“The time has come for Europe to utilize European resources to support joint defense projects, such as missile defense or the creation of a defensive barrier against drone attacks – initiatives that the European Commission has already proposed and will be discussed today,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stated upon arriving at the informal European Union Summit in Copenhagen. At the same time, the Greek Prime Minister emphasized that joint European defense projects should not be limited only to the eastern borders, but should also extend to the south.
“Every European defense project concerning the security of the continent cannot focus exclusively on the eastern borders. The approach must be comprehensive, ensuring the protection of both southeastern and southern borders, thus armoring Europe against any future threat,” he noted.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis: Full statement
“We will have the opportunity to discuss critical issues for the geostrategic security of the European continent. The ongoing war in Ukraine and the broader global geopolitical turmoil create, I would say, a sense of urgency regarding the need for Europe to finally move from words to action concerning its unified European defense. Greece belongs to those countries that have for many years maintained their defense spending at a level much higher than the European average and we will continue to do so, committing resources above 3% of GDP for our defense spending in the coming years. However, the time has come for Europe to mobilize European resources to support European projects of common European defense, such as, for example, missile defense or this defense wall against drone infiltration, which is one of the plans that the European Commission has proposed and which will be discussed today.
What I want to emphasize is that any joint European defense project concerning Europe cannot be limited only to the eastern borders of the continent. We must view Europe’s security comprehensively. Obviously, the southeastern borders must be covered, as well as the southern borders of Europe, so that our continent is armored against any possible future threat.”
