Mitsotakis expresses satisfaction with EU energy summit

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis expressed satisfaction on Friday that “after three months we managed to reach an agreement for Europe’s necessary intervention on the issue of energy.”

Speaking at a press conference in Brussels after the end of a two-day European Council summit, Mitsotakis said that since March he had been “one of the first few who raised the issue of Russia’s instrumentalization of natural gas prices.” He added that he had also called for a unified European response for a price cap on natural gas to contain overcharges.

At Friday’s meeting, EU leaders agreed to accelerate and intensify efforts to reduce energy demand, avoid rationing, secure supply and lower prices, and to delegate the technical details of an agreement to the energy ministers. They also stressed that the integrity of the single market had to be preserved, especially in facing Russia’s weaponization of energy.

Commenting on what comes next, the premier noted that “the responsibility is now passed on to the energy ministers, to specify the relevant proposals, so that they become mandatory and then enacted.”

“The devil is in the detail,” noted Mitsotakis when asked about European unity being tested in the upcoming energy ministers’ meeting, adding that the ministers “will have to agree at their own level […] but we have a much better chance of getting an agreement at ministerial level.”

He did however underline that “we do not want the issue to return to us [state leaders] under any circumstances. If it does return to us, it will not be a good development, because it would mean that some unforeseen difficulty has arisen, which [the energy ministers] will not be able to overcome.”

Regardless of interventions at European level, Mitsotakis underlined, “the Greek government supported, supports and will continue to support consumers, households and businesses in the face of exploding energy prices,” while he also noted the energy market’s unpredictability.

Asked about Greece-Turkey relations, Mitsotakis observed that there is a certain degree of annoyance about the fact that Turkey, a NATO member, does not partake in sanctions against Russia, while also aspiring to become an EU member. “Not only does it not apply sanctions,” he said, “it actually reaps significant financial benefits from bilateral trade with Russia.”

Commenting on the upcoming Athens visit of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (October 26-27), Mitsotakis said that the two leaders will cover a broad spectrum of issues, including developments in the eastern Mediterranean. He underlined that the position of Germany and of all European partners is clear – in terms of defending Greece’s stance against Turkish provocations.