Panagiotis Nanos has been mayor of the mountainous Municipality of Lake Plastiras, in the Regional Unit of Karditsa, since 2019. He has previously served in the administrations of public hospitals and is also the author of literary (and other) works. In our interview, he discusses the region’s cooperative ecosystem in its current form, situates it within its historical and spatial context, and outlines the municipality’s planning with regard to this field.
What are the advantages of the Municipality of Lake Plastiras that could enable a shared trajectory with the Social Solidarity Economy? Can it respond to the municipality’s needs and plans?
Local government, as a whole, essentially functions as a local authority responsible for identifying a place’s development prospects and planning accordingly. It needs to understand the available human resources, the capabilities, and the local economy. If there is also a master plan in place, so much the better for both the area and its residents.
In the Municipality of Lake Plastiras, the Social Solidarity Economy can be seen as a historical continuation of the communitarian traditions of the Agrafa region. For us, this is therefore a privileged field, as there are still living memories of Social Solidarity Economy practices and informal cooperation. As a municipality, we are aware of this legacy, we have recognised it, and we actively promote it.
The communities of Agrafa were autonomous for centuries. They did not experience Ottoman rule, which meant they had to take care of many matters themselves. This reality persisted up until the 1970s. Through their own labour, people built schools and churches, constructed roads, and provided infrastructure that should have been delivered by the state.
What initiatives is the municipality currently implementing?
We are developing a programme called “Return to the homeland”, a plan aimed at attracting new families or couples to settle permanently in our municipality. Within this framework, we are trying to strengthen employment in the primary sector. In this direction, we are designing a “land bank”. Inactive agricultural land, abandoned orchards, vineyards, and gardens should return to people’s hands, but within the logic of the Social Solidarity Economy. We will not lease these plots; they will be made available to those who wish to cultivate them.
We are also working on creating a cooperative chestnut grove. The municipality owns land with wild chestnut trees, which we plan to graft. We hope this will generate a supplementary income for residents of the villages around Lake Plastiras.
There are additional initiatives in the primary sector, such as promoting local products in order to strengthen and expand their market.
Another initiative is also underway to create a kind of internal market, which will make local products more recognisable to people originating from the area who no longer live here.
Do you see broader horizontal support and cooperation? How does the ecosystem respond?
Some of what we propose is well received; people are waiting for it. Other initiatives may not achieve the desired outcome. This is largely because mountain communities have been heavily depopulated. Older age groups dominate, while younger people have left. Low birth rates and demographic decline are among our most serious challenges. This is precisely why, through the “Return to the homeland” programme, we aim to encourage second- or third-generation migrants to return, reopen their family homes, and live and create in their villages. It is not an easy endeavour. It is a wager, and we ourselves wonder whether we will win it. Personally, I believe we will — that is why we are pursuing it.
How would you like to see your municipality in a few years?
The Municipality of Lake Plastiras has certain characteristics that are not easily found in other mountainous areas of Greece. For instance, we are located in the centre of the country—2.5 hours from Athens airport and 2.5 hours from Thessaloniki airport. Distances are therefore relatively short. We are also just 20 minutes away from an urban centre, Karditsa, which means that access to markets and services is uninterrupted. We have an exceptional natural environment where people can create, live, work, and produce—an environment ideal for those seeking quality of life.
I believe that if the special development programme is implemented and the “Return to the homeland” initiative succeeds, within a decade the area will experience population recovery and could become a model for mountain development.
Which special development programme are you referring to?
It is the special development programme for Agrafa, announced by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Anthiro, Argithea. It concerns three municipalities: Lake Plastiras, Argithea, and Agrafa. It is a plan with funding of €90 million (Ed. note: the funding comes from the 2021–2027 operational programme), covering multiple sectors: infrastructure, the rural economy, tourism, and more. By leveraging the specific local characteristics of each municipality, we can be optimistic about its acceptance and success.
We have the support of the Region of Thessaly, through the Integrated Territorial Investment (ITI) for Agrafa, as well as other bodies such as the Development Agency of Karditsa SA (ANKA SA), an important organisation that has contributed to the development of Karditsa over the past 35 years and continues to support us. I would say there is broad consensus around this initiative, and I believe it will succeed.
How would you define the kind of innovation you envision for development in the municipality?
In our municipality, we promote a range of initiatives that, as I mentioned, reconnect us with our roots and the history of the area. Within the framework of the Lake Plastiras Innovation Hub, we could say that there are two main axes of innovation.
The first concerns a different approach to society and the environment. Here we include the Social Solidarity Economy, which is closely linked to the history of the Agrafa region and often operates without monetary exchange. We also include the creation and coordination of the “land bank”, which will reactivate municipal land as well as engage residents, new farmers, and cooperative schemes. Finally, we are exploring the utilisation of forest resources, for example through the development of chestnut groves.
The second axis focuses on supporting the creative economy, by offering jobs, providing a base for initiatives, and creating infrastructure for ten start-ups in the former primary school of Morfovouni at symbolic rent. These are steps that can revitalise the area and retain –or attract–young people.
Consider also this: imagine a plan for the energy upgrading of empty houses in the area, which could then be made available either as affordable housing under an appropriate model, or for the creation of a “leisure hub”— an alternative approach to holidays compared to their “industrialised” form.
Generally speaking, if I had to choose a “title” or a definition, it would be: “Innovation is a change in the way we think.”