PM: Greece not accepting instructions on how to strengthen its defence capabilities

Greece is already actively participating in the relevant processes, with very clear positions and bold proposals, serving the vision of a stronger Europe, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said during the start of joint statements with visiting President of the European Council António Costa on Thursday evening. 

Mitsotakis was referring to Greece’s assumption of the European Council presidency in the second half of 2027.

As Mitsotakis said, “Greece is already actively participating in the relevant processes, with very clear positions and bold proposals. These are positions that I believe serve our shared vision of a Europe that is stronger, more competitive and more secure. After all, all the decisions of the European Council demonstrate that we need to move in this direction. Indeed, it is in this spirit that Greece is already preparing for its presidency of the Council in the second half of 2027, with a strong sense of responsibility and ready to make a substantive contribution to advancing our common priorities.”

New EU budget

The Greek premier said that he and Costa had the opportunity to discuss a number of issues, with foremost among them the extremely complex negotiations on the new Multiannual Financial Framework for the 2028-2034 period. “We agree that we must reach a political agreement by the end of the year,” Mitsotakis said, noting that “the Cypriot presidency has, after all, laid the groundwork.” In addition, he said, Greece eagerly awaited the Irish presidency’s new proposals concerning the size of the budget and the allocation of resources. “But we must all exert pressure to secure the necessary consensus at the European Council meeting in Brussels in December,” Mitsotakis said, adding that he expected the meeting would be “a lengthy one, but we need to reach a political agreement.” :

In terms of what Greece’s stance is on the European budget, the Greek PM said, “ Greece has repeatedly argued that we need a more ambitious European budget, one that can serve the new priorities that we ourselves have set, while at the same time not undermining Europe’s policies at the heart of its identity, nor the resources allocated to cohesion and the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), through the new architecture proposed by the European Commission, with which we agree in principle.” He stressed that “we cannot achieve more by spending less.” Policies that support convergence ensure that growth ultimately benefits all the countries on the periphery of the Union, while ultimately also benefiting the countries at the heart of our common European family, the Greek leader noted.

EU competitiveness

The Prime Minister went on to highlight the need for adequate resources to adapt to the new circumstances and address the consequences of the climate crisis. “This year, many European countries were hit by devastating wildfires,” Mitsotakis pointed out. “Our country avoided the worst, but we know very well that this is an ongoing challenge which must be addressed as a common European threat. But, of course, we also know very well that, in order to safeguard cohesion and CAP resources and finance our new priorities, we need an increase in own resources,” he stressed. Common European public goods, such as defence, which is the ultimate common public good, could, subject to certain conditions, be financed through new common borrowing instruments, the Greek premier suggested.

Mitsotakis also referred to the challenge of competitiveness, noting that “Europe is called upon to make a leap forward faster than the pace of decline; in other words, it must move forward by taking bold initiatives, with artificial intelligence and new technologies at the forefront, which are already transforming the economy as well as all our lives. Otherwise, we risk falling behind global developments and missing a critical opportunity.”

As he pointed out, “We cannot speak of a truly competitive Europe when our businesses, but also our households, continue to pay more for energy than our competitors. It is therefore an absolute priority to complete the single energy market as soon as possible. This summer, in August, we experienced high energy prices, but also significant disparities between European countries. And, of course, the same applies to the Savings and Investment Union, so that our businesses can grow without having to look elsewhere for attractive financing.”

EU Defence

On defence, which he said is an area in which Europe as a whole is called upon to raise an impenetrable shield against threats – wherever they may come from, North, the South, the West or the East – the prime minister stressed, “The funding for protecting every inch of our territory must also be unified. SAFE was an important initiative and moved in the right direction. However, we need more, and we also need to choose our partners very carefully. I would remind you that the condition for the participation of third countries in the programme was – and remains – that the security and defence interests of member states must not be compromised.”

In addition, PM Mitsotakis briefed the Council President Costa on the recent escalation of Turkish provocations in the Aegean. “Respect for Internationa Law and good neighbourly relations is, after all, a prerequisite for the European path of any candidate country. This is provided for in a series of decisions of the European Council itself. And, I repeat, it is inconceivable that there should be an active threat of war and challenges to Greek sovereignty from a country that aspires to improve its relations with the European Union. Türkiye’s European path, which we wish to strengthen, must go hand in hand with the establishment of good neighbourly relations with Greece. I will say it again: my country is a peaceful country and poses no threat to anyone. However, it will not accept instructions from anyone on how to strengthen its defence capabilities,” he stressed.

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