 Dear colleagues, dear friends, let me start by congratulating our new first vice president elected by acclamation, Mr. Vasco Alves Cordero, with whom I'm certain that we will have a great collaboration throughout this mandate. I'm here with you today to ask for your trust to be the next president of the European Committee of the Regions. I know very well that this is a very challenging endeavor, which I can only pursue with your full support. And I can assure you that I intend to be a committed and responsible president at the service of all the members of our political assembly, from all across Europe, from rural to urban areas, from every region and every country, bigger or smaller, eastern or western, northern or southern. Together we are always stronger, and only by joining our forces we can make the European Committee of the Regions more visible, more effective, more credible for all the people in the European Union. Dear friends, I share with you a rich and bottom-up experience in regional politics. I have been trusted and directly elected by the people for the last 13 years in my country. I have worked restlessly to make life better for the two million citizens of my region. And I share with you the proudness of my geographical, cultural and political belonging. My hometown is the Saloniki. My home region is Central Macedonia. My home country is Greece. But at the same time I feel at home in each and every corner of the European Union. And that, exactly, is the strength of Europe. It is the diversity found in our regions, in our cities, in our towns, in villages that makes our Union stronger. Ladies and gentlemen, I believe in a committee that is led by inclusiveness, that respects differences and engages in dialogue that puts in the top of its priorities, gender balance and women empowerment. I intend to use all my knowledge, all my experience, all my commitment to make our institution, our great institution, the reference point for all European, local and regional elected politicians. Together we must make our committee the bridge between Europe and its citizens. During this mandate, I will push for the modernization of our administration, which must finally put members first. I will also work hard to maximize the impact of our legislative and communicative work in order for the Committee of the Regents to become the reference point in the European Union for all regional and local matters. We must not be simple followers of what other EU institutions do. We need to be pioneers. We need to set the agenda. Dear colleagues, dear friends, let me briefly explain how I want this change to happen through the three main pillars and priorities. First priority, our institution should make sure that the European Union is permanently at the service of its people and their places of living. And that is why the COR needs to focus on the work on specific policies that have the greatest impact on regional and local authorities and its citizens. In terms of EU's impacts on people's lives, such as cohesion, such as boosting local economy, innovation, long-term employment, and of course, effective youth engagement. The second priority that I'm proposing to you is for our institution to focus on understanding and responding to the profound transformations that the current green, digital and demographic revolutions entail for our local communities. I am referring to the changes that fundamentally affect our society and for which regional and local authorities must be prepared to provide solutions for the citizens. Finally, as a third political priority for this mandate, I believe that our committee must look into how the European democracy works today and how it must be modernized to give more strength to regional and local authorities in order for the European Union to answer more effectively to people's needs. Dear colleagues, during the last decade, Europe has lost much of its connection with its people, cities and region. And the next years, the years to come, will not be easier. Brexit has to be the wake-up call for all of us. Europe must be closer to its people and our institution has a key role to play. As elected politicians, we need to reach the hearts of those who feel forgotten and neglected. We need to make sure that the committee speaks loud and clear, and that this voice of European regions and cities is heard here in Brussels, but also in the capitals of our member states. The so far two-dimensional politics have failed to address the daily challenges of the people who do not feel any more represented or understand in Europe. Therefore, we need now to ensure a proper functioning of a three-fold democratic legitimacy, with all three levels of government working hand in hand, local, regional, national and European. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, clearly recognized the importance of directly elected politicians at all levels, starting from local and regional, reaching to national and, of course, European. While this is something that we all agree upon, at the same time, we all know that this is very far from being a reality. But dear colleagues, we can make it happen. This is our role. This is what this mandate is for. We must fight for decisions to be taken as close as possible to our citizens. We can make Europe act more effectively in meeting the citizens' demands and regaining finally their trust. The upcoming conference on the future of Europe offers an opportunity for all of us. Europe must prove that it can listen and change. It must prove that it can respond to people's real needs, worries, concerns and expectations. If we don't want it to be another disappointment, the conference must be open and inclusive. It must be a void to reach it in a top-to-bottom approach. So I tend to make clear that without the voices of cities and regions, the conference will not succeed. It is time for everyone to finally understand that Europe must become just and cohesive. Dear colleagues, during the last decade, we have experienced some of the worst crises in our post-war history. During the financial crisis, local authorities and local communities paid the highest price of the austerity. On the other hand, the migration crisis showed the limits of the European solidarity. Many local communities were abandoned when they needed Europe the most. At the same time, the institutional crisis led to the radicalization of Euroscepticism and the withdrawal of the third largest country of the European Union. Faced by these challenges, millions of citizens, businesses, families and local leaders showed courage, creativity and determination. They changed their mentality, their way of thinking. They found solutions to the ground. They started a new project. Europe today has to follow our example, react to the crisis and finally adapt to the change. Too many people have lost hope and belief in the way the European Union works today. We as elected politicians have to bridge this gap. Dear friends, we are part of one million local and regional elected politicians who we represent here in this committee. And we must be at the center of modernizing Europe and moving it forward. We are the politicians who are the closest to the people of Europe and we represent the most trusted levels of government. We measure the pulse of democracy regularly at regional and national elections. We are responsible for delivering most key EU policies. We know what works and what doesn't work. We make democracy happen every day in Europe. We can help the European Union, meet the citizens' demands and finally regain their trust and bring them back close to Europe. But we can only do this by working together, hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder. That is why, my dear friends, I will do my best to visit you and your people, living in small rural communities, urban areas, remote coastal and cross-border regions in all member states during this mandate. Without this term, I want to hear your views and ideas and be in contact with you at any time and by any means. Today, I am asking for your trust and your support. I would be really honored and humbled to have the opportunity to lead our great committee. I will be a president who will serve each and every member of this house, no matter where you belong, no matter what your political background is. Either you come from the EPP, PES, Renew Europe, ECR, EA, or the Greens. I will always be accountable to you, to all the members of the Committee of the Regions. And my commitment to you is to always lead with integrity, listen and discuss openly, be a team player and act together. Because only when we are together, we are stronger. It is now, finally, time for our cities and now regions. For Europe, for our future, for the citizens. Thank you very much.