Specialist Scientist, Ministry of Coordination (later Ministry of National Economy), Secretariat of the National Council for Physical Planning and the Environment, 1979–1985.

I participated in inter-ministerial coordination on significant urban and regional planning matters of the period. Key responsibilities included monitoring and contributing to major national planning initiatives, inter alia : the National Development Plan for Greece, national guidance for the development of regional centres, the definition of programmatic regions for planning purposes, national planning for industrial zones, and the organisation of urban space. This work required sustained coordination among multiple government agencies and attention to balancing strategic vision with practical implementation.

I represented Greece at the OECD, Steering Committee on the Joint Activity for Public Management at Metropolitan and Local Levels (1980–1983), at the United Nations on matters of Urban and Regional Development (1980), and participated in other international collaborations. These experiences deepened my understanding of comparative approaches to spatial planning and institutional development in different national contexts.

During this formative period, I became convinced of the urgent necessity to strengthen institutions across multiple dimensions—cultural, developmental, and organisational. I recognised that sustainable progress requires strategic frameworks capable of connecting long-term vision with short-term objectives, and that meaningful solutions to seemingly simple issues demand interdisciplinary approaches and sustained institutional commitment. These insights proved foundational to my subsequent academic and research work.