Greece - Economic and Social Council

Institutional characteristics

1. Establishment

- Date of creation: 1994

- Year operational: 1994

- Nature of the texts that create the institution (Constitution, law, decree, etc.): 

Constitution article 82, paragraph 3, Law 2232/1994

- Have any changes in recent years happened concerning the nature, membership, capacities of the Institution.

No

2. Mandate

Consultation and advisory ✅

Negotiation ☐

Both ☐

3. Mission and attributions

Article 82, paragraph 3 of the Constitution provides that “The law determines the issues related to the formation, operation and competencies of the Economic and Social Council, whose mission is to conduct the social dialogue on the country's general policy and in particular on economic and social policy guidelines, as well as to formulate opinions on government bills or MPs' law proposals referred to it.”

The objective of the ESC is to promote the social dialogue and through it to formulate mutually acceptable positions on issues of concern to society as a whole or specific social groups.

Through its proposals and opinions, it also seeks to maximize the social benefit or minimize any possible negative effects of decisions taken by executive and legislative powers.

4. Composition :

- Number of members: 60

- Duration of the term: 4 years

- Membership categories: Three groups

Group A: employers/entrepreneurs,

Group B: one of private and public sector employees,

Group C: Other categories, such as farmers, self-employed people, consumers, environmental protection organizations, disabled people's confederation, gender equality organizations, and the local government.

- Process of designating the members (election, nomination, by whom, etc.):

27 Member-Organizations of the ESC of Greece nominate their members for a four year period who are appointed by decision of the Minister of Finance

5. Management organs

Presidium / Bureau / Cabinet / Other: Please specify role, composition, designation :

Assembly General / Plenary session / Other: Please specify role, frequencies of meeting:

General Secretariat: Please specify role, composition, designation:

The organs of the ESC of Greece are: President, Vice-Presidents, Council of Presidents, Group of Employers, Group of Employees, Group of Other Categories, General Assembly, Executive Committee and the Secretary General

6. Operational arrangement of the Permanent Secretariat

Yes ☐

No ☐

7. Gender balance (% of women)

Between 0% and 9% ✅

Equal or more than 10% ☐

Equal or more than 30% ☐

Equal or more than 50% ☐

8. Reporting Institution

Government ✅

Parliament ✅

Cabinet of President ☐

Cabinet of Prime Minister ☐

Ministry of Finance ✅

Ministry of Labour ✅

Ministry of Social Affairs ✅

Others (please specify):

9. Budget

Amount :

Between $0 and $249,000 ☐

Equal or more than $250,000 ☐

Equal or more than $500,000 ☐

Equal or more than $750,000 ☐

Ministry of Finance of the Hellenic Republic and other sources

III. Organizational Structure

1. Committees/Sub-committees/working groups:

Formed by decision of the Executive Committee according the theme of the opinion to be drafted each time

2. Is there in your country any institutions of social dialogue outside your institutions?

No

IV. Functioning of the ESC

1. Who convenes the Institution?

2. Has the Institution a legal right to issue own-initiative opinion? Yes.

3.How are decisions taken inside the Institution

By vote ✅

By consensus ✅

4. What kind of payment do the Councillors receive: wage, compensation, other?

Compensation

5. Is the Government obligated to follow the opinion issued by the Institution?

No

6. Is the Government obligated to report on the fate of the Institution opinions?

No

7. Are there official publications of the Institution opinions?

Yes.

8. Is the public opinion informed about the Institution works? How?

Yes, through media and publications

9. What kind of relationship does the ESC have with civil society?

Part of the Institution ✅

Institutionalised relation ☐

Uninstitutionalised relation ✅

Collaboration ☐

Participation in the drafting of reports ☐

Nothing at all ☐

V.Main technical areas of competencies

Agriculture ✅

Civil Society ✅

Corporate Social Responsibility ✅

Culture ✅

Education and Training ✅

Employment policy and labour market regulation ✅

Environmental Policy ✅

European Affairs ✅

Financial and Economic Policies ✅

Fiscal and Taxation Policies ✅

Fundamental principles and rights at work ✅

Gender equality and anti-discrimination ✅

Governance ✅

Health and Medical Policy ✅

Infrastructure, Transport, and Energy Policies ✅

International affairs ✅

Labour Law reform ✅

Legal Affairs ✅

Productivity and competitiveness ✅

Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy and Industrial Policy ✅

Social Affairs ✅

Social Dialogue and Tripartism ✅

Industrial relations and Collective bargaining ☐

Dispute prevention and resolution ☐

Social Security and Social Protection ✅

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) ✅

Territorial Management ✅

Workplace compliance and working conditions ✅

Youth Employment ✅

Other ✅

VI. Brief description of major results obtained by your Institution in the last 3 years

Please give examples (Recommendations issued, Reports, Collective Agreements concluded, Conflict prevention and social peace obtained, National policies or legal frameworks including recommendations, Reform of your institution) and attached relevant documents

OPINIONS

• Employment protection
• Opinion on “The National Recovery and Resilience Plan - Strategic Directions”
• Modernization of Spatial and Urban Planning Legislation
• Teleworking: Problems and Prospects
• The National Development Programme 2021 - 2025
• Second phase of the COVID-19 pandemic management
• Spatial Planning: Problems and Challenges
• Priorities and challenges within the framework of the National Energy and Climate Plan for achieving a high-rate energy efficiency upgrade of the buildings stock
• The COVID-19 pandemic and the measures to support economy and society
• Education - Training
• Thematic Tourism - Special Forms of Tourism - Arrangements for the modernization of the institutional framework in the filed of tourism and tourism education - Supporting tourism entrepreneurship and other provisions
• Reduction of insurance contributions and other provisions
• Justice and Good Law-making
• Circular Economy
• Insurance and pension arrangements. Combating undeclared work, enhancing worker’s protection, care for unaccompanied minors and other provisions
• Justice and Good law-making
• UN 2030 Agenda: Priority Objectives for Greece

EVENTS

• Multilevel Consultation Mechanism - Hybrid event (Athens)
• Multilevel Consultation Mechanism - Hybrid event (Messolonghi, Greece)
• International Conference on the Future of Europe - ESC Public Consultation on the future of Europe (Athens)
• The Social Economy: Mobilising cities, regions and civil society. Pact for Impact for the European Union (Athens)
• The role of civil society in communicating the European Union
• The European Semester: Ηow the organized civil society takes stock and sets out prospects for it
• Forum on the Circular Economy (Athens)
• Designing the future. Development perspectives - Creating a new Βusiness Εcosystem with Social Consent and Synergies (Argos, Greece)
• Reasserting Europe's values
• Intervention by the President of the ESC within the framework of the presentation of the Greek Report for the Sustainable Development Goals at the UN - HLPF (New York)
• Seminar within the framework of the Project “Tackling Multiple Discrimination in Greece: Delivering equality by active exploration and enabling policy interventions"