Institutional status and structure of wastewater quality management in Greece

In recent years sanitation programmes in Greece have been launched principally for domestic environmental reasons, but also because of the country's commitment to comply with the common European Union (EU) environmental policy. The administration of these new programmes has been based on existing public services, and because of this a number of problems have arisen. This paper describes the institutional and administrative structure of wastewater treatment in Greece. An analysis and evaluation of the existing situation reveals that there is a significant number of problematic municipal wastewater treatment plants (MWTP). The agencies involved are described and evaluated and the importance of having specialised agencies is demonstrated. The effects of centralisation of the local administration under a pioneering national plan are predicted and recommendations for improving the institutional and administrative structure are made; taking into account the experience of other countries, local and national constraints, and the existing situation.