Former President of the French Republic François Hollande at the SNFCC
16 November 2018

On Friday November 16th, 2018, former French President, François Hollande, visited the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) for the second time, following his first visit in September 2016, on the occasion of the Mediterranean EU countries’ Summit that was held in Athens.

On behalf of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), Mr. Hollande was welcomed by Ambassador Vassilis Kaskarelis, Senior Advisor to the BoD and Panos Papoulias, Deputy Group Director of Programs & Strategic Initiatives. During his visit, the former French President was given a guided tour of the complex, including the facilities of the Greek National Opera and the Greek National Library, as well as the Stavros Niarchos Park.

As a civic, cultural, environmental and educational landmark for Athens, but also for Europe as a whole, the SNFCC has become a venue for visiting dignitaries and Heads of States and Governments from Europe and beyond.

The SNFCC’s design, construction and full equipment is the largest single grant of the SNF. In February, 2017, following the completion of the SNFCC’s construction, the SNF delivered the SNFCC as a gift to the Greek State, the legal owner of the project. At the same time, the SNF announced its commitment to continue supporting the SNFCC for the following five years, through grants totaling up to €50 million for the implementation of public programming and for covering SNFCC’s operational costs.