Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis opined that the European Union should play a more active role in the creation of an EU defense fund (common lending mechanism) aimed at reinforcing the bloc’s defense capacity.

Speaking to the media outlet Politico on the sidelines of the EU Summit in Brussels, Mitsotakis explained that the EU needed a “European structure and funding mechanism to develop our defensive capabilities.”

The Greek PM went on to stress that he would definitely be supportive of such an EU defense fund initiative if the bloc were prepared to explore such a prospect. “Let’s mobilize European resources to do things that we are unable to achieve on a national level,” he noted.

The Prime Minister stated that he would use the Brussels Summit as an opportunity to call on the European Union to move forward—reaching “a turning point where we realize that we must assume a greater share of responsibility regarding European defense”—and to support EU-level borrowing for joint projects.

On the issue of “green transition,” Mitsotakis issued a warning concerning environmental priorities amid reactions from countries that fear green policies and climate neutrality targets may harm their economies.

“I was very clear: the green transition cannot be an end in itself. Otherwise, we may one day realize that we are running the wrong race. There must be a balance with competitiveness, and it must promote—or at least not hinder—social cohesion,” he emphasized.

“I don’t like to express it in numbers, but the last 10, 15, or 20 percent of the green transition is, at this point, extremely costly, and we do not even have the technologies needed to achieve it.”