Supervisors info:
Γεώργιος Ανδρέου, Επίκουρος Καθηγητής, Τμήμα Πολιτικών Επιστημών, Αριστοτέλειο Πανεπιστήμιο Θεσσαλονίκης
Summary:
The present study aims to evaluate the appliance of Cohesion Policy in the Region of Central Greece, for two programming periods. The first period regards NSRF 2007-2013 and the second Partnership Agreement for the Development Framework (PA 2014-2020). Actually, the role of national and sub-national actors is examined and especially how the Government (Ministry of Economy and Development), the Regional Government, the Municipalities and other institutions, interact in the planning and appliance of the programs. Special emphasis is given in the cooperation among these actors, as well as between each of them and the European Committee, on the basis of Multilevel Governance and the EU Subsidiarity Principle.
The NSRF 2007-2013 took place in a very severe period for Greece, as well as for the European Union in total. In the same way, PA 2014-2020, found Greece in deep recession, on one hand facing weak signs of recovery, but on the other hand, suffering from the accumulated fatigue as result of the long recession. These conditions, along with other extraordinary issues, demanded tight cooperation among the actors and combining between the main programming and special ad hoc treatments and decisions. The present study aims to go through all points of interest, evaluate the actions and cooperation among the several actors, the successes, the fails and the expectations. The goal is to come up with conclusions regarding the impact of the legal and institutional frame (European, national sub-national) on the fulfillment of the program's goals, as well as the impact of the programs on development (which is their main target) and on the in the domestic institutional function.
What comes up as a general conclusion is a clear and strong correlation between the quality of the horizontal and vertical cooperation among competent authorities and the efficiency in handling the several issues and problems. Through this, and as the study's main outcome, the great importance of “in vivo” appliance of the Multilevel Governance among actors (including the EU itself) as evangelized by the EU, is highlighted. Additionally, as a second main outcome, it becomes perfectly sufficient that Cohesion Policy, despite its many structural or accredited weaknesses and implementation imperfections, is more and more emphatically, the most important (if not the only one) tool for development, regarding private and public investment. Besides, it constantly motivates the transformation of the Greek State (in the broader meaning) at the direction of institutional maturation and integration.
The study is structured in five chapters (without the introduction). As a start, the main concepts on which the study is based, are presented. In the two following chapters, the two programming periods are presented and in the fourth chapter they are compared. The last chapter includes the conclusions. Finally, it is noted that the present study examines all the aforementioned issues within the frame of the Regional Operational Program of Region of Central Greece, during the two programming periods. The proportion of NSRF and PA that was materialized through sectoral programs from the several Ministries (Infrastructure, Health etc), although very important, demands another level of analysis, so its examination does not belong to the goals of the study.
Keywords:
Cohesion Policy, NSRF, CSF, Structural Funds, Regiona Policy, Region, Local Government, Central Greece
