ATHENS, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- Greek Minister of Economy and Finance Kyriakos Pierrakakis will take office on Friday as president of the Eurogroup, the assembly of finance ministers from the 20 European Union countries that use the euro, according to a press release by the Council of the European Union.
The announcement follows his election in Brussels on Thursday. Pierrakakis will serve a two-and-a-half-year term, with the first Eurogroup meeting under his leadership scheduled for Jan. 19, 2026.
Previously, Pierrakakis, 42, served as Greece's minister for digital governance from 2019 to 2023, overseeing nationwide digital transformation, and as minister of education from 2023 to 2025, where he implemented reforms to modernize the education system and learning infrastructure.
Greek President Constantine Tassoulas congratulated Pierrakakis, describing his election as "a recognition of the prestige of our country and the effectiveness of our economic policy" and as reflecting "a multi-year national effort that ensured Greece's success in overcoming the economic crisis and strengthening its position in Europe," according to the Greek official news agency AMNA.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis highlighted that the election comes exactly a decade after Greece faced the brink of financial collapse, underscoring the importance of fiscal consistency and bold reforms in achieving economic growth.
Pierrakakis succeeds Irish Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe, who stepped down in November to take up a senior position at the World Bank. ■