Inter-municipal cooperation (IMC) is when several municipalities agree to work together in order to gain mutual benefits. It is not an easy process, but it offers significant advantages to all municipalities, large and small.

In the framework of the Joint Council of Europe – European Union “Technical Assistance Project on Delivering Good Governance in Greece”, the Centre of Expertise for Good Governance has worked closely with the Greek municipalities, supporting the creation of two pilot IMC agreements.

Building on this effort, the team of experts also developed a Handbook on Inter-Municipal Cooperation in Greece. The Handbook combines theoretical aspects of IMC with a more practical focus on the Greek context. In particular, it provides a detailed description of the current legal framework for IMC in the country, as well as indications on how to develop an Action Plan to create an IMC agreement. Furthermore, it is accompanied by several Annexes, which provide different templates and delve into the details of best practices from other European countries and from the two pilot agreements.

A webinar to present the Handbook and discuss the main issues related to IMC in the country will be held on 26 February 2021.

A printed copy will be soon distributed to all Greek municipalities. The digital version of the Handbook and its Annexes (in Greek language) can be downloaded from the website of the Greek Ministry of the Interior.