On 22 March 2025 we celebrate World Water Day. We are committed to its conservation and rational use, adopting modern and innovative practices that ensure sustainable development. Water is at the heart of our activities, as we provide integrated design and consulting services, from the drafting of management plans and pricing policies, the design and supervision of water supply and land reclamation projects, as well as alternative production projects (desalination, wastewater reuse), to the design of smart metering, saving and leakage control systems.

The rational management and sustainability of water resources is a key priority for us, as we recognise the importance of water for both the environment and society. Through our services, we seek to contribute to the protection of water ecosystems, the efficient use of water resources and access to clean water for future generations.

All our actions align with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), shaping a future where water remains a constantly available and safe natural resource.

With 30 years of experience in the field, we will keep working to balance everyone’s needs with a dedication to ensure no one is left behind, to make water a catalyst for a more peaceful world….

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European Commission has released a new version of the Practical Guide for contracting procedures applying to all EU external aid contracts (PRAG) as of 20 January 2025. The PRAG provides guidance for contracting authorities, tenderers, candidates, applicants, and contractors on procurement and grant procedures in EU external actions, from initiation to implementation while ensuring compliance with EU rules, though not legally binding.

Key updates in the 2024 edition include:

• Alignment with the Financial Regulation 2024.
• Expansion of e-procurement, including eSubmission for certain procedures.
• Clarifications on contract modifications, evaluation, and framework contracts.
• Enhanced digitalization, including updates to contract templates and automation processes.
• Revised selection criteria to encourage SME participation.
• Updates in grant procedures, including financing not linked to costs and simplified evaluations.

You can access the updated PRAG directly via this link: ePRAG – European Commission.

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The revised Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (UWWTD – EU 2024/3019), which came into force in the beginning of 2025, aims to promote the circular economy’s initiatives, promoting energy production from wastewater, while at the same time enforces stricter limits on harmful substances leading to better protection of both public health and the environment. This new regulation has been introduced ensuring to safeguard the quality of Europe’s rivers, lakes, and seas, and water potential in general.

Initially adopted in 1991, the Directive has significantly improved water quality across the EU (Directive 91/271/EEC). However, after more than 30 years, updates were necessary to tackle emerging pollution sources, such as smaller cities, decentralized treatment facilities, and stormwater. The revised rules introduce systematic monitoring of pollutants like microplastics and PFAS, ensuring faster responses to public health risks. Additionally, the new Directive strengthens stormwater management, encourages greater reuse of treated water, and ensures that industries responsible for pollution bear the costs of advanced treatment, in line with the “polluter pays” principle.

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On Sunday, August 18th, the Nature Restoration Regulation entered into force, setting binding targets to restore degraded ecosystems, with an emphasis on those most capable of capturing and storing carbon, and reducing the impact of natural disasters.

The comprehensive implementation of the Nature Restoration Law is vital for restoring the EU’s biodiversity, halting further biodiversity loss, achieving climate neutrality by 2050, adapting to climate change, and ensuring food security for EU citizens. This law also supports other European goals, such as water security, and plays a crucial role in helping the EU and its Member States meet international biodiversity commitments under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

The law initiates a continuous and sustained recovery process for nature across the EU’s land and sea, promoting more sustainable economic development and agricultural practices while aligning with the growth of renewable energy. By 2030, Member States are tasked with implementing restoration measures on at least 20% of the EU’s land and sea areas, to expand these efforts to all ecosystems needing restoration by 2050.

Additionally, the law mandates restoration measures to improve the condition of key habitats on land and at sea, maintain and increase urban green spaces and tree canopy cover post-2030, and restore at least 25,000 km of rivers to free-flowing status by 2030. It will also help reverse the decline of pollinators, enhance biodiversity in agricultural and forest ecosystems, and contribute to the goal of planting at least three billion additional trees across the EU by 2030.

Restoration targets vary across ecosystems, and Member States are responsible for determining the specific measures they will implement within their territories. To achieve this, each Member State will develop a national restoration plan outlining the restoration needs and actions necessary to meet the obligations and targets set by the law. These plans will be tailored to the national context and take into account the diversity of different regions.

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Published in the Government Gazette 3949/B/5-7-2024, the Ministry of Environment and Public Works No. 51629/2024 “Determination of Standard Environmental Commitments (SEC), during the approval or notification of installation and operation, by sector of activities falling within the scope of Law No. 3982/2011 and Law No. 4302/2014 and classified in category B”.

The new Joint Minesterial Decision replaces the corresponding previous one (Government Gazette 15/4187/266/2012, Government Gazette 1275/B/11.4.2012) and introduces updated SECs, which describe the minimum environmental standards that businesses must comply with. It also introduces a self-assessment process, which allows companies to assess their environmental performance and demonstrate their compliance with the SECs. This approach enables companies to take responsibility for their environmental impacts, in addition to simplifying the permitting process. In addition to general guidelines, the Decision includes specific provisions for sectors with unique environmental concerns.

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The Ministry of Environment and Energy has announced a new decision that redefines the categorization of land-based wind and solar power plants.

Specifically, wind farms with a capacity exceeding 50MW, or exceeding 35MW within Natura 2000 areas, are classified under subcategory A1, indicating significant environmental impact. Conversely, wind farms with a single turbine up to 8MW or a total capacity up to 5MW, regardless of the number of turbines, are classified under category B, with minor impact. Intermediate cases fall under subcategory A2.

Similarly, solar power plants exceeding 50MW are classified under subcategory A1, while those with a capacity between 1MW and 5MW fall under category B. Intermediate cases for power plants also fall under subcategory A2. Additionally, the new decision stipulates that overhead transmission lines influence the categorization of projects, thereby encouraging their underground installation.

This decision marks a significant development for the renewable energy sector, as it is based on a thorough assessment of the environmental impact of each project type. By encouraging the underground installation of transmission lines and preventing the fragmentation of large projects into smaller ones, the decision aims to ensure the sustainable development of the sector while accounting environmental concerns.

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In celebration of European Natura 2000 Day on May 21, the new Red List of Threatened plant, animal, and fungi in Greece is now available, serving as a significant tool for the protection of natural heritage and the sustainable management of natural resources.

The specific list is a result of collaboration between the Organization for Natural Environment and Climate Change Agency Greece (NECCA) and 140 scientists, evaluated over 11,000 species, 21.5% of which were classified as threatened. Specifically, 1,213 species are Vulnerable (VU), 775 are Endangered (EN), and 453 are Critically Endangered (CR). Among these, 3,000 endemic species of Greece will be included in the global Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

This initiative, funded by the Operational Program “Transport Infrastructure, Environment, and Sustainable Development 2014-2020,” supports the design of targeted conservation actions and protection policies. Greece also participates in the Natura 2000 network, which protects areas of high environmental value and threatened species. The publication of the Red List on European Natura 2000 Day reinforces efforts to protect nature at both National and European scales.

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Universal Values Principle Two: Leave No One Behind (LNOB)

LNOB is one of the six Guiding Principles of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework

We will keep working to balance everyone’s needs with a dedication to ensure no one is left behind, to make water a catalyst for a more peaceful world…

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In November 2019 UNESCO proclaimed the 4 March World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development, to raise awareness of the role of engineering in modern life, which is essential to mitigate the impact of climate change and advance sustainable development, especially in Africa and the small island developing states.

Today we celebrate! In Roikos Engineering Consultants S.A. we honor our colleagues, partners and friends engineers worldwide and with this post we would like to take a minute to say thank you all for joining your efforts with us and for aligning with our company moto being the last 30 years of our presence in the field:

We are planning & designing the world we dream to live…

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This Construction Contract C2: Remaining of Dromolaxia – Meneou, with a contract value of €16,237,000 and a completion time of 40 months, constitutes the first out of five (5) Contracts included in the third phase of Larnaka Sewerage project, with a total budget of approximately €100,000,000. The remaining two more contracts are expected to be signed soon and to begin by the end of the year.

Our joint venture “Roikos Engineering Consultants S.A. (Leader) – Z&A Consulting Engineers SA”, as Consultant of the contracting Authority & Designer of the project, have prepared all the required studies and matured one of the largest wastewater management projects in Cyprus, on the other hand supported the LSDB and the Water Development Department in securing the required permits and the co-financing of the project by the EU. Furthermore, we supported the authority during the tendering and pre-contractual procedures and will now commence the activities of the following phase, that of supervision and management of the construction contracts by evolving a Supervision Team of more than 20 engineers.

See the relevant announcement of the LSDB here.

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