Who We Are

Dear friends,

The Greek Branch of AIACE has celebrated 17 years since its creation and currently has 377 members.

 

In its 17 years of operation, the association has managed to successfully intervene in various Greek administrative services to find a solution to issues concerning European Union pensioners, such as tax (e.g. exemption from solidarity tax), banking (exemption from bank charges on pension transfers), as well as in the Commission's personnel department (e.g. problems due to capital controls).

At the same time, we visited various hospitals and clinics in Athens, explained to them the operation of our Fund and negotiated with them the terms of cooperation with our Medical Service, so that we could use their services immediately without bureaucratic delays and without additional charges. Thus, after long negotiations, the Medical Service signed cooperation agreements with two important Medical Groups: the METROPOLITAN group which includes the hospitals HYGEIA, IASO, MITERA, CRETA INTERCLINIC (Heraklion Crete) and the MEDICAL GROUP which includes all the Medical Centers (Amaroussi, Psychiko, P. Faliro, Peristeri) and the Inter-Balkan Hospital of Thessaloniki. These agreements provide for special prices for preventive examinations and for the direct assumption of expenses in case of hospital care. We are continuing negotiations with a well-known diagnostic center for outpatient examinations as well as with the above hospitals to secure special discounts for family members of our members who are not covered by our own health coverage system. Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic has caused delays and we hope to be able to continue negotiations in autumn 2020.

With the help of the International Association and the Pensions Service of the Commission, we organized 2 seminars and created the "volunteer group" to provide assistance to colleagues who need it to complete the necessary forms or to intervene in the Medical or Social Service.

We also organized dinners and excursions, most notably the organization of the AIACE International Conference in Thessaloniki in 2010. For May 2020, the organization of the international conference in Loutraki was again planned, but it was postponed due to the pandemic and finally took place in May 2022.

The Association was present in the 17 years of its existence in difficult times in our country and made various donations (Doctors Without Borders, Smile of the Child, Ark, Municipality of Mandra). Particularly during the coronavirus pandemic, the members of the association and many active employees raised 54,000 euros for the association, which allowed significant donations to be made to the healthcare system of our country (masks, ultrasound). Following the disasters in Thessaly, in the summer of 2024, again with money raised by members of the association and active colleagues, a donation of laboratory equipment (biochemical analyzer, reagents, sample storage refrigerator, etc.) worth 27,000 euros was made to the Palamas Health Center.

The Association has called and held several meetings in Athens with the PMO officials on problems that concern us.

We are in constant contact with active employees in Greece (European Commission and European Parliament Athens Offices, CEDEFOP in Thessaloniki and ENISA in Crete) and many participate in the meetings we organize with the PMO.

We would like to remind you that the annual membership fee for the club is 40 euros and must be deposited in the following bank account:

Piraeus Bank  5038-070850-147 
ΙΒΑΝ: GR0172 0380 0050 3807 0850 147
BIC:_ PIRBGRAA
under the name: DEPYEK AIACE
email: info@aiace-el.eu

 

President
Despina Vamvakidou

Vice President
Panagiotis Karvounis

Secretary General
Christos Profilis