Prof. Georgopoulos Alexander – Chairperson
Alexander Georgopoulos was born in Athens in 1952.
He studied Chemistry at Athens University, from which he graduated in 1975. He finished his doctoral thesis from the University of Manchester, England. From 1985 on he has taught in the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, in the Department of Sciences in Preschool Education where in 2008 was elected as a regular professor.
He has written three books: Environmental Education (1993), Ground: A small and Fragile Planet (1996), Environmental Ethics (2002).
His articles have been published in Greek and foreign language speaker scientific magazines.
He is a member of Balkan Environmental Association, the Mediterranean Association for Environmental Protection, The Greek Association for the Protection of Nature and Cultural Heritage and the founding member of The Pan-Hellenic Union of Teachers for Environmental Education.
Prof. Georgopoulos is one of the older members of Ecological Movement of Thessaloniki and editor of the ecological newspaper “EN OIKO, EN DIMO”.
He is married to Evangelia Kirkine, and they have a son.
Michalis Tremopoulos – Vice Chairperson
Lawyer, Master’s Degree in Social Ecology, writer.
Member of the European Parliament.
Prefectural advisor of Central Macedonia (1998-2016).
Founding Member of the Alternative Ecologists (1989-1991) and the Green Ecologists (2001-2016).
With intense ecological and humanitarian action centered Thessaloniki and since 1975, M.Tremopoulos is actively involved in the foundation, administration and action of significant Non-Governmental Organizations, such as the Association of Quality of Life –E.PΟΙ.ΖO. (Presidency 1978-82), the Ecological Movement of Thessaloniki (founding member, 1982), the Centre for Information and Documentation issues related to racism, xenophobia, ecology and non-violence “Antigone” (founding member, 1993), the Rehabilitation Centre for Torture Victims (founding member, 1997), and others.
He has also actively participated in the consumers’ and the antinuclear movement, in the environmental education and the defense of human rights, the antinationalistic and the parenting movement.
He has contributed in important fights and court wins in favor of the common well and of the environment, against the deforestation for urbanization purposes (Sheikh-Sou, Hortiatis, Porto Karras, Sanni), the electromagnetic radiation, etc.
He is married and has two children.
mtremopoulos @ gmail.com
Athanasios Theodoridis – Athens office manager
Athanasios Theodoridis is a Lawyer of Athens since 1994, expert on human rights issues, with a master degree on the administrative and constitutional law (Athens University). During 1997 and 1998 he used to be Legal Counselor of the Greek Helsinki Monitor and Minority Rights Group-GR (human rights NGOs). During 2002 and 2003 he worked as Legal Counselor and Project Manager for “ANTIGONE – Information and Documentation Centre on Racism”. Since 2003 and up to now he is working as Executive Director of “ANTIGONE”. He is specialised in the field of non-discrimination and in particular in the implementation of the anti-racist Directives 2000/43/EC and 2000/78/EC. Since 2003 until 2015 he is a member of the National Commission for Human Rights of the Hellenic Republic (NCHR)– an independent advisory body subjected to the Office of Prime Minister and competent to express opinions on draft laws concerning all issues of human rights. During the years 2003–2006 he had the general responsibility of the EUMC Project RAXEN on behalf of ANTIGONE which constituted the Greek National Focal Point of the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC) for two consecutive terms (2001-2006). During 2008 and 2009, due to his experience in legal analysis of a variety of human rights issues, he co-administrated in Greece, on behalf of “ANTIGONE”, the FRALEX project (which regularly provided the EU Fundamental Rights Agency with legal studies) and since 2010 until 2014 he represented ANTIGONE in the new FRA’ s project (FRANET) which is implemented in cooperation with the Centre for European Constitutional Law as a main partner.
In January 2010 he has been selected as member of the European Network of Legal Experts in the Non-Discrimination Field with the aim to provide EU with legal reports and independent advice on relevant developments on all the grounds of discrimination. He is a volunteer member of several Non Governmental Organisations of human rights.
Petros Stangos – Scientific Supervisor
Since 1997 he is a Professor of European Law at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, School of Law, Department of International Studies, teaching both in graduate and postgraduate studies program (EU institutional law, law of the internal market, EU judicial protection system) and exercising all the academic duties (supervision of postgraduate and doctoral thesis, participation in research projects and the national and international scientific dialogue). Since 2000 he is a Professor of the Jean Monnet Chair–Human Rights Protection within the European legal order at the School of Law, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, teaching both in graduate and postgraduate studies program (EU fundamental rights law, law of the European Convention of Human Rights) and exercising all the relevant academic duties. Since 2008 he is a Member of the Committee of the Senate of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki on the European aspects of the education.
Since 2007 he is a Member of the European Committee of Social Rights of the Council of Europe (Strasbourg, France). Since 2007 he is a Senior expert of the Greek branch of the legal experts network (FRALEX) of the EU Fundamental Rights Agency. During the years 2002, 2006, 2007 he used to serve as a Judge of the Special High Court, nominated as law professor according to the Article 100 of the Greek Constitution. Since 2006 he is a member of the National Commission for Human Rights representing the Law School of Thessaloniki.
He is the author or co-author of eleven (11) books, editor or co-editor of three (3) books and author or co-author of sixteen-five (70) monographs or book contributions written in Greek, or in French or in English in the thematic areas of the EU law (institutional or economic), European and Greek law of fundamental rights, European and National anti-discrimination law, International economic law, Public international law and International relations.
He is a member of he editorial board of the “Hellenic Review of European Law”, co- editor of the collection “Publications in European Law and International Economic Law” and member of the scientific board of the journals: “Human Rights”, “International and European Policy” and “International Journal of Euro- Mediterranean Studies.
Andreas Takis – Scientific Expert
Andreas Takis is associate professor of Law School at the Aristoteleion University of Thessaloniki, where he is teaching philosophy and methodology of law. He was appointed as a Gerneral Secretary of Migration Policy of the Ministry of Interior (2009-2011), Deputy Ombudsman and Head of the Department of Human Rights of the Greek Ombudsman (2003-2009) and member of the National Dcommission of Human Rights (2003-2011), while now he is a deputy member of the administrative board of the Fundamental Rights Agencey (FRA). As an expert of the Council of Europe in issues of protection of human rights he has participated in many missions in countries of Balkans and ex USSR.
He has published two books: “The moral indifference of law” (edition Polis – 2004) and “For the freedom of art” (edition Savalas – 2008), and he has contributed with man articles in the fields of public law, political theory, moral philosophy and philosophy of law.
Zoe Papasiopi-Passia – Scientific Expert
Zoe Papasiopi-Passia is a retired professor of Law School at the Aristoteleion University of Thessaloniki, where until 2012 she was teaching at the Department of International Studies the following lessons: a) Private International Law, b) Law of Citizenship and c) Law of Status of Foreigners, while in the framework of the project Erasmus she was teaching d) General Principles on Nationality and Immigration.
Since 2012 she continues to teach at the post-graduate program of the same Department. She is author of seven monographies, five university books (three of which in cooperation with others), five collections of codes of legislation and more than ninety articles in Greek and foreign legal magazines.
Eirini-Maria Gounari – Scientific Expert
Human rights lawyer with experience in anti-discrimination projects.
She has a master on European Legal Studies from the European Institute of Public Administration (Luxembourg).
In 2004, she became member of the European Anti-Fraud Office in Brussels.
In 2005, she was appointed as project manager of “Inclusion Europe Aisbl” and she maintained responsibility for developing, administering and monitoring multi-national projects related to access to justice and anti-discrimination for people with disabilities.
In 2006, she took over as consultant of the International Disability Rights Monitor (IDRM) in a project implemented by the Centre for International Rehabilitation (CIR – Washington D.C), and she conducted a qualitative and quantitative research and comparative analysis of the existing legal, economic, policy and social frameworks in Greece for people with disabilities.
In 2007, she became associate of Migration Policy Group (MPG) and she coordinated tasks and reports of all legal experts of all EU Member States in the framework of the Network of Legal Experts in the field of non-discrimination.
Since 2010, she participates as an official observer of OSCE in the electoral process of several countries in the world.
Anna Triantafilidis – Scientific Advisor
Anna Triantafyllidis is a Researcher A’ at ELIAMEP Research Centre and Associate Professor at the Dimokriteio University of Thrace specialised in Sociology of Migration and in Migration Policy. She is professor at the College of Europe at Bruges of Belgium since 2002, and she works occasionally as a special scientist for the European Commission.
Anna Triantafyllidis received her diploma on Sociology from Panteion University of Athens in 1990 and her PhD in Social and Political Sciences from the European Institute of University of Florence in 1995. She has taught and worked as a researcher at the University of Surrey in England (1994-95), at the London School of Economics )1995-97), at the National Institute of Researches (CNR) of Italy in Rome (1997-98), at New York University (2002), at University of Bristol (2001) and at the European Institute of the University of Florence (1992-94 and 1999-2007 and 2011 up to now). She is specialised in the field of migration, nationalism European integration and in issues of mass media and communication. Her experience of research and teaching includes Southern, Western and Centre-eastern Europe, and in some issues comparativley with USA. She has published more than 70 scientific articles in magazines and collective volumes, mainly in English.
Anastasia Tsoukala – Scientific advisor
Professor of Criminology, University Paris 11, Researcher in the University Paris 5 (Sorbonne), Vice President of the Centre for Studies of Security (KEMEA), Dr of Penal and Criminological Sciences.
Pavlina Lazaridou – Project Manager
Pavlina Lazaridou has studied Economics in the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, has attended the post graduate studies of “Social Psychiatry” in the University of Ioannina and has participated in the specialization course of “Educating People with Disabilities” (AUTh).
Pavlina has been working in the research committee of Aristotle University since 2004,as a project manager in the field of the environment and accessibility. She has been responsible for projects with a budget of 2.3 billion euros, and has experience of managing more than 50 different projects, either as coordinator or as partner.
Pavlina is a native speaker of english, speaks adequately german, little french and farsi and is learning sign language and braille language. She has been actively involved, as a volunteer and as an activist, in the field of human rights since 1998.
Natasa Kiorapostolou – PhD researcher, project manager, responsible for volunteers and interns
Natasa Kiorapostolou was born and raised in Thessaloniki.
She graduated in 2013 from the Department of Forestry and the Natural Environment of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. In 2015, she obtained an MSc in Forest and Nature Conservation in the University of Wageningen, in the Netherlands and in 2019 she got a PhD in Forest Ecophysiology in the University of Padova, Italy. Currently, she is following an MBA master programme in Hellenic Open University.
She has been collaborating with ANTIGONE since 2016, where she is managing running projects and prepares project applications for EU/national funding.
Athanasia Telliou – Political scientist, responsible for educational activities, trainer
Athanasia Telliou studied International and European Economics and Politics with a major in Political Studies and Diplomacy in the University of Macedonia (Thessaloniki). She holds two Master’s Degrees; one in Human Rights and Democratisation (UNESCO & EU European Inter-University Center, Lido, Venice) and one in Political Theory and Rights (Department of Political Science, University of Crete, Rethimno). In 2011-2012 she got trained as an educator at the School of Pedagogical and Technological Education (ASPAITE, Patra). She has participated in various European and other training programmes on the use of non-formal education as a means of social integration for the empowerment of children and youth. She has been working in ANTIGONE as a coordinator of educational programmes on human rights and democratic education since 2012.
Konstantina Pantziou – Responsible for development and proposal writing team, project manager
Konstantina graduated as a Spatial and Urban Planning Engineer from the Polytechnic School of the University of Thessaly. She is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). Since 2014 she works as a Project Manager of co-funded development programs in European and national level.
She has participated in sustainable development studies and activities, as well as publicity and communication events and activities.
Apart from Greek, she speaks English and Italian.
Christos Papalexiou – PhD researcher, project manager
Christos Papalexiou was born and raised in Thessaloniki.
He graduated from the Department of Agricultural Economics, School of Agriculture of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
He is a holder of a Master Degree from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne specialised in International Agricultural and Food Marketing.
He is PhD of the School of Agriculture of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, specialised in the assessment of the impacts of the EU Rural Development Programmes.
He has worked as researcher in many research projects, mainly funded by the European Union and as external consultant in consulting firms.
Ioanna Mitsika – PhD candidate, legal scientist, trainer
Ioanna Mitsika is a PhD student in the Department of Social Anthropology at the University of the Aegean, researching Art in Places of Confinement. She graduated from the Law School of Aristotle University and obtained an MA in Labour Law at Democritus University of Thrace. She is also a graduate of the Higher School of Dance of the Municipality of Thessaloniki.
She has been working as a dancer and choreographer and she is cooperating with the music band encardia, the dance group Vis Motrix, the drama group Passatempo and the Centre of Theatrical Research of Thessaloniki. She has also worked for the National Theatre of Northern Greece and the Romanian Operetta and Musical Theatre Ion Dacian.
Since 2006 she has been teaching contemporary dance, improvisation, theatrical play and ballet to both adults and children. Since 2008 she has worked for the Higher School of Drama Andreas Voutsinas. From 2011 to 2014 she worked as a teacher at the Art School of Ampelokipoi.
From 2008 to 2010 she implemented a theatrical play course in Diavata women’s prison in the framework of the programme of the NGO Antigone and since then she has participated in numerous programmes of education and good practices for Art in prison.
Adrià Alcoverro – PhD researcher, political scientist
Adrià Alcoverro was born and raised in Barcelona.
He graduated from the department of Political Science at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona: He is a holder of a Master’s Degree in Baltic Sea Region Studies at Turku University in Finland. His doctoral dissertation, recently defended at Södertörn University (Stockholm), focuses on the Knowledge-based economy university reforms undertaken in Europe in the name of the Knowledge-based economy. His research interests focus on relations of force, techno-centric narratives and how these constitute and legitimate hierarchies in present day capitalism. He is also interested in the welfare state in its redistributive aspect but also in its emancipatory integrative dimension.
He has been living in Thessaloniki since 2018. Since spring 2020, he works for In Common/Antigone on a circular Economy project in Ano Poli, Thessaloniki in which he has conducted the sociological mapping of the neighbourhood and recently he works in the National Integration Evaluation Mechanism (NIEM) for refugee integration policies that Antigone is part of.
Adrià speaks Catalan, Spanish, English, some Finnish, a little German and his Greek is getting better day by day.
Vasiliki Karzi – Lawyer and Legal Researcher
Born in Pretoria, South Africa, she graduated from the Faculty of Law of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. She holds an LL.M. degree in Public International Law from the University of Leiden. As an intern at the Greek National Commission of Human Rights she expanded her knowledge on human rights’ protection and since then has been carrying out research as an external associate for various institutions such as the Centre of European Constitutional Law and the NGO ANTIGONE. She is a barrister and member of the Athens Bar Association since 2013. She is a native English speaker and knows French and Italian.
Athina Motsiopoulou – Environmentalist, trainer
Athina has graduated from the School of Early Childhood Education of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki where she continues with postgraduate studies on Environmental Education. In the past she used to play and create with groups of children at art lab and libraries by taking part in campaigns for the promotion of reading and creativity. She has also worked with mixed groups of children-parents and with adolescents as well by implementing educational workshops. She has taken part in short term youth exchange programs (erasmus+) related to the thematic of gender.
Since 2018 she attends the Antigone’s educational programs and since the beginning of 2020 she designs environmental educational programs for kids and educators.
Sofia Stefanidou – Environmentalist, financial manager
Sofia Stefanidou is Environmentalist from Aegean University, owns a master in Sustainable Development, Regional Design and Management of Protected Areas by the Biological Department of AUTH. She is on the way to complete her second master in Environmental Education by NURED AUTH. She is working since 2017 in the private sector, at first in evironmental assesements and later on in submision,management and assessment of several cofunded projects. She is member of the People’s University of Social Solidarity Economy in Thessaloniki. Her experience in projects with social impact begins on 2017.
She is part of Antigone’s team since September 2020 in project management, development and in teams of environmental education and also research.
Gkouzouma Tania-Maria – Environmentalist, trainer
Gkouzouma Tania-Maria is a graduate of the School of Agriculture in the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh). She continues her studies in Environmental Education at the master’s level at the AUTh, while at the same time she studies French Philology at the same university. She is a member of the Social Cooperative Enterprise “Ecoroutes”, where she works on the design and implementation of environmental programs, as well as on the organization of various activities in nature for families. In the past, she has volunteered in the field of environmental protection in various organizations. Apart from Greek, she speaks English and French.
Andreas Skraparlis – Responsible for administrative issues and for ANTIGONE publications
Andreas Skraparlis was born in Thessaloniki in 1985. Since 2017 he is a member of ANTIGONE team, and he is very experienced in financial monitoring. He studied architecture at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), and he holds a masters degree in landscape architecture (MLA). He also works as an architect since 2008, while he is also experienced in various subjects: he has worked as a delivery boy, as a barman, as a driver in health sector, as an assistant in a telecommunication company and as an operator in road assistance of an insurance company. His master thesis was about the interaction between homeless people and public space. He speaks Greek, English and very little Portuguese.
Sophia Kyprianidou – Trainer
Sophia Kyprianidou is a director and has specialized in social theater and in the ways theatre can be used in education. She has professional experience also in television and radio, and a long-term involvement and engagement with children, young people and especially vulnerable groups.
She has collaborated with ANTIGONE since 2011.
Chrysa Karakitsaki – Trainer
Having more than 20 years of vocational experience, Chrysa has collaborated with various Organizations and NGOs as a financial manager in European and National Projects. Main target of those programs has been the support of vulnerable groups and as a result, their integration into the labor market. As an Entrepreneurship Consultant, specializing in Social Entrepreneurship, she has collaborated with various groups but also with individuals (mainly Women), to empower them and help them integrate in the vocational market.She has also worked as a Technical Advisor of the Region of Central Macedonia on ECB issues and as a professor of Statistics and Marketing in Public Education (IEK, Technical High School).
She is a mom and grandmother and lives and works in Thessaloniki.
Theodore Diamantopoulos – Financial manager, responsible for volunteers.
He has studied Management and Journalism and the past years has worked as financial manager of european projects, journalist in media of Thessaloniki and Athens, as well as Communication Officer of civil society organisations.
Giannis Ioannidis – Communication officer
Giannis Ioannidis is a journalist, a member of Association of Editors of Daily Newspapers of Macedonia Thrace (ESIEMTH).
He has worked as a reporter and presenter on radio and television shows, he has been in charge of the Press Office of the Municipality of Neapoli, a publisher of free press and a consultant of publications in clubs and organizations. He designed and ran communication campaigns of local government factions. For the last fifteen years he has been involved with the online presence of the newspapers “Aggelioforos”, “Macedonia” and “Thessaloniki” where he has also been writing articles.
Under his own instructions, the portal of the newspapers “Macedonia” and “Thessaloniki” was created (makthes.gr), which is currently on the air.
Eleonora Zotou – Administrator
Eleanora Zotou has studied Economics at the University of Tirana. Her mother is from Korca, Albania, where Eleonora was also born, and her father from Kozani, Greece.
She now lives and works in Thessaloniki with her family.
She is an active member of the Ecological Movement of Thessaloniki and Vice President of the Association of Migrant Women of North of Greece.
Dimitris Theofanidis – Researcher
Dimitris Theofanidis is a clinical lecturer at ATEITH since 2008. He has worked for Antigone as a researcher and administrator for programs in relation to Health and Care, funded by the European Union such as «Pre-Qualification for migrant women in the health and care sector» (Leonardo Da Vinci) and «Exchange of European practices in retired homes between different staff and between residents» (GRUNDTVIG).
He studied nursing in Greece (degree TEI) and the UK (MSc & PhD). He also has a Diploma in Teaching Adults (Old Swan College, Liverpool) and has completed the ASPAITE of Thessaloniki, i.e. PESYP (Specialization Program in Counseling & Guidance) and PATES / SELETE (Bachelor of Educational Studies). He speaks Greek and English.
Joseph Tsiamoglou – Researcher & Project Manager
Joseph Tsiamoglou is a social scientist. He holds a BA from the University of Macedonia and is also a graduate of Western University (Canada), UCL, and Princeton University, having studied political science, history, humanities, and anthropology. He has worked as a researcher, project manager, and teaching assistant at Greek NGOs and foreign Universities. His research interests revolve around issues of immigration, environmental protection, discrimination, transparency, and discourse analysis. He is fluent in Greek, English, and Spanish.
Roxani Fragkou – PhD researcher, Lawyer
Roxani Fragkou works as a human rights officer/coordinator at the Greek National Commission for Human Rights (GNCHR) and teaches law at the Hellenic Open University, as well as at the Open University of Cyprus.
In 2005 she obtained her Master’s Degree in Public Law at the University Robert Schuman in Strasbourg and in 2010 she completed her PhD studies in Public Law at the University of Strasbourg (PhD thesis: Euthanasia and the right to refuse medical treatment in respect to the evolution of European comparative law (France, Greece, Switzerland, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and United Kingdom)). In 2015, she undertook a postdoctoral fellowship at the Faculty of Law of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (research field: Assisted reproduction and protection of the in vitro embryo). She has worked at the Faculty of Law and the Institute of Political Studies of the University of Strasbourg contributing to the teaching of Public Law, Constitutional Law and Political Institutions in France and the Comparative Law (2009-2012), while from 2011 to 2014 she taught Applied Ethics. References and foundation: References in bioethics at the European Center for the Study and Teaching of Ethics (CEERE) of the University of Strasbourg. From 2017 to 2019 she completed a second postdoctoral research fellowship in the Faculty of Law of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (State Scholarships Foundation, IKY) on the National Human Rights Institutions’ (NHRIs) contribution to the promotion of human rights. She is author of several papers, studies and jurisprudence notes published in Greek, English and French peer-reviewed journals.
Aikaterini Tsampi – PhD researcher, Lawyer
Aikaterini [Katerina] Tsampi is Assistant Professor of International Law at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands. She was awarded her PhD in Human Rights from the University of Strasbourg, France. Her monograph “Le principe de séparation des pouvoirs dans la jurisprudence de la Cour européenne des droits de l’homme” was published by Pedone, Paris, Publications de la Fondation Maragkopoulos pour les droits de l’homme in 2019. She completed her LLM studies in International Human Rights Law and International Humanitarian Law at the Panthéon-Assas University Paris II and in Specialised Public Law at the Universities of Bordeaux IV and Athens. Her research interests revolve around different human rights and rule of law issues with emphasis on the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights. She lectures in the UG Top Rated LLM Programme, Public International Law/Human Rights and is currently undertaking post-doctoral research on human rights and novel smoke-free policies with the Global Health Law Groningen Research Centre. From 2013 until 2017, she was employed as Legal Officer at the Greek National Commission for Human Rights, the A Status National Human Rights Institution (NHRI) of Greece. In this capacity, she became member of the National Council against Racism and Intolerance of the Hellenic Republic in 2017 (until October 2017). As an independent researcher, she has been involved in several human rights projects and activities. She has been qualified as a trainer by the CoE HELP program and she is a qualified lawyer at the Rhodes Bar Association. She is member of the Editorial Board of ‘Human Rights Here’, the new blog of the Netherlands Network of Human Rights Research (NNHRR). For further information on Dr. Tsampi’s research activities, see: https://www.rug.nl/staff/a.tsampi/research.
Sotiria Liakaki – PhD researcher
Sotiria Liakaki holds a PhD in Philosophy (University Paris Nanterre). She has acquired a diploma in Communication and Mass Media (undergraduate level – Panteion University), a Master’s degree in Political Science and Sociology (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens) and a DEA in Philosophy (University Paris Nanterre). She has received scholarships from Propondis Foundation and the A.G. Leventis Foundation (for post-graduate studies at University Paris Nanterre). She has held senior positions in private and public sector. She frequently attends international conferences as a speaker and has articles published in scientific journals and collective volumes, as well as the book “Reforming a country in crisis” (with Yiannis Balampanidis, 2019, Potamos Publishers).