Mitsotakis from Euro-Political Community meeting: Bolder EU action needed to contain gas rates

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis reiterated his call for bolder initiatives by the European Union to reign in energy costs, especially natural gas, speaking at the inaugural European Political Community (EPC) summit in Prague on Thursday evening.

Addressing a panel discussion entitled “Energy, Climate & Economy”, which he co-chaired with Swiss Confederation President Ignazio Cassis, Mitsotakis said the Union must examine the prospect of intervening in the wholesale gas market. Along these lines, he expressed satisfaction over the fact that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen this week expressed support for a such a policy, one aligned with the previous Greek proposal.

He also expressed hope that a resolution of the price issue will be reached by the end of this month, while calling for more solidarity between European states.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Mitsotakis met with his counterpart from the Republic of North Macedonia, Dimitar Kovacevski, the second time the two leaders have met since the latter’s visit to Athens last month.

The mid-September meeting was noteworthy in the fact that Athens pledged to continue lignite shipments to its northern neighbor.

Mitsotakis also met with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, to whom he reiterated Athens’ standing support for Tirana’s European accession.

At the same time, Mitsotakis again broached two issues considered as significant for Athens, namely, protection of the rights of the recognized Greek minority in southern Albania – a long-standing chapter in bilateral relations – as well as adjudication, by the International Court at The Hague, of differences between the two countries in delimitating maritime zones in the northern Ionian Sea.

Greece and Albania had previously signed such an agreement more than a decade ago, which however, was then annulled by the latter country’s constitutional court – irking the Greek side in the process. Both countries later agreed to take recourse to The Hague, although diplomatic sources in Athens contend that Rama’s government has delayed the process to finally land the dispute on the Court’s docket.

Mitsotakis also met separately with Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu, Portuguese Premier Antonio Costa, and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.