22/12/2014 - Approval of the NSRF 2014-2020 Operational Programmes

The European Commission has given the green light to Programmes with a total budget of 19 billion euro, expected to change the map of Greece and support the country's recovery and growth which are already under way. This is a major success for the Greek government, as the EC approved all the programmes submitted by the Greek authorities.

At the same time, the Hellenic Parliament's adoption of the implementation law for the management of the resources of the new NSRF means that our country is ready to receive and utilise the funds of the new Programming Period 2014-2020.

More specifically, the Ministry of Development and Competitiveness announced that the competent Commissioners for Regional Policy and Social Affairs have signed the Operational Programmes of the new Programming Period 2014-2020. The two Commissioners approved all the Programmes which were submitted by the country and are to be co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the European Social Fund and the Cohesion Fund (CF).

In order to comprehend the scale of the success of the Ministry of Development and the Greek Government, one must take into account that until a few days ago, the Commission had approved less than 1/5 of the approximately 300 programmes submitted. The Greek authorities at the co-competent Ministries and Regions and the services of the European Commission worked very hard over the last few weeks in order to obtain the approval.

The timely approval ensures the promotion of high-quality programmes that place emphasis on achieving the objectives of the Cohesion Policy and of the Europe 2020 Strategy and, by extension, on development and the creation of hundreds of thousands of new jobs. More specifically, the approved Programmes have a total budget of 15.3 billion euro in terms of Union Support and an estimated public expenditure (PE) (i.e. including the National Participation) of 19 billion euro. The 4.6 billion euro of the Rural Development Programme and the Fisheries and Sea Programme, the approvals of which are pending, as well as the 1.3 billion euro from other Programmes (Connecting Europe, European Territorial Cooperation, Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived) must be added to the above figures.

In other words, during the 2014-2020 period the country will benefit from a total amount exceeding 26 billion euro in European funds and national participation.

These figures do not include an estimated amount of approximately 2 billion euro that are expected to be distributed to the country and its Regions in 2016 on the basis of the so-called 'review clause' procedure.

It is underlined that the objective of the Greek government is to make a new beginning with the new Partnership Agreement 2014-2020, valorising Community funds with a view to changing the production model, enhancing growth potential and improving the competitiveness of the economy.

The main goal is to fund projects that will promote the competitiveness, innovation and extroversion of the country's enterprises, including those in the primary sector.The funds of the new Partnership Agreement 2014-2020 will be channelled towards quality entrepreneurship, spearheaded by innovation and the increase of domestic added value.

The measures and reforms to take place within and beyond the framework of the NSRF 2014-2020 are expected to lead to:

• increase in productive investments and employment,
• reduction of unemployment,
• restoration of per capita income to pre-crisis levels,
• increase of overall productivity,
• reduction of the economy's dependence on domestic consumption,
• improvement of competitiveness and the trade balance,
• protection/enhancing of the natural environment and improvement of quality of life,
• reduction of economic, social and territorial disparities, and
• direct and visible modernisation of the state, with the promotion of all the necessary structural changes in all sectors.

Industry, tourism, energy and the agri-nutritional system are the sectors to which the greatest priority will be given and which are expected to have the greatest participation in economic growth. Other growing sectors, such as research and technological development, aquaculture, specialised health services, creative utilisation of the cultural heritage and modern Greek creations, the pharmaceutical industry, IT and communications, waste management, commerce and cargo transport services, are also expected to participate in growth. Similarly, education and continuing training serve as tools for the transport and dissemination of knowledge and skills, adaptation to the requirements of global competition and on-going upgrading of the workforce. Finally, effective and efficient public administration, based on new information and communications technologies, will greatly support the transition of the Greek economy to the new developmental model.