The year 2021 marks the 40th anniversary of the accession of Greece to the then European Economic Community and the present-day European Union.
The Hellenic Parliament, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs represented by Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs for European Affairs Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, the Representation of the European Commission in Greece and the European Parliament Office in Greece will be implementing a number of joint initiatives, starting with the special session of the Committee on European Affairs of the Hellenic Parliament, to take place on Thursday, 18 February at 17:00, where the joint logo of the anniversary will be unveiled.
The session, which will be broadcast live by the television station of the Hellenic Parliament, will be chaired by the 1st Deputy Speaker of Parliament and Chairman of the Committee on European Affairs, Nikitas Kaklamanis. The President of the Hellenic Parliament, Konstantinos Tasoulas, will deliver a welcome address, followed by Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs for European Affairs Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, Chief Spokesperson of the European Commission Margaritis Schinas (speaking live via video conference) and Vice-President of the European Parliament Dimitris Papadimoulis.
The façade of the Hellenic Parliament building will then be illuminated with the logo of the 40-year anniversary.
The joint actions aim at:
· fostering public discourse on reviewing the four decades of Greek membership in the Union, how it changed our country and to what extent it has come to determine our lives and prospects;
· underlining the historical importance of Greece’s accession to the European family, particularly in relation to its overall 200-year history since 1821;
· encouraging citizens to express their expectations in the context of the Conference on the Future of Europe, which will commence soon and is expected to conclude in the summer of 2022.
Further information | #40ΕλλάδαΕΕ
The actions to be implemented throughout 2021 will include:
· A joint main event on the occasion of 9 May (Europe Day), focusing on the EU's contribution to modern Greece
· A regional dimension with events in all regions in order to stress the Union's tangible contribution to local communities (in cooperation with the Regions, the Europe Direct Information Centres, volunteers of the together.eu network and local media)
· Public discourse in the media and social media on assessing the impact of our membership
· Testimonies/interviews with the leading figures of our country’s membership in the EU on television networks and social media
· Collection and broadcasting of Greek citizens’ testimonies on the EU's footprint at their place of residence, in cooperation with European Information Centres, the network of European Parliament Ambassador Schools and the together.eu volunteer network (creation of an audiovisual library per area/region & utilisation at local events)
· Issuance of a postage stamp commemorating 1981-2021 - 40 years since the accession of Greece to the European Union.
Detailed briefings will follow according to the schedule set for the year. You can follow developments on the four institutions’ social media under the hashtag #40ΕλλάδαΕΕ or participate with your own testimonies on your personal social media pages using the same hashtag.
February 15, 2021