Last updated in May 2009
Greeks and Germany enjoy a relationship of trust, not least thanks to many Greeks’ sense of affinity with German culture. Worthy of note are the close contacts in higher education, attributable to the fact that Greece adopted German civil law code after gaining its independence. Many Greek academics, and even numerous leading figures in the country’s social and political life, have a good command of German. Hundreds of thousands of Greeks have, after spending many years working or studying in Germany, returned home with good memories of their stay here. And many Greeks – incuding a number of prominent politicians, scientists and academics – remember with gratitude that they were able to find refuge and support in Germany during the colonels’ dictatorship (1967-1974).
Political relations
Political relations between Germany and Greece are characterized by substantial agreement on international issues (the role of the United Nations, the Middle East, Iraq, Afghanistan) and on basic questions relating to the European Union. The good state of German-Greek relations was also clearly underlined by Federal President Rau’s official visit to Greece in April 2000 and the Greek President Karolos Papoulias’s official visit to Germany from 18 to 22 September 2006. The heads of government and ministers meet regularly at EU level. On 15 February 2006, Prime Minister Karamanlis held bilateral talks with Federal Chancellor Merkel in Berlin. On 20 July 2007, Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel visited Athens.
There are also a host of contacts at other levels, in particular between members of parliament and representatives of various authorities and social organizations. The German-Greek friendship societies play an important role in fostering bilateral relations. Some 50 German-Greek societies in Germany are members of the umbrella organization Association of German-Greek Societies.
The occupation of Greece during the Second World War and the crimes committed during this period are still remembered by the Greeks. In recent years, many victim communities have invited German representatives to attend commemorative ceremonies and other events. Cultural and youth programmes encourage forward-looking cooperation in this area.
Economic relations
Along with Italy, Germany has been Greece's most important trading partner for many years. In 2008, Germany exported to Greece goods worth EUR 8.3 billion. Germany is also the biggest purchaser by far of Greek exports, accounting for nearly 10 per cent (EUR 1.9 billion in 2008) of the total. Trade between the two countries was thus worth a total of EUR 10.2 billion.
The most important Greek exports to the German market are textiles, petroleum products, tobacco, olive oil, fruit, cement, tomato products and aluminium. The principal Greek imports from Germany include motor vehicles, machinery and other technical products, petroleum and petroleum products, foodstuffs, as well as raw materials.
Alongside the United States, the Netherlands and Switzerland, Germany is one of the most important investors in Greece. At present, there are around 130 German companies in Greece with more than 19,000 employees and a total annual turnover of some EUR 6.9 billion in 2006. In recent years, several large-scale projects with the major involvement of German firms have been successfully completed, such as the Athens underground railway and the new Athens airport in Spata. In 2008, Deutsche Telekom acquired a 25 per cent share in the leading Greek telecommunications company OTE.
Cultural relations
Close cultural ties have existed between Greece and Germany since the time of the Greek struggle against Ottoman rule, which was supported by the philhellenes in Germany. Numerous German scientists, scholars and administrators went to Greece during the reign of King Otto von Wittelsbach (1833-1862), especially from Bavaria. The pioneering research carried out by German archaeologists, the work done by German engineers in helping develop the country and a general affinity for the German legal system forged strong ties in the academic sector which survived the deep divisions caused by the two World Wars. Around 40,000 Greeks have received all or part of their vocational training in Germany. One tenth of the Greek population have lived for some time in Germany. Today, there are still some 320,000 Greeks living in Germany.
There are branches of the Goethe Institute in Athens and Thessaloniki, enriching cultural life in both metropolitan regions. The former branches in Patras and Chania (Crete) continue to be operated with private funding as Goethe Centres, which focus on language teaching. The Goethe Institutes in Greece hold more language examinations than anywhere else in the world (26,900 in 2008).
The German School in Athens has a German and a Greek section (with a total of about 1,000 pupils) and, with a tradition spanning over 110 years, is held in high regard. The same is true of the even older German School in Thessaloniki.
Founded in 1874, the Athens branch of the German Archaeological Institute (DAI) supervises important excavations in Olympia, at the Kerameikos Cemetery in Athens, in Kalapodi, on the island of Samos, in Tiryns (Peloponnese) and on Aegina. It maintains an extensive library of approximately 70,000 books and a phototheque comprising 140,000 photographs. Lectures and publications by the DAI are highly esteemed in expert circles.
The German Studies departments at the universities of Athens and Thessaloniki are supported through the seconding of lecturers by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). In November 2004, the DAAD opened its own information centre on the premises of the Goethe Institute to offer personal advice on studying and researching in Germany. Over the past decades, more than 1,000 Greek students and academics have received annual or research scholarships from the DAAD and nearly 300 Humboldt scholarships have been awarded. In Athens, Greek private schools (Ellinogermaniki Agogi, Erasmios, and the primary-level Manta and the Athens Schools) have done much to promote German as a foreign language. In 2008, there were 5,643 Greek nationals studying in Germany.
