Honorable President of the European Council, dear António, I welcome you once again to Athens; as you know, your visits here always bring me personal joy, but mainly because they provide opportunities for us to examine together current developments and, of course, Europe’s strategic direction, especially in a very complex, fluid international context such as the one we face today, which presents Europe with critical decisions regarding its future course.
For our part, Greece is already actively participating in the relevant discussions, with very clear positions and bold proposals. These are positions that I believe serve our shared vision of a stronger, more competitive, and more secure Europe.
After all, all the decisions of the European Council demonstrate that we must move in this direction. Indeed, it is with this in mind that Greece is already preparing for its Presidency of the Council in the second half of 2027, with a sense of responsibility and a readiness to contribute substantially to advancing our common priorities.
We had the opportunity to discuss many issues with the President, foremost among them, of course, the extremely complex negotiations on the new Multiannual Financial Framework for the period 2028–2034. We agree that it is imperative to reach a political agreement by the end of the year. The Cypriot Presidency, after all, has laid the groundwork. We look forward to the Irish Presidency’s new proposals regarding the size of the budget and the allocation of resources, but we must all press forward to achieve the necessary consensus at the European Council meeting in December in Brussels, which I foresee, my dear President, will also be a lengthy one, but we need to reach a political agreement.
Greece has repeatedly argued that we need a more ambitious European budget, one that can serve the new priorities we ourselves have set, without undermining Europe’s policies at the heart of its identity, nor the resources for Cohesion Policy and the Common Agricultural Policy, through the new architecture proposed by the European Commission, with which we agree in principle.
To put it very simply, I think you’ve said it yourself: we cannot achieve more by spending less. And for us, policies that support convergence ensure that growth ultimately benefits all countries on the periphery of the Union, while ultimately also benefits the countries at the heart of our common European family.
I would like to make a special mention of the need to have sufficient resources to adapt to the new realities and address the consequences of the climate crisis. This year, many European countries were hit by devastating wildfires. My country avoided the worst this year, but we know very well that this is an ongoing challenge that must be addressed as a unified European threat.
However, we know very well that in order to safeguard the resources for Cohesion Policy and the Common Agricultural Policy and finance our new priorities, we need an increase in our own resources.
Greece is entering this discussion with a willingness to put forward new -and, I believe, creative- proposals, such as the potential use of auction proceeds for the allocation of 5G and 6G spectrum frequencies, while at the same time we are always ready to consider the creation of new financing instruments. I will say it again: I believe that common European public goods, such as defense, which is the ultimate common public good, could, under certain conditions, be financed through new joint borrowing instruments.
We discussed with António more broadly about the challenge of competitiveness. Europe is called upon to make a leap forward faster than the pace of decline- that is, to take bold initiatives, with artificial intelligence and new technologies at the forefront, which are already transforming the economy and all our lives. Otherwise, we risk falling behind global developments and missing a critical opportunity.
And of course, I have said this many times at the European Council, as our esteemed President knows: we cannot speak of a truly competitive Europe when our businesses and households continue to pay more for energy than our competitors. It is, therefore, an absolute priority to complete the single energy market as soon as possible. This summer, in August, we experienced high energy prices, as well as significant disparities among European countries.
Of course, the same applies to the Savings and Investments Union, so that our businesses can grow without seeking attractive financing elsewhere.
Finally, I would like to address the issue of defense, in which Europe as a whole is called upon to raise an impenetrable shield against threats, wherever they may come from
-whether from the north, the south, the west, or the east. Therefore, the funding for protecting every inch of our territory must also be unified.
“SAFE” was an important initiative; it was a step in the right direction, but we need more, and we also need to choose our partners very carefully. I would like to remind you that the condition for the participation of third countries in the program was and remains that the security and defense interests of the member states must not be compromised.
Therefore, it was only natural for me to inform the President about the recent escalation of Turkish provocations, particularly in the Aegean. Respect for international law and good neighborly relations is, after all, a prerequisite for the European path of any candidate country. This is provided for in a series of decisions of the European Council itself.
And it is inconceivable -I will say it again- that there should be an active threat of war and a questioning of Greek sovereignty by a country that aspires to improve its relations with the European Union. Turkey’s European path, which we wish to strengthen, must go hand in hand with the building of good neighborly relations with Greece.
I will say it again: my country is a peaceful country that poses no threat to anyone. However, it will not accept instructions from anyone on how to strengthen its defence capabilities.
I will now turn to the issue of migration. The recent events in Ceuta have, unfortunately, once again brought the instrumentalisation of migration flows to the forefront. We know this all too well; we have faced a hybrid attack in Evros. We were the first European country to face this challenge in March 2020.
We must strengthen our cooperation with third countries; we must become more effective in returning those who are not entitled to asylum. It is important here that the southern member states stand united.
And of course, yes, the time has come to explore new, innovative solutions regarding our cooperation with third countries. We must send a clear message that traffickers will not be the ones to decide who enters Europe.
Finally, the President and I also discussed other pressing international issues, such as the, unfortunately, escalating armed conflict in Ukraine. We steadfastly support the defending side, and we also declare our readiness, when the time comes for negotiations, for Europe -and this is extremely important- to be present and represented, Mr. President, by the European institutions.
I would also like to stress one more important point in closing: it is shipping that guarantees food security and energy supply. It is therefore unthinkable to launch attacks against legitimate ships. And freedom of navigation, without tolls, in the Strait of Hormuz must be equally non-negotiable.
We discussed developments in the Middle East, and I would like to conclude by reminding you that Greece is one of the few European countries participating in Operation “Aspides,” a joint European initiative that has demonstrated that when Europe is determined, it can maintain an autonomous presence in regions of great geostrategic and geopolitical interest to it, provided, however, that the participation of European countries is stronger and more widespread. I believe that this would send a very strong message that we, as Europe, are capable of carrying out such missions.
I’ll stop here by saying that it is my pleasure, dear António, to welcome you once again to Athens. I know we have a very difficult task ahead of us, but I am certain that when we are able -and we will prove once again that we can- to join forces, we can achieve our common goals. After all, we have already proven this.
So we’ll meet again at the upcoming European Council meetings, and I, too, would like to personally express my complete confidence in your ability to manage these complex negotiations in an objective manner, so that we always arrive at solutions that will advance our common European project.
Thank you again very much for being here.
