The Regional Operational Programme of Crete and the Aegean Islands is one of the 5 Regional Operational Programmes, which, together with the 8 Sectoral and 12 European territorial Cooperation programmes make up the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) for 2007-2013.

The Regional Operational Programme provides business development interventions in the geographic unit of 3 administrative regions: Crete, the Southern Aegean and the Northern Aegean.
Operationally, this geographic unit creates an island area that consists of over 90 islands (small, medium, large) characterized by specific problems-particularities and opportunities-prospects that create a complex developmental environment at European and Mediterranean level.

The development strategy of the geographic unit of “Crete and the Aegean Islands” for 2007-13 is based on two pillars:

• developing the competitiveness of the geographic unit,
• ensuring a modern and comfortable quality of life for residents

who define the overall development vision of the geographic unit, as summarized in:

• The strengthening of competitiveness and the enhancement of the attractiveness of the geographic unit “Crete and the Aegean Islands” in conditions of sustainable development.

An important part of the developmental strategy of this geographic unit will be implemented through the assistance of the ROP of Crete and the Aegean Islands 2007-13, whose strategic interventions cover eight broad objectives:

1. Improving accessibility (intraregional and interregional).
2. Ensuring the quality of life of residents.
3. Integrating sustainability in the development options and interventions, combined with the protection of the sensitive natural environment.
4. Development of a knowledge society and strengthening extrovert partnerships.
5. Fostering entrepreneurship, cultivating innovation, attracting investments and creation of high value jobs.
6. Combined use of tourist and cultural resources.
7. Management of intra-regional inequalities and development particularities.
8. Strengthening networking trends between urban centres in the geographic unit and the emergence of development poles.

Funding for the Regional Operational Programme of Crete and the Aegean Islands for the programming period 2007-2013 amounts to 1.325.000.178 € (amount of total public expenditure) of which the 871.300.178 € represent the Community Assistance.

Related files

• Summary of the ROP of Crete and the Aegean Islands (PDF - 66.08 Kb)