Public private partnerships: The Greek experience

Abstract

Governments worldwide are continuously trying to increase the involvement of the private sector in the delivery of public services. The last few years the countries which are members of the European Union have increased their interest in the development of Public Private Partnerships (PPP). This type of partnerships tries to structure the relationship between the public and private sectors in such a way that the activities and risks associated with different parameters and phases of a public service are allocated to the party best able to manage them. A partnership is a risk sharing relation between two or more sectors based on a shared aspiration to bring a desired outcome. Thus PPP can be defined as a relationship and cooperation of the public authorities with the private sector which aim to the reservation of adequate funding, financing, construction, maintenance, rehabilitation and management of a development or service. The financing of this type of developments is a procedure that requires a lot of attention because the risks that are associated with such projects are many and difficult to quantify. A risk identification, evaluation and mitigation procedure is always needed in the design and procurement stages. Here in Greece 4 projects have been developed and constructed with a partnership between the public sector and private firms. Attiki Odos and Athens International Airport are the two most important and successful. Attiki Odos is a project that can be used as a pilot for the development of similar projects in the future due to the fact that its development, construction and operation were successful and based on the international rules and trends of PPP agreements. Athens International Airport is another PPP project constructed with a joint venture between the Greek government and private firms, but in this case the involvement of the public sector was very high due to the high risks that this project had. The Greek environment in construction projects is very interested in using PPP’s for the financing and development of big projects, but the existing legal framework is a barrier for their application. With political decisions which will change the legal framework both contractors and financiers will be more relaxed in taking part in Public Private Partnership Projects. PPP’s can prove to be a powerful tool in the hands of every government but their application should not be seen as a panacea for every infrastructure funding problem that public sector may face.