Europeanizing Greece : The Effects of Ten Years of EU Structural Funds, 1989-1999

__Europeanizing Greece__ serves as a perceptive case study of the EU's continual enlargement and resulting regional challenges.

While Greece's debt crisis continues to dominate international headlines, the country has received remarkably little scholarly attention – especially in comparison to other European Union members. Europeanizing Greece explores the developments that resulted from Greece's European integration between 1989 and 1999, which played a crucial role in shaping the country's current conditions.

Focusing on changes made to the Greek administrative and political system based on EU structural policy, Nancy Vamvakas contends that EU involvement was not the only reason why these modifications were implemented. Vamvakas points out serious flaws in the Greek system and demonstrates how Greece's approach to reform has been inextricably linked to the perceived level of crises. Europeanizing Greece serves as a perceptive case study of the EU's continual enlargement and resulting regional challenges.

While Greece's debt crisis continues to dominate international headlines, the country has received remarkably little scholarly attention - especially in comparison to other European Union members. Europeanizing Greece explores the developments that resulted from Greece's European integration between 1989 and 1999, which played a crucial role in shaping the country's current conditions. Focusing on changes made to the Greek administrative and political system based on EU structural policy, Nancy Vamvakas contends that EU involvement was not the only reason why these modifications were implemented. Vamvakas points out serious flaws in the Greek system and demonstrates how Greece's approach to reform has been inextricably linked to the perceived level of crises. Europeanizing Greece serves as a perceptive case study of the EU's continual enlargement and resulting regional challenges Contents 7 Acknowledgments 9 Abbreviations 11 1. Europeanization in the Case of Greece 13 2. Europeanization Manifested in Legislative Reforms 34 3. Europeanization as Political Adaptation to the Structural Programs (1989–1999) 48 4. Political Adaptation and Centre–Periphery Politics 80 5. A Few Tentative Conclusions 102 Postscript 109 Notes 111 References 123