Advances in Transport and Infrastructure Development

Considered as the forgotten piece of public policies, transport and infrastructure development in Greece have long been lagging behind. The situation derived from both structural inputs -a challenging topography-, a difficult historical context -repeated war destructions-, and the inability of public authorities to mobilize financial resources for long-term investment -the “weakness” of the State. This structural “underdevelopment” issue was early identified by the EU authorities as a major impediment to growth. Against this background, Greece’s EU integration overturned the entire transportation system. As early as the 1990s, large-scale contributions from the Structural Funds produced impressive results, among which are to be found the achievement of the Nea Egnatia highway, the construction of the Rio-Antirio bridge, Athens’s subway inauguration, and the opening of the Venizelos International Airport. Out of this, Greece went through an overall revolution of its transportation means and infrastructure, with major outcomes on people’s lives, and regional vs. international integration.