Greece

In Greece, there are several actors involved in the implementation and enforcement of the policy. The legislative power belongs to the National Parliament, which can also derogate powers to executive agencies for further specialization of the legislative measures, following the relevant constitutional provisions (art. 73 and following, 43 of the Constitution).

There are three ways that the EU policy is implemented through the Greek parliament. By law, a ministerial decision or a presidential decree. The implementation may also be effected through the issuance of circulars with regulative context, though this does not constitute a widely used practice in the administrative procedure.

When it comes to implementation, the executive branch takes the lead. The Executive Government is organized in ministries, each one responsible for a specific field (ex. Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Environment, etc). Ministries are further organized in administrative divisions which are responsible to oversee legislation implementation and enforcing it by using tools such as administrative and economic penalties.

In overseeing the implementation field, there are also various independent agencies such as the Consumer Protection Agency or the Protection of Personal Data Agency which is independent of the government. The can monitor the implementation of legislation and they have the authority to take legal action in case of irregularities or not right implementation.

Although the Greek legal system acknowledges the principle of the primacy of European law there are some issues. The national courts are also another actor in the implementation of EU policy. For example, if a measure of implementation is found unconstitutional it cannot be implemented.

The Greek administration is composed both of central (see above) and decentralized entities, as the Constitution provides. The latter which consist of regional administrations and municipalities has the general decisive competence for issues of their area, which is constitutionally provided for and therefore cannot be taken away. The state checks on the regional, decentralized organs, which however are considered independent and autonomous (art. 101 and following of the Constitution).

If EU policy is not implemented in the given deadline the European Commission sends a letter of compliance with a new deadline and afterward a second deadline after which begins a procedure in the Court of Justice of EU that may lead to penalties against the member state.

National actors governmental and local are involved in the process of implementation such as the Government, the President of the Democracy, executive and independent agencies, national courts and regional administrations. On the other hand, the European Commission has the role of the external actor that is monitoring and evaluates the implementation of the EU policy. The European Commission also acts as the safeguard in regards to monitoring the proper implementation and right transposition of EU policies and Treaty Articles within national settings, as highlighted by the Article 17 of the Treaty on the European Union.



See also:
Three broader conclusions can be drawn. First, since the implementation is a process, rather than an event, the pattern of its development over time can – indeed does – change over time. Second, because implementation patterns change over time, it is important to identify and discuss the factors that account for the change. Learning is one such factor. Third, since implementation patterns change over time it is important to move away from sterile and – as this research shows – inaccurate broad generalizations and opt for a more accurate, fine-grained, theoretically-driven analysis capable of revealing both instances of success and failure.

References: Institutions and the implementation of EU public policy in Greece: the case of public procurement:

http://www.lse.ac.uk/europeanInstitute/research/hellenicObservatory/pdf/GreeSE/GreeSE02.pdf

Applying the EU Law: https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/law-making-process/overview-law-making-process/applying-eu-law_en

Infringement procedure: https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/law-making-process/overview-law-making-process/applying-eu-law/monitoring-implementation-eu-directives/infringement-procedure_en

The General Secretariat of the Greek Government: http://www.ggk.gov.gr/?page_id=334

The greek constitution: http://www.hellenicparliament.gr/en/Vouli-ton-Ellinon/To-Politevma/Syntagma/