ENGLISH SECTION
30/04/2025 | 17:25
Mitsotakis at EPP conference: Greece is one of the fastest growing European economies
“The only force that can offer political stability and economic growth in Europe is the political family of the European People’s Party (EPP)”, Prime Minister and New Democracy (ND) leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis stressed, addressing the plenary session of the Conference of the European People’s Party, held in Valencia, on Wednesday.
The Prime Minister underlined that the strengthening of the competitiveness of the EU economy is an absolute priority of the European Union and, by extension, of the EPP’s political agenda.
“In the past we have made concessions and now we risk falling behind. The EU must transform itself from a ‘factory’ of regulatory rules into a ‘factory’ of growth. We must focus on delivering the necessary reforms and I welcome the initiatives of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to simplify the existing EU regulatory framework. Take Greece for example: we are now one of the fastest growing European economies, we have managed to show a surplus of 4.8 billion euros thanks to reforms such as the fight against tax evasion, which are ultimately delivering results and prosperity.”
The Prime Minister warned that “the battles of the difficult reforms for the sake of strengthening the competitiveness of our economy should take place at the national level, we have to face the populists within our borders, these battles will not be fought by Brussels for us”, while he reiterated that we must quickly incorporate the points of the Draghi report.
Referring to the generalised blackout in Spain and Portugal two days ago, Mitsotakis reiterated the need for a more unified European energy market that would contribute to strengthening competitiveness and European security.
Subsequently, the Prime Minister stressed that “peace should no longer be taken for granted in Europe” and that “we must be prepared to protect our values, but also to strengthen our deterrent capacity”.
Mitsotakis welcomed the Commission President’s initiative, such as the activation of the escape clause to create additional budgetary space and highlighted the need for a more unified European defence market. He also made it clear that the members of the European Union should be particularly careful when concluding defence agreements with third countries so that the interests of the member states of the EU are not affected.
Moreover, the Greek Prime Minister urged the leadership of the European Union to strengthen its relations with emerging powers around the world, citing as a typical example the forthcoming visit of Ursula von der Leyen and a group of Committees to New Delhi and noting that Greece is a key country in the EU-India axis. In fact, Mitsotakis stressed “the ties between the EU and the US are too close and strong to fail, they are the foundation of our peace and prosperity. The only way to keep this relationship strong is to become stronger and more autonomous as EU. Our relationship with the US is very important, we need to approach it from a position of strength and confidence.”
Mitsotakis pointed out that “New Democracy is the pillar of political stability and the creator of economic growth in Greece” and stressed that “success brings responsibility” at both national and European level.
Source: ANA – MPA
