ROME – Greece and Italy signed an ‘Implementing Arrangement’ in Rome on September 8 for the acquisition of two Italian FREMM frigates of the Bergamini class, at a total cost of € 460 million, in the presence of Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias and his Italian counterpart Guido Crosetto.
Also present on the Greek side were Chief of the Hellenic National Defense General Staff General Dimitrios Choupis and Chief of the Hellenic Navy General Staff Vice Admiral Dimitrios-Eleftherios Kataras.
Before the signing, Dendias and Crosetto met at the Italian Defense Ministry and discussed bilateral defense cooperation and the latest developments in areas of common interest.
“On September 29, 2025, in La Spezia, with the signing of the Memorandum of Cooperation and the Declaration of Intent, Greece and Italy expressed their shared commitment to cooperation with a strategic and operational dimension. Today, we are building on those foundations,” he noted. “The first FREMM frigate, the Carlo Bergamini, is expected to be transferred to Greece in the first half of 2028 and the Virginio Fasan in the first half of 2029,” he added.
Dendias stressed that the agreement went beyond the transfer of the two vessels, pointing to closer bilateral cooperation, stronger deterrence, and Italian assistance in adapting the Hellenic Navy to the requirements of the new era. He said the FREMM frigates are highly capable vessels and that upgrades being discussed with their manufacturer, Fincantieri, will further strengthen their capabilities. Together with the FDI and upgraded MEKO frigates, they will form the core of the Hellenic fleet’s power in the coming years.
He said Greece is also discussing the possibility of acquiring another two FREMM frigates and broader defense cooperation with Italy. “Greece and Italy are maritime nations. They share the same vital maritime space in the central and eastern Mediterranean and together account for around 90% of the European merchant fleet,” he said. This shared geography, he added, created a common responsibility for the security of sea lanes, freedom of navigation, the protection of trade and energy flows and stability in the wider region.
Dendias also highlighted plans to involve Greek shipyards and the domestic defense industry in adapting the new systems, saying this was a key element of Greece’s Agenda 2030 defense reform program aimed at retaining expertise and creating domestic productive capacity. He said the agreement was part of a consistent process of strategic cooperation between Greece and Italy, citing the 2020 agreement delimiting their maritime zones and the defense cooperation framework agreed in La Spezia in 2025.
“From La Spezia to Rome, we kept our word. Today, that word becomes a concrete commitment,” Dendias said.
