EU elite in Athens for Greek presidency launch
ATHENS, Jan 08, 2014 (AFP) - Europe's political elite gathered in Athens on Wednesday as troubled Greece officially takes over the presidency of the EU for a six-month stint set to include European elections in May.
Police threw up a tight security cordon around Athens city centre ahead of the evening's official opening ceremony for the Greek EU presidency, with protests banned in the area.
Athens assumed the rotating presidency on January 1, as the bloc battles a rise in anti-EU sentiment and Greece itself struggles with recession and social discontent.
Greek Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos has called it “a great responsibility”.
The presidents of the European Council and the European Commission, Herman Van Rompuy and Jose Manuel Barroso, were in Athens along with the bloc's 28 commissioners who are holding meetings with Greek officials.
Barroso and Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras were to address the press in the afternoon before the ceremony.