The European Commission has approved, exclusively for Greece, a request to extend the country’s existing national escape clause to cover energy resilience measures, sources at the Ministry of National Economy and Finance said.
The decision opens the way for investment expected to reach about €1 billion by 2028, giving Greece extra room under the EU’s expenditure growth rule.
Athens submitted the request by letter on August 6, 2026. With the approval, specific measures that strengthen the energy system’s resilience and speed up the shift away from fossil fuels can now fall under the clause.
The investments will be funded from national resources. They will be excluded from the net primary expenditure growth limit in the EU’s economic governance framework, by up to 0.3% of GDP a year and 0.6% cumulatively through 2028.
The approval covers only that spending limit. The amounts will still count toward the primary balance and public debt.
Finance Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis stressed that the approval applies only to Greece and called the decision of particular political and economic significance. He linked it to the country’s credibility and its role in shaping European decisions, saying it confirms that Greece is a strong, reliable country that sets goals and meets them.
