Thessaloniki is entering “a new stage” of growth under a government plan for Macedonia and Thrace, Development Minister Takis Theodorikakos said on Thursday at a presentation of projects in the city attended by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, cabinet members, lawmakers, and local officials, ahead of next week’s Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) to be held between September 6 and 14.

Theodorikakos described the creation of a new production model as a major challenge, alongside the fiscal stability achieved over the past six years, stressing the need to strengthen industry, exports, innovation, and applied research to boost competitiveness and reduce the trade deficit.

Over the past year, 222 investment projects worth €301 million have been approved in Macedonia and Thrace under the development law, the minister said. Reducing regional inequalities is central to government policy, he added, pointing to €450 million allocated under the first three funding schemes of the new law, with a special regime targeting Macedonia, Thrace, and regions with incomes below 70% of the national average.

Theodorikakos also announced €22 million for industrial parks in northern Greece, including €7.5 million in Sindos for water, sewage, and road upgrades, due for completion by the end of 2025. On the former Gonou army camp, he said the second phase of the tender process is underway, with a contractor expected in the first half of 2026 for the creation of a major logistics hub.

Turning to the 4th Generation Technology Park, Thess INTEC, in Peraia, the minister said the government was fully committed to completing the project, with secured funding through the Development Ministry’s sectoral program. “This will open a new era for the city,” he said.