Greek PM Urges EU to Reassess Climate Measures and Boost Gas Investment

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has urged European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to reconsider certain climate measures. He highlighted the need to unlock investment in gas infrastructure and mitigate the impact of "overregulation of emissions," which he argues leads to high and uneven energy prices.

In his letter to von der Leyen, a fellow member of the centre-right European People's Party, Mitsotakis expressed concerns over rising energy costs and proposed solutions like increased interconnections and a pan-European approach to grid planning. However, he also emphasized a longer-term role for gas, suggesting that Europe will rely on gas for at least the next two decades.

He advocated for empowering European companies to invest in gas projects and infrastructure and stressed the importance of contracts that secure Europe's access to global gas supplies.

Regarding climate goals, Mitsotakis suggested that individual European Union countries should have the flexibility to set their own targets. This suggestion represents a potential shift from current EU regulations, which currently assign specific emission reduction targets to each nation for sectors such as transport, buildings, and agriculture, covering 60% of domestic EU emissions.