Panagiotis Patras
Mr. Patras has a B.Sc. in Agricultural Economics from the Agricultural University of Athens and a Diploma in Economics on Integrated Rural Development from the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania (MAICH), validated by CHIEAM. He has extensive professional experience over a career spanning 25 years within the framework of agricultural and rural development programmes and projects. He was General Director of the LAG “Trikala Development Agency S.A”, in Greece and programme manager of the regional development agency “THESSALIA – Regional Company for Rural Development” for several years. He was a founder member of the “European LEADER Association for Rural Development-AISBL” (ELARD) representing the “Greek LEADER Network” and, in this capacity, he was President of ELARD from 2008 to 2011 and vice president from 2011 to 2012. He was member of both the Coordination Committee and the LEADER Subcommittee of the European Network for Rural Development (ENRD), representing ELARD (2008-2012). He has been working internationally since 1999, in Bulgaria, Slovenia, Turkey, Cyprus, Romania, Croatia and Moldova advising Public Authorities (Ministries and Managing / Paying Agencies) on EU rural development measures and on the implementation of their LEADER programmes and networking at both local and national levels;