Responding to the identified need for a more comprehensive overview of the sector, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport (YPYME) launched in 2015 a project to prepare a National Strategic Transport Plan (ESSM) for Greece. The main aim was for the Plan to be the basis for the sustainable development of transport infrastructure and services in Greece in the medium (2027) and long-term horizon (2037), with the aim, among other things, of strengthening the competitiveness and sustainability of the country’s transport sector and in addition, the identification of solutions that will cover organizational and institutional interventions, complementary to the planned investments in transport infrastructure.

Greece’s transport system is not focused on this Strategic Objective in a satisfactory manner. First of all, the share of the most environmentally friendly means of transport, such as rail (and especially electric), is very low. Secondly, road freight has an overwhelming share of the market but is largely inefficient and is mainly performed on obsolete, low-capacity polluting trucks. Thirdly, the fleet of passenger cars (buses and cars) is also very old, with almost zero presence of hybrid and electric vehicles. Recent actions may prompt changes in this area, but the development of electricity charging infrastructure networks must be implemented soon in conjunction with more ambitious fleet renewal strategies to promote the supply and use of cleaner / electric vehicles.

The nine strategic pillars are the identified priority areas for investment and development of transport in Greece, with the aim of further improving and completing the national transport system, and are defined as follows: