'What now we have accomplished in Europe is exclusive in historical past,' says Greek PM

The EU elections will happen in June, the primary because the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine started and the following power disaster despatched member states scrambling for provide diversification.

Consequently, main adjustments are anticipated to be made to the insurance policies governing defence, well being, the local weather and effort over the following 5 years.

In this episode of the Global Conversation, Euronews’ Nikoleta Drougka sits down with Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Prime Minister of Greece, to determine what the EU elections will imply for Europe.

To watch the interview click on at the video within the media participant above or learn in complete under.

**Nikoleta Drougka, Euronews:**Prime Minister, thanks for having us. The European elections are not up to 3 months away. What are the largest demanding situations for Europe, on your opinion, and what are the stakes for this election?

**Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Prime Minister of Greece:**I feel those are in particular necessary elections for Europe as a complete, given the wider financial and geopolitical context. They’re going down in an overly turbulent duration with a battle raging on our jap flank, with a considerable humanitarian disaster unravelling in Gaza, as Europe is exiting from an overly, very tricky 5 years.

I feel additionally it is a possibility for us to take inventory of what now we have accomplished throughout the remaining European electoral cycle and to focus on the numerous successes of the European Union. 

Through the cooperation of the entire establishments, we have been in a position to protect ourselves effectively towards COVID-19. We arrange the NextGeneration EU, which for nations equivalent to Greece, has a specific significance with regards to serving to us spice up our enlargement and in addition facilitate the fairway and virtual transition.

**Nikoleta Drougka, Euronews:**How involved are you with louder and louder voices which can be towards Europe, anti-European voices?

**Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Prime Minister of Greece:**I feel there’ll all the time be voices that problem the successes of Europe and certainly one of the, I might say, proceedings is also justified. But on the finish of the day, if one seems to be on the total image, I stay firmly dedicated that the way forward for the European Union is vibrant and that Europe has been in a position to ship for its voters.

And for this reason we wish to make the case referring to what now we have accomplished, but additionally what we wish to succeed in going ahead. Because as you have a look at the following electoral cycle and the massive problems that we have got forward folks, those that I might individually spotlight are 3. First of all, the wish to flip strategic autonomy from a slogan into an actual and efficient coverage.

Look at defence, for instance. We now not most effective wish to spend extra on defence, however we wish to coordinate our defence spending. The 2nd problem has to do with total European competitiveness. How we will be able to be sure that Europe stays aggressive vis-a-vis China, america and the Global South? This will imply greater jobs and better-paying jobs for European voters.

The 3rd problem is to be extra particular and extra sectoral. It has to do with agriculture and our farmers at a time when meals safety may be very top on our time table. We wish to needless to say one of the steps that we took over the last 5 years in regards to the inexperienced transition have put a lot more force than perhaps we even expected on our farmers and that we wish to make certain that the fairway transition is carried out at a pace that doesn’t considerably affect the source of revenue of our farmers.

**Nikoleta Drougka, Euronews:**Would you assert that perhaps infrequently the largest enemy of the EU is the EU itself?

**Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Prime Minister of Greece:**Look, there are 27 folks, and I’m speaking in regards to the European Council, which gathers a lot of occasions a 12 months in a room and all of us wish to agree through unanimity. This is a procedure that inevitably has to take time, and which additionally comes to compromises and once in a while necessitates taking a step again to reach the average European excellent.

That is the character of the European Union. At the similar time as we’re considering European expansion, we additionally wish to have a look at tactics of creating our decision-making more practical. That could also be going to be a sophisticated workout as a result of any trade will once more require unanimity and the settlement of all Member States. One must recognise that what now we have accomplished in Europe is exclusive within the historical past of the sector.

We have voluntarily given powers to a supranational entity and we wish to make this right kind steadiness, between decision-making on the European and nationwide degree, paintings on a daily basis. But once more, that is, in quotes, the “price” that we need to pay for us to additionally take advantage of taking part within the European Union.

Nikoleta Drougka, Euronews: You discussed one thing about Europe’s defence autonomy, as a problem forward. Would you additionally say that it will have to be the highest precedence, most likely, of the following Commission and Parliament?

**Kyriakos Mitsotakis,****Prime Minister of Greece:**Defence is existential as we realised after the battle in Ukraine and perhaps some nations believed that the peace dividend that passed off after the cave in of the Berlin Wall and the autumn of the Soviet Union would remaining endlessly.

But that has confirmed to be a fallacy. We have been by no means in that place as a result of we all the time spent an important quantity on defence on account of explicit regional geopolitical demanding situations. But now we needless to say all of us wish to step as much as the plate and spend extra, but additionally spend smarter, be extra coordinated, streamline our defence procurement, and feature perhaps extra European champions that may be offering complicated defence answers at a extra aggressive degree than is these days the case.

Nikoleta Drougka, Euronews: Prime Minister, prior to now now we have noticed some EU Member States – Greece isn’t amongst them – fight to persuade their voters to move and take part within the European elections. Why would you assert, is it necessary for other people to move out and vote?

Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Prime Minister of Greece: Because what occurs in Brussels and since who represents us on the European Parliament issues. The choices which can be taken in Brussels and Strasbourg are crucial for our on a regular basis lives, and we wish to ship certified other people to the European Parliament.

At the tip of the day, the European elections are in regards to the European Parliament – to be sure that the Parliament shall be made from consultant European voters and can bridge this hole between decision-making in Brussels and what the European other people in reality need.

The European Parliament is essentially the most democratic of all our establishments and for this reason taking part within the European elections is necessary. We are a staunch pro-European celebration, so you would not be expecting me to mention the rest. And after all, we’re doing our best possible to mobilise other people and to be sure that what historically is a low turnout election goes to perhaps defy the rage and feature larger participation.