spheres and the civil society, working for the implementation of long-term growth
strategies supported by EU funds (European Commission 2019c).
Like all member states, the Greek authorities have designed SSSs both at a
national level and in the 13 Greek regions, to allow them for selecting their own
priorities. Ideally the SSS would be the rationale and background for the adoption of
Sectoral and Regional O.P.s. However, because of institutional difficulties, the
adoption of the SSS was delayed, and the O.P.s were adopted earlier, or in parallel,
and adopted an extrapolating, path-dependent approach. Therefore, the SSS had a
less decisive role than planned for. The Ministry and its sectoral O.P. had the primary
role for the design, indicators and governance, leaving limited room for radical
changes in case the SSSs had foreseen any.
The priorities selected by the regional SSS are presented on Table 12.5. The CE
does not figure anywhere as the priorities are broader, but clearly the agri-food sector
and energy saving, being indirectly associated with the CE, were part of practically
all SSS, either as sectoral or as horizontal priorities. Within these priorities actions or
projects adopting CE approaches could be included. SSS are rather broad and
encompassing, the National SSS being the broadest and including eight sectors,
practically reflecting the whole of the Greek economy (Table 12.5).
12.6 Linking the Smart Specialisation Strategy to the CE
Transition: A Greek Pilot
After studying the CE transition progress and the SSS experiences in Greece, we
focused on the main target of this study, which was to investigate the potential
mutual reinforcement and synergies between the two. The methodology used was to
systematically explore each one of the 14 SSS and complement the search with the
relevant Sectoral Operational Programmes
6 trying to assess the extent to which their
content corresponds to which NSCE goals.
In the 2014–2020 programming period, the crisis influenced the design of the
Partnership Agreement with the EU towards favouring short-term projects with
absorption targets and immediate, visible results inevitably neglecting longer-term
investments. Environmental protection and the CE suffered under this approach, as
they are by definition front-loaded in funding, but profitability only follows later.
The adoption of the SSS and the corresponding Sectoral and Regional Operational
Programmes could constitute an opportunity for Greece to embark into the CE
transition with incentives for the business sector and knowledge-based investments.
Appendix 3 presents the results of the application of our methodology, namely,
the Type of Intervention and Description by regional SSS and two sectoral O.P.s
(O.P. – Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship, Innovation and O.P. – Transport Infrastructure, Environment and Sustainable Development), for all the cases, we consider
6 Because of the lags and differences between the late adopted SSS and the important role of the
sectoral O.P.s
12 Circular Economy in National Smart Specialisation Strategies: The Case of Greece
215
strategies supported by EU funds (European Commission 2019c).
Like all member states, the Greek authorities have designed SSSs both at a
national level and in the 13 Greek regions, to allow them for selecting their own
priorities. Ideally the SSS would be the rationale and background for the adoption of
Sectoral and Regional O.P.s. However, because of institutional difficulties, the
adoption of the SSS was delayed, and the O.P.s were adopted earlier, or in parallel,
and adopted an extrapolating, path-dependent approach. Therefore, the SSS had a
less decisive role than planned for. The Ministry and its sectoral O.P. had the primary
role for the design, indicators and governance, leaving limited room for radical
changes in case the SSSs had foreseen any.
The priorities selected by the regional SSS are presented on Table 12.5. The CE
does not figure anywhere as the priorities are broader, but clearly the agri-food sector
and energy saving, being indirectly associated with the CE, were part of practically
all SSS, either as sectoral or as horizontal priorities. Within these priorities actions or
projects adopting CE approaches could be included. SSS are rather broad and
encompassing, the National SSS being the broadest and including eight sectors,
practically reflecting the whole of the Greek economy (Table 12.5).
12.6 Linking the Smart Specialisation Strategy to the CE
Transition: A Greek Pilot
After studying the CE transition progress and the SSS experiences in Greece, we
focused on the main target of this study, which was to investigate the potential
mutual reinforcement and synergies between the two. The methodology used was to
systematically explore each one of the 14 SSS and complement the search with the
relevant Sectoral Operational Programmes
6 trying to assess the extent to which their
content corresponds to which NSCE goals.
In the 2014–2020 programming period, the crisis influenced the design of the
Partnership Agreement with the EU towards favouring short-term projects with
absorption targets and immediate, visible results inevitably neglecting longer-term
investments. Environmental protection and the CE suffered under this approach, as
they are by definition front-loaded in funding, but profitability only follows later.
The adoption of the SSS and the corresponding Sectoral and Regional Operational
Programmes could constitute an opportunity for Greece to embark into the CE
transition with incentives for the business sector and knowledge-based investments.
Appendix 3 presents the results of the application of our methodology, namely,
the Type of Intervention and Description by regional SSS and two sectoral O.P.s
(O.P. – Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship, Innovation and O.P. – Transport Infrastructure, Environment and Sustainable Development), for all the cases, we consider
6 Because of the lags and differences between the late adopted SSS and the important role of the
sectoral O.P.s
12 Circular Economy in National Smart Specialisation Strategies: The Case of Greece
215