The message that potential “future threats may not come from the East, but from the South” was sent by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis during the press conference of the nine leaders of the Southern European Union countries. As he characteristically emphasized, “Europe must protect all its member states.” At the same time, however, he highlighted the importance of cooperation among the member states of the nine Mediterranean countries in the energy sector, stressing the need for MED9 countries to accelerate the building of a common energy market. “We must move faster towards a common European energy market,” said Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Mitsotakis’s messages on European defense and energy
More specifically, speaking about European defense, Mr. Mitsotakis noted: “We all advocate for a 360-degree perspective on European defense and regarding the new projects of common interest that we believe we can promote as a European Union, such as the anti-missile shield, we must know that future threats do not only come from the East but also from the South. I think we are united because we want to ensure that the entirety of European borders is absolutely protected and there is the European capability to protect all European member states, especially those located at the external borders.”
Regarding energy, the Greek Prime Minister said that “there is a general understanding that we must move faster towards a common European market, and particularly in southeastern Europe we face higher prices compared to other states.” “Therefore,” the Prime Minister said, “greater integration of the energy market through integration of investments and interconnections will be a first priority regarding common energy and strategy.”
The Summit’s agenda and Greece’s positions
The MED9 Summit was the first EU leaders’ meeting after the signing of the Gaza ceasefire agreement and took place three days before the Summit of the 27 in Brussels. As a result, the Gaza war was at the center of attention. At the same time, the nine leaders discussed issues of European competitiveness, as well as the next Multiannual Financial Framework. The Summit was attended by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and the leaders of Italy (Foreign Minister Tajani), Spain, Cyprus, Malta, Portugal, Croatia and Slovenia, as well as the King of Jordan as a special guest. The Greek Prime Minister, for his part, brought to the Summit’s agenda the initiative for a meeting of the coastal countries of the region (Greece, Cyprus, Egypt, Turkey and Libya) aimed at resolving open issues, such as EEZ delimitation, connectivity and migration.