The Minister for Environment and Energy, Mr Stavros Papastavrou, is today participating in the Council of Environment Ministers of the European Union, taking place in Luxembourg.

Arriving at the meeting, Mr Papastavrou stated:

“Today, at the Environment Council of Ministers in Luxembourg, we are discussing how to address the challenges of the climate crisis, strengthen Europe’s competitiveness, and prepare for the International Climate Conference, COP31, which will take place in Antalya, Turkey. Greece fully supports the statement by the Climate Commissioner, Wopke Hoekstra, which condemns Turkey’s attempt to exclude the Republic of Cyprus from the informal preparatory processes of COP.

The participation of all 27 Member States is both self-evident and non-negotiable. Either all 27 or none. We are also discussing today at the Council water resilience. For Greece, water is not a theoretical issue. It is a matter of security, development and protection of local communities. For this reason, on Monday, we launched for public consultation for the first time the National Water Strategy. And yesterday we announced 10 projects for 9 islands. Projects that will provide desalination units and water supply networks. Water is the foundation of life, social cohesion and economic development. Its protection is our responsibility, a responsibility towards citizens and future generations.”