This unique text has as its main themes the development of Greek regions and the impact of the structural policies of the European Union on their progress and prosperity. By analyzing the regional policy of the country during the last decades and presenting the current trends, the book provides evidence on the gradual reduction in regional disparities in Greece. Emphasis is given to the geographic and socio-economic characteristics of the 13 regions of Greece and the objectives of the Community Support Framework for the period 2000 - 2006. Separate chapters are devoted to the development prospects of the Greek islands, the big cities and the mountainous areas. Original maps, tables and graphs together with a comprehensive text make this book a valuable reading for administrators, diplomats, regional scientists, geographers, planners, economists, sociologists, as well as for students of social sciences.

This book is based on the Regional Section of the Development Plan 2000-2006, prepared by the Regional Development Institute according to the Greek Ministry of National Economy's directions and available data. The different development proposals coming from the Country's Regions were also taken into account. The information contained in the Regional Development Institute's database and the conclusions of the studies made by the Institute's collaborators were also used. The thematic maps in this edition were also produced by the Regional Development Institute's GIS (Geographical Information System) laboratory. The Development Plan 2000-2006 was submitted by the Ministry of National Economy to the European Union in September 1999 and represents the basis for the 3rd Community Support Framework's acceptance. The book is organized into four parts. Part one contains six chapters reflecting the evolution of the Greek and European Regional Policy, as well as the trends for the coming period. More specifically, the first part refers to: the Greek Regional Policy of the 1950-1985 period, the EEC Regional Policy, the twenty years of Operational Programme (1986-2006), the evolution of the main objectives and priorities for this period, the evolution of means and processes and the new trends in Regional Policy and Planning. In the second part, the basic figures and trends of Regional Development in Greece are analysed. Specifically, we refer here to the population concentration, the regional distribution of GDP, the employment and unemployment rates and the sector specialisation.