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34-506: Aroania is situated in southeastern Achaea, near the border with Corinthia . The slightly higher Kyllini mountain is about 15 km to its east, separated from Aroania by the valley of the river Olvios . The mountain Erymanthos is about 30 km to the west, across the valley of the river Vouraikos . The rivers Krios , Krathis and Vouraikos drain the mountain towards the Gulf of Corinth in

68-473: A country which has been widely regarded as the most centralist country of the European Union, with many smaller municipalities, especially rural communities being "extremely understaffed and deprived of any possibility to fulfil their tasks," an emphasis was put on strengthening the remaining authorities in terms of autonomy of self-governance , public transparency and overall accessibility to citizens. At

102-492: A median of just 4,661.5 inhabitants, a large number of small municipalities and rural communities however remained independent. This included 88 communities with a population of less than 1000, down to Gramos with just 28 inhabitants. With the territorial reforms of the 1990s, Greece has been cited as the first southern European country to follow a coercive top-down approach for territorial reforms, an approach rather typical for northern European countries. Though strengthened by

136-542: Is one of the regional units of Greece . It is part of the region of Peloponnese . It is situated around the city of Corinth , in the north-eastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. Corinthia borders on Achaea to the west and southwest, the Gulf of Corinth and Attica to the north, the Saronic Gulf to the east, Argolis to the south and Arcadia to the southwest. The Corinth Canal , carrying ship traffic between

170-420: Is subdivided into six municipalities. These are (number as in the map in the infobox): As a part of the 2011 Kallikratis government reform , the regional unit Corinthia was created out of the former prefecture Corinthia ( Greek : Νομός Κορινθίας ). The prefecture had the same territory as the present regional unit. At the same time, the municipalities were reorganised, according to the table below. Most of

204-569: The Corinth Canal , the thermal springs of Loutraki , the archaeological sites of Nemea , Sicyon and the Heraion of Perachora . Kallikratis Programme Later Political Life The Kallikratis Programme ( Greek : Πρόγραμμα Καλλικράτης , romanized :  Prógramma Kallikrátis ) is the common name of Greek law 3852/2010 of 2010, a major administrative reform in Greece . It brought about

238-628: The Elissos River . It will be the second largest body of water (lakes, reservoirs) in Corinthia. The dam will be designed to withstand earthquakes and natural disasters, including flooding. On July 17, 2007, a forest fire struck the area around the historic Acrocorinth and its castle. The main sources of income are goods and services, manufacturing, tourism and agriculture. Several major roadways are situated within Corinthia. Notable attractions include Ancient Corinth with its acropolis, Acrocorinth ,

272-544: The Ionian and the Aegean seas, is about 4 km (2.5 miles) east of Corinth , cutting through the Isthmus of Corinth . Corinthia is increasingly seen as part of the wider metropolitan area of Athens , with municipalities, such as Agioi Theodoroi in the easternmost part of the regional unit, being considered suburbs of Athens. The area around Corinth and the western Saronic including

306-588: The Karamanlis government had initially been reluctant to pursue further administrative reforms, as it had opposed the reforms of the 1990s. In a late implementation of a provision that was already part of the Kapodistrias plan, the 147 provinces , as subunits of the 51 prefectures, were abolished in 2007. Only after the 2007 reelection did the Karamanlis government decide that further reforms were necessary to bring

340-507: The early 2009 legislative election , a new attempt at further administrative reforms was started. The Kallikratis plan was presented to the public in January 2010, amidst the beginnings of the Greek financial crisis . While in terms of figures rather similar to the failed New Democracy plans, it was not confined to reducing the sheer number of administrative entities and their state accountability. In

374-500: The 13 NUTS 2 -level administrative regions ( Διοικητική περιφέρεια , Diikitiki periferia or "administrative region"). Originally introduced in 1987, the regions had been strengthened in 1993 as intermediate administrative units for regional planning . Under the Kallikratis Programme, these regions became self-governing, separate entities with a regional council and a regional governor, both popularly elected. In return,

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408-432: The 1990s reforms, the prefectural second-tier level however did not meet expectations. Largely subverted by an uncoordinated but convergent anti-reform opposition, the reformed prefectures lost a number of important competences following court decisions. The numerous controversies largely undermined public trust in the prefectural level. After the electoral victory of the liberal-conservative New Democracy party in 2004 ,

442-411: The European Union. To improve public transparency, local authorities are now generally obliged to make public all their decisions via the internet. Furthermore, a Local Ombudsman was established to support both citizens and enterprises in coping with local administrations. New Financial Committees and Executive Committees were established to help professionalize financial accounting, and to monitor

476-473: The Papandreou government's decision as using a singular window of opportunity to overcome long-standing resistance against reform. While in regard to the massive-scale top-down approach deviating from a Southern European strategy , compared to federal states such as Germany , interaction between national and subnational levels remains relatively weak with the subnational levels remaining strictly separated from

510-451: The absence of a working budget remained unable to fulfill even their limited responsibilities, now assumed the prefectures' competences in regard to tax collection , European structural funding and treasury . Part of the subsequent Kapodistrias plan , Law 2539/1997 sharply reduced the number of municipalities and communities from 5.823 to 1.033, after the increasing urbanization had left small communities literally dying out. With

544-475: The central tasks of the national administration were transferred to seven larger, newly created "decentralized administrations" ( Αποκεντρωμένη Διοίκηση , Apokendromeni Diikisi ). Headed by a general secretary appointed by the Minister of Interior , the decentralized administration is responsible for regional planning and environmental protection . Subsequently, from 2010 on, subnational elections were held at

578-590: The deconcentrated administration of the central government. Also, state supervision remains largely confined to a posteriori control of the legality of a subnational entity's activity. Howard Elcock suggested that in spite of all efforts, officialdom's reluctance makes securing transparency a continuing struggle, so the Greek citizen remained an administré rather than a participant in government . Unnecessary decimation of local community organization led, in several occasions, to further minimization of participation. In

612-522: The highest peaks of Mount Aroania: The parts of Aroania between 800 m and 1,800 m elevation are covered with pine forests. The higher areas consist of grasslands and barren rock. Aroania is rich in butterfly species, including the Chelmos blue ( Agrodiaetus iphigenia ) which is found between 1,100 m and 1,800 m. Corinthia Corinthia ( Greek : Κορινθία , romanized :  Korinthía ; Modern Greek pronunciation: [korinˈθia] )

646-412: The largest lake is Lake Stymphalos , (important in Greek mythology and a bird resort, protected by Natura 2000 ) situated in the southwest. The reservoir will become one of the largest lakes after its completion. The climate of Corinthia consists of hot summers and mild winters in the coastal areas and somewhat colder winters with occasional snowfalls in the mountainous areas. The regional unit Corinthia

680-613: The local administrations. In communities with more than 10,000 residents, a Committee for the quality of life and a Consultation Committee is established. Aimed at improving local allocation of municipal resources, the Consultation Committee consists of representatives of local stakeholders such as businesses, trade unions, chambers and NGOs. At the same time the programme abolished the 51 self-governing prefectures ( NUTS 3 ), leaving them only in place as regional units . The former prefectures' competences were transferred to

714-631: The meantime, the hasty manner through which the law came into action paralyzed local authorities' initiative and independent funding. Akrivopoulou et al. pointed out that the Kallikratis program needs to be seen in the context of the general effort to create a smaller state. They point to specific provisions in the First and even more so in the Second Memorandum concerning the role of local governance for overall austerity. Nicos Souliotis pointed out that

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748-541: The modern inhabitants of the Corinthia are descendants of Arvanites . Large concentrations of those descendants live especially in mountainous regions, including Xylokeriza, Examilia , Sophiko and Kyras Vryse. The main cities and towns of Corinthia are (ranked by 2021 census population): From 1833 to 1899, the Corinthia prefecture included Argolis and was known as Argolidocorinthia . It included Hydra , Spetses and Kythira . Argolis joined Corinthia to reform Argolidocorinthia again in 1909. Forty years later, in 1949,

782-657: The north. The river Aroanios drains the mountain towards the southwest, to the Ionian Sea . The mountain is the site of the Aristarchos telescope and of a ski resort . Points of interest on the mountain include the Cave of the Lakes ( Spilaio ton Limnon ), the monastery of Mega Spilaio and the mountain town Kalavryta . Mountain villages on the mountain are Planitero and Peristera . There are several protected areas on Aroania. A list of

816-436: The number of self-governing local administrative units by compulsory merging the 1033 municipalities and communities which the Kapodistrias reform had already amalgamated to just 325 municipalities. Amalgamation of communities led to a number of pre-2007 provinces being reinstated as municipalities. Altogether, Greek municipalities now reached a mean size of 31,000 inhabitants, a level comparable to many other countries in

850-518: The old Corinth interchange eastward in Corinthia was opened in 1962 and the section west of Corinth was added in 1969. The new highway had a significant effect on the local industry, as it lowered the cost of transportation of goods between Corinthia and the Athens metropolitan area. In late 2006, the prefect of Corinthia announced the construction of a new dam, to be located 5 to 7 km (3.1 to 4.3 miles) south of Kiato and Sicyon , near Stimanika , over

884-485: The prefecture was finally separated from Argolis. The highway was first paved at the turn of the 20th century. The mid to late-20th century saw the population shifting from agriculture to other jobs, as people migrated to larger towns and cities as well as other parts of the world. In the 1960s, the motorway GR-8A was constructed to handle the increasing traffic between Corinth and Athens and allow higher speed limits (60 to 80 km/h (37 to 50 mph)). The section from

918-531: The regional rather than the prefectural level, and from 2014 on, they are held together with the European Parliament elections for a five-year period. Scholars of Southern European studies have described the Kallikratis reform as surprising, as it abolished a great number of prestigious and powerful political posts, which ahead of the looming crisis would have been regarded indispensable for keeping party clientelism alive. Bertrana and Heinelt described

952-586: The same time, the programme aimed at reducing local government employees by 50%, from around 50.000 to 25.000 across the country. The law was adopted in May 2010 and was implemented following the November 2010 local elections comprising the constituting regional elections, which replaced provincial elections as they were held before in 2002 and 2006 . Some prefectures were grouped into larger administrative super-prefectures or "hypernomarchies"), while Attica Prefecture

986-467: The second major reform of the country's administrative divisions following the 1997 Kapodistrias reform . Named after ancient Greek architect Callicrates , the programme was presented by the socialist Papandreou cabinet and was adopted by the Hellenic Parliament in May 2010. The programme's implementation started with the November 2010 local elections , and was completed by January 2011. It

1020-537: The southeastern part are made up of fault lines including the Corinth Fault , the Poseidon Fault and a fault running from Perahcora to Agioi Theodoroi. More faults are near Kiras Vrysi and Sofiko. The eastern coastlands of Corinthia are made up of pastures and farmlands where olives, grapes, tomatoes and vegetables are cultivated. The rest of Corinthia is mountainous. Its tallest mountain is Kyllini in its west and

1054-423: The state, and to create economies of scale . Putting administrative efficiency first, the top-down reform plan was criticized as subordinating questions of legitimacy and participation . Rather than being opposed by the parliamentary opposition, the plan faced obstruction by the more conservative camp within the governing party and ultimately failed. Following the landslide victory of the socialist PASOK in

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1088-575: The territorial structure in line with the European Union's Lisbon Strategy and the requirements of the Fourth Programming Period (2007–2013). The thirteen regions were planned to be combined to just six major "programmatic supra-regions" that were expected to more successfully compete for European structural funding . Municipalities would be amalgamated from 1034 down to 400, and prefectural governments reduced from 50 down to 16, in order to overcome fragmentation, to facilitate fiscal control by

1122-612: Was amended by the Kleisthenis I Programme (Law 4555/2018), which was adopted in July 2018 and implemented in September 2019. 1994 reforms under the socialist Papandreou government turned the largely dysfunctional prefectures into Prefectural Self-Government entities (PSGs) with prefects and prefectural councils both being popularly elected. In return, the thirteen administrative regions of Greece , which had already been created in 1987, but in

1156-405: Was further subdivided into four administrative prefectures ("nomarchies"). Regions are further subdivided into regional units ( περιφερειακή ενότητα , periferiaki enotita ), often corresponding to the former prefectures, and headed by a vice-regional governor ( αντιπεριφερειάρχης , antiperifereiárchis ). 120 communities ( Κοινότητα , kinotita ) The Kallikratis Programme further reduced

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