Circular Economy and Climate Institute

The European Union (EU) is promoting a circular economy as the new economic model - against the still prevailing linear economy – which will reduce the environmental, energy and climate footprint of any human activity and will preserve the scarce resources of our planet while protecting the climate and the environment. Circular Economy has become an emblematic overarching priority under the EU Green Deal and is mainstreamed in Green Growth, Blue Economy and Digital Economy the other three EU priorities. The significance of the circular economy is also recognized by the UN and contributes to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Circular Economy and Climate Institute is promoting circular economy and sustainable practices, climate, environmental and energy diplomacy, as well as the new holistic concept of “circular diplomacy” and will strive to mainstream circular economy in all policy areas.

The goal of the Institute is to promote the implementation of a circular economy at all levels of governance, both top-down and bottom-up, as well as to promote a social circular economy. The promotion of circular entrepreneurship and circular environmental and social governance (C-ESG) is also among its objectives. The Institute develops also and contributes to sharing good practices on mitigation and adaptation/resilience actions to combat climate change and promotes climate-proofing and green public procurement.

The Institute offers technical assistance, capacity & institutional building, promotional and awareness-raising activities on all the above, promotes innovative actions, environmental consultancy, project management on EU co-financed and privately financed projects, environmental legal recommendations, legal representation and assistance to all environmental-related matters in cases of environmental, climate or circular economy litigation or arbitration.

Director of the Institute: George Kremlis

He is the Chairman of the Greek Initiative at UN level on protecting cultural and natural heritage from climate change impacts. He is a member of the Board of the European Public Law Organization, chairs its climate and circular economy Institute and is the Representative of the EPLO in Bulgaria. 

He is also a member of the environmental and social advisory council of the EBRD and also currently the Chair of the Bureau of the Espoo Convention, Chair of the MOPs in 2019, elected Chair for the MOPs in December 2020 and re-elected Chair for the period 2021-2023.  He is the Chairman of the AmCham circular economy committee. 

George Kremlis is Honorary Director of the European Commission (EC) and has acted in this capacity as Active Senior responsible for circular economy in the islands.

He was until recently special Advisor to the Greek Prime Minister on energy, climate, environment and circular economy issues

Deputy Director of the Institute: Garyfallia (Fay) Selimi. 

Attorney at Law, PhD(c), MSc, with expertise in environmental law, climate law, energy law, financial and European public law and sustainable development policies. Sustainability expert. Official representative of the European Public Law Organization (EPLO) at the Working Groups and meetings of the parties of the UNECE Espoo Convention and SEA Protocol. She is also a legal and sustainability counsel of municipalities, international organizations and public and private sector companies.

Members of the Scientific Committee of the Institute:

1. Prof. Ayadi Rym

Professor Rym Ayadi is Founder and President of the Euro-Mediterranean Economists Association (EMEA), a Barcelona based regional Think Tank that serves as a leading independent and innovative policy research institution. Co-Founder of the Brain Capital Alliance, and founder and Director of the Euro-Mediterranean and African Network for Economic Studies (EMANES), Professor at the Bayes Business School (Former CASS) of the City University of London and Senior Advisor at the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS). She is the Chair of the European Banking Authority (EBA) Banking Stakeholders Group (BSG) of which she acted as elected Chair from February 2019 to present. Professor Ayadi is an Economist and international academic expert on international business and financial systems, financial markets and institutions, global financial regulation and governance, and socio-economic development and foresight in economies in transition. She is currently Member in several international high- level Academic, Advisory Committees and Editing Boards. For more information please visit www.rymayadi.com

2. Behrakis George 

George Behrakis is Co-Founder and Co-Director of the AXIOS Project, a new initiative aimed at mobilizing the Greek diaspora in the U.S. and globally to tackle the climate crisis. A graduate of Tufts University and New England Conservatory, George has an array of varied professional experiences in climate advocacy, politics, civic engagement, and the arts. 

Currently, he serves as Chief Strategy Officer of the Climate Solutions Fund, where he works with conservative leaders across the U.S. to build and accelerate leadership on climate and energy issues. This work has been covered in media outlets across the country, including The Washington Post, NPR, Newsweek, Associated Press, The Hill, CNN, and Politico. 

George is also an Aspen Institute Future Climate Leader, and is the youngest ever board member at Tufts University’s Tisch College of Civic Life, the nation’s premier educational institution focused on the on civic education and engagement of young people.

Born and raised in Massachusetts, George and his family are proud Greek-Americans, and are very active in a number of Greek organizations, including The Hellenic Initiative, Leadership 100 and the National Hellenic Society.

3. Dr. Buontempo Carlo

Carlo Buontempo is the Director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) at ECMWF. He completed a PhD in physics at the University of L'Aquila in 2004 before moving to Canada for his post-doc and then joining the UK Met Office. Carlo worked at the Hadley Centre for Climate Science and Services for almost a decade where he led the climate adaptation team and the climate service development team. In this role, he led numerous projects involving climate change adaptation and regional modeling in Europe, Africa, Asia and North America. Before becoming Director of C3S, Buontempo developed the sectoral information system of C3S, helping businesses and policymakers in sectors like finance, insurance, energy, etc. with customized and up-to-date environmental data services.

4. Dr. Digkas Agis

Dr. Agis Digkas holds a PhD in geopolitical risk analysis and has extensive research activity on quantitative methods and decision support systems in geopolitics. He teaches energy geopolitics, quantitative risk analysis, and environmental policy at the University of Athens, the National Technical University of Athens, and the School of National Security of the Hellenic Police Academy, while he is the author of three books on the respective subjects. At the same time, he has work experience in the energy sector, especially in dealing with security and cooperation in the region of Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean, since he has served as Vice President of the Renewable Energy Sources Operator and a Visiting Professor of Environmental Policy at the National Technical University of Athens. In this regard, he was called to coordinate efforts and strengthen cooperation with states and businesses in the wider region.

4. Geropoulos Kostis

Kostis Geropoulos is the co-founder and the Director for Energy & Climate Policy and Security at NE Global in the UK. A member of the Foreign Press Association of Greece, he is an experienced journalist, moderator and columnist covering energy and climate issues, geopolitics and security. He has covered and reported from many areas around the world, including Central Asia, Russia, Northern Africa, the Eastern Mediterranean, the Balkans, and Central and Eastern Europe. His weekly column Global Energy Insider analyzes energy and geopolitics, including interviews with European leaders, politicians and experts. He has also been a guest or contributor for BBC TV and BBC Radio, Austrian radio ORF, LBC Radio, and Sky News, UK.

5. Prof. Loizidou Maria

Maria Loizidou was born in Cyprus and studied at the University of London, where she obtained a BSc and MSc in Chemical Engineering and a PhD in 1982, in the field of waste treatment. She was elected Lecturer at the School of Chemical Engineering of the National Technical University of Athens in 1982 and in 2003 she was elected Professor. She founded the Environmental Science & Technology Unit (www.uest.gr), which is accredited in the field of solid-liquid waste. She has successfully implemented as a scientific officer at NTUA more than 200 research projects, mainly competitive European ones, in environmental matters (http://www.uest.gr/index.php/projects). She has more than 600 publications in international scientific journals and international conferences (http://www.uest.gr/index.php/publications), with an h-index of 63, i10-index: of 164, and more than 13,000 cross-references to her work. She was a member of the Governing Committee of the Cyprus University of Technology from the beginning of its operation until its independence (2003 – 2012), Dean of the Polytechnic School, as well as President of the Department of Environment, which he formed from scratch.

She continues to teach in the postgraduate study programs of the NTUA, as well as continuing to develop a significant number of research programs as a scientific officer, in particular the utilization of bio-waste for the production of new products and for de-addiction from the use of oil for their production, promoting the circular economy, as well as in brine treatment and salt recovery.

6. Prof. Malamis Dimitrios

Dr. Malamis Dimitrios is Professor of Environmental Engineering at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, Design and Physical Sciences at Brunel University London. He is serving as a Research & Teaching Fellow at the School of Chemical Engineering, NTUA. With a robust background in environmental science and engineering, Dr. Malamis excels in solid waste & wastewater management, technological processes for environmental protection, and environmental quality control. His academic contributions are noteworthy, including 71 publications in prestigious international peer-reviewed scientific journals and 4 publications in book chapters. Additionally, he has actively participated in 121 national and international conferences, presenting research results. Dr. Malamis's scholarly impact is evident through 1,326 citations and an h-index of 23 according to Scopus, reflecting his substantial influence in the academic community. Demonstrating exceptional proficiency in research project development, implementation, and management, Dr. Malamis has played key roles in 50 research programs. He has held positions such as Coordinator, Principal Investigator, Co-Investigator, and WP/Task leader in many of these projects. He also provides consultancy to public and private bodies on pollution and environmental protection counting more than 20 contracts. Moreover, his involvement extends to membership in scientific and organizing committees for over 10 international conferences. Over the last ten years, Dr. Malamis has been in charge of the design and development of a demo biorefinery system at NTUA Technological Park. The demo was gradually developed and supported by a substantial number of EU projects namely CRONUS Horizon Europe, FuelGae Horizon Europe, NEWFEED H2020, LIFE CO2toCH4, WaystUp! H2020, LIFE CIRCforBIO, NoAW H2020, LIFE Waste2Bio, LIFE ATHENS BIOWASTE, LIFE DRYWASTE. The overarching goal of the biorefinery is the valorization of diverse waste biomass streams, aligning with a circularity concept to produce materials, sustainable fuels, and platform chemicals. In addition, Dr. Malamis, in collaboration with NTUA fellow researchers, has been involved in the design and development of circular economy approaches to reduce the negative impacts of brine from process industries and to create economic value from the reuse of its constituents. The technologies have been gradually developed and supported by a substantial number of EU projects namely WalNUT Η2020, WATER-MINING H2020, ZEROBRINE H2020, LIFE BRINE-MINING, LIFE SOL-BRINE.

7. Dr. Morsi Helmut

Experienced in the public and private sector, Dr. Morsi has worked for about a decade in research labs of the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft (Bonn and Munich) and EURATOM (JET Joint Undertaking, UK) on space sciences (radio-astronomy), energy (thermo-nuclear fusion) and diagnostics engineering in general. Advisor to the Director of “European Mobility Network” (since 2005).

8. Prof. Peppas George

Georgios D. Peppas (S’12-M’16-SM’22) was born in Rustenburg South Africa, in 1987. He received a Diploma degree in electrical engineering and a Ph.D. degree from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Patras, in 2011 and 2016, respectively. During 2016-2024 he was R&D Manager of Raycap S.A. leading innovation in surge protective devices and Technical Manager of the High Current Laboratory of Raycap S.A. in Drama Greece since 2016 (IECEE CTF Stage 3). In 2024 joined TUC, where he is an Assistant Professor. He has collaborated with the High Voltage Laboratories of NTUA, Upatras, and AUTH since 2016. His research interests include lightning protection, nanofluids for High Voltage applications, insulation coordination of power systems, dielectric liquids, and induced lightning phenomena. He is the author of more than 55 papers in major international peer-reviewed scientific journals and conference proceedings and he is the inventor of 7 patents.

9. Dr. Prazek Dariusz

Dr. Prasek is a director of Sustainability Advisory Services Ltd., a consultancy company in environmental, social and governance areas. He is an experienced ESG, Circular Economy, CSR and Sustainable Finance expert and trainer.  Dr Prasek has experience in around 4000 investment projects across many sectors. Till recently he held the position of Director of Operations at the Environment and Sustainability Department of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).  Dr. Prasek was one of the key contributors to the development and implementation of the Green Economy Transition Strategy which includes the implementation of the provisions of the Circular Economy in the Bank’s supported projects.  Before joining the Bank, he was an Advisor for the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (Earth Summit).  Dr. Prasek holds a Ph.D. in environmental engineering from the Warsaw University of Technology, and from 1987 to 1991 was an Assistant Professor at that university's Institute of Environmental Engineering. 

10. Prof. Siouti Glykeria

Professor at the Law School of the University of Athens, Lawyer. Graduated from EKPAA Law School. In 1978 she received a Master's degree in Public Law from the University of Paris II - Sorbonne and in 1985 she was awarded a Doctorate from the School of Law of the University of Athens. Since 1981 she has been working at the Law School of the University of Athens, where from 1999 to the present she is a regular Professor and teaches Administrative Law and Environmental Law at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. From 2004 to 2006 she was Director of the Public Law Department of the Law School. From 1979 until today, she has practiced as a lawyer and deals mainly with Public Law and Environmental Law cases. She is a founding member of the Law Firm "Flogaitis - Siouti".

She has been a member of several committees, such as (1993) the Committee for the Preparation of the Code of Administrative Procedure, (1995-1997) the Central Legislation Committee (KENE), (1996) the Committee for the Preparation of the Road Traffic Code, (1996) the Committee for the Preparation of a new Organization of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, (2000-2001) of the Supreme Special Court (SEC), (2000-2004) of the Energy Regulatory Authority (RAE), (2000-2004) and the Board of Directors of the National Center for Environment and Sustainable Development. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the European Organization of Public Law, the Union of Greek Constitutionalists, the Greek Section of the International Institute of Administrative Sciences, the European Council of Environmental Law, and the President of the Hellenic Society of Environmental Law. From October 2009 to September 2010, she was a Legal Advisor at the Political Office of the Prime Minister. She was a member of the Legal Council of Alpha Bank from 2017-2019 and is a member of the Legal Council of Eurobank from 2018 until today.

She has participated in numerous Greek and international conferences and has written many books and articles on administrative and environmental law. Foreign languages: English, French.

11. Prof. Tankova Eleonora Nikolova

Dean of the “International Economics and Administration” Faculty at Varna Free University “Chernorizets Hrabar”. Responsible for the MSc Degree in Circular Economy at the University of Varna.

12. Prof. Zalidis George

George Zalidis is a graduate of the Department of Agriculture at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, with a doctorate degree from the Department of Soil Science and a post-doctoral degree from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Michigan State University. He is the Director of the Interbalkan Environment Center (i-BEC). His research interests focus on issues such as the use of Earth Observation (EO) Data to produce corresponding EO services in the GEO Social Benefits Areas and Sustainable Development Goals, implemented with the standardized GEO-compatible methodologies globally, regionally and locally. His EO research activity includes the use of spectral data in monitoring Agricultural and Natural ecosystems, using the NEXUS approach for their management and restoration. In addition, his research interest covers the sector of circular economy, through the development of carbon footprint protocols in primary production and technologies in the field of the carbon economy, composting, and micro and macroalgal cultivation. He has published more than 100 research articles in peer-reviewed journals (3838 citations, h-Index 38 and i-index 74, source: scholar.google.gr, 2362 citations, h-index 27, source: scopus.com), and has coordinated more than 150 research projects.

13. Prof. Zorpas Antonis

Dr. Antonis Zorpas is a Chemical Engineer actively engaged with several Universities and Research Institutes across Europe. He is an Associate Professor at the Open University of Cyprus, the Director of the Lab of Chemical Engineering & Engineering Sustainability, and the Director of the Sustainable Environmental Engineering Postgraduate Master (MSc) program. He has more than 650 publications, including books, book chapters, journal papers, and conference papers. His Google h-index is currently 54, with over 10,000 citations.

Since 2019, Dr. Zorpas has been recognized among the top 2% of the most influential researchers in the world in the field of Environmental Science, based on bibliometric data from Stanford University (USA). In 2023, he was ranked 258 out of 100,000 globally. In addition, he is acting as an Editor onbehalf of several Scientific Journals (SAGE, Elsevier, Springer, etc.), and among them is the Chemical Engineering Journal (I.F15.1/Q1), Waste Management and Research (Sage I.F 4.2/Q1). His research background lies in the area of Strategic Panning Development in the Framework of Waste Management, Circular Economy and Bioeconomy, Life Cycle Assessment etc. He has participated in more than 70 EU research projects over the past 15 years. For over 20 years, he was acting as a Consulting Engineer for several industrial activities and governmental authorities.

In 2019, he received an honorary distinction from the President of the Republic of Cyprus for his longstanding contributions to environmental issues in Cyprus.

14. Prof. Roido Mitoula

Professor Roido Mitoula is the Dean of the School of Environment, Geography and Applied Economics and Professor at Harokopio University of Athens. She holds a BA in “Political Sciences and Public Administration” from National Kapodistriako University of Athens, an MA in “Architecture of Space” and a Ph.D in “Urban Planning and Spatial Design” from N.T.U.A. She has scientific publications and has participated in numerous Greek and international Conferences. She is researcher in the Laboratory of Applied Economics and Sustainable Development of Harokopio University and she co-operated with the Laboratory of Urban Design of N.T.U.A. She specialises in issues of “Sustainable Development”.

He was Head of the Department of Home Economics and Ecology from November 2015 to November 2017. She is Editor of Sustainable Development, Culture, Traditions Journal (SDCT-Journal www.sdct-journal.com) (ISSN 2241-4010) and Editor of Greek Journal "Βιώσιμη Ανάπτυξη, Περιβάλλον, Πολιτισμός, Οικονομία, Κοινωνία (www.sdct-journal.gr) (ISSN 2241-4002). She is Director of the Graduate Program "Sustainable Development" of Harokopio University and is responsible for the "Local Development". She is a member of Scientific Committees and reviewer in scientific journals and Conferences. She has organized Scientific Seminars, Scientific Conferences and Scientific Meetings on Urban Environment and Regional Development. She is the national representative of Greece in European Union programs related to Sustainable Development.

15. Dr. Hajipavli George FRGS FRSA

Dr Hajipavli George is a founding co-principal investigator of the Eastern Mediterranean programme at the University of Oxford, situated within South East European Studies at Oxford (SEESOX). His current focus is on raising awareness on the strategic significance of the Eastern Mediterranean region in regard to European and Transatlantic security in order to develop a comprehensive concept of European security that considers inter-regional security interconnectivities, while enhancing interoperability against common threats. He previously worked for the European Parliament and is currently the Head of Research & Policy for a British parliamentary and community group. He maintains particular interest on energy, having previously worked for a relevant European association in Brussels, as well as held the climate change portfolio for the EU delegation at the Y7 in Ottawa, held in the context of the Canadian G7. He has further co-authored the ‘Climate Change’ chapter in the Global Agenda of the Global Diplomatic Forum and is a Non-Executive Director for a London-based alternative energy public corporation, which cooperates with a prominent London university. He graduated with Distinction from the MPhil in Russian and East European Studies at the University of Oxford, and with first-class honours from the BA in Politics and East European Studies at University College London. He has been a recipient of the Departmental Scholarship of the Oxford School of Global and Area Studies, the Leventis Foundation Scholarship, the Laidlaw Scholarship in Research and Leadership, and the UCL Arena Student Fellowship.

Beyond EPLO's network of 75 universities, the Institute collaborates with the academic community, government agencies, civil society, and entrepreneurship to promote good practices, know-how and partnerships in European programs.

Institute's Recent Activities/News

- On December 19, 2024, the Circular Economy and Climate Institute of the EPLO successfully hosted the workshop titled “The Outcomes of COP29” at the EPLO headquarters in Athens, Greece. More on the event and outcomes here

- The Circular Economy & Climate Institute of the EPLO was present at COP29 in Baku. Its  Director, Mr George Kremlis has participated as speaker and moderator in several panels in the Blue Zone and he and the deputy director, Mrs Garyfallia (Fay) Selimi had several fruitful meetings promoting the aims of the Institute. After the completion of the COP29 proceedings Mrs Selimi has published the above article about the outcomes of the COP COP29: H «COP των χρηματοδοτήσεων»

- Message - Press Release of the Circular Economy & Climate Institute for the International Environment Day.

- Drafting of the Memorandum of Understanding on circular economy and climate matters signed with the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA).

- Contribution of the Circular Economy & Climate Institute to the preparation of the EPLO's one-day conference in the context of the inauguration of the EPLO's offices in Rome and its participation in the panel on the Climate Crisis. More here

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