As part of the celebration of 35 Years of Interreg and 20 Years of the Managing Authority INTERREG 2021-2027– Hellenic Ministry of National Economy and Finance, General Secretariat of Partnership Agreement (ESPA) – in Thessaloniki, an event held on 20 October in Thessaloniki, 19 students from the Department of International and European Studies at the University of Macedonia took part in the Student Essay Competition on “Cohesion Policy and Cross-Border Cooperation through the Eyes of Students”.

The 1st Prize was awarded to Orestis Sevastopoulos, while the 2nd and 3rd prizes went to Konstantina Karaiskou and Polyxeni Fragoudi, respectively.

Orestis’s essay was published in Makedonia tis Kyriakis (Macedonia on Sunday), highlighting the voice of young people who believe in Europe of cooperation, engagement, and equality. His work conveys the core message of Cohesion Policy: “Cohesion Policy and Interreg programmes are the means to bring people, regions, and visions closer together… Policies only make sense when they are inclusive, accessible, and socially targeted.”

Congratulations to all participants for their creativity and the inspiring messages they shared!