Greek National Defence Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos and his Italian counterpart Mario Mauro signed a joint memorandum of intent, in Athens on December 6; they pledged to coordinate the goals and priorities of the successive Greek and Italian European Union presidencies in the defence sector. After the meeting, Avramopoulos stated that their talks focused on boosting European defence and security capability and on tackling illegal migration [video] through the adoption of a common European strategy on maritime security.

The two ministers stressed the need to boost protection of the EU's external borders in the light of the principles of solidarity and a fair distribution of the burden between member-states. They also agreed to seek new strategies to further boost the role of the European Defence Agency (EDA). 

Mauro said that Greece occupies a strategic position, acting as a bridge between Europe and the Middle East, where the unstable situation increasingly jeopardized Europe's desire for peace and security. He outlined the measures taken by the Italian government against migration, which he noted was organised by criminals linked with terrorist organizations; he said there was close cooperation with Greece on exchanging of information. The Italian minister further called for a more active EU role in promoting peace and stability on an international level, and expressed confidence in the success of the Greek EU presidency.