Athens, 19 February 2026 — The Hellenic–Dutch Association (HeDA), firmly committed to promoting business development and strengthening bilateral cooperation between Greece and the Netherlands, announces the establishment of its new Rural & Agrifood Development Committee. The initiative aims to foster dialogue, facilitate the exchange of expertise, and create strategic partnerships between Greek and Dutch companies in the fields of regional economy and agricultural production.
The Netherlands is internationally recognized as a benchmark in agri-food innovation, efficient food production systems, and technologically advanced solutions that enhance sustainability and productivity. Through this new Committee, HeDA seeks to transfer and leverage Dutch expertise within the Greek context, with a focus on climate-resilient crops, soil regeneration, modern water resource management, and the optimal use of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) funds to support sustainable practices.
The Committee aims to engage, educate, and empower its members on innovation, resilience, and competitiveness within food production systems. It also promotes dialogue between Greek and Dutch stakeholders across the entire food value chain, encouraging synergies, collaborations, and pilot projects in production, processing, distribution, and technology. Its mission includes exploring challenges and opportunities in regional development and the rural economy, as well as promoting sustainable practices in agriculture. Finally, it seeks to cultivate networks among companies, universities, and institutions to strengthen local entrepreneurship and the agri-food value chain.
The Committee is composed of representatives from leading HeDA member companies and organizations with relevant expertise, functioning as a forum for knowledge exchange and action on challenges facing the agri-food sector and rural areas, including:
• Christos Stamatis, Chair — CEO, Stevia Hellas Coop
• Vasileios Gounaris, Vice-Chair — Eco Green Solutions
• Linda Nieuwenhuizen, Secretary — CCO, INTERAMERICAN
as well as the following members:
• Rannia Savvaki, Senior Economic Policy Officer, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Greece
• Theodoros Deligiannakis, DQS Hellas – Legal Advisor, DLW Law – Lawyer, Hellascert
• Michalis Stangos, President and CEO, mscomm
• Panos Lymperopoulos, Manager, KPMG
• Dimitris Kouzelis, European Patent Attorney & Managing Partner, Intellex
• Vasilis Kotoulas, Head of Local Barley Operations, HEINEKEN
• Elena Koukouna, Senior Sustainability Consultant and Industrial Ecologist
• Georgina Vompiri, PDEng, MBA – Founder & Systemic Sustainability Strategist, VIOSYS
Through this new initiative, HeDA further strengthens its role as a bridge of cooperation between the two countries, promoting innovation, sustainability, and long-term development in the agri-food and regional development sectors.