General information about the policy process

**The implementation process Wiki**

**Greece**

**General information about the policy**
**process**

According
to the Constitution of Greece, Greece is a parliamentary representative
democratic republic; thus, the policy process takes place in such an
environment where the Greek Prime Minister is the head of government, and of a
multi-party system. Both the government and the Hellenic Parliament are vested
with legislative power.

The
Greek government’s structure is said to have followed and accommodated the
French and German model; it is therefore a typical model of a Western
democracy. During the political process the Prime minister and Cabinet play the
central role. The president on his turn carries out some executive and
legislative functions.

**Main national actors**

*Executive brunch*

President

Prime
minister

*Legislative brunch*

Greek Parliament (Βουλή
των Ελλήνων)

*Judicial brunch*

 Civil and Administrative courts

*Regional and local actors involved*

Greece is divided in 13 regions, further divided into
74 regional units. The prefectures are each headed by the Prefect (Νομάρχης), who is elected by direct popular vote.

**The relationship between actors**

Although municipalities and villages have elected officials,
they are forced to depend on the central government budget due to the fact that
they do not have an independent revenue base. Thus, they are accountable to
many central government controls. The
Hellenic Parliament is the supreme democratic institution that represents the
citizens through an elected body of Members of Parliament (MPs), whose core
activity is legislative work and the exercise of control over Government. According to articles 68 of the Constitution and 31-48
and 89-91 of the Standing Orders, the Hellenic Parliament assumes legislative
work and enforces parliamentary control. It is for this purpose that committees
of MPs are established, depending on the power of Parliamentary Groups and
independent Mps. Committees engage in legislative work or parliamentary control
or special matters. Pursuant to the Constitution and the Standing Orders the
following categories of committees are currently at work. The Plenum exercises
parliamentary control at least twice a week by virtue of article 53 par. 1 of
the Standing Orders. Parliamentary control means, other than a censure motion
(art. 142) include: a) petitions, b) questions, c) current questions, d)
applications to submit documents, e) interpellations and f) current
interpellations, g) investigation committees. Documents by means of which Parliamentary
control is exercised are submitted to Parliament and ought to mention which
Minister they are addressed to. The appropriate Hellenic Parliament Department
shall enter them by date (in chronological order) to special volumes, one for
each different category, numbering them in continuous sequence. The Minister
receives a copy of the document submitted, i.e. of the parliamentary control
medium used. Parliamentary control means and written responses to such means
may be also come in electronic format.

**Participation**
**of Greece in EU policy**

Greece’s implementationprocess saw great progress through the harmonization
with the EU acquis. Today, Greece is working towards the deepening and
integration of the EU, participating actively in all of the Union’s organs and
institutions. Special mention is made of EU foreign relations and enlargement.

**References**

http://www.hellenicparliament.gr/en

http://www.mfa.gr/en/foreign-policy/greece-in-the-eu/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics\_of\_Greece

http://primeminister.gr/english/government/