Greece promotes, plans and implements initiatives, strategies and actions related to the European and international dimension in education and training.

By promoting European and international educational co-operations, these policies aim to:

• Reinforce the quality of education
• Meet effectively the needs of modern Greek society
• Embrace cultural diversity and world cultural heritage.

The European and international dimension of education is promoted through:

• Participation of Greece in the development and implementation of EU educational programmes and policies
• Participation in European and international organisations and their programmes
• Development of national initiatives for the conclusion of bilateral and multilateral educational agreements
• Promotion of the European and international dimension in the curricula at all education and training levels
• Promotion of the Greek language education and enhancement of Greek studies abroad.

As an active member of the international community, Greece develops international

• bilateral
• multilateral

relations on issues in the field of education.

Educational actions and programmes are implemented in cooperation with institutions of international organisations.  At the same time, there is an effort to diffuse and use the international educational policy within the Greek educational context.

The promotion of the European dimension in education and training levels is one of the Greek educational policy objectives.

To this end, measures are adopted and actions are implemented that target the objectives of the strategic plan on European cooperation in education and training for the European Education Area and beyond (2021-2030).

With regard to pre-school and school education

The European and international dimension is reflected in the:

• General principles and objectives of curricula
• Specific objectives of particular subjects
• Content of school textbooks.

The aim of all curricula at all levels of education is to raise students’ awareness to issues, such as:

1. Diversity
2. Citizenship
3. Gender equality
4. Peaceful co-existence
5. Climatic change
6. Sustainable development
7. Multi-cultural societies
8. Refugees
9. Immigrants.

In addition, Greece participates in European projects such as Erasmus+ and e-Twinning.  The development of the institution of exchanges and twinnings with equivalent schools abroad:

• Reinforces the European and international dimension of the Greek education system
• Encourages student and teacher mobility.

Also, the following individual actions promote and strengthen student and teacher mobility:

• The digital school
• The integration of new technologies in the learning process
• The support of foreign language learning from an early age
• Innovative subject fields.

Moreover, it must be mentioned that primary and secondary schools systematically offer subjects related to:

• The European Union
• European history
• European culture.

The percentage of European related subjects to the syllabus differs, according to level and subject.

With regard to higher education

The Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs focuses on removing any obstacles and facilitating the mobility of:

• Students
• Academics
• Administrative staff in the field of education.

It also aims to turn Greece from a country that sends students abroad to an international destination, hence:

• Strengthening the openness and
• Upgrading the quality of Greek higher education institutions (HEIs).

According to the organisation of the Ministry (presidential decree 18/2018), there is a department of interconnection with the European higher education policy.  The latter, inter alia, deals with:

• Representations in European and international organisations
• Working groups
• Networks
• Non-governmental organisations for issues related to higher education.

Enhancing internationalisation is a common goal for the state and HEIs.

Law 4485/2017 stresses the need to prioritise internationalization.  It states that HEIs have the mission, among others, to promote:

• Cooperation with other educational institutions and research bodies in the country and abroad
• The effective mobility of academic staff, students and graduates.

In this way, they can take an active part in the European and international academic community.

Law 4653/2020 on the National Higher Education Authority includes provisions for strengthening the internationalization of HEIs upon proposals by the Higher Council. In addition, among the responsibilities of the Evaluation and Certification Council of the National Higher Education Authority is also the conduct of thematic evaluations of the degree of internationalization of each institution. Finally, among the indicators on the basis of which public grants are distributed to Institutions, one can find indicators related to the degree of internationalization.

Also, an important effort is the "Study in Greece" action.  It is an information portal on higher education in Greece.  It aims at strengthening the international image of Greek HEIs for undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.

The Hellenic International University seeks to be a pillar of excellence in education and research while casting emphasis on:

• internationalization,
• exploitation of research results,
• teaching and learning innovation,
• entrepreneurship
• and the University's connection with society.

The afore-mentioned University aims:

• to strengthen its contacts with the international academic community,
• to increase its participation in strategic alliance networks,
• to utilize its research infrastructure,
• to increase the mobility of the academic community,
• to create English-language Postgraduate Programs.

Within this framework, Greece has concluded bilateral and multilateral agreements with several countries to promote cultural and educational cooperation.

At institutional level, universities may cooperate with foreign institutions through participation in European programmes such as Erasmus+, or in other European and/or regional programmes.

Finally, according to the current legislative framework for Greek language education abroad, the aim is:

• The qualitative upgrade
• The improvement of the Greek language education of diaspora.

Both can lead to successfully meeting the needs of:

• Students of Greek descent who live abroad
• Foreigners who wish to get familiar wit the Greek language and civilisation.