Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met on Friday morning with Wopke Hoekstra, the European Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth, at the Maximos Mansion.

At the start of the meeting, the prime minister and the European commissioner had the following exchange:

Kyriakos Mitsotakis: “It is always a pleasure to have you here. We are living through exceptionally turbulent times, and I very much look forward to our discussion. I understand that you have had very substantive meetings with the Minister of Environment and Energy, and you know that Greece is a country that has demonstrated its commitment to the green transition through concrete action. We also maintain that the more we invest in renewable energy sources, the lower energy prices will be. And I believe that this is something Greek society is beginning to understand.

“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 we all face is to strike a balance that allows us to pursue our ambitious climate goals while also providing our citizens and businesses with the necessary level of support, at a time when we are facing enormous distortions in the global energy market.

“I believe this is, therefore, the real issue we are discussing at the European Council. As you know, it is linked to the review of the Emissions Trading System (ETS) and affects how we approach ETS2. But the general sentiment among heads of state and government is that we must be fully aware of the difficulties facing businesses and citizens, particularly if this crisis continues for some time.

“I always greatly value our discussions, and thank you for being here.”

Wopke Hoekstra: “Thank you very much, Mr Prime Minister. It is a great pleasure for me to be back, to have the opportunity to meet you again, and it is truly wonderful, as always, to be in Greece and to enjoy your cooperation and friendship.

“As I mentioned to the Minister of Environment and Energy and the Minister of National Economy and Finance, I can only commend the country’s excellent progress, both in terms of the economy and in everything related to the energy transition.

“I believe it is exactly as you said, and this is Europe’s major objective: how can we ensure that climate competitiveness and energy independence go hand in hand to a much greater extent? This is the way forward for our countries, our businesses and, of course, our citizens.

“Thank you very much for taking the time to meet with me. I genuinely appreciate it and consider it an honour to have this discussion, and I very much look forward to our cooperation.”