Trade with Greece
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result, the Greek presidency will have less than
90 days to build up its actions, in order to lead
Europe to the ballot box smoothly and under new
circumstances. The message that the govern-
ment wishes to send to every direction in regard
to the Greek presidency is that, despite any prob-
lems Greece may be facing, it can remain at the
centre of European integration: Greece is present
in Europe, with constructive proposals and an
unwavering orientation.
The first presidency
In the summer of 1983 Greece assumed for the
first time the presidency of the EEC, an event that
coincided with the culmination of the Cold War.
The political situation in Europe did not inspire
any confidence in its future. The shooting down of
a South-Korean Jumbo Jet by the USSR over the
island of Sakhalin had caused serious dissension
within the Community, while fiscal problems were
multiplied by the strong resistance of the British
side to any additional contribution to the EEC
budget. The European Community was trying to
find its compass within a new situation that had
been formed only 4 years earlier, through an
effort to enlarge itself, encourage agricultural pro-
duction, improve the operation of its structural
funds and pursue new policies within an environ-
ment of “curtains” and constant stirring-up of post-
war geostrategic disputes. This is when we first
heard of a new term: memorandum. The
Memorandum of Understanding that was signed at
the time placed both the dialogue between Greece
and the EEC, as well as the intra-EEC dialogue, on
a more constructive basis. Transcending the East-
”
“
This six-month presidency
is considered to be the
most crucial, as the
country is putting in a
huge effort to maintain its
regained
international reliability and
make a dynamic comeback
on the global stage.
