Perhaps the title is a bit confusing. On one side, there is the pan-European parliamentary institution, and on the other, our small geographic area. However, a broader view finds connections in several issues. We will attempt to develop these further, starting with some general information.

    Among the European institutions, the European Council (usually at the level of ministers of the member states) and the European Commission (with one representative from each member state appointed by each government) have a dominant and decisive role. The European Parliament participates in the decisions of the two previous institutions, by giving its assent on matters of major importance and economic impact, that go as far as the approval of the President and all members of the European Commission. However, it also intervenes in all matters specified by the Treaties, which constitute the legal basis for the establishment and operation of the European Union, as well as for the main financial funds (the European Regional Development Fund (ΕΤΠΑ), the European Social Fund (ΕΚΤ), the Cohesion Fund (ΤΣ), the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (ΕΓΤΑΑ) and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (ΕΤΘΑ). These funds are used to finance the Community Support Frameworks (KΠΣ), which initially run for five years, as well as for Community Initiatives. Mani was included in two of these Community Initiatives: Leader II during the 1990s and the Integrated Rural Development Program (OXE) of Mani in the recent five-year period. Projects and works included in these initiatives were funded either from their own budgets or through the inclusion of selected projects and actions in the corresponding Community Support Framework (KΠΣ). We close this paragraph of general information by noting that the integration and financing of projects and works from the Community Support Frameworks are promoted either through the national level, which is managed by the respective ministries, or through the regional level, which is managed by the regions of the country.

    The geophysical, climatic, and cultural characteristics of Mani create by themselves a dynamic for development. Unfortunately, on their own, they are not sufficient for this dynamic to be practically expressed. A plan and a holistic approach are required to ensure that these developmental characteristics lead to the attraction of the necessary investments to yield economic benefits for Mani, its people, and the qualitative upgrade of its technical infrastructure. Unfortunately, private investments are promoted in an isolated and uncoordinated manner, while public investments are almost nonexistent. The planning and the holistic approach, as mentioned earlier, are lacking, and they do not generate the necessary impetus for public investments to respond to the dynamics created by the geolphysical space and private initiatives.

    The array of institutional expressions that guide financing, although complex and multi-layered, needs to be approached in order to transfer to it the right for the development of the region. The regional administration, ministries, MPs and MEPs (members of parliament and members of the European Parliament), who distribute the financing of public investments, are elected, and promote the region’s development rights, especially during critical pre-election periods, can be a first step towards positive prospects in the future.

    Unfortunately, a historical review leads to disappointing conclusions. We have failed even in managing the specialised funding for our region from the two Community Initiatives mentioned earlier. A large portion of their initial budgets was recalled, anticipated projects and works were detached, and the resulting benefits have not had a significant impact.

    The upcoming European elections are another opportunity to create a favourable climate for the region at the European level. The selection of candidates who have knowledge and experience related to development and who understand the qualitative characteristics of our region can create a favourable atmosphere that can be exploited in the future. Planning and a holistic approach are prerequisites for any effective approach. The advocacy line followed so far by the representatives of the region, due to its fragmented nature, has not yielded results. It is time to understand that the necessary reflection needs to be generated to revise it. It has been proven that advocating for one’s village, narrow geographical area, or municipality does not lead to public investments that will complement the significantly promoted private investments. A joint plan and joint proposals to regional administration, central government, MPs and MEPs can be the only path to attract funding. And then, we should learn to maximise their returns, with organisation and without internal competitions and selective allocations of funding.

THE EDITORIAL BOARD

Decades come and go, and Greece’s development, mainly based on tourism, progresses rapidly. In Mani, however, the pace is slow, relying mainly on individual initiatives. Public investment that would complete these initiatives and accelerate the development process is scarce and sporadic, while the promotional interventions of local representatives are almost non-existent. The critical factor for the development process, which is the radical improvements of the central road axis Kalamata – Areopoli – Gytheio – Sparta, has undergone very minor improvements over the past decades. The initiatives and sporadic interventions of the last regional administration were a form of departure from the long-term stagnation and the depreciative effects that occur from year to year, but they were small compared to what is required. Despite all this, nowhere on the horizon is there a willingness from the representatives of our region for joint actions and the presentation of well-documented requests to the central government, which is the body that makes the final decisions on important issues such as this. Two characteristic examples, related to the central road axis of Mani, prove the preceding observations.

A small improvement in the travel time from Kalamata to Western Mani, the tourist areas of Kardamyli, Stoupa, Agios Nikolaos, Areopoli, the Diros caves, and Gerolimenas could be achieved through the funding and execution of the bypass project of Kampos – Stavropigio. It should be noted that the study of the project began in 1996, initiated by the then Prefect of Messinia Panagiotis Foteas, following a joint proposal from the then independent communities of Western Mani! In the almost thirty years that have passed since then, significant financial resources have been consumed for improvements, revisions, updates, and additions to the main study, and its companion studies, but it seems that they were not linked to the final resolution of the issue. In this case too, there were significant promotional activities by the recent regional administration, but again, this case did not reach the funding and the start of the construction of the project…

Another old issue is the study of the Sparti – Gytheio road. It started in 2005 when the then Minister of Infrastructure Georgios Souflias visited Gytheio and subsequently announced the study following a relevant request. The study, however, has not yet been completed! While one part of it concerning the bypass of Sparti (Skoura – Pyri section) was constructed from the beginning, the old route and the section from the bypass junction towards Monemvasia to Gytheio remain the same as they were in the original layout many decades ago.

Certainly, the end of the Athens – Corinth – Tripoli motorway in Kalamata, as well as in Sparti, brought Mani much closer in terms of time, and a significant part of its tourist development is owed to this fact. However, visitors who quickly arrive with their cars to the capitals of Messinia and Laconia, if they are not Philo-Maniots, prefer other, more accessible local road destinations to continue their planned days of rest and recreation. Thus, the initial design of the central axis of Mani, in the footsteps of the old mule path, appears as a disincentive for easily mobile road travelers to the two cities where the new motorway ends, but also for their residents who wish to change scenery by visiting neighbouring areas with significant natural and cultural imprint.

An additional element that imposes the necessity for promoting requests aimed at planning and implementing radical improvements on the central axis of Mani is the expected upgrade of Kalamata airport, which serves as the gateway to the Peloponnese for air travellers from all continents. Whatever consortium, from those that have expressed interest in the airport’s long-term lease wins, will have to work with large travel companies from around the world, which will bring travellers to the western borders of Mani through Kalamata airport. The necessity of attracting this category of travellers to our region through the radical redesign of its main road axis becomes clear.

From the above, it is evident that the main goal for those who wish the development of our region to gain momentum, generating new incomes and new jobs for its inhabitants, but also in general, is the redesign of the central road axis. To achieve this goal, coordination of the elected representatives of Mani is required for joint actions within a unified framework of claims that, in addition to their promotion to the state administration, will also stimulate the necessary interventions from all institutions and all persons of increased influence in our region.

                                                                                                            THE EDITORIAL BOARD