Agelos Zacharopoulos

Angelos Zacharopoulos was born in the mountainous village of Kastania Agrafon (Karditsa prefecture), where he attended the local elementary school. He completed his secondary education at Karditsa High School. He then studied agronomy and civil engineering, specializing in agricultural infrastructure projects, at one of the renowned Grandes Ecoles in Paris. The majority of his career was dedicated to land improvement projects within the relevant General Directorate of the Ministry of Agriculture, where he served as the general director. These projects were a top priority in the public investment budget during the 1960s and 1970s, as well as in the technical and financial assistance provided at the time by international organizations (UNDP, New York; International Bank, Washington; OECD, Paris; FAO, Rome, etc.). He actively participated in the related negotiations and in coordinating the implementation of the respective programs. With the commencement of negotiations for Greece's accession to the EEC, he was tasked with organizing and directing a special service at the Ministry of Agriculture for the needs of the negotiation. Simultaneously, he was appointed as a member of the Central Negotiations Committee, which conducted the negotiations at the deputy minister level. His participation in the negotiations was recognized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with an honorary plaque that read: "In recognition of his significant contribution to our European journey." From 1982, he continued his career as a senior official of the European Commission in Brussels, which he concluded in 1993 with an honorary distinction awarded by President Jacques Delors. Immediately after leaving the European Commission, he was hired by the Latsis Group of Companies as a European Affairs consultant, where he remains to this day. During his long career, in addition to the aforementioned honors, he received the following distinctions: - From the President of the French Republic, the gold cross of "Officier de la Légion d'honneur." - From Patriarch Diodoros I of Jerusalem, the gold cross of the "Commander of the Orthodox Crusaders of the Holy Sepulchre." - From the Agricultural University, an honorary plaque "in recognition of his significant contribution to the agricultural development of Greece and our European journey."