Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament meets with Kyriakos MITSOTAKIS, Greek Prime Minister, in Strasbourg. They discuss the recent wildfires that Greece has faced. Handshake and roundtable. This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

EU - Greece (T)

Strasbourg

meeting

METSOLA, Roberta (EPP, MT, EP President)

MITSOTAKIS, Konstantinos Kiriakou (EL)

president's agenda

Roberta METSOLA, EP President meets with Kyriakos MITSOTAKIS, Greek Prime Minister: handshake and roundtable

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/72080190/1694505828268_I245826Chapters%5BSD-EN%5D.srt

Handshake of Roberta Metsola, European Parliament President, and Kyriakos MITSOTAKIS, Greek Prime Minister

Meeting between Roberta Metsola, European Parliament President, and Kyriakos MITSOTAKIS, Greek Prime Minister

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, Prime Minister, first of all, welcome to the European Parliament. Under these very difficult circumstances, we stand with you in full solidarity and full support. I understand you are meeting now the Commission President and two quick messages for me.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, First of all, that from a political budgetary resource point of view, any decision that needs to be taken by the Parliament, we will do it as quickly as possible because we know that this is a situation of such a climate, a catastrophic disaster that requires unprecedented efficiency and help.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, Second point, that Greece does not have to be alone to face what should be a situation faced by the whole of Europe. And in the worst of times, the people of Greece need to see the best of Europe. And this is what the Parliament committees have to do.

SOUNDBITE (English), Konstantinos Kiriakou MITSOTAKIS, Greek Prime Minister, Thank you, Madam President, for welcoming me. Indeed, I am here today because it was more convenient to meet the President of the Commission and her team as quickly as possible, given the fact that they are here this week also for the State of the Union event.

SOUNDBITE (English), Konstantinos Kiriakou MITSOTAKIS, Greek Prime Minister, You are right to point out that we have faced an unprecedented weather event, a catastrophe of immense proportions, something that was essentially beyond sort of our scale of of prediction and incomprehension. And you write that in unprecedented times we need an unprecedented response.

SOUNDBITE (English), Konstantinos Kiriakou MITSOTAKIS, Greek Prime Minister, And that is why I am here to see in what way we can mobilise more European assistance in the short term to help Greece now and the Greek people now, but also in the longer term to be more aware of the fact that these sorts of events are going to occur with increased frequency, and that we cannot only focus on mitigation. We are very bold when it comes to Europe in terms of our mitigation policy, climate neutrality by 2050, But we need to be much more active when it comes to adaptation.

SOUNDBITE (English), Konstantinos Kiriakou MITSOTAKIS, Greek Prime Minister, And frankly, the funds that are available now for our operation are simply not sufficient to deal with these types of events. A topic to be discussed amongst all our European institutions, of course, is what we discussed with the Commission. It will be discussed I would certainly raise of the Council and, of course, it will also needs to be debated at the European Parliament.

SOUNDBITE (English), Konstantinos Kiriakou MITSOTAKIS, Greek Prime Minister, Thank you again for your solidarity. We will manage to get through this and it is important also for the people of Greece, especially the people of Fiesole, who were who are struck by this catastrophe to know that Europe stands by them not just in words, but also in terms of concrete actions. And hopefully by the time we meet with the President of the Commission and her team afterwards, we will have sort of more specific things to say.