The European Commission has withdrawn an educational brochure after Greece protested that a map inside it depicted several eastern Aegean and Dodecanese islands as belonging to Turkey, according to a report by EurActiv.
The map appeared in the European Commission’s annual “Let’s explore Europe!” publication, which offers basic information about the European Union.
In the version circulated this year, the islands were shown in the same color as Turkey, prompting immediate criticism from Athens, which remains locked in decades-long disputes with Ankara over maritime zones and sovereignty issues in the Aegean Sea.
A European Commission spokesperson described the inclusion as a “regrettable technical error” and said the brochure had been removed from all online platforms pending correction. The official said multiple teams contribute to such publications and that internal procedures would be reviewed.
“Our services have robust systems in place to prevent errors. When errors happen, they are acted upon swiftly and internal processes are reviewed to prevent them from occurring again,” the spokesperson said.
Greece lodged a formal protest with Dana Spinant, the European Commission’s director-general for communication, who apologized and assured Athens the mistake would not recur, according to Greek government sources cited by EurActiv.
After years of tension concerning migration, energy rights and maritime borders in the Aegean Sea, Greece and Turkey restarted high-level talks in December, when President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan paid his first to Athens since 2017 and signed a declaration of friendship between the two historic rivals.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis reciprocated Erdoğan’s visit in May 2024.
Turkey and Greece have also often struggled to cooperate on migration. The seas around both countries are used by migrants from Asia and Africa trying to reach Europe.