Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met European Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth Wopke Hoekstra at the Maximos Mansion this morning.
At the start of the meeting, the Prime Minister and the European Commissioner had the following exchange (unofficial translation from English):
Kyriakos Mitsotakis: We are always pleased to have you here. We are living through exceptionally turbulent times, and I am very much looking forward to our discussion. I understand that you have had very substantive meetings with the Minister for Environment and Energy, and you know that Greece is a country that has demonstrated its commitment to the green transition in practice. We also believe that the more we invest in renewable energy, the lower energy prices will be. And I think Greek society is beginning to understand this.
At the same time, of course, we are particularly concerned about rising energy costs and the impact they will have on our competitiveness, our industry and European shipping. I believe the challenge facing us all is to find a balance that allows us to pursue our ambitious climate goals while also providing our citizens and businesses with the support they need, at a time when the global energy market is facing enormous distortions.
I believe this is the real issue we are discussing at the European Council, too. As you know, it is linked to the review of the Emissions Trading System (ETS) and affects how we think about ETS2. But the general view among heads of state and government is that we must be fully aware of the difficulties facing businesses and citizens, especially if this crisis continues for some time.
I always look forward to our discussions, and I thank you for being here.
Wopke Hoekstra: Thank you very much, Mr Prime Minister. It is a great pleasure to be back and to have the opportunity to meet you again. It is truly wonderful, as always, to be in Greece and to enjoy your cooperation and friendship.
As I told the Minister for Environment and Energy and the Minister for National Economy and Finance, I can only praise the country’s excellent progress, both in terms of the economy and in everything related to the energy transition.
I think it is exactly as you said, and this is Europe’s great goal: how to ensure that climate competitiveness and energy independence go much more hand in hand. This is the way forward for our countries, our businesses and, of course, our citizens.
So thank you very much for taking the time. I sincerely appreciate and consider it an honour to have this discussion, and I very much look forward to working with you.