Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, taking the floor after Nikos Androulakis’s opening statement, expressed his condolences and grief for the unexpected loss of parliamentary correspondent Antigoni Panelli, before responding to the PASOK leader’s criticisms. Regarding the wiretapping issue raised by Androulakis, he said he would address it in his follow-up remarks. “Mr. Androulakis posed a question that interests Greek citizens about government energy policy. He devoted only 6 minutes to it, revealing his priorities. I will respond in my second speech to what we discussed regarding yesterday’s decision,” he initially stated, adding that “it’s an opportunity to inform the Greek people about the historic changes in the energy sector.”
Addressing the opposition leader directly, he said characteristically: “You spoke about electricity prices, claiming that Greece has one of Europe’s most expensive electricity rates. Tariffs in the first half of 2025, for which we have available data, were 21% cheaper than the European average. You cannot consider a European energy crisis as purely Greek. I understand the exaggeration to some degree as opposition fervor.”
He also reminded Parliament that he played a leading role in establishing a price cap on natural gas, noting significant de-escalation. “The energy policy mix chosen by the government was the penetration of renewable energy sources, and we estimate it will increase further, providing greater flexibility in electricity management. We simultaneously made a strategic choice. Whatever isn’t covered by renewables will be covered by natural gas. And it won’t be Russian natural gas,” he emphasized, adding that “this mix, resulting from favorable conditions, allowed us to have these low prices. We must agree, Mr. Androulakis, that this basic choice in the country’s energy policy is correct. If you want to add lignite to the mix, you’ll need to explain to citizens why you’re asking them to pay more for electricity than they pay today.”
Mitsotakis to Androulakis: Greece can connect its energy policy with its foreign policy
Continuing his criticism of Nikos Androulakis, the Prime Minister said the government has prioritized “interconnections and investments in a real energy market.” “Wealthier countries historically enjoy cheaper electricity prices than southeastern Europe. It’s a national priority; we must proceed with these investments. We’ve made leaps in network investments,” Mitsotakis added.
Escalating his criticism of the opposition leader further, he sarcastically commented that “we’re not in the era of green labor bosses who would flip switches whenever they wanted, holding an entire society hostage.” Earlier, he had noted that Nikos Androulakis made implications “about colored tariffs. We have 13 small and large companies offering various packages. We want more competition. We also want transparency, to bring order to chaos. Comparing different tariffs was practically impossible. Now there’s order.” “Where we had nighttime rates, the cheapest today is the midday rate. This allows households and businesses to plan better,” he also emphasized.
The Prime Minister made special reference to PASOK MEP Yannis Maniatis, with whom he said he had collaborated in the ND-PASOK coalition government from 2013-2015. “Greece can connect its energy policy with its foreign policy. We believe in the need to explore whether natural gas reserves exist. Here I want to give credit to Yannis Maniatis, with whom I collaborated in the coalition government,” he said characteristically, concluding that “in early 2027, the first drilling in 40 years will take place; the government is fortifying the country.”
