Deputy Foreign Minister Dimitris Kourkoulas participated on Thursday, 28 March 2013, in the proceedings of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defense and Foreign Affairs, presenting the Draft Law “Establishing a Greek Presidency Office and other Articles.”
The draft law establishes a Greek Presidency Office institutionally incorporated into the Foreign Ministry, regulating issues of immediate priority for meeting the obligations of and capitalizing on Greece’s EU Presidency in the first half of 2014.
Mr. Kourkoulas underscored that the Greek Presidency is a challenge, but also an opportunity to reassert our country at the center of European developments. “The Greek Presidency will be economical and functional. Our country will show its capabilities as a credible partner, reaffirming its contribution to the progress of the European Union and to overcoming the current crisis,” Mr. Kourkoulas stressed to the Committee.
The Presidency Office will be staffed in such a way as to save on funding, and every effort will be made to limit expenses. The proposed budget is already significantly lower that those of previous presidencies, and lower than the corresponding budgets of EU member states who have held the Presidency in the recent past.
Moreover, the Foreign Ministry, in close collaboration with the Greek Permanent Representation to the EU, in Brussels, will be responsible not only for organizational preparations, but also for political coordination of all the ministries. Finally, particular emphasis will be put on good cooperation with the European Parliament, Mr. Kourkoulas noted.
March 28, 2013