Deputy Foreign Minister Dimitris Kourkoulas participated on Tuesday, 21 October, in the EU General Affairs Council in Luxembourg. The Council dealt with preparations for the European Council convening this Thursday and Friday, 23 and 24 October, as well as with the EU’s strategic priorities in the sectors of Freedom, Security and Justice, which were adopted under the Hellenic Presidency of the Council, in June 2014.
Mr. Kourkoulas expressed his support for the Italian Presidency’s efforts to implement the strategic priorities, which concern important issues, including migration and security issues being created in EU member states by the presence of foreign fighters in countries of the Middle East.
Mr. Kourkoulas participated in a teleconference with the President of the European Council, Mr. Van Rompuy, during which there was a discussion of the major issues that will be dealt with by the European Council later this week. Mr. Kourkoulas underscored the importance of the timely adoption of a common European position on the vital issue of climate change, reaffirming Greece’s agreement to the goal of a 40% reduction of green-house gases by 2030, and adding that Greece supports the binding goal of renewable energy sources’ achieving a 27% share in the country’s energy mix – in tandem with a 30% increase in energy efficiency – by 2030.
Mr. Kourkoulas underscored the importance of energy security on a European level, as well as Greece’s support in this direction, not only through the new Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), which will carry Caspian natural gas to Europe, but also through the exploitation of domestic energy sources, which is proceeding at a rapid pace. Finally, he reiterated Greece’s proposal for a mechanism for coordinating the supply of LNG in case of a crisis.
October 22, 2014