Decentralized Administration of Epirus and Western Macedonia

This administrative region yokes together two territories facing opposite crises—Western Macedonia's industrial collapse and Epirus's rural depopulation. Western Macedonia historically supplied 70% of Greece's electricity through lignite mining, but the 2026 phase-out deadline has already eliminated 10,000 jobs and will double that by 2028. Lignite activities account for 34% of regional GDP, and unemployment runs double the national average at over 16%. The population shrank 10% in a decade as young workers fled to Athens. Ptolemaida, the coal-power hub, converts its last plant to natural gas next year—a €1 billion EU Just Transition Fund allocation moves slowly while communities wait. Epirus tells a different story of ancient marginality: mountains that made agriculture difficult, sheep and goat pastoralism that still supplies 45% of Greek meat, and Ioannina as the regional capital housing the University of Crete research outpost and traditional silversmiths. Zagori's 46 villages received UNESCO World Heritage status in 2023, and Vikos Canyon—second deepest in the world—anchors an eco-tourism economy. GDP per capita in both sub-regions hovers around €12,000, versus €17,200 nationally. New highways connecting Ioannina to Athens in four hours have improved tourism access, but cannot reverse demographic decline. By 2026, Western Macedonia's trajectory hinges on whether solar farms and EU funds arrive before the last coal worker retires, while Epirus bets on heritage tourism reaching critical mass.