European influences and domestic adaptations: the prospects of strong circular cities in Greece

The goal of this research project is to explore the latest push of the European Union to promote the Urban level for governance for sustainability transitions as well as to examine the institutional influence of the European Union on the Public Administration system of Greece, towards the establishment of stronger and more circular cities. To this end, the implementation of Cohesion Policy and the Partnership Principle is examined in order to evaluate the intensity of European influence towards Multi-Level Governance and the empowerment of Greek local governments. At the same time, the administrational implications of the New Circular Economy Action Plan are considered and then compared with the realities on the ground to reveal how close Greek cities are to the EU vision of circular cities. Based on the findings of this research, the influence of the EU seems to be heavily mediated by the domestic political and administrational environment and progress towards circular cities in Greece is slow.