It is with great emotion that I share the publication of my new book, The Progressive Voice of Southeast Europe:

European Cohesion and Regional Development Policies for the Future of the Region.

This book, recently published by Papazisis Publishers, is far more than a record of professional experiences. It is the culmination of a journey spanning more than three decades across Greece, the Balkans, the Mediterranean, and the European Union. A journey that gave me the privilege of meeting people, places, institutions, and communities striving every day for sustainable development, cooperation, and progress.

Through its pages, I seek to connect the knowledge of European policymaking with the realities of regions, cities, local communities, local and regional authorities, and civil society. My aim is to highlight not only the successes, but also the challenges, contradictions, and missed opportunities of European integration in Southeast Europe.

Above all, this book is an invitation to engage in a dialogue about the future. It explores how Greece, the Balkans, and the wider Southeast European region can make the most of the new European programming period 2028–2035 as an opportunity for genuine convergence, social justice, peaceful cooperation, and sustainable development.

I dedicate this work to all those who have believed that Europe is not merely a collection of institutions and funding programmes, but above all a shared political, social, and cultural project shaped by progressive-minded people and founded upon the values of sustainable development for all, democracy, solidarity, and cooperation. It is also dedicated to those who continue, often quietly and away from the spotlight, to work for a more democratic, cohesive, and socially just Europe.

I hope that these pages will serve as a catalyst for reflection, discussion, and constructive public dialogue on the future of Greece, Southeast Europe, and the European integration project itself.

June 2026

Georgios Antonios Emmanouil