Economy, migration and the Middle East to dominate the Mitsotakis-Scholz meeting in Berlin

Economy, migration, energy, but also regional and international developments, due to the new crisis in the Middle East, will be on the "agenda" of the meeting between Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, in Berlin.

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According to government sources, the prime minister's visit to the German capital is taking place at a time when the Greek economy has passed into another phase after the recovery of the investment grade while it has also recorded the largest debt reduction in the world in 2022 in terms of debt-to-GDP ratio and is now on track to reduce debt below 2012 levels by the end of the year, outperforming developed eurozone economies.

Another issue expected to be discussed is energy, as Greece is a hub for energy transmission in the South-North Corridor, Europe's bridge with the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean up to Ukraine and seeks to be an energy security provider in the wider region.

Migration will also be on the agenda of the discussions, an issue Greece has insisted from the beginning that it is European and needs a comprehensive European response, with the main priority being the need to protect the borders, a principle that is now a European acquis.

Mitsotakis and Scholz are also expected to exchange views on regional and international developments, with an emphasis on the situation in the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean, the Western Balkans, the latest developments in Ukraine, as well as all issues of European interest in view of the European Council of December.

On Monday afternoon, the prime minister will have a meeting with CDU leader Friedrich Merz. Afterwards, they will have a public debate at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS), which will be prefaced by the Foundation's president, Dr. Norbert Lammert, with the event entitled: "Greece and Europe - A new chapter with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis".

Later, Mitsotakis will attend a dinner of leaders (Greece, Cyprus, Austria, Lithuania, Belgium and Hungary), hosted by the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, at the chancellery, as part of informal group discussions with the EU leaders to adopt the EU Strategic Agenda in the first half of 2024.

As government sources emphasize, the debate on the EU's Strategic Agenda was opened at the informal European Council in Granada and concerns the ways in which the EU will face geopolitical challenges, but also how it will strengthen its geopolitical footprint, i.e. the debate on EU enlargement, its resilience and competitiveness.