Download the management organisation unit of the community support

STRUCTURAL FUNDS MANAGEMENT IN
GREECE:
The experience of the Management
Organisation Unit of the CSF
Presented by:
Dex. Agourides
Director General
M.O.U. S.A.
www.mou.gr
[email protected]
THE GREEK ENVIRONMENT
at a glance
Greece is a peripheral EU country with no common land borders with other
Member States. The major weaknesses of the Greek economy are:
 Infrastructure deficits, especially in the fields of transport, environment and
in urban areas
 Unemployment rate above the EU average
 High share of employment in agriculture
 Low productivity (Deficits in R&D, skilled workforce and business
investment)
 Telecommunications sector lagging behind
The macroeconomic environment has improved significantly since the entry of
Greece in the EMU in 2001
GDP per capita in 2003: 81% of EU25
THE GREEK CSF 2000-2006
The whole of the Greek territory qualifies as Objective 1 Region under the
Structural Funds.
There are 7 areas of intervention and 24 Operational Programmes (11
national and 13 regional). Key priorities:
 Infrastructure
 Support to the private sector
 Human resources development
56,5%
21,9%
19%
For the period 2000-2006, EU structural assistance to Greece amounts to a
total of EUR 28 billion (Objective 1, Community Initiatives, Cohesion
Fund)
Commitments in June 2005 (projects approved): 74% of total budget
STRUCTURAL FUNDS
MANAGEMENT 2000-2006
The regulations governing the operation of the 2000-2006 Structural
Funds resulted in a major transfer of responsibility to the Member States
while stricter conditions for financial management were put in place.
The new regulatory framework was designed:
• To improve effectiveness, transparency and sound financial
management
• To increase decentralisation
In practice, however, the new system encountered a number of difficulties
in Member States:
• Tight regulatory requirements, too demanding and affecting
implementation of projects and programmes
• Lack of flexibility in applying procedures
MANAGING THE STRUCTURAL
FUNDS IN GREECE
CSF interventions and the tight regulatory measures required the
establishment of:
 efficient implementing bodies
 sound financial management at every level of Government.
A series of reforms in public expenditure management in Greece was
introduced by law, incorporating detailed implementation procedures.
However, several difficulties were encountered in the process of adopting
the new implementation and monitoring system, such as:
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Incompatible national systems with Community regulations
Serious inflexibilities and inefficiencies in the civil service structure
Inadequate coordination between government departments
Lack of specialised human resources and know-how
Multitude of weak and inefficient Final Beneficiaries
Technological gaps
Cumbersome procedures delaying implementation
WHY MOU?
MOU s.a. was established as a support mechanism in order to:
 Tackle problems identified during the implementation of the
CSF
 Fill specific know-how gaps
 Strengthen the administrative and management capacity of CSF
implementing bodies
 By-pass the rigid administrative procedures and inflexibilities of
the Greek Civil Service
The MOU was established:
To complement and not substitute civil-service
tasks
IDENTITY
 Non-profit making institution
 Operates under the auspices of the Ministry of
Economy and Finance but
 External Agency (Societé Anonyme)
 Governed by a 9-member Board of Directors
 Staffed by highly qualified personnel recruited from
both the private and public sector
THE MOU’s ROLE
IN CSF MANAGEMENT
The MOU has played a vital role in the setting up of the CSF management
structure:
 Selection and recruitment from the private sector of a total of 830
specialists for the staffing of 40 Managing Authorities and other bodies.
 Deployment of five Expert Teams to support final beneficiaries with
management weaknesses (“flying consultants”)
 Elaboration of numerous management systems and tools
 Implementation of intensive training programmes for CSF staff
 Procurement of state-of-the-art office equipment and modern
infrastructure facilities for Managing Authorities
 Establishment and management of information technology systems
 Study and preparation of innovative management systems in view of
the next programming period
DEPLOYMENT
The MOU’s work force to date: 830 people
710
seconded to
the MA’s
60 staff the
Central Unit in
Athens
60
deployed
with the Expert Teams
(Flying Consultants)
VALUE-ADDED
The MOU is widely recognised as a model, flexible and efficient
structure:
It is a unique agency
combining qualified experts
from both the private and
public sector
New cultural aspect in
public administration:
pilot
It provides quality technical
assistance
Modernisation of
public structures
It is able to timely respond
to a number of urgent
needs and demands
Flexibility, efficiency &
immediate response