Environmental NGOs in Greece: The Achelöos campaign as a case study of their influence

Abstract

This case study tests the theory of Princen and Finger that environmental non‐government organisations (NGOs) transcend the nation‐state by linking local to international activity. Greece lends itself to this study because its government has for some years been influenced both by the European Union and by environmental protest from various sectors of Greek society: local communities, the media, lawyers, and professional groups. NGOs although small have proved more effective than previous studies have suggested, because they have worked effectively through all these groups and formed links between them. In the Acheloos campaign they also allied with European counterparts, which adopted the issue in attacking abuse of EU subsidies. The Commission of the EU has responded by witholding funding for the Acheloos project and thenceforth according higher status to environmental NGOs and their aims. The Greek government remains publicly committed to the Acheloos project, but is paying slightly more attention to NGOs while deferring to growing public resistance to environmentally destructive projects. This study concludes that the Princen‐Finger model is applicable to Greek NGOs, but exaggerates their influence.