Athens/Brussels, 13/03/2014 (Agence Europe) - Revenge must be proving very sweet to Greece, which has managed to hoist itself up the structural fund adsorption league table for the 2007-2013 period. European funds are the main source of public investment in the country, where crisis is still tangible at multiple levels.
The renovation of the municipal theatre of Piraeus in Athens, in the Attica region - which EUROPE had the opportunity of visiting during a press trip organised by the Committee of the Regions - illustrates this new dynamic, in which culture is assuming its pride of place.
4th place. The European Commission task force for Greece has been present in the country since 2010 in an effort to coordinate EU technical assistance there. It has revealed that this country was in fourth place when it came to the best levels of absorbing structural funds and investment available to the country over the 2007-2013 period. According to the 6th Task Force Report published on 11 March, almost 80% of the €24 billion earmarked has been used. In 2011, Greece was stagnating in 18th place in the league table. The fact that European co-financing rates have been increased to 95% of the total amount for projects has allowed for this significant rebound.
No more public investment. Faced with this situation, Panos Carvounis, the head of the Commission Representation in Greece, believes that European structural funds are crucial for helping the Greek economy recover. The economy has been in recession for the past six years in a row. He explained that “due to the crisis, there are no more funds left for public investment and these now come through European funding. So this is a great help and is the main source of finance for the Greek economy.”
Good reputation. Although the troika (European Commission, ECB and IMF), which represents international donors (see other article) does not get good press, this is not so much the case for European funding, which compensates for this in a certain way - structural funds are well known in the country. Carvounis noted that “there are panels that indicate that such and such a thing has been co-financed by Commission funds, such as museums and archaeological sites”. He added these are “concrete examples of the benefits” which are not loans “but subsidies, something that Greece will not have to pay back”.
Theatre of modern times. €40 million has been injected through a variety of European funds into the renovation of the Piraeus municipal theatre, in the regional capital of Attica. This is not far from the port of Piraeus, which provides a harbour to pleasure crafts sailing in the Mediterranean and strategic investment because the theatre, with the appearance of an opera house, can also be visited as a museum. It dates back to 1884 and is a witness to the country's recent history and a healthy antidote to the many different ancient sites that can be visited. The vice governor of the region, Anna Papadimitriou-Tsatsou, explained that “our first warhorse for launching the economy is culture, especially in a city like Athens”. She added that “this will help bring tourists to Athens and keep them there. It will also mean that Piraeus is no longer a city simply for passing through because this does not create any work.”
The cultural machine. By carrying out this investment, the Greek region has therefore met the challenge of relaunching the whole economy through culture and tourism. Around 120 people were involved in the restoration work. For the artistic director of the theatre that was inaugurated in October 2013, the key question is not whether 5, 10 or 15 people are employed in the theatre (thanks to European investment) because the theatre is already achieving a full house, “what counts in this period of acute crisis is to see that the light has been lit and pleasure craft are stopping here, tourists are visiting and the whole moneymaking machine is up and running again”. (MD)