The Association of German-Greek Societies (VDGG – Vereinigung der Deutsch-Griechischen Gesellschaften) is the umbrella organization representing Germany’s 32 philhellenic societies. Dr. Ronald Meinardus, ELIAMEP Senior Research Fellow and coordinator of research projects on Greek–German relations was invited to present his research at this year’s VDGG annual meeting, held in Gütersloh on March 13–14. His presentation examined German public opinion on Greece and Greek public opinion on Germany. The field work regarding the image of Germany in Greece was funded by the Athens office of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation while Greek-German organizations in both countries covered the costs of the opinion poll on Germans’ attitudes on Greece.
Titled “More Sun than Shadow: German Perceptions of Greece and the Asymmetry of Mutual Perceptions,” the talk explored why Germans today tend to hold a considerably more positive view of Greece and its people than Greeks do of Germany. According to Meinardus, this asymmetry can be attributed to mainly three factors: the enduring and painful memories of the German occupation during World War II; perceptions in Greece of widely criticized policies pursued by Berlin during the Greek financial crisis; and the widespread impression in Greece that Germany tends to align more closely with Ankara than with Athens on Greek–Turkish issues.
On the same topic, Dr. Meinardus also delivered a lecture on March 12 to members of the German-Greek Society in Wiesbaden.
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