Quality in Greece: past and present

Quality in Greece, as a key attribute of excellence, has deep roots and a long history. As such it helped create the Greco‐Roman civilization, which revived during the Renaissance and formed the foundation of modern civilization in the West. After an extended period of foreign occupation, Greece for the last 150 years faced the challenges of survival and building the infrastructure of a new state. Following the Second World War we observe a gradual restoring of the importance of quality in the country’s cultural and economic life. Becoming a member of the European Union has provided a strong stimulus for serious efforts to improve the quality of products and services. Most initiatives have been undertaken by associations of business firms and technical professionals, and by universities providing training of managers in the principles of total quality management. More recently, significant efforts were initiated by the government. Future success will depend on the political will to implement European and national policies to support important quality initiatives, such as the National Quality Award, a National Quality Council and other quality‐related activities.