Skyrocketing energy costs – as expected – dominated sessions of the European Council in Brussels, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told reporters on Friday afternoon.
He also detailed the proposals tabled by the Greek side, as rising energy costs, especially natural gas and its derivatives, are causing heightened concern in the country ahead of the winter season.
“Our country proposed an increase in the storage capacity for natural gas, as well as to purchase natural gas as a bloc, so we can increase our negotiating leverage vis-a-vis suppliers,” he said, adding that such a natgas storage project has recently commenced in the greater Kavala region of northern Greece.
He also answered in the affirmative when asked if Athens supported the use of nuclear power by EU countries, adding however, that the high seismic activity in the wider means that Greece will not follow this route.
In combining energy issues with geopolitics, Mitsotakis said he briefed his EU colleagues about very recent agreements between Greece, Egypt and Cyprus to connect electricity grids between Europe and North Africa, as well as over an ambitious project to build a natgas pipeline from the eastern Mediterranean to mainland Greece, with the prospect of then linking up with pipelines headed to the rest of Europe.
In the meantime, he said, greater quantities of LNG can be supplied through two major terminals on mainland Greece, namely, the Revythousa terminal off the port of Piraeus and the new FSRU unit near the extreme northeast port of Alexandroupolis.
Latest News
President von der Leyen’s Campaign Website Attacked by Bots
The President of the European Commission announced the attack, which comes one month before European Parliament elections and following a series of media reports about Russian-led disinformation campaigns, on her X account
MEPs Rake in ‘Whopping’ €8.7 mln in Side Gigs – Transparency Intl
The report opens a "can of worms" about the potential for foreign governments to influence MEPs and notes that Greece's MEPs rank the 3rd highest for their generation of side income
Greece Reacts Sternly to Turkish Decision to Open UNESCO Site Chora Church as a Muslim Mosque
"The decision of the Turkish authorities to start the operation of the Monastery of Chora as a Muslim Mosque constitutes a provocation to the international community", the Greek Foreign Ministry stated
DW: Greece Prepares for the 2024 Tourist Season Amid Climate Change Challenges
The Greek state has adopted measures to alleviate the impact of climate change
Greco-French Relations on Ice: Exploring the Chill between Mitsotakis and Macron
Macron allegedly sought increased military support for Ukraine, including weaponry and Western troop deployment for training in Western Ukraine, a request declined by Mitsotakis
Greece Secures Stable Tourism Flows at 30 Million Arrivals
However, despite this year’s bookings projected to rise slightly compared to last year, Yiannis Hatzis, President of the Panhellenic Federation of Hoteliers, stresses the importance of strategic planning
The 12 Tourist Traps to Avoid in the Greek Islands
Visit less popular islands for cheaper prices and fewer crowds
German Min. Lemke: «Climate crisis poses immediate threat to our health; well-being»
Europe recorded more days of “extreme heat stress” (with the ‘feels like’ temperature exceeding 46 degrees Celsius) than ever before
OECD: Major Spike in FDIs in Greece over 2021-23 Period
The international organization calculates an average of 6.7 billion USD in Greece over the 2021-2023 period, up from 4.15 billion USD in 2017-2019
How TikTok Lost the War in Washington
Combination of coordinated efforts by its critics and missteps by the company led to the law forcing a sale or ban of the popular app