Greece. National Communication (NC). NC 8. Biennial Reports (BR). BR 5.

HELLENIC REPUBLIC
MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY
8th NATIONAL COMMUNICATION and 5th Biennial Report
UNDER THE UNITED NATIONS FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON
CLIMATE CHANGE
December 20228th NATIONAL COMMUNICATION TO THE UNFCCC 1
CHAPTER 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1.1 National Circumstances
1.1.1 Government structure
The Constitution of 1975, as revised in 1986, 2001, 2008 and in 2019, defines the political
system of Greece as a parliamentary democracy with the President being the Head of State.
At the top administrative level is the national government, with ministers appointed by the
Prime Minister. The ministries mainly prepare and implement national laws. The Ministry for
the Environment and Energy (MEEN) is the main governmental body concerned with the
development and implementation of environmental policy in Greece, while other Ministries are
responsible for integrating environmental policy targets within their respective fields. MEEN is
the competent authority for climate change issues. The Council of Ministers is responsible for
the final approval of policies and measures related to Climate Change. In September 2021 the
Ministry for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection was created merging the Civil Protection,
Hellenic Fire Service and part of the responsibilities regarding adaptation and climate change
of MEEN.
1.1.2 Population
In 2011, the total permanent population of Greece was 10.725 million inhabitants, according to
the Census of 2011 performed by the Hellenic Statistical Authority. The total population in
2011 decreased by 1.37% compared to the 2001 Census results, with 35.34% of total
population living in the greater Athens area. According to the population census results, the
average household size is continuously decreasing. For 2020, total permanent population of
Greece is estimated equal to 10.719 million inhabitants, slightly lower than this for 2016. The
average household size decreased from 2.80 persons per household according to the 2001
population census, to 2.55 persons per household, according to the 2011 population census
Population density in Greece is estimated at 84.03 inhabitants/km2.
1.1.3 Economic profile
Greece is a member of the EU since 1981 and member of the Eurozone since 2001. The euro is
the monetary unit of the country since 1st of 2002. After the accession, the Greek economy was
developed with high rates, while its capacity to cope with structural problems both in public
and in private sector was increased. However, since 2009 the Greek economy experienced its
most-severe economic crisis recording four consecutive year recession up to 2013. As a
consequence, Greece has received financial and technical assistance from the other Eurozone
countries and the IMF in the framework of the first Memorandum of Understanding (May,
2010), the second one (January, 2012) and the third one (August, 2015) in order to deal with its
high deficit and Government debt. The implementation of the Memorandums of Understanding
was accompanied by the adoption of numerous economic and structural changes of Greece
influencing significantly the living standards of Greek citizens. The third Memorandum of
Understanding was completed by the August of 2018. In period 2014-2016 no significant
change on GDP was noticed while for years 2017, 2018 and 2019 approximately 1.08%, 1.64%
and 1.77% growth, respectively, were noted. Nevertheless, this upward trend did not continue
in 2020 due to the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, where a recession of 9.9% was
observed.
1.1.4 Geographical profile
Greece has a total area of 131.957 km2 and occupies the southernmost extension of the Balkan