Regional Authority of Central Macedonia

Transcription

1 Greece

2 Regional Authority of Central Macedonia

3 Urban area of Thessaloniki

4

5 What we HAVE -Municipality of Thessaloniki (city centre) of people -An Urban Area of inhabitants and an area of 111,7 Km2 -Seven Municipalities comprise the Urban Area -A Metropolitan (or larger urban) Area of slightly more than a million people ( ) and an area of 1455,6 Km2 -Eleven Municipalities comprise the Metropolitan Area -So called Metropolitan Union of Thessaloniki, which is part of the Regional Authority of Central Macedonia. It has almost (supervises offices of promoting tourism and agriculture) no authority and no jurisdiction whatsoever -There is no real Metropolitan Authority -There is no authorised institution which can plan, coordinate, finance or supervise policies and projects which concern exclusively the Metropolitan Area of Thessaloniki

6 What we DO -We have developed intermunicipal urban cooperation in the following policy sectors: Transportation: bus and coastal, Intermunicipal TV and Radio, Touristic Promotion, Refugee Accommodation, Intermunicipal Cemeteries, Creation of Metropolitan Development Agency S.A., etc. -Contrive and promote long-term metropolitan strategy for the wider area coined Thessaloniki 2030 : part of this strategy was mapped out in the 1 st Summit of Development Strategy for Thessaloniki where all local authorities & communities (scientific, social, civil) were invited to participate and offered their insight. -Initiative to form a Union between 5 Independent Mayors of Major Greek Cities in order to promote reforms in different sectors among which was promotion of City and Metropolitan Governance ( ). -Initiative to claim more Integrated Territorial Investments for Sustainable Urban Development (ERDF) and other European funds targeted for metropolitan urban development. -Metropolitan Culture: Union of Museums (MOMUS) -Diplomacy of the Cities. -Member of Major International Networks like the 100 Resilient Cities.

7 What we WANT to HAVE Our country is lagging behind in comparison to most EU counterparts on issues concerning the autonomy and the jurisdiction of Local Governance. In Greece the authority of Local Administration is quite limited since we live in an excessively centralised state. In particular, on the issue of Metropolitan Governance, our country has to adjust fast due to the anticipated evolution concerning urban development and the potential Metropolitan Areas have to develop in the future. Currently there is no institutional framework ensuring a holistic urban strategy through Metropolitan Governance. In addition, the current legal framework assumes that two levels of Local Administration of equal weight and power exist: Regional Authorities (Peripheries in Greek) and Municipalities. Yet, in practice Regional Authorities handle and manage the European Funds coming from the National Strategic Reference Framework. Since Regional Authorities manage a crucial amount of money on which the viability of the Municipalities depends, the latter are not in practice equal to the former as the law alleges. As a result, there are many conflicts between these two -in theory equivalent- levels of Local Administration. There are certain options to change and improve things: -Change article 102 of the Constitution in order to empower Municipal Administration and establish in particular Metropolitan Administration, at least in Athens and Thessaloniki. -Change the current law and empower City Governance in Athens and Thessaloniki in order for these cities not to rely on Regional Authorities. Taking into account that there are various models of Metropolitan Governance in the EU, our general view is that Greece has to adopt a specific model based on widespread consensus among Municipalities which will participate in Metropolitan Governance. The Metropolitan Mayor of the biggest Municipality could play a role of «primum inter pares» and coordinate the rest. An example of a model of Metro Governance for Greece could be the Dutch one. In Holland is common practice to see voluntary associations of Municipalities exercising Metropol. powers (e.g. Amsterdam, Rotterdam), particularly on issues like Transportation and Economic Development. It is of the outmost importance that the responsibilities of the new Metropolitan Governance should include policy sectors like: strategic planning, urban planning & dvlpment, mobility & accessibility, economic dvlpment, social cohesion and the improvement of life quality. Issues of Transportation, Waste Mngment and Envirnmntal protection should be addressed at a Metropolitan level =>