Thessaloniki gears up for massive shake-up of the functioning of local government services

The city’s mayor wants the local government to become more efficient and digital in order to better support its citizens

"No photographic arrangements, no exclusions. A fully functional and efficient scheme that is based on the modern logic of management but also of the complex public administration and the current legislation ".  This is how the Mayor of Thessaloniki Konstantinos Zervas, explained the basics of the new Internal Service Organization, which is planned to be an essential work tool, which will contribute significantly to improving the efficiency of the city’s administrative machine and which is currently in advanced stages of development.

Digitalization and streamlining for the benefit of citizens

"Two factors contribute to the effectiveness of the administration: the human resources and the structure of the institution. "Today we are proceeding with the reorganization of this very structure, which with the utilization of the capable executives of the Municipality will function more effectively in the design, implementation of projects and the provision of services to the citizen", said in his central position the Mayor of Thessaloniki.

Konstantinos Zervas noted that the changes introduced with the new Internal Service Organization achieve the delimitation of the responsibilities of the services and avoid the problems, confusion and malfunctions that are often created by duplication of responsibilities. "We are creating structures that ensure the possibility of coordinating and monitoring the progress of the municipal project", underlined the Mayor of Thessaloniki and added: "Our only guide was and is to improve the daily life of citizens without fear of responsibility and work."

The new ISD was drafted after an exhaustive dialogue of the elected administration with the service hierarchy of the Municipality of Thessaloniki and after consultation with the employees' associations.

Some of the key changes that are coming, marking strategic choices of the Municipal Authority, as presented by Mr. Zervas, are the following:

• A separate Directorate of Recycling and Circular Economy, aiming to make the Municipality of Thessaloniki the first municipality of the country that will promote the reuse, responding to the prevailing request for protection of the environment and reduction of the volume of waste
• An autonomous Directorate of Education, to be the organic unit that will receive the new responsibilities that are expected to be assigned to municipalities but will also proceed to a comprehensive design for the school roof
• An independent Department of Business Planning to promote the integration processes of the Municipality of Thessaloniki in funded programs.
• An Independent Department of International Relations and Hellenes Abroad to highlight the role of Thessaloniki internationally.

Along with several other massive changes and upgrades, the new and improved local government of Thessaloniki will most certainly be the very best it can be for its constituents.