The Greek Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which begins on 1 January 2014, is Greece’s fifth since its accession to the then European Economic Community (EEC), in 1981. In contrast to the previous Presidency – from January to June 2003 – which added another milestone in the EU’s enlargement process with the accession of 10 new member states, the next one comes at a turning point, as most of Europe has been grappling with years of financial and economic crisis, recession and unemployment.

The provisional website of the upcoming Greek Presidency of the Council of the European Union will function until the end of December 2013, when it will be replaced by its final version.