In a critical – albeit informal – European Union summit today, Wednesday (1/10), Kyriakos Mitsotakis will participate, as developments on the war fronts in Ukraine and the Middle East are rapid and Europe seeks common ground both for the current period and for the day after the possible end of hostilities.
Mitsotakis’ message to the cabinet
Yesterday, Tuesday, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis expressed his anger at the way some foreign policy issues are being handled by certain parties and media. “Our country is no longer a state that seeks support, but one that provides it. And if it once posed an economic risk, today it is an example of progress, something I think is worth emphasizing, in contrast to the real ‘rampage’ of disinformation I encountered upon returning to Athens. Because I even read that my photo with President Trump was fake, when it was officially published by the White House protocol,” Kyriakos Mitsotakis said during his speech at the cabinet meeting.
According to sources, after the presentation of the bill by Defense Minister Nikos Dendias, who received congratulations from all ministers, an interesting discussion opened regarding foreign policy issues. Many cabinet members reportedly pointed out that while the country is achieving what it had not collectively accomplished in all previous years of the post-junta period in the field of defense and foreign policy, incredible propaganda is being built that tries with false claims to construct the opposite narrative.
European defense on the agenda
EU heads of state and government will meet today as part of an informal European Council in Copenhagen to discuss ways to strengthen Europe’s common defense and support for Ukraine. They will also re-examine both issues at the upcoming European Council summit on October 23-24 in Brussels. In the Danish capital, they will discuss ways to strengthen Europe’s defense, including in response to recent Russian violations of airspace in various European states. The EU has committed to decisively strengthen its defense readiness by 2030 and in recent months has taken immediate measures to achieve this goal.
These include measures to strengthen its defense capabilities, boost defense funding, develop its industrial base and create opportunities for joint procurement, in full coherence with NATO. The informal European Council summit is expected to be the first exchange of views among European leaders on security and strengthening the Union’s common defense capabilities with a view to presenting the 2030 Defense Roadmap expected ahead of the regular European Council in late October, where it will be discussed in detail.
What Kyriakos Mitsotakis will say at the informal summit – European air defense shield on the table
As part of the discussion is expected to monopolize the utilization of existing programs to support EU member states’ eastern wing, particularly at this juncture, Kyriakos Mitsotakis is expected, according to sources, to emphasize that strengthening the EU’s eastern borders cannot be at the expense of the southern borders, which also face threats.
The Prime Minister, according to the same sources, will emphasize that the EU’s borders do not stop at the Baltic States and that any plan to strengthen collective defense capabilities must also cover the South. As his associates point out, this is not the first time Mr. Mitsotakis has raised the issue of threats to the EU’s southern borders. They recall that he had raised the issue in a previous European Council (in March), emphasizing the need for a comprehensive security strategy for Europe, as threats are not limited to the eastern borders but extend to the Mediterranean and the Middle East. With this recommendation, moreover, other Southern leaders had then aligned.
Regarding emblematic defense programs of common European interest, Kyriakos Mitsotakis is expected to recall the proposal he had submitted in May 2024 together with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk for the creation of a European air defense shield with European funding, a proposal included in the proposals for emblematic European defense programs that the European Commission will present in Copenhagen.
The program of the European Political Community Summit begins tonight with the dinner hosted in honor of the leaders by the Danish royal couple. The work of the seventh Summit will begin Thursday morning. On its agenda will be strengthening Ukraine, permanent and new security threats to Europe and resilience, migration, economic security and reducing dependencies.
The Greek Prime Minister will intervene in a roundtable on Migration, where the presidents of the European Commission and European Parliament and the prime ministers of Italy, Portugal, Malta, Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary and Andorra will also participate.
Within the framework of the European Political Community, French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni are calling on leaders to participate in an informal meeting for the establishment of the European Anti-Drug Coalition, whose creation was proposed at the previous Summit. Due to the cross-border nature of drug trafficking, the goal is for the European Political Community to become the platform for coordinated initiatives.
