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PELOPONNESO
GEOGRAPHY AND DEMOGRAPHY
 The Peloponnese is the southernmost peninsula both in Greece and in Europe. The narrow isthmus, some 6 km wide, that linked it to mainland Greece was cut through by a man-made canal in 1893, turning the Peloponnese into an island bordered to the north by the Gulf of Corinth, to the west by the Ionian Sea and to the east by the Aegean. It covers an area of 15490 square km and has a population of 638.942 inhabitants, with a density of 42/km². The peninsula has a mountainous interior and deeply indented coasts, with Mount Taygetus its highest point. The regional capital is Tripolis and the other urban centres are Korinthos (Corinth), Argos, Navplion, Sparti and Kalamata.

The Peloponnese is a mountainous region, with two-thirds of its total area covered by mountain ranges that run from north to south as a continuation of the Pindos. The region's lowlands are in the coastal areas, the most extensive plains being those of Argolida, Korinthia, Messinia and Lakonia. Seismic activity is a characteristic feature of the region. The areas that are most prone to earthquakes are the coasts around the Isthmus of Corinth and the Messinia area.

INFRASTRUCTURE
 The infrastructure in the region could be improved; there are railroads, roads but they are insufficientfor a good development of the region. The seaports are under developed.
ECONOMY
 The region has a strong agricultural emphasis and is the country's leading producer of oranges, olive oil and mushrooms. However, with the exception of intensive crops such as apricots, productivity is low owing to problems of irrigation, fragmentation of agricultural land, transport facilities and the poor social conditions of the rural population.

The northern part of the region in particular - Korinthia, Argolida - ranks as one of the leading agricultural regions in the country due to the high productivity of the land under cultivation and the development of intensive crops. The secondary sector is also well developed in the north, with a heavy concentration of industry along the Isthmia-Korinthos-Examilia and Argos-Navplion axes. As a result, these areas - unlike those in the south of the region - have no particular problem with depopulation. Coastal summer resorts have also been developed, particularly in the nomos of Korinthia, and there is considerable tourist activity in the nomos of Argolida (ancient Mycenae and Epidavros).

In the interior the large amount of semi-mountainous terrain suitable for grazing has allowed stock rearing to develop. Arkadia also contains the Megalopoli area, which is rich in lignite deposits and has one of the largest power stations in the country. The per capita GDP is only 60% of the EU average.

LABOUR MARKET
 The percentage of total active population (aged 15-64) is 33%, The total number of employees is 210820. The employment rate is around 60% (female employment rate is 37% while the male employment rate is 58,40%). 17% of the employees work in agriculture, 25% in industry and the rest in the services sector.

Unemployment in the Peloponnese is lower than the national average. In 2001 there were about 16 900 people in unemployment, about 7.5% of the region's labour force. Unemployment among women is very high (two-thirds of the total unemployment), as well as among people under 25 years of age. Adverse conditions for the rural population drive young people away from the primary sector, whilst the secondary and tertiary sectors are not sufficiently developed to absorb the labour force. About 54% of the total persons in unemployment were concerned by a long-term unemployment (more than 12 consecutive months).

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
 The region spends 3,6% of its GDP in R&D. The public investments in Research and Development is 0,49% whereas the total amount of private investments is 0,43.
DATA RELATED TO REGIONAL STRUCTURAL FUNDS MECHANISMS
 The region is EU Objective 1, for the period 2000-2006.
REGIONAL PROGRAMME OF INNOVATIVE ACTIONS (RPIA)
 During the period 2002-2003, the Peloponnese region implemented a RPIA with total resources of 2 565 000 Euro (EU- 1 913 600 Euro, public - 478 400 Euro, private - 173 000 Euro). The programme elaborated a regional strategy and a programme of actions in the field of regional economies based on knowledge and technological innovation, by promoting the concept, the culture and the practise of innovation amongst SME and inhabitants. This programme also concentrates on overcoming the weaknesses and threats linked to its geographical environment.

This programme focused on two fields:

  • Injection of knowledge and technological innovation in each of the three sectors (eco-tourism, support for SME, promotion of local traditional products) of the regional economy, through innovative pilot actions on products or services with leader potential for the region's economy and demonstration effect for the promotion of the concept and practice of innovation in the region;

  • Development of the rural information society facility to enhance entrepreneurship capacity and the quality of life through exploitation of ICTs by small rural communities; creation of a regional development information service to enhance the capacity of the institutions and communities of the region to participate to development process.

The programme carried out the following actions :

  • 1. Development of an action plan for innovation's funding and a regional partnership;
  • 2. Creation of a regional eco-tourism support centre;
  • 3. Creation of a virtual business incubator;
  • 4. Assistance for business co-operation for traditional products development;
  • 5. Establishment of information society services for rural areas;
  • 6. Establishment of a regional development information service;
  • 7. Pilot actions for the dissemination and awareness raising of the results of the previous actions.

Furthermore, the European Commission has approved Euro 1.39 million for a second regional programme of innovative actions “NetForce 2006”. The programme will focus on business clusters promoting new products and will encourage the establishment of innovative enterprises with links to educational institutions and research centres (Innovation Technology Transfer Support Centre). During the period 2006-2007, the European funding will attract Euro 0.5 million in further investment from the public sector creating total resources of Euro 1.89 million. Four main lines of action are planned:

  • 1. Networking local business will support partnership and help small enterprises, organisations, associations, development agencies and public services use local experience and build a collective widely identifiable brand, strongly linked to the regional history, heritage and traditions which will become widely known and sellable to the European market.

  • 2. A regional Innovation & Technology Transfer support centre (ITT Centre) will provide high quality business advice and information and set up a structure for the dissemination of best practices, new technologies and innovative ideas.

  • 3. A government to business & business to cooperation framework will determine what is needed to set up Information Society Forums and develop a web-based environment to support it.

  • 4. A “Special Interest” tourism network will focus on a sector, where the region has competitive advantages due to its rich cultural and natural heritage. “Special interest products” in different forms of tourism (such as rural, ecological, cultural, sports, health, wine tourism) will be developed on the basis of the distinctive characteristics of the region.