A few days after Easter, and in the presence of President Emmanuel Macron, Greece and France are expected to sign in Athens the renewal of their strategic partnership agreement on defense and security cooperation, which expires later this year.
According to well-informed sources, the most likely dates for Macron’s visit to Athens are April 22 and 23, when the agreement is set to be signed. An annex or separate memorandum of understanding on innovation cooperation is also expected to be added.
The innovation component will focus on defense innovation bodies. Greece will be represented by the Hellenic Center for Defense Innovation (HCDI), while France will be represented by the Defense Innovation Agency (AID- Agence de l’innovation de defense), which served as one of the models for the creation of HCDI.
With two months remaining before the final signatures, the Greek side is seeking to make the new agreement more binding. The original was signed in September 2021 during a period of very high tensions in Greek-Turkish relations, and entered into force that December.
According to information available to Kathimerini, the French side believes the 2021 agreement provides sufficient guarantees, including activation of a mutual defense assistance clause in the event of a violation of sovereignty – that is, the territorial integrity – of either country. Paris therefore favors a simple renewal of the existing text without modification for an additional five years, until 2031.
One of the French side’s main concerns appears to be the fluid political situation in France and the possibility that a renewed agreement could become the subject of domestic political debate, potentially leading to further delays due to bureaucratic obstacles or a different ratification process in the National Assembly.
Athens and Paris already cooperate closely in defense beyond procurement, including Greece’s acquisition of 24 Rafale aircraft and four FDI frigates, the first of which, Kimon, has been delivered. Cooperation also includes a range of exercises, most recently in land operations. In the coming period, the Greek army will participate with tanks and mechanized infantry and special forces units in the large multinational exercise ORION ’26, held in France from February 8 through April 30.
Macron’s full program is not yet known. In September 2017 in Athens, months after his first election, he spoke at the Pnyx about Europe’s future. The planned April visit, if realized, would take place one year before the 2027 presidential elections, in which he cannot run.