The Utilisation of EU Structural Funds in Greece

Greece has been a net recipient of significant Community funds over the past 30 years, initially under the Integrated Mediterranean Programmes and subsequently under five programming periods, contributing funding to three national Community Support Frameworks (from 1989 to 2006), the National Strategic Reference Framework 2007-2013 and the Partnership Agreement for the Development Framework (PA) 2014-2020. The objective of this article is twofold. First, to describe in a simple and coherent manner the EU’s framework and strategies for investment, in the wake of the global financial crisis and the European debt crisis. Second, to report the progress achieved in the implementation of the PA 2014-2020 in Greece until early 2018 relative to past programming periods or other EU Member States, providing at the same time more detailed information about individual operational programmes and approved projects. Furthermore, the article presents the key structural reforms that were implemented to boost investment and accelerate the absorption of EU funds, as laid out in the three economic adjustment programmes from 2010 to 2018. Last but not least, it seeks to evaluate the opportunities and the challenges for more effective absorption and utilisation of EU funds