The remote island of Tilos has won the prestigious European Business Promotion Awards 2024 (EEPA), surpassing strong initiatives from Austria and the Netherlands, thanks to its groundbreaking “Just Go Zero Tilos” program. The European Commissioner praised the “moving effort of a small, remote island” in achieving this success.

The rescue of little “Jonah”, the 50-day-old refugee boy who was rescued by coastguards in Tilos, quickly became known on the internet.

The infant was trapped for three days in a steep area, with his parents using seawater to make milk for him. The infant was named Jonah, in reference to the monk who came out to Tilos and founded the monastery of St. Panteleimon.

Tilos "is the island with the greatest rate of recycling globally, and this fills us with hope," Environment & Energy Minister Kostas Skrekas said on Tuesday, representing the prime minister at an event on the remote SE Aegean island.