STEREA ELLADA
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GEOGRAPHY AND DEMOGRAPHY
Central Greece comprises the five nomí of Viotia, Evia, Evritania, Fthiotida and Fokida. The capital of the region is Lamia, and other major towns are Chalkida, Thiva and Livadia. The region has an area of 15. 550 square km, a population of 662.802 inhabitants and a density of 43 inhabitants per square km. |
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INFRASTRUCTURE
Central Greece is a predominantly mountainous region. 69% of its area is mountainous or semi-mountainous. In the region there are clear distinctions between the areas with touristy structures or a high concentration of industry (along the Inofita-Schimatari-Thiva-Chalkida-Lamia axis), all having good infrastructures, and the less served mountainous areas. |
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ECONOMY
The industry is concentrated in the area Inofita-Thiva-Chalkida-Lamia axis, that has one of the largest concentrations of heavy industry in Greece. Agriculture is present in the region producing mainly oil, cotton, cereals and potatoes. The region GDP is 6,13% of the country's total one, and the GDP is 98% of the country average. |
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LABOUR MARKET
In the region there are 161.000 employees, and the employment rate is around 35%; the unemployment rate is around 13%. The number of persons working in the agricultural sector is 31,7% of the employees, whereas 27,5% works in the industrial sector, and 40,8 in the services sector. |
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RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
The region spends 0,16% of its GDP in research and development. |
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DATA RELATED TO REGIONAL STRUCTURAL FUNDS MECHANISMS
The region is EU objective 1, with a total amount of funds of 708.821.227 euros for the 2000-2006 period. |
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REGIONAL PROGRAMME OF INNOVATIVE ACTIONS (RPIA)
The European Commission provided Euro 1.54 million for a regional programme of innovative actions for the region of Sterea Ellada. The European funding attracted Euro 0.38 million in further investment from the public sector, and Euro 0.053 million from the private sector, creating total resources of Euro 1.97 million.
The programme focused on developing a regional strategy in the field of regional economies based on knowledge and technological innovation, by acquiring regional competitive assets on innovative new products and services development. The programme supported the local economy by developing partnerships between researchers and companies. It also fostered the diffusion of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in the region in order to reduce geographical isolation and it enabled the valorisation of cultural heritage through high technology and innovation. The region RPIA action line were:
1. Establishment of a network of research centres and enterprises for the development of environmental management systems;
2. Innovative Support Plan for the support of the SME for the New Economy and the Improvement of the Competitiveness;
3. Establishment of Electronic Cultural Multi-use Grounds in isolated areas in existing cultural centres and cultural infrastructures of these areas;
4. Implementation of new technologies (Virtual Reality) in cultural and historic areas for the provision of new specialised services in the field of cultural tourism and the increase of the flow of tourism in the region.
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