OPERATIONAL PROGRAMME Information Society 3rd Community Support Framework for Greece June 2001

1. The OPIS: structure, content and funding The OPIS is:  an innovative horizontal, cross-departmental programme  the main instrument for realizing the government’s IS strategy  the tool for achieving the targets set by e-Europe  It aims at promoting the IS in a a coherent and integrated manner It involves:  overall coordination by the Ministries of National Economy and Public Administration  decentralised implementation + supporting mechanisms  a new public-private partnership

The OPIS budget and its structure

Action Line 1. Education and Culture  Measure 1.1. Equiping and networking schools and universities  Measure 1.2. New technologies in the educational process  Measure 1.3. Documentation, management and promotion of the Greek cultural heritage

Action Line 2. Services to citizens and an improved quality of life  Measure 2.1. Government on line: Business plans, studies, pilot projects  Measure 2.2. Government on line  Measure 2.3. Administration of the Structural Funds and transition to the Euro  Measure 2.4. Regional geographic information systems and innovative actions  Measure 2.5 Training and modernisation in the public administration  Measure 2.6. ICT applications in health and welfare  Measure 2.7. Training and organisational reform in health and welfare  Measure 2.8 “Intelligent transport”

 Measure 3.1. A ¨digital¨ environment for the new economy  Measure 3.2. Businesses in the digital economy  Measure 3.3. Research and technological development for the IS  Measure 3.4. Skills upgrading  Measure 3.5. Employment promotion for the Information Society Action Line 3. The digital economy, employment and social cohesion

Action Line 4. Communications  Measure 4.1. Supporting and consolidating the liberalisation process  Measure 4.2. Development of local access network infrastructure  Measure 4.3. Advanced telecommunications services for the citizen  Measure 4.4. Development and modernisation of postal services  Measure 4.5. Training in the communications sector

Action Line 5. Technical Assistance  Measure 5.1. Management and implementation  Measure 5.2 Technical Assistance ΕSF  Measure 5.3 Technical Assistance ΕRDF

2. Management and implementation mechanisms The basic design:  Overall coordination for a coherent and integrated approach to IS development  Decentralised implementation by agencies  Creation of supporting mechanisms The new structures:  The Managing Authority  The Information Society S.A.  The IS Observatory

The Managing Authority of the OPIS  An independent service within the Ministry of National Economy  Headed by a Special Secretary, reports directly to Minister/D.Minister  A staff of 40, with strict selection criteria & competitive salaries  Organised in 4 units: A. Programming and evaluation B1. Monitoring and Management of Action Lines 1,2 B2. Monitoring and Management of Action Lines 3,4,5 B2. Audits C. Admin support (includes Website, indicators, etc.)  Timetable for its creation u Round 1 (20 people on secondment from the public sector) completed u Round 2 (20 people from private sector) September-October

The Information Society S.A.  An Implementing Organisation that assists agencies in all stages of ITC project design, implementation and follow-up  A public company (S.A) with economic and managerial autonomy  A staff of 30-40, with strict selection criteria & competitive salaries  Organised in units dealing with (a) support to final beneficiaries, (b) project management, (c) admin  Timetable for its creation u Staffing: July first round

The Information Society S.A. What it does:  Supports agencies (with experts/studies) in the preparation of business plans and of the management structures for project implementation  Prepares specifications and RFPs, evaluates tenders, assists final beneficiaries in designing contracts  Follows the project implementation process in terms of quality of services delivered  Supports final beneficiaries after projects are completed in terms of assimilation, organisational change and continuous development

The Information Society Observatory  Composed of personalities and high-evel experts, with a small permanent secretariat (10 people)  Disseminates best practice methods, assists the exchange of experiences, know-how and information, provides training tools  Collects statistics, undertakes or commissions benchmarking studies  Works in close consultation with similar EU-wide and regional organisations  Timetable for its creation: end-2001

Management, implemantation and advisory structures work together  Before a project funding decision is made by the MA, the MA works with the IS S.A. and the programming authority and/or the final beneficiary to establish and help put in place the necessary preconditions for a succesful completion of the project  After a project funding decision is made by the MA, the MA refers the implementing agency to the IS S.A. in order to determine the exact way that it will be supported; the MA and the IS S.A. exchange information throughout the project implementaion phase  The work of the IS Observatory (benchmarking, best-practices, etc.) directly assists the tasks of both the MA and the IS S.A.

3. Preparing the ground for launching: The story so far...  An emphasis on openness and a ‘partenariat’: u A number of seminars/conferences on the OPIS during 1999 and 2000 u The OP and the Guide in u OPIS presentation to representatives from Ministries and Regions on different occasions  Work on preparing the legal/organisationl framework u The legal texts (for the MA, the IS S.A) u Procedure simplification (elaboration of joint proposals with IT industry)  Programming Complement u Approved by the Monitoring Committee

3. Preparing the ground for launching: The story so far...  Pre - Funding of certain projects (120 million Euro) regarding: u Business Plans of Actors u Transition to Euro u Education – Support with equipment and access to the Internet u Connecting SMEs to the Internet ( GoDigital) u Online - Public and regional Administration

4. Getting the actors ready: the Business Plan Who needs a business plan?  Anyone with projects to be funded by the OPIs and without one What kind?  Business plan, after plan, rolling action plan….a case by case decision An indicative ToC  The current situation  Operational and strategic planning  The action plan

5. Next Steps: a timetable

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