Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lana Zochiou, speaking at the regular briefing for diplomatic correspondents, referred to Greece’s upcoming presidency of the European Union in the second half of 2027, stressing that “we will be ready sooner than any other Greek presidency.”
Regarding the political priorities of the Greek presidency, she indicated that these are still in the process of being formulated. Announcements will be made at the appropriate time, following standard practice and within the established timeline, as is customary for all presidencies.
To prepare for the Greek presidency, the Office of the Greek Presidency was established on 21 November 2025, with responsibility for planning, coordinating and promoting actions for its effective preparation and organisation.
Its role is to oversee, plan, and coordinate all organisational aspects of the Greek presidency, working in collaboration with all ministries and public agencies. This includes the informal summits and councils that are scheduled to take place in Greece during the latter half of 2027.
The Office reports directly to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who has appointed Ambassador Stylianos Chourmouziadis as its head. He possesses extensive experience in both bilateral and multilateral diplomacy and previously served at the Permanent Representation of the EU during the last Greek presidency in 2014.
“Perhaps for the first time, Greece began its preparations so early, as early as the beginning of 2025, with the assistance of the Permanent Representation of Greece to the European Union and, subsequently, with the establishment of the interministerial task force, following a relevant letter from the Minister of Foreign Affairs in June 2025,” Zochiou stressed.
The task force facilitates coordination, at political and organisational levels, of the preparation and conduct of the presidency. The task force’s first meeting took place on 17 October 2025 under the chairmanship of the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
“There is absolutely no delay in the organisation of the Greek presidency, and we will be prepared ahead of any previous Greek presidency,” she added.
Regarding the mutual assistance clause, the Foreign Ministry spokesperson noted that discussions are underway within the European Union. Essentially, she said that “the catalyst for this discussion was the events in Cyprus, as well as the entire fluid geopolitical environment, which makes it necessary to strengthen this mutual assistance mechanism.”
As she noted, the Greek Premier has already stated that a roadmap for Article 42.7 should be drawn up in the coming months. “At present, the discussions taking place in the European Union concern the description of the appropriate response on a case-by-case basis when a member state invokes Article 42.7. This will take the form of an operational manual,” she explained.
