In Focus: The Greek EU Presidency – A New Odyssey

It is in a troubled situation that Greece is taking the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for the first half of 2014. The country is facing a catastrophic financial and economic crisis. Since 2010, Athens has received almost 245 billion euros to avoid bankruptcy. Leading EU affairs journalist Grégoire Lory looks into the priorities of the Greek EU Presidency and the difficulties Greece faces.

Greece has defined four major priorities. The first one relates to growth and jobs, especially the social dimension of it. The second priority will be the deepening of the Economic and Monetary Union. The third issue will be migration, both regular and irregular. Finally as a Mediterranean country, Greece will focus on Maritime policies. But this heavy agenda is not the only difficulty for Greece, the upcoming European elections will politically shorten the presidency.