A year before its EU presidency, Greece is left without the head of a key office

Head of Office preparation Greek Presidency of the Council EU Stylianos Hourmouziadis resigned in less than a year before the start of the key European period for Athens.

Greece is due to take over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union on July 1, 2027. But already now its leader is leaving the structure created specifically to prepare for this period. Stylianos Hourmouziadis, head of the Greek Presidency Office, submitted his resignation approximately ten days ago.

Officially, according to Foreign Ministry sources, the diplomat cited personal reasons. At the same time, he agreed to temporarily remain in office until a successor was appointed. This was reported Business Daily, Powergame And Sofokleousin.

Formally, this looks like an ordinary personnel reshuffle. But politically it looks much more unpleasant: the person who was supposed to coordinate preparations for one of the most important international periods for the country is leaving less than a year before the start of his presidency.

What was the office supposed to do?

The Greek Presidency Office was created at the end of 2025 as an independent directorate-level structure, directly reporting to Foreign Minister Georgios Gerapetritis. Its task is to plan, coordinate and promote activities related to the Greek Presidency of the Council of the EU in the second half of 2027.

It was this office that was supposed to ensure work with the ministries, Brussels, the Greek Permanent Representation to the EU, the meeting program, the chairmanship agenda, personnel and logistics. That is, we are not talking about a secondary department, but about a structure that was supposed to assemble the entire machine of the future chairmanship in advance. The bill on its creation directly emphasized that the office reports directly to the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The corresponding draft was published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs back in October 2025.

Hourmuziadis took over the office at the end of 2025. Previously, he worked at the Greek embassies in Berlin, Tokyo, Sao Paulo and at the Permanent Representation of Greece to the EU in Brussels. That is, we are not talking about a random appointee, but about a diplomat with specialized European experience.

“Personal reasons” amid talk of delays

In diplomatic and journalistic circles, the resignation is already being linked to preparation problems: insufficient coordination, procedural delays and the lack of a clear organizational chart. Such assessments appeared in publications Flash.gr, Mononews And NeoStrategy.

The Foreign Ministry does not officially confirm that Khurmuziadis left precisely because of organizational problems. But this does not change the obvious question: if preparations are going well, why does a key leader leave at a time when there are less than twelve months left before the start of the chairmanship?

The EU Council Presidency does not start on the morning of July 1st with a flag display and coffee for delegations. It is prepared in advance: teams are formed, directions are distributed, budgets are agreed upon, political priorities are determined, sites are reserved and interaction with Brussels is built. In this sense, the departure of the head of the office now means not just a personnel change, but the risk of losing time, which Athens already has little of.

Background of the story with Avazoglu

Adding to the political turmoil is the fact that Hourmouziadis also chaired the committee assessing candidates for the Greek Permanent Mission in Brussels. This commission came into the spotlight after the story of Theodora Avazoglou, the wife of PASOK MEP Nikos Farantouris.

The publications claimed that Avazoglu ended up in Brussels even before the application evaluation procedure was completed. The issue aroused interest due to possible conflicts of interest and selection procedures. In particular, the newspaper wrote about this Dimokratia. Farantouris himself denied the accusations and publicly stated that his wife is a professional economist and her appointment is not related to his status as a member of the European Parliament. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}

Foreign Ministry sources emphasize that Khurmuziadis’s resignation is not related to the Avazoglu case. Formally, these two plots may indeed not have a direct connection. But politically, they have already merged into one unpleasant background: personnel resignations, questions about procedures and talk about weak management are simultaneously appearing around the key structure of preparing the chairmanship.

Is the government preparing the presidency or preparing excuses?

No one is obliged to believe that one resignation automatically means the failure of the Greek presidency. But it would be strange to pretend that nothing happened. When the head of the main preparatory office leaves less than a year before the start, it is not a “technical detail”. This is a signal that either problems have accumulated within the structure, or the government has failed to retain the person who was supposed to solve these problems.

The government may talk about personal reasons, a smooth transition of powers and the imminent appointment of a successor. But in Brussels, as in any complex bureaucratic system, time is more important than beautiful explanations. The lost months are then not compensated by either new press releases or another ceremonial presentation in Megaro Maxim.

Greece in 2027 will not have a symbolic role, but real responsibility for the work of the EU Council. And if preparations for it are already accompanied by the resignation of a key diplomat and talk of unpreparedness, the question is simple: Is Athens really preparing to preside or is it just preparing to explain why it did not have time to prepare?

The material is based on publications by Business Daily, Powergame, Flash.gr, Mononews, NeoStrategy, Dimokratia and official documents of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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