Professors of the University of Peloponnese, Charalambos Tsiliotis and Antonios Klasis addressed the big event as well.
Energy autonomy with the production of clean energy from our own resources is a major stake for your EU, Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs, Miltiadis Varvitsiotis underscored, addressing on Mon, December 19, a seminar at the University of Peloponnese titled “The European Problems in the throes of Battle and the Energy Crisis”, organized by the DAP-NDFK of Corinth.
“Were our country outside the EU, we would not have better power sufficiency, we would not pay out less for petrol or natural gas, nor would we all feel safer at night”, Mr. Varvitsiotis said, incorporating that our membership in the EU also largely protects us against a possible attack by Turkey. In such a case, the EUROPEAN UNION would not remain neutral, it might stand by our side, the particular Alternate Minister believes. Besides, “Erdogan knows very well that will by attacking Greece he’d risk the EU-Turkey customs union, thanks to which the Turkish economy has grown”, he or she said, adding that situations in Europe are extremely beneficial to us.
The hope to become independent from hydrocarbons is related to the need to reduce co2 emissions on the one hand and to become independent from the political and economic goals of third countries on the other, Mr. Varvitsiotis noted. In this regard, he known the difficulties and conflicting views in relation to the decision to impose a cap on gas and admitted that the EU did not react as quickly and effectively to the energy turmoil as it did to the Covid-19 crisis, but he pressured that “in the end, crises strengthen Europe, rather than weaken it”. He declared himself a “passionate European”, observing that the European structure is a “unique example of transnational cooperation”, which “we should not quickly shoot, but we must knuckle down to make it more functional plus effective”.
