Municipality of Patras
Associated beneficiary

Patras is located at the Western part of Greece's mainland on the Northwestern coast of Peloponnesus. The city is sited right in the middle of an imaginary triangle formed by three locations of major archeological importance: Ancient Delphi in the north, Epidaurus in the south-east and Olympia in the south-west, whereas, at the same time, it is placed between the Mount Panachaiko and the Gulf of Patras, which links the city with Aitoloakarnania and the Ionian Islands. Patras, the third largest city of Greece, has always been a path to Europe, a Gate towards the West and a commercial channel to the ports of Italy, France and England.
In 2001, the population of the conurbation was just under 170,500. Patras is the economic and administrative capital of western Greece. Patras used to be one of the major industrial poles in Greece. However, de-industrialisation over the last two decades has had a significant impact on the city.
Today, Patras is a cosmopolitan city and remains a place where new ideas, ever renewed conceptions and avant-garde philosophical movements are flourishing. Being the metropolis of Western Greece, the city is well-connected to the rest of the country, through a highly developed transportation system. Europe's biggest cable-stayed bridge links Patras with the central and northern part of the country.
The University of Patras provides all necessary expertise for both scientific and artistic activity, encouraging the city to move towards further development. The fifty thousand University students living in Patras are pumping youth and vitality in the city's arteries.
Patras has always been a city favoured by History and Geography. Throughout history, Patras has proven its ability to appreciate and incorporate cultural diversity. The year of 2006 can become the starting point for the development course of Patras throughout the 21st century; a driving force for the European integration process. In 2006 in Patras, we will make use of a common language; the language of Culture.
Patras, today is an important commercial and transportation center. Currently, the biggest employers are the University and the hospital, but unemployment in the city is high by Greek standards and rising. The University of Patras, founded in the 1960s, has a lively student community, and plays an increasing role in both economic and social aspects of city life. The most important infrastructure is the city's port.
Achaia (Patras Province) also has a rich agricultural tradition and is one of the most desirable locations for traditional and organic farming. Its main crops include tomatoes, grapes, potatoes, and citrus fruits. A great deal of land available for cultivation is ideally suited for a diverse selection of crops including aromatic plants, cereals, garden produce, and trees such as walnut, chestnut, cherry, apple, pear, and plum. Food processing is well established in the area and opportunities to introduce or collaborate on new products are substantial.

The department of the Municpality involved in ACT project is the Municipal Enterprise for planning & Development of Patras S.A. (ADEP s.A. - Anaptiksiaki Dimotiki Epichirisi Patras S.A. )
A.D.E.P. S.A. aims at:

• Promoting the social, economic, tourist and environmental development of the Municipality of Patras
• Creating the prerequisites for the rational exploitation of the Municipality's potential by using national and European sources of financing A.D.E.P. S.A. employees highly qualified personnel with various skills (Environmentalists, Civil & Chemical Engineers, Lawyers, Economists, Sociologists, etc.) who deal with a wide range of activities. In parallel, ADEP keeps cooperation with external consultants and occupies staff on an ad hoc basis according to the needs raised by the implementation of the various actions.

A.D.E.P. S.A. was responsible for establishing and running of the Regional Energy Centre of Western Greece from 1998 up to 2002.
It is noteworthy, that A.D.E.P. S.A. has exploited its experienced scientific potential for the successful implementation of a significant number of programmes as well as for the creation of structures for the benefit of the citizens of Patras and for supporting the efforts of other similar organisations of the area.
More specifically, ADEP completed measures within the following fields: Environment - Local Agenda 21 implementation - Energy - Civil planning - Tourism - Health - Employment - Education & training.
In the past Programming Period (2000-2006) A.D.E.P. S.A.'s Environmental Department participated in a number of Interreg Projects: AAP2020, WindTechKnow, Reseau Des Parcs, Isolabella, FreeMed, SEAPASS, Connected Cities, Mavitra, Rom-It.

In the current Programming Period (2007-2013) A.D.E.P. S.A. participates in the projects:

• CC-WaterS (Climate Change and impacts on Water Supply) - SOUTH EAST EUROPE SPACE (SEES)
• ACT (Adapted to Climate change in Time) - LIFE+

In all these projects A.D.E.P. S.A. has a strong dissemination role, i.e. seminars, workshops, posters, brochures, manuals, newspaper articles and production of information for the web-portal, in order to raise awareness amongst citizens. Through its activities in European projects as well as its activities in local and regional level, A.D.E.P. S.A. has developed good working relations with a number of organisations. These relations will be very important for collecting information, raising awareness and disseminating the results.
As the city of Patras has adhered to the Covenant of Mayors, the participation of A.D.E.P. S.A. in
ENESCOM will support the City of Patras in providing its Sustainable Energy Action Plan (SEAP) as prescribed by the Covenant and involve/disseminate smaller Municipalities of the area.

With the contribution of the LIFE financial instrument of the European Community