Ministry of Macedonia and Thrace

{{Short description|Former government department of Greece}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}} {{distinguish|text=the [[Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace]]}}

{{Infobox government agency |agency_name = Ministry of Macedonia and Thrace |type = |nativename = |nativename_a = {{lang|el|Υπουργείο Μακεδονίας και Θράκης}} |nativename_r = Ypourgeío Makedonías kai Thrákis |logo = |logo_width = |logo_caption = |seal = |seal_width = |seal_caption = |picture = Makedonias-Thrakis.jpg |picture_width = 250 |picture_caption = The [[Konak (Thessaloniki)|building]] of the ministry in [[Thessaloniki]] |formed = {{Start date|1912}} |preceding1 = '''Governorate-General of Macedonia''' (1912–1955)<ref name="50years">{{cite web | url=http://www.mathra.gr/default_1534.aspx | script-title=el:ΥΠΟΥΡΓΕΙΟ ΜΑΚΕΔΟΝΙΑΣ – ΘΡΑΚΗΣ: 50 ΧΡΟΝΙΑ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑΣ – ΝΕΕΣ ΠΡΟΟΠΤΙΚΕΣ | trans-title=Ministry of Macedonia and Thrace: 50 years of history - new perspectives | language=Greek | publisher=Ministry of Macedonia and Thrace | date=2005-12-05 | accessdate=2010-12-29 | archive-date=2012-03-16 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120316115420/http://www.mathra.gr/default_1534.aspx | url-status=dead }}</ref> '''Ministry of Northern Greece''' (1955–1988)<ref name="50years"/> '''Ministry of Macedonia and Thrace''' (1988–7 October 2009)<ref name="50years"/> '''General Secretariat of Macedonia and Thrace''' (7 October 2009–21 June 2012) |preceding2 =  |dissolved = |superseding = |jurisdiction = |headquarters = 32 Kassandrou Street 54633 [[Thessaloniki]] [[Greece]] |coordinates = {{coord|40|38|N|22|56|E|type:landmark|display=inline}} |employees = |budget = [[€]] 12.35 million (2010)<ref name="minfin.gr">{{cite web |url=http://www.minfin.gr/budget/2010/proyp/index.html |title=Budget 2010 |accessdate=2010-12-19 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101221104039/http://www.minfin.gr/budget/2010/proyp/index.html |archivedate=2010-12-21 }}</ref> [[€]] 21.23 million (2009)<ref name="minfin.gr"/> |minister1_name = |minister1_pfo = |minister2_name = |minister2_pfo =  |agency_type = |parent_department = |parent_agency = |child1_agency = |child2_agency =  |keydocument1=  |footnotes = |map = |map_width = |map_caption = |website = {{URL|https://www.mathra.gr}} }}

The '''Ministry of Macedonia and Thrace''' ({{langx|el|Υπουργείο Μακεδονίας και Θράκης, ΥΜΑΘ}}) is a former [[ministry (government department)|ministry]] of [[Greece]]. Responsible for the [[geographic regions of Greece|regions]] of [[Macedonia (Greece)|Macedonia]] and [[western Thrace|Thrace]], since 2015 it has been demoted to the level of a sub-ministry within the [[Ministry of the Interior (Greece)|Ministry of the Interior]]. The incumbent [[Deputy Minister for Macedonia and Thrace]] is {{interlanguage link|Konstantinos Gioulekas|el|Κωνσταντίνος Γκιουλέκας}} of [[New Democracy (Greece)|New Democracy]].

The ministry had been known as the [[:Category:Governors-general of Northern Greece|Ministry of Northern Greece]] until it was renamed on 19 August 1988. It was demoted to a general secretariat in 2009, but was re-established as a ministry in 2012, and again demoted to a sub-ministry within the Ministry of the Interior on 27 January 2015. It is housed in [[Government House (Thessaloniki)|Government House]] in [[Thessaloniki]].

== History == The ministry was founded in 1912 as the '''Governorate-General of Macedonia''' ({{lang|grc|Γενικὴ Διοίκησις Μακεδονίας}}) following the acquisition of [[Macedonia (Greece)|Macedonia]] during the [[Balkan Wars]].<ref name="50years"/> It was promoted to cabinet level in the late 1920s and renamed the '''Governorate-General of Northern Greece''' ({{lang|grc|Γενικὴ Διοίκησις Βορείου Ἑλλάδος}}) in 1945, after being merged with the '''Governorate-General of Thrace''' ({{lang|grc|Γενικὴ Διοίκησις Θρᾴκης}}).

It was renamed the '''Ministry of Northern Greece''' ({{lang|grc|Ὑπουργεῖον Βορείου Ἑλλάδος}}) in 1955.<ref name="50years"/> The third name change occurred in 1988, when it was renamed the '''Ministry of Macedonia and Thrace'''.<ref>[[Government Gazette (Greece)]] (ΦEK)B 575 - 19.08.1988 [http://www.et.gr/]</ref> In 2009, the ministry was downgraded to a General Secretariat within the [[Ministry of the Interior (Greece)|Ministry of the Interior]], until it was re-established as a separate ministry in 2012. With the [[January 2015 Greek legislative election|legislative election]] of [[SYRIZA]] in January 2015, the ministry was once more subordinated to the [[Ministry of the Interior and Administrative Reconstruction]], headed by a deputy minister.

Shortly after the [[Hellenic Army]] entered [[Thessaloniki]] on 26 October 1912, King [[Constantine I of Greece|Constantine I]] demanded that he be given control of the newly acquired region of [[Macedonia (Greece)|Macedonia]],<ref name= "Vima">{{cite news | last = Hekimoglou | first = Achilleas | publisher= [[To Vima]] | url = http://www.tovima.gr/default.asp?pid=2&artid=293267&ct=1&dt=11/10/2009 | script-title=el:Υπουργείο Μακεδονίας - Θράκης: Το τέλος ενός υπουργείου |trans-title=Ministry of Macedonia and Thrace: The end of a ministry | language= Greek | accessdate = 2010-12-29}}</ref> but [[Prime Minister of Greece|Prime Minister]] [[Eleftherios Venizelos]] had already decided that the fate of the region would lie with his minister of justice, [[Konstantinos Raktivan]], who arrived in the city on 30 October.<ref name= "Vima"/> His position within the Governorate-General of Macedonia was so powerful that his power matched that of the [[Prime Minister of Greece|prime minister]] and caused dismay among the other ministers in [[Athens]].<ref name= "Vima"/> Raktivan was later succeeded by other prominent politicians of Greece, such as [[Stefanos Dragoumis]], Emmanouil Repoulis and [[Themistoklis Sofoulis]].

Despite its limited freedom of action in later years, the Governorate-General of Macedonia managed to produce an astonishing amount of work between its founding in 1912 and the creation of the Ministry of Northern Greece in 1955. Following the [[Great Thessaloniki Fire of 1917]], the Governorate-General appointed [[Ernest Hébrard]] as the master architect for the redesign of the city. The Governorate-General was also responsible for the complete incorporation of Macedonia into the Greek state despite the difficult circumstances of the [[interwar period]].<ref name= "Vima"/> Other successes of the Governorate-General at the time include the establishment of numerous government agencies, including the creation of Courts of Appeal, Courts of First Instance and District Courts, the creation of an independent archaeological department, a forestry department and public services, and the provision of shelter to hundreds of thousands of refugees after the [[population exchange between Greece and Turkey]] in the 1920s.<ref name= "Vima"/>

== The Ministry == === Structure === According to Presidential Decree no. 167 (2 September 2005),<ref name="mathra.gr">{{Cite web |url=http://www.mathra.gr/files/YMATH_Organismos.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2010-12-23 |archive-date=2011-06-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110601122539/http://www.mathra.gr/files/YMATH_Organismos.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> the Ministry of Macedonia and Thrace was made up of the following departments: * The Ministry of Macedonia and Thrace ** The Office of Solicitor of the State ** The Office of Financial Control ** The Office of the Borderland ** The Office of the Assessor of the Audit Office ** The Office of the Deputy Minister *** The Office of Defence and Political Planning in Case of Emergency *** The Office of Public Relations, of the Press and of Etiquette ** The Office of the Secretary-General *** The Secretariat **** The Office of Foreign Affairs, Defence, Policing and Justice ::::* Department of Cooperation with the countries of south-eastern Europe ::::* Department of European Affairs ::::* Department of the [[Diaspora]] ::::* Department of Defence and the [[Aegean Sea|Aegean]] ::::* Department of Policing and Justice :::* The Office of Education, Culture and Citizen Protection :::* The Office of the Economy and Tourism :::* The Office of Infrastructure and the Environment :::* The Office of Administrative Development and e-Governance :::* The Office of the Media :::* The Office of Quality and Efficiency :::* The Office of Facilitation of People with Disabilities ::* The Department of Inspection and Coordination of Services

=== Political leadership === {{Main|Minister for Macedonia and Thrace}}

Since the ''[[Metapolitefsi]]'', there have been twenty Ministers for Macedonia and Thrace from two parties, [[New Democracy (Greece)|New Democracy]] and [[Panhellenic Socialist Movement|PASOK]]. The first to assume the post following the fall of the [[Greek military junta of 1967–74|military junta]] in 1974 was [[Nikolaos Martis]]. Stavros Kalafatis served as the last minister before the ministry's abolition upon the [[2009 Greek legislative election|election]] of [[George Papandreou]] in 2009.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.mathra.gr/default_64.aspx |title=Γενική Γραμματεία Μακεδονίας - Θράκης - ΠΟΛΙΤΙΚΗ ΗΓΕΣΙΑ ΜΕΧΡΙ ΣΗΜΕΡΑ |access-date=2010-12-23 |archive-date=2011-02-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110217133607/http://www.mathra.gr/default_64.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The ministry was re-established on 21 June 2012 after the [[June 2012 Greek legislative election|election]] of [[Antonis Samaras]], but was again absorbed by the Ministry of the Interior on 27 January 2015 after the [[January 2015 Greek legislative election|election]] of [[Alexis Tsipras]].

=== Role === The Ministry of Macedonia and Thrace is responsible for "the development of the border regions of Greece, giving Northern Greece the opportunity to acquire a voice and role in the political and economic processes".<ref name="mathra.gr"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mathra.gr/default_15.aspx |title=Υπουργείο Μακεδονίας - Θράκης - Ο ΡΟΛΟΣ ΤΟΥ ΥΠΟΥΡΓΕΙΟΥ |accessdate=2009-05-08 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090513004551/http://www.mathra.gr/default_15.aspx |archivedate=2009-05-13 }}</ref> In particular, the ministry gathers information regarding the communities that fall under its jurisdiction and proceeds to propose and discuss legislation and policies with other government bodies.

== List of ministers == === Northern Greece (1974–1988) === {| class="wikitable" ! width="20%"|Name ! width="10%"|Took office ! width="10%"|Left office ! width="18%"| Party |- |[[Nikolaos Martis]] |21 November 1974 |21 October 1977 |rowspan=3|[[New Democracy (Greece)|New Democracy]] |- |[[Dionysios Arbouzis]] |21 October 1977 |28 November 1977 |- |[[Nikolaos Martis]] |28 November 1977 |21 October 1981 |- |[[Vassilis Intzes]] |21 October 1981 |5 June 1985 |rowspan=4|[[PASOK]] |- |[[Andreas Papandreou]] |5 June 1985 |26 July 1985 |- |[[Giannis Papadopoulos (politician)|Giannis Papadopoulos]] |26 July 1985 |5 February 1987 |- |[[Stelios Papathemelis]] |5 February 1987 |19 August 1988 |}

=== Macedonia and Thrace (1988–2009) === {| class="wikitable" ! width="20%"|Name ! width="10%"|Took office ! width="10%"|Left office ! width="18%"| Party |- |[[Stelios Papathemelis]] |19 August 1988 |2 July 1989 |[[PASOK]] |- |[[Panayiotis Chatzinikolaou]] |2 July 1989 |12 November 1989 |rowspan=4|[[New Democracy (Greece)|New Democracy]] |- |Ioannis Deligiannis |12 November 1989 |11 April 1990 |- |[[Georgios Tzitzikostas]] |11 April 1990 |8 August 1991 |- |Panayiotis Chatzinikolaou |8 August 1991 |13 October 1993 |- |[[Constantinos Triaridis]] |13 October 1993 |22 October 1996 |rowspan=5|[[PASOK]] |- |[[Philippos Petsalnikos]] |22 October 1996 |30 October 1998 |- |[[Giannis Magriotis]] |30 October 1998 |4 April 2000 |- |[[Georgios Paschalidis]] |13 April 2000 |7 July 2003 |- |[[Haris Kastanidis|Charis Kastanidis]] |7 July 2003 |3 March 2004 |- |[[Nikos Tsiartsionis]] |10 March 2004 |15 February 2006 |rowspan=4|[[New Democracy (Greece)|New Democracy]] |- |[[Georgios Kalantzis]] |15 February 2006 |19 September 2007 |- |[[Margaritis Tzimas]] |19 September 2007 |8 January 2009 |- |{{interlanguage link|Stavros Kalafatis|el|Σταύρος Καλαφάτης}} |8 January 2009 |7 October 2009 |}

=== Macedonia and Thrace (2012–2015) === {| class="wikitable" ! width="20%"|Name ! width="10%"|Took office ! width="10%"|Left office ! width="18%"| Party |- |{{Interlanguage link|Theodoros Karaoglou|el|Θεόδωρος Καράογλου}} |21 June 2012 |10 June 2014 |rowspan=2|[[New Democracy (Greece)|New Democracy]] |- |[[Georgios Orfanos|Giorgos Orfanos]] |10 June 2014 |27 January 2015 |}

== References == {{Reflist}}

== External links == * {{Official website|URL=https://www.mathra.gr}} {{in lang|el|en}}

[[Category:Defunct government ministries of Greece|Macedonia & Thrace]] [[Category:Lists of government ministers of Greece|Macedonia & Thrace]] [[Category:Macedonia (Greece)]] [[Category:Western Thrace]] [[Category:Government agencies established in 1912]] [[Category:1912 establishments in Greece]]