Kyriakos Mitsotakis is in Brussels to participate in the highly significant EU Summit.The top item on the agenda is the new Multiannual Financial Framework for 2028–2034 (MFF), with European leaders discussing the Cypriot Presidency’s new negotiating framework (Nego-Box) for the first time, including indicative figures.
The Prime Minister is expected to reiterate that the EU’s ambitious goals must be aligned with a European budget that is equally ambitious in scale. According to the Greek side, the revenue for the new budget—including both existing and new own resources, as well as other sources of funding—must serve the EU’s increased strategic and investment priorities.
According to government sources, the priority for our country remains the protection of funds for Cohesion Policy and the Common Agricultural Policy, as well as ensuring that efforts to strengthen European competitiveness do not result in greater disparities among EU member states and regions. Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s campaign team, citing the positive experience of the Recovery Fund, they point out that Greece supports joint European financing—including joint European borrowing—for investments in common European goods, such as energy and defense.
Regarding the EU’s competitiveness and global macroeconomic balances, the government insists that the priority must be to increase the competitiveness of the European economy, which it identifies as the main factor driving the trade deficit with China.
Investments and Reforms
According to the same sources, while the role of other factors—such as industrial subsidies that lead to artificially lower prices—should not be underestimated, the fundamental problem lies in Europe’s own weaknesses. These include high energy costs, obstacles to the functioning of the Single Market, and the financial fragmentation of the European continent. For these reasons, Greece strongly supports the necessary investments and reforms in the European energy market, the deepening of the Single Market, and rapid progress toward the completion of the Savings and Investment Union.
The 27 European leaders will also discuss the latest developments in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as European defense and security.
Mr. Mitsotakis will emphasize the need for collective European defense to address threats to the entire continent—in other words, a comprehensive, 360-degree approach.
As for the discussion on the Middle East, our country has from the very beginning advocated for de-escalation and the need to find a diplomatic solution; it welcomes the latest developments and insists, as the Prime Minister has stated, the importance of reopening the Strait of Hormuz and immediately restoring freedom of navigation. Moreover, government sources note that Greece is participating in the Franco-British initiative regarding the Strait of Hormuz.
This morning, the Prime Minister will be the keynote speaker at an event titled “Greece’s National Social Agreement: A European Model for Social Dialogue.” Also speaking will be the Minister of Labor and Social Security, Niki Kerameos; the Executive Vice President of the European Commission, Roxana Minzatu, responsible for Social Rights, Skills, Quality Jobs and Resilience, and Seamus Boland, President of the European Economic and Social Committee.