The priority axis aims to improve the quality of life, rehabilitate the environment and achieve the sustainable development of the urban centres and rural areas.

The intervention relates to improving inland waters and coastal areas by terminating further discharges from industries, agricultural and urban functions, taking measures to restore the environmental equilibrium in coastal and riparian areas, protecting and promoting natural ecosystems and areas of outstanding natural beauty.

Moreover, the objective of the priority axis is to complete a series of necessary actions to protect Mount Athos as a whole, in terms of both its precious natural environment and its architectural and cultural monuments.

Priority Axis 2 consists of 3 Measures:

Measure 2.1. Completion of liquid and solid waste management, water supply and sewage infrastructure

Measure 2.1 represents 39.6% of the priority axis’ public expenditure. The actions under the measure aim at confronting the environmental pollution caused by sewage and waste, improving water and soil quality, ensuring the aesthetic rehabilitation of landscapes, improving the quality of life of people living close to rubbish dumps. Another objective of the intervention is the completion of the liquid and solid urban waste management infrastructure and the improvement and expansion of the water supply and sewerage systems. Special attention will be given to the Natura 2000 areas. These objectives shall be accomplished with actions such as the creation or completion of biological treatment in small urban centres with seasonal population increases, the creation of infrastructure to reuse sludge from biological treatment, the creation of small landfill sites and the improvement and expansion of the water supply and sewerage systems in the Region of Central Macedonia.

Measure 2.2. Management of the natural environment

The protection of the natural environment is the main priority of Measure 2.2. In particular, the measure, which represents 8.7% of the public expenditure of the priority axis, is called upon to deal with problems of degradation and destruction of ecosystems and riparian areas, pollution of water and soil along coasts and in river inlets, and the exhaustive exploitation of coastal areas by tourist activities. These problems will be confronted through special actions concerning projects involving the protection and promotion of environmentally sensitive areas, flood prevention measures and the preparation of general urban plan designs - Open City Spatial and Housing Organization Plans.

Measure 2.3. Protection and promotion of Mount Athos.

Measure 2.3 represents 51.7% of the public expenditure of Priority Axis 2. The object of this measure is to protect and preserve the equilibrium of the natural environment on the peninsula, to create environmentally friendly road networks that will respect the need to preserve the monastic nature of the area, to maintain and restore the monasteries through repairs, stabilisation and any other appropriate work on buildings at risk, icons and artefacts and valuable historical documents. With this in mind, a series of transport-related actions are proposed in order to improve access to Mount Athos and to establish environmentally-friendly road networks inside Mount Athos, cultural actions for the maintenance and restoration of the monasteries and, lastly, environmental actions, such as the construction of water supply and sewerage networks, the design and construction of waste treatment facilities with emphasis on the utilisation of the know-how on artificial wetlands, as well as actions to protect and preserve the equilibrium of the natural environment of the Peninsula as an area where rare elements of the diverse flora and fauna of the Greek landscape are preserved.