Presentation of the project "Consular Services Process Transformation" - New digital services to improve the daily life of Greeks abroad (Athens, 15.11.2023)

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at the invitation of Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Giorgos Kotsiras, successfully convened a conference today to unveil the project "Consular Services Process Transformation”.
It is an initiative that seeks to redesign and digitize services provided by Greek Consular Authorities worldwide, thereby enhancing their communication with Greek nationals residing abroad and providing faster and more efficient services.
Specifically, the conference showcased the Digital Request Management Service, through which a series of requests to the Consular Authorities will be partially or totally processed electronically, that is, remotely. This new digital service is currently being tested by the staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and will soon be fully operational across all 125 Greek Consular Authorities in 85 countries around the world.
The Conference also introduced the "Virtual Assistant" service, which has been integrated into the websites of all Greek Consular Authorities and uses artificial intelligence to provide written responses to citizens' questions in Greek, English, and an additional 17 languages.
Addressing the Conference, Minister of Foreign Affairs, George Gerapetritis marked the occasion as a day of considerable significance. He underscored the profound commitment of the Greek state and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to fortify the relationship between the metropolitan center and Greeks worldwide. He also highlighted the state’s continuous digital upgrade. He also particularly mentioned the project’s potential to establish a Registry of Diaspora Hellenism which "will not only facilitate the provision of services to our compatriots but will also allow us to maintain an accurate count of our Diaspora, so that we know at any given time how many we are and how we can rely on the Greek Diaspora, as it constitutes our great asset", the Minister concluded.
In the same vein, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Giorgos Kotsiras underscored that supporting the Diaspora Hellenism constitutes a primary governmental priority. "Our goal, he stated, “is to enrich our homeland’s relationship with the Diaspora, narrow the distance between Greeks abroad and the metropolitan center, and enhance their daily life”. Mr. Kotsiras further emphasized the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ concerted effort to create a "cohesive policy framework," which will lead to a National Strategy for Diaspora Hellenism within the next three years.
The project was presented in detail by the General Director of Projects at Information Society SA, Dimitris Giantsis, the Operational Director of the contractor company QnR, Dionysios Georgopoulos, and the General Director of Diaspora Hellenism at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Chrysoula Aliferi.
The “Consular Services Process Transformation” project is funded by the "Public Sector Reform" Operational Program under the NSRF, complemented by the European Social Fund and National Resources.