Time for true decentralization
Greece must be the only country on earth whose general secretary for forestry is found in the midst of the city. Of course, it is also the only country that has separate ministries for different geographical areas, such as the Ministry for the Aegean, also headquartered in the middle of Athens. It is probably the only country that has more office staff for agricultural development (again, in Athens) than there are people working in the fields. Given the extensive but concentrated structure of state services, it is only natural that the center of the country’s capital city sees 2.6 million trips by state service vehicles. The delayed semi-decentralization program that was to move ministry buildings to the city’s periphery, would bring some relief. But if some authorities are not delegated to local government authorities, the problem won’t be solved but simply transferred.
