Dr Vassilios Balafas is an Information Technology Specialist & Network Specialist and International Relations/Political Science. He studied Telecommunications Informatics and Management at the Technological Educational Institute of Epirus. He holds an MSc in Data Communications (MSc in Data Communications – U of Kingston) and an MA in International Relations and Policies, in the direction of Governance (MA in International Relations and Policies – Department of Political Science and International Relations of the University of Peloponnese, Corinth, with a scholarship for high academic achievement). He also holds a Master’s degree in Local and Regional Development and Self-Government (MA in Local and Regional Government and Development) from the Hellenic Society for Local Development and Self-Government in partnership with 4 Universities of the country (Peloponnese, Democritus University of Thrace, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University of Piraeus). As of July 2022, he is a PhD candidate at the Department of Political Science and International Relations of the University of Peloponnese with a main research interest in the role of Energy as a power factor in International Politics. He is also fluent in English and French.

In June 2015 his book “The Burgas-Alexandroupolis Pipeline in International Politics” was published by “Infognomon”. Recently 2 new books were published, one in New York on Energy Security and one in Athens on Organizational Change in the Public Sector, in which he contributes with 2 chapters.

He is a member of the Hellenic Society of Information and Communication Professionals, the Hellenic Organization of Political Scientists (EOPE) and the Greek Politics Specialist Group of the UK’s Political Studies Association (GPSG). His studies, papers and scientific articles have been presented and published in conferences and journals in Greece and abroad.

He has worked at the Department of Informatics of the Peloponnese Region, participates in the Centre for International and European Political Economy and Governance of the Department of Political Science and International Relations of the University of Peloponnese, while he also collaborates with the Neapolis University in Cyprus, in the field of distance education technologies. He is also a certified adult educator of the EPEPis (E.O.P.P.E.P.), level B’, and gives courses related to his subjects. In the past he has worked in the banking sector, Motor Oil Hellas, OTE and elsewhere.

His involvement in public affairs dates back to his school days, with distinctions such as his participation in the European Parliament’s “Euroscola” competition for students with excellent results in the subject of the European Union Exhibition. During his student years he developed intense activity and served for 3 terms as President of the Students’ Association of the Department he studied in. Upon his return to Corinth, he developed an intense activity in the public sphere, at local and national level, which continues to this day and is known through his rich articles and numerous public interventions.

His interventions, articles, positions and interviews are available on the internet and in the printed press at local and national level. It maintains the website balafas.gr and is active in the main electronic Social Media almost from the beginning of their appearance, where one can also find many elements of its actions and public interventions.

He is married and father of a daughter, a high school student.

His main goal is to finally have a municipality with open governance processes, with participation, that will care for the daily life of its citizens, for the schools, for the parks and playgrounds, that will open up real job opportunities as it should and not considering that it is “doing favours”. We must move away from the person-centred and “self-centred” model of administration, from the narcissism of people who believe that the promotion of the place coincides with the promotion of themselves. We must overcome the disease of “authoritarianism” and claim resources from every possible source within and outside Greece in order to create. Apply good and best practices from other municipalities. To give the Municipality of Korinthia the identity it deserves, to take advantage of the religious tourism and the attractions we have, so that we do not have to ask for “favours” to do our job at the Town Hall.

The Municipality of Corinth needs knowledge, work, extroversion, specialisation. It needs its citizens first and foremost at the centre, not on the margins.