National Council on Competitiveness & Development (ESAA)

The National Council on Competitiveness & Development (ESAA) is the State’s supreme advisory body for all matters related to improving competitiveness, where institutional stakeholders discuss and submit their proposals or matters related to all aspects of Development and increased Competitiveness. The ESAA is the public forum for social consultation and social dialogue. It ensures the institutional participation of all bodies -the Government and social partners- in determining the general strategic axes by pursuing the best possible consent or, at least, the specification of individual disputes.

One of the major powers and responsibilities of ESAA is to prepare the Annual Report on Competitiveness in Greece, which includes how Greek Competitiveness is seen by international organisations (WEF, WB, IMD, etc.) and the Greek perspective, as regards weaknesses, problems and the comparative advantages of the Greek economy. Moreover, the Report on Competitiveness shall include the annual policy proposals on Development and improved Competitiveness, the implementation of which shall be evaluated in the following Annual Report; this makes sure that it is possible to monitor the effectiveness of actions undertaken over time and identify any problems with their implementation.

In particular, the major competencies of ESAA are:

• Processing positions and proposals to improve competitiveness, determine the guidelines to improve them and turn them into applicable policies.
• Making proposals on the long-term, medium-term and short-term plans for competitiveness and development.
• Proposing specific policy measures on competitiveness integrating data from regional and international experience.
• Submitting proposals on planning national and Community development programmes. This planning shall take into particular account Greek insular and mountainous areas.
• Drafting proposals on codifying and simplifying legislation, in order to remove barriers to increased competitiveness.
• Regularly updating its members on the works and decisions of the EU Competitiveness Council and of the Competitiveness Council Commissioners' Group (CCCG).
• Pursuing a synthesis of the views of social partners and other competent bodies and agencies on the above policy proposals.
• Delivering an opinion on matters falling within its competence, upon relevant questions submitted by the Prime Minister or the Minister for Development.
• Establishing a Greek System for Competitiveness Assessment.
• Approving ESAA’s annual action plan.
• Approving annual reports on competitiveness and submitting them to the Prime Minister, the Hellenic Parliament Speaker and the members of the Cabinet.
• Approving and duly submitting regular special reports on competitiveness.
• Approving annual reports of accounts.

ESAA prepares its Internal Regulation which is approved by decision of the Minister for Development and published on the Government Gazette.