The opening ceremony at Megaron Athens Concert Hall, this evening (8.1.2014), was the highlight of the inaugural day of the Greek Presidency of the Council of the EU.

The event was held in the presence of the President of the Hellenic Republic, Karolos Papoulias and the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, Ieronymos, and a host of European dignitaries.

The keynote speech was delivered by Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, while Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos, the President of the European Council, Herman van Rompuy, and the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso also addressed the event.