Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has called for a strategic overhaul of the European Green Deal, warning in a recent Financial Times op-ed that the continent risks "winning the climate neutrality race only to find it ran the wrong race."
Amid high energy prices and rising geopolitical tensions, Kyriakos Mitsotakis outlined five "golden rules" centered on pragmatism and flexibility to guide Europe’s transition to net zero.
Mr. Mitsotakis argues that the Green Deal is at a critical juncture, requiring a broader framework to define Europe’s global role.
His first rule urges Cost Efficiency, emphasizing that tackling all emissions, such as from shipping or heavy industry, simultaneously is strategically flawed.
Competitive, low-carbon technologies should be supported first, while expensive final steps must proceed at a realistic pace to ensure feasibility.
The Prime Minister stressed the need for Technological Neutrality, arguing that policy should avoid moral judgments.
He pointed to Europe's failure to fully support domestic gas production while relying on U.S. imports, and criticized the disparity in funding between favored solutions like hydrogen and essential technologies such as nuclear power.
Investment, he said, must be driven solely by genuine emissions reduction potential.
The third rule demands a Recommitment to the Internal Market, citing massive differences in electricity prices across the bloc—from negative rates in some countries to triple-digit costs in others.
Mr. Mitsotakis stated that market integration is a political project requiring top-level promotion to harmonize affordable energy prices.
Finally, he called for Stronger Market Governance to address opaque, complex energy markets that produce politically unsustainable outcomes, and to Recognize the Transition Is Not an End in Itself.
Mr. Mitsotakis stressed that decarbonization cannot override other key objectives like employment, industrial production, and strategic autonomy, suggesting Europe must be willing to accept limited temporary emissions to preserve social cohesion.
The call for a strategic rethink in 2025 has been welcomed by leaders of the opposition parties Pasok and Syriza, who also seek balanced climate and economic policies.