Programme description
The European Commission has approved a major development programme in Greece for the period 2000-2006, entitled the Operational Programme "Information Society". This programme involves Community support for all the Greek regions within the framework of "Objective 1" (regions lagging behind in their development). The total budget of the programme is around EUR 2.839 billion and the Community assistance amounts to EUR 1.702 billion (approximately 8% of the total assistance granted to Greece under the Community Support Framework).
Eligibility / Contact / Financial tables1. Action Priorities
The principal objectives of the Information Society programme are: adapting education to the new economy needs, creating content for education and culture, improving the quality of service which is offered to the citizens by the public sector, including health and welfare, supporting e-business, facilitating new businesses, strengthening competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises, enhancing the skills of human resources, promoting employment in the new economy, enabling low-priced internet access and offering public access to digital services. The Information Society programme is structured according to the following priorities:Priority 1 : Education and CultureGreece's culture and education represent enormous dynamics for economic and social development. In this context, improving infrastructures and the relevant institutions is of crucial importance, as well as the creation of educative and cultural networks. The principal aims, in the context of this priority, are the adaptation of education to the new economy needs and the creation of content for education and culture.
Priority 2 : Services to citizens and improvement of the quality of lifeImproving the quality of service, which is offered by the public sector to the citizens, including health and welfare, is one of the most elementary duties of a modern and developed state. With this Operational Programme, Greece will strengthen the national effort towards improving the quality and efficiency of health and welfare services in the country, and promote equal opportunity for everyone by removing obstacles to socio-economic integration.
Priority 3 : Employment and the digital economyUnder this priority, the programme aims to support e-business, to facilitate new businesses, to strengthen competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises, to enhance the skills of human resources and to promote employment in the new economy.
Priority 4 : CommunicationsA major objective under this priority is to enable low-priced Internet access and to offer public access to digital services. In this context, the basic principles are the overall foundations for the implementation of this programme co-ordination for a coherent and integrated approach to IS development, the decentralised implementation by agencies and open procedures, and the creation of supporting mechanisms and structures.
Priority 5 : Technical assistanceThere is also provision for technical assistance in order to implement the programme. Financial support is available covering administration, monitoring and control.
2. Description of eligibility
Regarding the Information Society, Greece is lagging behind in comparison with the rest of the EU. This programme could play a decisive role in this area, and could have a very positive impact in economic and social terms, helping Greece to overcome its significant development which is lagging behind. It is an innovative, horizontal programme cutting across governmental departments. It is along the lines of the e-Europe initiative and the conclusions of the Lisbon Summit of March 2000. It aims at promoting the Information Society in a coherent and integrated manner by covering every economic and social aspect, such as the public sector, businesses, communications, education, culture, health, research and it tackles the human resources issue by reducing the skills gap in the field of the Information Society. This decision is part of a series currently being undertaken by the Commission to launch the new Structural Funds programming period.
3. Management and contact details
The new structures necessary for the effective implementation of the OPIS are:- The Managing Authority which is an independent service within the Ministry of National Economy, headed by a special secretary who reports directly to the Minister. It will be organised in 4 units:1) Programming and Evaluation, 2) Monitoring and Management, 3) Audit and 4) Administrative support.- The Information Society S.A. is an implementing organisation which assists implementing agencies in all stages of ITC project design, implementation and follow-up. It is a public company (S.A.) with economic and managerial autonomy, supervised by the Ministry of Interior and Public Administration. It will be organised in order to deal with (a) public sector projects, (b) private sector projects, and (c) management of technical assistance. The purpose is to facilitate the use of external consultants in supporting implementing agencies and final beneficiaries, in terms of assimilation, organisational change and continuous development, even after projects are completed.- The IS observatory is composed of personalities and high-level experts, with a small permanent secretariat that disseminates best practice methods, assists the exchange of experiences, know-how and information, provides training tools, and collects statistics. It also undertakes or commissions benchmarking studies and works in close consultation with similar EU-wide and regional organisations.
Financial information
Breakdown of finances by priority axis
| Priority Axis | EU Investment | National Public Contribution | Total Public Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education and culture | 312.550.000,00 | 416.733.333,00 | 416.733.333,00 |
| Public services and improvement in the quality of life | 696.193.000,00 | 954.814.000,00 | 954.814.000,00 |
| Employment growth in the context of the digital economy | 410.700.000,00 | 547.600.000,00 | 547.600.000,00 |
| Communications | 316.900.000,00 | 422.533.333,00 | 422.533.333,00 |
| Technical assistance | 57.238.863,00 | 76.318.484,00 | 76.318.484,00 |
| Total | 1.793.581.863,00 | 2.417.999.150,00 | 2.417.999.150,00 |