CSSBoost and the Ministry of Environment & Energy Sign Agreement in Crete
In a major step toward accelerating regional circular economy practices, a Voluntary Cooperation Agreement was officially signed between the Technical University of Crete (TUC), representing the CSSBoost project, and the Greek Ministry of Environment and Energy (YPEN), coordinating the national LIFE-IP CEI-Greece (“Circular Greece”) project.
The signing ceremony took place in Heraklion between Prof. George Arampatzis, Coordinator of the CSSBoost project for TUC, and Sofia Many, Project Coordinator and Head of Waste Management at the Ministry of Environment and Energy.
Bridging European Innovation and National Strategy
The collaboration aligns with the headline priorities of the European Green Deal and the National Strategy for Circular Economy, aiming to transition regional supply chains from linear models to high-value circular systems.
Specifically, the agreement connects CSSBoost’s Pilot 1 (focused on agri-food and livestock by-product valorization in Crete) with Action C.5 of LIFE-IP CEI-Greece, which promotes voluntary regional agreements as key policy tools for effective waste management.
Core Pillars of Cooperation
Under this framework, both projects will pool expertise, digital platforms, and technical resources to achieve tangible regional impact:
- Co-Designing an Agri-Food Waste Plan: Developing a comprehensive Waste Management Plan tailored to the seasonal, geographical, and volume-specificities of Crete’s agricultural sector.
- Data Sharing & Technical Assistance: Establishing transparent data-exchange protocols regarding waste generation, enabling precise mapping of organic waste streams and secondary resource potential.
- Unlocking Investment & Funding: Providing technical assistance to local stakeholders and identifying green funding channels to bring proposed circular projects to life.
- Fostering Industrial Symbiosis: Connecting farmers, food processors, research centers, and technology providers to build new commercial value chains.
An Open Regional Alliance
Recognizing that systemic change requires broad participation, the agreement is designed as an open regional alliance. Primary producers, agricultural cooperatives, waste operators, and local municipalities across Crete are invited to join the agreement to contribute waste streams, technical know-how, or investment capital.
“This agreement demonstrates how European research programs like CSSBoost can directly interface with national policy initiatives like LIFE-IP CEI to deliver immediate, scalable benefits to local communities and primary producers,” highlighted the consortium leadership.