Mitsotakis pushes EU allies for stronger response to soaring energy costs

At the MED9 summit in Split, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called on European partners to strengthen the bloc’s response to the surge in energy prices and the inflation it fuels. He and Italy’s Giorgia Meloni have written to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, seeking extra fiscal leeway so that VAT revenues from energy-driven inflation can fund temporary aid for consumers and firms. The meeting, which also includes European Council President António Costa, French President Emmanuel Macron and Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, will discuss the broader competitiveness gap exposed by the crisis, as well as migration and recent Middle-East tensions.

The summit aims to shape positions before EU leaders convene in Brussels on October 15-16 to decide on possible emergency measures. Mitsotakis will later meet U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Athens after the talks. The agenda reflects growing pressure on the EU’s budget and its multi-annual financial framework amid volatile energy markets.