ALPHA BANK: Supports the work of Volunteer Firefighters Associations

Alpha Bank is once again turning its strong commitment to environmental protection into action,
actively assisting local communities in fighting fires by donating fire trucks to volunteer firefighters
associations and by financially supporting forest firefighting activities in a number of the
country’s regions.

At a special event held in the courtyard of Zappeion Megaron, in the presence of the Minister for
Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Mr. Christos Stylianides, the Chair of the Alpha Bank
Board of Directors Mr. Vasileios Rapanos delivered 6 fire trucks, to strengthen the fleet of
vehicles of the Associations of Volunteer Forest Protection & Rescue Forces of Prokopi and
Karystos in Evia, the Volunteer Forest Protection Association of Loutraki – Perachora, the
Messenia 4×4 Disaster Response Team, the Rodopolis Group (Attica) of the Volunteer
Forest Firefighting & Rescue Forces and the Volunteers Team of Kapandriti-Polydendri in
Attica.

In his brief address, the Chair of the Alpha Bank Board of Directors Mr. Vasileios Rapanos,
stressed, among other things, the following:

“Alpha Bank has long been a supporter of society and the state in their efforts to cope with
natural disasters and to address their consequences, in many ways. We actively assist the local
communities and our fellow citizens that have been affected by natural disasters, and we also
take emergency measures involving special arrangements to support our Customers who
live in the areas affected or whose businesses are based there. At the same time, we are
strengthening the work of the competent bodies active in preventing and responding to natural
disasters and the environmental crisis.

These donations are part of our initiative ‘Together for the environment’, which includes a set of
actions to tackle natural disasters and protect the environment in general. But they are also part of
our overall policy, which is underpinned by the conviction that a company, an organization,
cannot prosper over the long term if it does not respect the natural environment and if does
not listen to the concerns of society and does not understand them.”

Welcoming the initiative, the Minister for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Mr. Christos
Stylianides, said:

“Today’s event clearly demonstrates the importance of synergies. Especially when we are faced
with unprecedented challenges such as the climate crisis. Cooperation, the joining of forces, is at
the heart of our approach in the Ministry for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection. Because in order to
be able to tackle the climate crisis and its consequences, we need to do just that – join forces. And
that is what we are doing today.

I would like to warmly thank Alpha Bank for standing next to the volunteers, assisting them in
their difficult task. I would also like to thank the Chairman of Alpha Bank, Mr. Vasileios Rapanos,
because he is a driving force of this truly national effort to join forces in order to address the
consequences of the climate crisis. And, of course, to also warmly thank the volunteers for
their contribution. They are present at the side of the Fire Service personnel throughout
every firefighting period and in every other emergency. Your solidarity and your
selflessness are an example to us all.”

Finally, Major General of the Fire Brigade Mr. Ioannis Stamoulis said:
“When corporate social responsibility meets the voluntary contribution of volunteer firefighters, we
can feel safer operating in the fire fronts as firefighters. It gives us pleasure to have, during the
last few years, the Alpha Bank Group as our companion and true partner, assisting us in
addressing such an important issue as the personal protective equipment of firefighters. Initiatives
like today’s one, which equip volunteer firefighters with such valuable tools as fire trucks,
make us feel just that bit more ready to deal with natural disasters. We would like to warmly thank
both Alpha Bank and the volunteers for their invaluable support of the Fire Service.”
Strengthening firefighting preparedness and the restoration of the forest ecosystem
Alpha Bank has long supported the institution of volunteer firefighters and their efforts to
save lives, properties and forests, especially after the serious incidents of recent years and
particularly so of 2021, during which, according to the data of the European Forest Fire Information
System, a total of 84 forest fires were mapped in Greece, which turned to ashes an area of more
than 1,300 km2, with the regions of Evia, Attica and the Peloponnese having suffered the most
extensive disasters.

With the donation of the fire trucks, the Group is making a major contribution to the efforts
to strengthen the operational capacity and safety of the volunteer units that operate in the
regions of our country that are tested the hardest by climate change.
Insurance for these vehicles has been undertaken by Generali Hellas, in the context of its
strategic partnership with the Bank, making this specific action part of its Corporate Social
Responsibility plan, seeking to protect the environment and raise public awareness of climate
change.

At the same time, Alpha Bank also supports financially the work of the Volunteer Forest
Firefighters Associations of Attica and the Volunteer Rescue Team of Figaleia in Elis.
Together, for the environment: A set of actions for a sustainable future
The donation of the 6 fire trucks is part of the Bank’s long-standing initiative “Together for the
environment”, aimed at protecting our country’s natural assets and tackle the environmental
crisis.

Following the catastrophic fires of Attica in 2018 and seeking to support the work of the Fire
Service, Alpha Bank made a donation of EUR 325,000 for the purchase of Personal Protective
Equipment, specifically of 2,000 protection helmets. Moreover, in the summer of 2021 it
supported with the supply of basic necessities those affected by the fires in Evia and Attica,
through the Greek Red Cross, as it has also done in the last few years, following the fires in
Marathon, Rafina, Kythira, Oropos and Kapandriti. Alpha Bank also stood by the side of the Chios
Gum Mastic Growers Association, supporting its efforts to replant the areas affected by the
devastating fire in the Mastic Villages of Southern Chios, with the donation of 2,000 lentisk
saplings.

Moreover, as part of its sustainable and responsible strategy, since 2021, the Bank is contributing
to the restoration of the Aronas forest in Katerini. In collaboration with the environmental
company Reforest’Action and the Forest Research Institute of Thessaloniki, it designed and offered
its customers the option to invest in impact investment products and thus finance the planting
of 17,379 trees (broadleaf oaks, hornbeams and ash trees). The restoration of the Aronas forest,
covering more than 10 km2 , through the implementation of a sustainable and high-quality
management program, results in a mild and carefully planned intervention that will strengthen the
resilience of the forest and will enhance its environmental quality, the timber produced and the
protection of wildlife, while according to the plan, 30,000 trees will be planted in the period
from 2021 to 2026.

Moreover, over the last five years the Bank has been supporting the Postgraduate Studies
Program “Environmental, Disaster and Crisis Management Strategies” of the National and
Kapodistrian University of Athens, by funding scholarships and covering operating expenses.
This Program has helped establish a community of qualified, skilled specialists on environmental
issues, disasters and crises, which is mobilized in incidents of high severity, such as the fires of
recent years in Attica, Evia and the Peloponnese, setting up research teams and groups of
volunteers whose purpose is to directly support those affected but also to inform society and the
scientific community.

Source: Press Release