Crisis Management Unit

The Foreign Ministry has set up a special permanent unit for addressing crises: the Crisis Management Unit, which falls under the supervision of the Ministry’s Secretary General. Its mission consists in addressing – on the part of the Foreign Ministry’s services – emergency situations of humanitarian or consular nature with international dimensions. To this purpose, it coordinates the work of the Foreign Ministry's E3 Directorate for Administrative and Judicial Matters and of any given co-competent directorates and services of other Ministries.

Within the remit of its competences, the Crisis Management Unit oversees the drawing up and updating of an Emergency Management Plan and organizes simulation exercises to address emergency situations. The Crisis Management Unit also cooperates with the respective units from other EU member states and represents the Foreign Ministry before consultative interministerial bodies and committees on issues within the Unit's competence.

The Unit’s operation is governed by the provisions of article 14 of the Foreign Ministry’s Statute (Law 3566/2007) and its organisation is specifically governed by the Foreign Minister’s Decision no Π23ΜΔΚ-28804/ΑΣ 14434/15.12.2009.

More specifically, during the first six months of 2010, the Crisis Management Unit was activated to deal with emergency situations of a humanitarian and consular nature that arose following the 12 January earthquake in Haiti and the 27 February earthquake in Chile. The Unit was again activated to facilitate the repatriation of the Greek activists participating in the 31 May humanitarian aid mission to Gaza.