Open letter about the Greek Recovery and Resilience Plan: opacity and lack of participation

Civil society demands that Greece’s Recovery Plan prioritises making society greener and fairer

69 civil society organisations co-signed an open letter to the Deputy Minister of Finance, Theodoros Skylakakis, initiated by Common Ground and Greenpeace, outlining their priorities for a green and just recovery and seeking more public involvement in developing policies

ATHENS, 23 March 2021 – Greece, like all other member states, has until the end of April to submit a plan to the EU outlining how it will spend the €32 billion* it will receive in recovery funds to overcome the effects of the pandemic. Civil society recognises this as an unprecedented opportunity for a truly just, inclusive, and sustainable transition and seeks transparency in the planning process.

So far, civil society has been largely left out of the process and kept in the dark, despite hopes that it would be inclusive and transparent.

Given that recent crises (economic, refugee reception, pandemic) have deepened social inequalities in Greece, the signatories contend that recovery policies should target typically overlooked populations such as impoverished households, the homeless, migrants, and refugees.  At the same time, they call for policies that prioritise protecting the environment and reducing the effects of climate change in order to ensure a sustainable future and stave off future disasters and displacement.

Common Ground and the letter’s co-signers urge the Greek government to:

• Invite the public, and in particular civil society, to submit their proposals for spending the recovery funds before the government submits its final plan in April and ensure their meaningful participation in the plan’s design, implementation and monitoring.
• Prepare a detailed action plan detailing proposed programmes, objectives, beneficiaries and expected impact, which includes valid environmental, social and economic indicators.
• Improve clarity and transparency around the process, including regular information exchange sessions with stakeholders and public awareness campaigns.

Why it matters: If the above mentioned measures are implemented as part of a coordinated effort combined with other initiatives and funding opportunities to strengthen public policies, it will lead Greece out of the pandemic and toward a more just and sustainable future.

After years of austerity, the refugee reception crisis and now the pandemic, this large sum of money can enable society to turn a corner and start truly recovering from economic and social problems. To succeed, Greece must avoid repeating the policies of the past that led us to the difficult position we are in today (confronting rising inequalities, polarisation, injustice, biodiversity loss, and the climate crisis).

*In July 2020, the European Union launched a €750 billion pandemic recovery fund, of which 37% is earmarked specifically for fighting climate change with the rest going toward other investments and reforms to strengthen resilience, a digital transformation, fairness, and macroeconomic stability. EU member states now have until the end of April to submit their final spending plans to account for their share of the financial aid. Greece will receive €32 billion in a combination of grants and loans.

The undersigned organisations

1. ActionAid Hellas
2. Lesvos Solidarity
3. NPCP “Me Alla Matia”
4. Άνεμος Ανανέωσης
5. ANTIGONE-Information and Documentation Centre on Racism, Ecology, Peace and Non Violence
6. ΑΡΙΩΝ-Ερευνητικό Κέντρο Διάσωσης και Περίθαλψης Κητωδών
7. ARSIS-Association for the Social Support Youth
8. Better Days Greece
9. Doctors of the World Greece
10. Changemakers Lab
11. Common Ground Greece
12. Network for Children’s Rights
13. Δίκτυο Μέλισσα
14. Action for Wildlife
15. ECHO100PLUS
16. Ecocity
17. Greek Housing Network
18. Ελληνικό Δίκτυο ΦΙΛΟΙ της ΦΥΣΗΣ
19. Greek Council for Refugees (GCR)
20. Greek Forum of Migrants
21. Greek Forum of Refugees
22. ELIX
23. Emfasis Foundation
24. 24. Fenix-Humanitarian Legal Aid
25. Food On
26. Generation 2.0 for Rights, Equality and Diversity
27. GIVMED
28. Greenpeace Greece
29. HIAS
30. HIGGS
31. HumanRights360
32. Thalassa of Solidarity
33. Ithaca
34. International Rescue Committee (IRC)
35. Irida Women’s Center
36. Centre for Research on Women’s Issues “Diotima”
37. MEDASSET
38. Μεσογειακό Ινστιτούτο για την Φύση και τον Άνθρωπο-MedINA
39. METAdrasi-Action for Migration and Development
40. Mobile Info Team (MIT)
41. Boroume
42. Odyssea
43. Οικολογική Εταιρεία Ανακύκλωσης
44. Οικολογική Κίνηση Δράμας
45. Ecological Movement of Thessaloniki
46. Organization Earth
47. SOS Children’s Villages
48. Πανελλήνιο Δίκτυο Οικολογικών Οργανώσεων (ΠΑΝΔΟΙΚΟ)
49. Schedia Street Magazine
50. People Behind
51. Praksis
52. Promitheas
53. Refugee Rights Europe
54. Samos Volunteers
55. SolidarityNow
56. Steps
57. Σύλλογος Ασθενών Ήπατος Ελλάδος “Προμηθέας”
58. Society for the Care of Minors and Youth
59. Greek Association of People Living with HIV “Positive Voice”,
60. Σύλλογος Τουλίπα Γουλιμή
61. Symbiosis-School of Political Studies in Greece, affiliated to the Council of Europe Network of Schools
62. Association of Social Responsibility for Children and Youth -Skep
63. Syn-eirmos NGO of Social Solidarity
64. Terre des hommes Hellas
65. The Bee Camp
66. The Green Tank
67. Friends of Monte
68. Velos Youth
69. We are Solomon
70. WWF Greece