PM Mitsotakis condemns Turkey's actions in the Eastern Mediterranean

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, during his speech on Monday at a meeting of EU heads of state and government attending the UN Climate Conference in Madrid, condemned Turkey's actions in the Eastern Mediterranean while asking for EU support.

"In the medium term, in the transition toward the phasing out of lignite and its full replacement by Renewable Energy Sources, we will be dependent on natural gas as an interim. fuel," the prime minister said, adding: "Therefore the EU must pay close attention to policies to exploit new deposits from the wider region, which can be an important source of gas. Turkey's moves undermine this overall effort".

In a meeting chaired by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, in the presence of new European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the new President of the European Council Charles Michel, Mitsotakis underlined that "for countries like Greece, the phasing out of lignite requires a fair transition. Funds are needed to finance the transition which should be meaningful and not symbolic".

The Greek prime minister called for increased European funds to support policies against climate change, especially for countries with ambitious targets, such as Greece, which is committed to eliminating its dependence on lignite by 2028.

"We cannot pursue an effective European climate policy and simultaneously finance, using only the existing financial resources, an effective policy for climate, cohesion and agriculture. A sustainable EU policy can only be achieved with increased EU financing tools and instruments", he said.