of diverse and passionate leaders, practitioners, researchers, and students from around the globe. Green Foreign Policy Fellows from our Office have joined these discussions with a panel on Rethinking Green Foreign and Security Policy in an Age of Environmental and Political Crisis. From the reconstruction of Gaza, the significance of positionality in foreign policy or the synergy with Feminist Foreign Policy, Gunel Madadli , Francesca Yahoo Fassbender and Falguni Lalwani make the case for what a progressive foreign & security policy can look like. Want to know more about our work on the Green Foreign & Security Policy narrative? More info in the comments!