Brussels, 11/04/2001 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission has just adopted twelve Operational Programmes for Objective 1 aid to Greek regions from 2001-2006. Twenty-one programmes have now been given the go-ahead by the Commission, which is making up for delays in adopting the Greek programmes and had announced that the last three documents will be adopted by the end of the month. The twelve programmes lay down the priorities for Community aid:
Crete (EUR 730.3 million, EUR 467.7 of which from the EU and the remainder from public and private investors in Greece): infrastructure investment, particularly transport and communications; promoting innovation; rural development and mountainous areas.
North Aegean (EUR 547 million, EUR 362 million of which in EU funding): developing and using modern technology; diversifying the island economy, promoting equal opportunities.
Islands in the South Aegean (EUR 609.5 million, EUR 372.2 of which in EU funding): investing in infrastructure, particularly transport; environmental protection and sewage management; sustainable tourism; rural and economic development of least developed islands.
Epirus (EUR 680 million, 436 of which in EU funding): building infrastructure; encouraging innovation; developing tourism and natural resources; sustainable development of mountainous and rural areas; developing human resources.
Greek mainland (EUR 873 million, 532 of which in EU funding): diversifying the economy in rural zones; sanitary, social and environmental infrastructure; modernising businesses; promoting innovation.
Western Greece (EUR 781.5 million, 478.5 of which in EU funding): developing culture and tourism; reorganising the region's industrial base; developing urban infrastructure, etc.
Aeolian Islands (EUR 375.2 million, 244.7 of which in EU funding): job creations; making the most of trans-European networks; strengthening urban zones; restructuring industries in crisis, etc.
Eastern Macedonia and Thrace (EUR 1.1 billion, 733.3 million in EU funding): rural and urban development; innovation and competitiveness; cutting intra-regional disparities; human resources.
Pelapponese (EUR 698.7 billion, 457.2 of which in EU funding): making the most of being close to Attica; promoting sustainable rural development; improving tourism; developing urban and peri-urban centres; developing human resources.
Thessalia (EUR 929 million, 563 million of which in EU funding): improving transport; sustainable rural development; promoting enterprise competitiveness; protecting the environment, etc.
Railways, airports and urban transport networks (EUR 2.936 billion, 1.46 billion of which in EU funding): completing the PATHE rail network in Greece and implementing the OSSE (Greek railways) project; improving large airports; improving transport conditions in suburbs of Athens.