By Penelope Galliou

With time counting down to the June 9th Eurocalp, European leaders meet today and tomorrow in Brussels for a summit with a crucial agenda. The support to Ukraine, the European defense strategy and industry, the latest developments in Gaza and immigration are among the issues that will occupy the European Council session, while the issues of the primary sector are also expected to be on the table of the session again.

European defense industry and defence

In the debate on the European defense strategy and the European defense industry, Greece has a weighty voice, as it is one of the EU member states. and NATO with one of the highest per capita defense spending rates in the Alliance. The Prime Minister has already taken a position on the need for common steps in EU defense procurement. and for joint efforts to strengthen the European defense industry. As he has said, Europe needs to find a way to spend smarter on defence. Among other things, Kyriakos Mitsotakis is expected to emphasize that the E.U. must find a way for joint supplies of defense material to Ukraine with compensation to member states for defense material of European origin.

In the European Council, the economy will also have a dominant position, with our country stressing that it is not enough to exclude defense spending from the excessive deficit process, but other measures are also needed. In fact, at the time required by the EU member states. to proceed with investments in various fields, Kyriakos Mitsotakis is expected to underline that there should be a serious discussion about how these funds will be found, i.e. how European defense will be financed.

As far as Ukraine is concerned, Greece’s position is declared and firm regarding the continuation of its support. In fact, it is the first summit after the recent visit of Kyriakos Mitsotakis to Odessa and his meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky, so he is expected to inform his European counterparts about his contacts in the war-torn country and about the missile attack he received. during his stay in Odessa.

Concern about Gaza

A few days after the signing of the historic agreement E.E. – of Egypt to stop a new migration crisis, the Greek Prime Minister is expected to take a position on the latest developments in Gaza, their effects on migration while he will emphasize that it is important to prevent further destabilization of the wider region, reiterating that Greece is ready to contribute to every effort that will lead to the achievement of regional stability. Greece’s concern about the war in Gaza remains the high civilian casualties and the humanitarian crisis, and in this light, Mr. Mitsotakis will underline the need for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages and the opening of all avenues for the provision of humanitarian aid. aid to relieve the suffering innocents in Gaza.

The agricultural issue

With regard to the primary sector and the agricultural issue, the Greek Prime Minister, from the previous European Council, was in favor of ending the fallow regime and is expected to emphasize that it must be understood that some of the steps taken in the last five years in terms of green transition put too much pressure on farmers. A fact which means, from the point of view of the Greek side, that the green transition should be ensured and implemented at rates that will not significantly affect the income of farmers.

European farmers expressed their concerns and communicated it emphatically to their leaders and now European leaders are called to act decisively on the challenges they face. This means taking stock of the work that has been done so far and ensuring that progress is made without delay, particularly regarding the place of farmers in the food supply chain and fair competition, both within the internal market and globally.