Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis plans to advocate for measures to alleviate rising energy costs at the European Council summit in Brussels this week. As European Union leaders convene on Thursday and Friday to discuss critical issues like economic pressures, energy security, and the ongoing war in Ukraine, Mitsotakis is expected to push for targeted and temporary support for households and businesses. The focus will be on aiding small and medium-sized enterprises affected by the surge in energy prices, partly due to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.
Mitsotakis will emphasize the importance of fiscal stability while advocating for improvements in cross-border energy connections and the completion of the EU’s internal energy market. Greece views the current energy crisis as a reflection of Europe’s competitiveness challenges and argues for enhanced energy security in line with long-term climate goals.
On the EU’s forthcoming long-term budget, Greece intends to oppose any further cuts in funding for regional development and agriculture, citing the need for additional resources to address growing priorities like defense, security, and innovation. The Greek government is open to exploring new EU revenue sources, provided they do not disproportionately impact less-developed economies.
In terms of EU enlargement, Mitsotakis is likely to back a merit-based approach and resist efforts to link membership talks with changes to the bloc’s decision-making procedures. Additionally, migration will be a key issue for Greece, which will advocate for stronger protection of the EU’s external borders and support a unified European response mechanism for sudden spikes in migration.