Fthiotida 360°: Designing the new Hub of Southern Europe

Entrepreneurs highlighted in the context of the Thermopylae Forum 2025 how the Phthiotis of the future can be built. The key is for young people and scientists to stay in their place…

” How can we transform Fthiotida into a transit hub and logistics gateway? – How do we make the region friendly to innovation, startups, digital nomads? – How do we utilize the natural, cultural and touristic reserve, not as nostalgia, but as a lever for development? “

The above were just some of the questions answered in the 1st ^Session of the Thermopylae Forum 2025 , the leading Strategic Conference held every year in Thermopylae and aiming to place Phthiotis at the center of developments and public debate.

The panel included the CEO of Deloitte Hellas, Dimitris Koutsopoulos , who earlier announced the news aboutthe adoption of the city of Lamiafrom his company, the Managing Director of the Hellenic Development Investment Bank, Antigone Lymberopoulou and Alexandra Delli , Legal Advisor for Concession Projects of GEK TERNA Group. Together with them, two Chamber Presidents, Yiannis Bratakos of the Athens Chamber of Commerce & Industry and Chrysostomos Karellis of the Fthiotida Chamber. They discussed and answered questions from the coordinator of the Unit, Christos Stamatis CEO & Co-Founder Stevia Hellas.

All speakers emphasized the strategic geographical position of Phthiotis, which allows it to claim to develop into a transit hub and logistics gateway.

Mr. Koutsopoulos, continuing from the news of the adoption of the city of Lamia, spoke of a smart and sustainable city, in which it will be nice to live, which in the future will also have an economic effect. “Green development and extroversion”, a part of the recipe for the necessary strategic planning that must be done.

Ms. Delli emphasized that the region can play a very important role, initially recording its great history, but also its geography. The distances of important hubs from Lamia, makes the region the transportation hub of the country! “Let us believe in our strengths” urged Ms. Delli, also mentioning the example of Trikala.

For his part, Mr. Bratakos, stated that he was impressed by the large participation of the Forum, continuing with the problems of entrepreneurship even in the Attica Region due to the general global developments. The President of the EVEA insisted on the development of Industry alongside the primary sector and of course tourism, asking for a development plan for cooperation with Athens which is currently non-existent.

Ms. Lymberopoulou presented her own knowledge of the region, arguing that the geographical location alone cannot support the region, and she also asked that young and worthy people remain in their place. She presented realistic proposals, also emphasizing the importance of young people.

Finally, from the perspective of entrepreneurship in Fthiotida, the President of the Chamber, Mr. Karellis, expressed his views. Mr. Karellis emphasized the promotion of the products and services of our region (it should be noted that there is also an exhibition of local products by businesses from Fthiotida at the conference site) but also the exploitation of the region’s position on the Greek map.