Dear Members of the Interreg Community,

True to our institutional responsibility, the Managing Authority of European Territorial Cooperation Programmes fully supports Greek efforts to slow down the spread of the virus Covid-19.

From the first minute that the coronavirus disease became public, our administration initiated a comprehensive action plan to address expected changes in our daily functions or possible disruptions in our operations. In early March, we suspended external physical meetings and events, on-the-spot visits to projects and beneficiaries, as well as travels. Furthermore, we prepared the transition of our staff to work remotely from their homes. 
 
Parallel action steps also safeguarded the health and security of our staff while ensuring that daily work continued as normal.  To this end, we provided sanitation gels, sent recommended health measures, and increased cleaning and disinfecting activities throughout all our offices. At this time, there is no known member of our staff that has been infected with the virus.

In view of developments that included new measures to limit the spread of the coronavirus disease and in absolute co-ordination with the Hellenic Ministry of Development & Investments, we took the decision for immediate transition to distance work, in order to protect our staff well-being. Nevertheless, there is a minimum number of positions that are absolutely necessary for the smooth functioning of each Unit/Joint Secretariat and require the physical presence of a staff member on a rotation basis strictly.
 
We understand that this unprecedented global health crisis presents a challenge for our society and that teleworking may not support all functions in an office environment but, we are confident that with good cooperation we will address all issues that may arise. Thanks to the dedication of the Hellenic Ministry of Development & Investments, the Management Organization Unit S.A., our staff, our partner countries and the response of our beneficiaries, each Programme’s processes will continue satisfactorily for as long as this crisis lasts.
 
We will keep project beneficiaries informed about project mitigation measures in due time.
 
We urge you to avoid any physical access to our offices without an extremely serious reason and without proper consultation and utilization, to the fullest extent possible, of electronic or telephone communication with our personnel. Extremely urgent appointments can be organized only after written certification by the Managing Authority.

Lastly, I feel the need to acknowledge the dedication of all my colleagues to the quick and effective adaptation to these new conditions.
 
We want to wish you and your family all the best in these challenging times. It is our sincere hope that we will soon return to normalcy.

Yours sincerely,
Aggeliki Bouziani
Head of the Managing Authority of ETC Programmes

SOURCE: http://www.greece-bulgaria.eu/article/186_Managing-Authority-Head's-message-about-the-Covid19-virus