Mitsotakis: The problem of energy inflation requires a European solution

At a critical international juncture, the 27 leaders of the European Union are meeting in a few hours in Brussels for an extraordinary Summit to address issues such as financial support to Ukraine and reconstruction, food security, energy and defense.

Government sources confirm that during his speeches, the Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, will reiterate his proposal for measures to streamline the market, in order to reduce the final price of electricity reaching the consumer.

The same people note, moreover, that the government has implemented its own national support plan, which provides increased subsidies for electricity for May and June as well as a retroactive return of up to 600 euros to the bank accounts of consumers with income of up to 45,000 euros for the increases, which were not subsidized in the period December 2021-May 2022.

National support plan

In addition, the national support plan provides for the indirect abolition of the adjustment clause with the mechanism that will be implemented from 1 July and which will reduce the increases in electricity by 70-90%. However, despite the interventions at national level, Greece will continue, as confirmed by government officials, to claim a European solution as, as the Prime Minister has repeatedly said, this is a European problem that requires a European solution.

In this context, Kyriakos Mitsotakis is expected to emphasize that the big picture of the need to get rid of Russian fossil fuels should not overshadow the debate on the need to take immediate measures to put a brake on electricity prices and relieve citizens.

Related to the above are the latest proposals of the European Commission for energy and RepowerEU, which in Athens are moving in the right direction.

It is noted that Greece can still raise additional funds from the European Pollution Fund (ETS), as well as from the unallocated loans of the RRF, however, these proposals make it clear that they do not sufficiently take into account the need for consumer support.

He will inform his counterparts on Turkish provocations

On Turkish provocations, Kyriakos Mitsotakis is expected to inform his counterparts about the escalation on the part of the neighboring country and the escalation of the Turkish provocations, as well as the danger of escalation of tension in the region, at a critical juncture, and how unnecessary another source of tension in an already geopolitically charged European landscape is.

The Prime Minister is expected to emphasize that Greece is always in favor of dialogue, but the violation of sovereignty and sovereign rights will not be accepted.