The Ministry of Foreign Affairs noticed in time that in the latest edition of the European Commission‘s annual information manual, Discovering Europe, the islands of the Eastern Aegean and the Dodecanese were shown in the color of Turkey instead of Greece. According to diplomatic sources, the Ministry took all appropriate steps.

On the orders of Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis, the Permanent Representation of Greece to the EU lodged a strong complaint with the European Commission, specifically with Director-General of Communications Dana Spinant. Spinant apologized and assured that the mistake would not be repeated, the same sources said.

The electronic version of the manual was immediately removed from the Commission’s website, and procedures were initiated to withdraw the printed copies from distribution outlets.

Following the necessary corrections, Discovering Europe will be reposted on the Commission’s website.

The error was also identified earlier this week by PASOK MEP Yannis Maniatis. He submitted a question to the European Commission demanding explanations and rectification, and stressed the importance of ensuring that such mistakes do not happen again.

According to the MEP, a map of EU member states included in the December 2024 edition of Discovering Europe shows the islands of the Eastern Aegean Sea not in the color of member states, but in the color of non-member countries, such as Turkey.

The mistake was detected in the latest edition (December 2024) of Discovering Europe, which is distributed in tens of thousands of copies worldwide.